| "Paper Clip" | |
|---|---|
| Series The X-Files Season 3, Episode 2 | |
| |
| Air date | September 29th, 1995 |
| Writers | Chris Carter |
| Director | Rob Bowman |
| Producers | Rob Bowman; Chris Carter; Charles Grant Craig; Joseph Patrick Finn; R.W. Goodwin; Howard Gordon; Kim Manners; Paul Rabwin |
| Starring | David Duchovny; Gillian Anderson; Mitch Pileggi |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Blessing Way" |
Next "D.P.O." |
"Paper Clip" is the second episode of season three of the science fiction mystery series The X-Files and the fifty-first episode of the series overall. It was directed by Rob Bowman with a script written by Chris Carter. It first aired on the FOX Network on Friday, September 29th, 1995 at 9:00 pm.
Plot[]
Fox Mulder returns and both Dana Scully and Walter Skinner are surprised to see him. Skinner is in possession of a data tape that contains evidence of government cover-up concerning UFO activity. Mulder wants him to give it up, but Skinner holds onto it as leverage.
Mulder finds an old photograph from 1973, which is of a group of men, one of whom is his recently deceased father. He brings the photo to the Lone Gunmen, who identifies another man in the image as Victor Klemper - an former Nazi scientist brought to the U.S. as part of a government sponsored program known as Operation Paper Clip.
Meanwhile, an assassin, targets Dana's sister, Melissa Scully. Melissa is shot in the head and taken to the hospital where she is intensive care. Dana cannot risk exposing herself to visit her, however, as it is clear that the bullet that took down Melissa was intended for her.
Mulder and Scully get an address on Victor Klemper and meet him at his greenhouse. Like most of their contacts, Klemper is elusive when it comes to divulging information. All he says is that the photograph was taken at a a closed down mine in West Virginia.
The Navajo Shaman Albert Hosteen is brought to Washington, D.C. at the behest of Dana Scully. He visits the hospital on Dana's behalf and spends two days saying prayers over Melissa's unconscious body. Dana and Melissa's mother, Margaret Scully, has not left her daughter's bedside in two days.
Mulder and Scully go to the abandoned mine in West Virginia. What they find are corridors of filing cabinets containing medical records, which includes DNA samples. Dana Scully and Mulder's sister, Samantha Mulder, both have files. A hit team arrives on the site, and Mulder and Scully are forced to leave.
Back in Washington, Walter Skinner tries to strong-arm the Cigarette Smoking Man into getting his cronies and he to leave Mulder and Scully alone in exchange for the data tape. CSM growls at Skinner, telling him that he doesn't negotiate.
The Syndicate later sends a strike team to the hospital to take out Skinner. This tactic fails however. CSM has the car containing the hit men blown up, one of whom is Alex Krycek. Krycek survives and telephones CSM, warning him that if he even feels his presence again, he is going to make him "a very famous" man.
Mulder and Scully return to Klemper's greenhouse, only to find the Well-Manicured Man waiting there. He tells them that Klemper had a sudden "heart attack" and is dead. He tells Mulder that his father threatened to expose the secret government project that he had been involved with, and further indicates that Samantha Mulder was actually abducted by the government (not UFOs), to insure Bill Mulder's cooperation.
Mulder returns to his family home in Greenwich, Connecticut and awakens his mother, Teena Mulder. He asks her if she was forced to choose which child would be surrendered to the Syndicate. Teen tells him that she was unable to choose, so Bill chose Samantha - a fact that she had never forgiven him for, even after his death.
Back at the hospital, Melissa Scully succumbs to her injuries. Mulder visits Dana and offers her comfort.
The Cigarette Smoking Man returns to Skinner's office. Skinner introduces him to Albert Hosteen. He tells him that he showed Hosteen the data tape and had him memorize it. In the oral tradition of his people, Hosteen then relayed the information to twenty different members of the Navajo Nation. Even if CSM were to assassinate Hosteen, he would not be able to track down the other twenty people with any degree of certainty. Skinner gives a smug smile for finally getting one over on the Cigarette Smoking Man.
Cast[]
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Duchovny | Fox Mulder |
| Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully |
| Mitch Pileggi | Walter Skinner |
Guest Starring[]
Featuring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Rebecca Toolan | Teena Mulder |
| Don S. Williams | Elder #1 |
| Robert Lewis | ER doctor |
| Lenno Britos | Luis Cardinal |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The X-Files was created by writer and executive producer Chris Carter. The original run of the series aired on the FOX Network from 1993 to 2002, spanning a total of 202 episodes. The show was revived in 2008 for two more seasons with a total episode count of 218 episodes.
- "Paper Clip" and "TXF: Paper Clip" both redirect to this page. These links serve as shortcuts for the benefit of users who wish to find this page by using keywords in the search engine.
- This episode is rated TV-14.
- This episode is includes on the The X-Files: The Complete Collection DVD collection, The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition collection, and The X-Files: The Complete Third Season collection.
- This episode is production code number 3x02.
- This episode had a Nielsen rating of 11.1 and a viewership of 17.2 million people upon its initial broadcast.
- Actor Mitch Pileggi is given an "Also Starring" credit in this episode.
- This is the ninth episode of The X-Files directed by Rob Bowman. He directs thirty-four episodes of the show in total. He previously directed "Our Town". His next episode is "The Walk".
- This is the eighteenth episode of The X-Files written by Chris Carter. He previously wrote the season three premiere, "The Blessing Way". His next episode is "The List".
- This is the final television work for costume designer Larry Wells. Wells passed away in 1995 at the age of 49, prior to the broadcast of this episode. A dedication to Wells was given in the beginning of "The Blessing Way".
- This is the third and final appearance of Melissa Scully, not counting flashbacks. She dies in the hospital after suffering from a gunshot would to the head. Alex Krycek is responsible for shooting her.
- This is the first and only appearance of Victor Klemper. He is assassinated by The Syndicate, though his death is made to look lie a heart-attack.
- This is the second appearance of Teena Mulder, who is the mother of Fox Mulder, and the widow of Bill Mulder. She appeared last in "Little Green Men".
- Dana Scully's medical file indicates her home address as 3170 West 53 Road in Annapolis, Maryland.
- Dana Scully states that she was born in 1964.
- This is the final television acting work for Walter Gotell. Gotell is best known for playing James Bond baddie General Anatol Gogol in films such as The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill.
- Actress Melinda McGraw is also known for playing the character of Barbara Eileen Gordon in the 2005 feature film The Dark Knight. The character of Barbara Kean, as seen on another FOX Network series, Gotham, is a pastiche of Barbara Eileen Gordon.
- This is the second appearance of Luis Cardinal. He is identified only as Hispanic man in the closing credits. He will not be identified by name until "Apocrypha".
Allusions[]
- Operation Paperclip was an actual government program that involved bringing former Nazi scientists over from Germany to the United States where they were given sanctuary in exchange for lending their intellectual expertise towards government projects. The Lone Gunmen make reference to Wernher von Braun and the development of the V-2 rocket, as well as advances that gave the U.S. advantages in the Space Race against the Soviet Union, which ultimately resulted in place a man on the moon in 1969. This episode further implies that Operation Paperclip had a hand in the development of human/alien hybrids, of which the fictional Victor Klemper played a key roll in engineering.
- The revelation of Bill Mulder being forced to choose between which of his children were going to be handed over to The Syndicate is similar to themes explored in the 1979 novel Sophie's Choice. The book was adapted into a film in 1982 starring Meryl Streep.
- The story of the White Buffalo Woman, that Albert Hosteen reveals in the narrative is based on an actual figure from Native American folklore, relating to the Lakota religion. In this episode, a buffalo gives birth to a white buffalo, but dies soon after. The lesson of giving a life to preserve another is mirrored through the death of Melissa Scully in exchange for Dana Scully continuing to live. It could also relate to the revelation of Bill Mulder having to sacrifice Samantha Mulder in order to save Fox Mulder.
- Samantha Mulder is referenced several times in this episode. She is the younger sister of Fox Mulder. She was believed to have been abducted by aliens, but there is also evidence to suggest that she was taken by government agents. Minor details relating to her disappearance were revealed in the pilot episode and in the season one episode, "Conduit".
- There are numerous references made to Bill Mulder, father of Fox Mulder and husband of Teena Mulder. Bill Mulder was shot to death by Alex Krycek in "Anasazi".
Quotes[]
- Fox Mulder: We've both lost so much... but I believe that what we're looking for is in the X-Files. I'm more certain than ever that the truth is in there.
- Dana Scully: I've heard the truth, Mulder. Now what I want are the answers.
....
- Cigarette Smoking Man: What is this?
- Walter Skinner: This is where you pucker up and kiss my ass.
....
- Cigarette Smoking Man: This was a mistake. It will be rectified.
- Well Manicured Man: By whom? By whom will this be rectified? Your ridiculously ineffectual assassins?
- Cigarette Smoking Man: These men are professionals.
- Well Manicured Man: This is not a profession for men who make mistakes. My God, you presume to make us believe that you can simply fix it with enough bullets?
- Cigarette Smoking Man: No.
....
- Cigarette Smoking Man: Hello?
- Alex Krycek: I'm alive... Is that not a surprise?
- Cigarette Smoking Man: Yes, good, good, good. Uh, where are you?
- Alex Krycek: I'm somewhere where you'll never find me, you double-crossing son of a bitch.
- Cigarette Smoking Man: Are you sure?
- Alex Krycek: I'm sure of this. If I so much as feel your presence, I'm going to make you a very, very famous man. You understand?