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{{Good article}}
{{Infobox Television episode
{{Infobox television episode
| Image = [[File:TXF_Existence.jpg|250px]]
| image = TXF Existence.jpg
| Caption = [[Dana Scully]] giving birth to [[Baby William|William]], with [[Monica Reyes]] helping her conceive her birth.
| caption = [[Dana Scully]] giving birth to [[List of The X-Files characters#Baby William|William]], with [[Monica Reyes]] helping.
| Season = 8
| series = [[The X-Files]]
| Episode = 21
| season = 8
| Title = Existence
| episode = 21
| Series = [[The X-Files]]
| airdate = {{Start date|2001|05|20}}
| type =
| production = 8ABX21
| cast =
| writer = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]]
| guests =
| director = [[Kim Manners]]
* [[David Duchovny]] as [[Fox Mulder]]
| length = 44 minutes
* [[Mitch Pileggi]] as [[Walter Skinner]]
| guests =
* [[Annabeth Gish]] as [[Monica Reyes]]
* [[Annabeth Gish]] as [[Monica Reyes]]
* [[Zachary Ansley]] as [[Billy Miles]]
* [[Mitch Pileggi]] as [[Walter Skinner]]
* [[Adam Baldwin]] as [[Knowle Rohrer]]
* [[Nicholas Lea]] as [[Alex Krycek]]
* [[Zachary Ansley]] as [[List of minor The X-Files characters#Billy Miles|Billy Miles]]
* [[Adam Baldwin]] as [[List of The X-Files characters#Knowle Rohrer|Knowle Rohrer]]
* [[Tom Braidwood]] as [[Melvin Frohike]]
* [[Tom Braidwood]] as [[Melvin Frohike]]
* [[Dale Dickey]] as [[Game Warden]]
* [[Dale Dickey]] as Game Warden
* [[Dean Haglund]] as [[Richard Langly]]
* [[Dean Haglund]] as [[Richard Langly]]
* [[Bruce Harwood]] as [[John Fitzgerald Byers]]
* [[Bruce Harwood]] as [[John Fitzgerald Byers]]
* Shelley Mack as Rebecca
* [[Nicholas Lea]] as [[Alex Krycek]]
* Tom Martin as Pathology Assistant
* Shelley Mack as [[Rebecca]]
* [[Tom Martin]] as Pathology Assistant
* [[James Pickens, Jr.]] as [[Alvin Kersh]]
* [[James Pickens, Jr.]] as [[Alvin Kersh]]
* Cynthia Shadix as [[Hybrid|Alien/Human Hybrid]]
* Cynthia Shadix as [[Hybrid (biology)|Alien/Human Hybrid]]
* Jerry Shiban as [[Baby William|Scully's Baby]]
* Jerry Shiban as [[List of minor The X-Files characters#Jackson Van De Kamp|Baby William]]
* Austin Tichenor as James Langenhahn
* Austin Tichenor as James Langenhahn
* [[Kirk B. R. Woller]] as Gene Crane<ref name=cast>{{cite web|title=The X-Files - "Existence"|url=http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x21.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020207004630/http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x21.html|archive-date=7 February 2002|publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|work=TheXFiles.com|access-date=27 April 2012|date=February 2002}}</ref>
* [[Kirk B.R. Woller]] as [[Gene Crane]]
| prev = [[Essence (The X-Files)|Essence]]
| Writer = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]]
| next = [[Nothing Important Happened Today]]
| Director = [[Kim Manners]]
| episode_list = List of The X-Files episodes
| script_editor =
| season_article = The X-Files season 8
| producer =
| executive_producer =
| Production = 8X21
| length = 43 min.
| Airdate = May 20, 2001
| Prev = [[Essence (The X-Files)|Essence]]
| Next = [[Nothing Important Happened Today]]
| future =
| Episode list = [[The X-Files (season 8)|List of season 8 episodes]]<br>[[List of The X-Files episodes|List of ''The X-Files'' episodes]]
}}
}}
'''"Existence (Part 2)"''' is the 181st episode and the [[The X-Files (season 8)|eight season finale]] of the [[science fiction]] [[television series]] ''[[The X-Files]]''. The episode first aired in the United States on May 20, 2001 on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]], and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]], and directed by [[Kim Manners]]. The episode continues from the previous episode, "[[Essence (The X-Files)|Essence]]", where they learn about these new [[Extraterrestrial life|Aliens]] called the [[Super Soldier]]s programmed to destroy any traces of Alien involvement on [[Earth]].
"'''Existence'''" is the twenty-first episode and final episode of the [[The X-Files season 8|eighth-season]] of the [[science fiction]] [[television series]] ''[[The X-Files]]'' and 182nd episode overall. The episode first premiered on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on May 20, 2001, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2001, on [[Sky1]]. It was written by executive producer [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] and directed by [[Kim Manners]]. "Existence" earned a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen household rating]] of 8.4 and was watched by 8.58 million households and 14 million viewers, overall. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics.


"Existence" was a story milestone for the series. It introduced the [[story arc]] which would continue throughout [[The X-Files (season 9)|ninth season]]. The story starts with [[Billy Miles]] arriving at the FBI Headquarters, [[Fox Mulder]], [[John Doggett]], [[Walter Skinner]] and [[Alex Krycek]] helps [[Dana Scully]] to escape with Special Agent [[Monica Reyes]] who drives her to a remote farm. Shortly after Skinner kills Krycek, Scully delivers an apparently normal baby while the alien Super Soldiers surround her. Without explanation, the aliens leave the area as Mulder arrives. While Doggett and Reyes report to the FBI Headquarters, Mulder takes Scully and her newborn baby back to her apartment.
The show centers on [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] special agents [[John Doggett]] ([[Robert Patrick]]) and [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]])—as well as ex-FBI agent [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]])—who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called [[X-File]]s. In this episode, continuing from the previous episode, "[[Essence (The X-Files)|Essence]]", a new type of [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]], called a [[Colonist (The X-Files)#.22Super Soldiers.22|Super Soldier]] programmed to destroy any traces of alien involvement on [[Earth]], is introduced. Mulder, Doggett, [[Walter Skinner]] ([[Mitch Pileggi]]), and [[Alex Krycek]] ([[Nicholas Lea]]) help Scully escape from [[List of minor The X-Files characters#Billy Miles|Billy Miles]] with Special Agent [[Monica Reyes]] ([[Annabeth Gish]]) to a remote town. Shortly after, Skinner kills Krycek and Scully delivers an apparently normal baby with the alien Super Soldiers surrounding her. Without explanation, the aliens leave the area as Mulder arrives.


"Existence", along with previous season eight episodes starting with "[[Per Manum]]", introduce the [[story arc]] revolving around the "[[Colonist (The X-Files)#"Super Soldiers"|super soldiers]]", which continued throughout [[The X-Files season 9|the ninth season]]. The episode was the last to include David Duchovny's character until the [[The Truth (The X-Files)|series finale]] the following year. As such, the last scene with Doggett and Reyes in Kersh's office was intended to show the "New ''X-Files''" without Duchovny.
== Plot overview ==
The episode begins with a metal box being brought in and the coroner examining it. He then notices a small piece of metal, and pulles a piece of metal from the remains of [[Billy Miles]]. After the men have left the room, the piece of metal begins to spin, each time, growing into what looks like the beginnings of a spine. Meanwhile, [[Dana Scully]] and [[Monica Reyes]] pull into the place where [[Special agent]] [[John Doggett]] in Georgia.


== Plot ==
[[Alex Krycek]] has been seated in a chair, in Assistant Dircetor [[Walter Skinner]]'s office, where he is shown a videograph from the morgue, with Skinner telling him that, like shown in the picture, Billy Miles is somehow alive, and is still out to get Scully and her unborn child. Suddenly Agent [[Gene Crane]] comes up to Doggett, telling him that there is a person - [[Knowle Rohrer]] - who wants see him, with issues concerning Billy Miles, and Scully. This leaves [[Fox Mulder]] and Skinner to interrogate Krycek. Rohrer tells Doggett that Billy Miles is part of some kind Military Project.
A metal box containing the remains of [[List of minor The X-Files characters#Billy Miles|Billy Miles]] is brought to a coroner. The coroner examines it and notices what appears to be a metal [[vertebra]]. After he leaves the room, the metal vertebra begins to spin, growing into what looks like the beginnings of a metallic spine.


In Assistant Director [[Walter Skinner]]'s office, a surveillance video shows Billy Miles leaving the morgue alive and well. Questioned by Skinner and Agents Mulder and Doggett, [[Alex Krycek]] ([[Nicholas Lea]]) reveals that Miles is a "new type of alien replacement agent" and there are others like him. Doggett is called out of the office on behalf of his source [[List of The X-Files characters#Knowle Rohrer|Knowle Rohrer]], who claims that Miles is part of a secret military project to create "[[Colonist (The X-Files)#"Super Soldiers"|super soldiers]]" and that Scully had a chip put in the back of her neck during her abduction to make her pregnant with the first organic version of a super soldier.
Krycek gets up from his chair in Skinner's office and starts running through the [[doorway]]. Skinner chases after him, then turns around and sees Billy Miles behind him. Skinner just manages to [[escape]] with Krycek, but Billy Miles' hand breaks through the [[elevator]], but then slips out. Agent Doggett and Mulder are in the [[hospital]] where Skinner is. Mulder distrusts what Dogget has been told by Knowle Roher, and the to of them set off to find out how [[trust]] worthy Knowle really is. Reyes has put together a organized and marvelous [[birth|place for the birth]], but as she and Scully stand there, Reyes sees someone running off and follows whoever it is. There, a car pulls up, and she meets a [[trooper]], who agrees to help with the birth. Mulder and Doggett pull into the garage, and find Krycek and a passenger, who just happens to be Rhorer, pulling in. Mulder reasons that Knowle and Krycek are in it together. Doggett pursues Knowle, where he learns Rhorer has an accomplice: Agent Crane.


Suddenly, Miles appears at the FBI headquarters. Sensing this, Krycek tries to escape with Skinner in pursuit, but as they manage to escape in an elevator, Miles' hand breaks through the elevator door, injuring Skinner and knocking him unconscious. At the hospital, Doggett relates Rohrer's claims to Mulder, who rejects the story, and the two agents set out to find out how trustworthy Rohrer really is. As they observe the FBI garage, they see Krycek and Rohrer arriving in a car. Doggett covertly pursues Rohrer and sees him meet with FBI Agent Crane. After learning of this, Mulder believes that Crane gave Krycek access to the FBI. Suddenly, Krycek smashes through the car window and crushes Mulder's phone. Krycek threatens Mulder with a gun, but is disarmed and eventually shot dead by Skinner. Doggett confronts Rohrer and Crane but ends up being chased by the two. The pursuit ends violently with Crane being run over and Rohrer crashing his car into the garage wall, going up in flames. Both men are presumed dead but later disappear.
Mulder's own problems arouse, when his [[phone call|phone rings]] and Krycek disappears from his [[car]]. Mulder, having just been told Crane is in on it, reasons that Crane gave Krycek access to the [[FBI]]. Suddenly, a hand smashes through the [[car window]] and tosses his [[cell phone]] on the ground, then Krycek pulls a gun at Mulder, and tells him to get out. Krycek is just about to pull the trigger, when a bullet hits him in the arm, and Skinner calmly walks in. Krycek tries to pick up his [[gun]], but Skinner shoots his hand. Krycek pushes his gun over, then tells Skinner to shoot Mulder. Instead, Skinner raises his gun and shoots Krycek in the head.

Meanwhile, [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]]) and [[Monica Reyes]] have arrived in Georgia at the [[abandoned town]] to hide Scully and her [[Baby William|unborn child]]. They are detected by a female trooper, who agrees to bring them supplies for the birth. At night, Miles attacks the hideout but is shot by the trooper. Scully goes into labor, while a revived Miles and other alien Super Soldiers surround the house. The trooper, revealed to be another Super Soldier, exclaims: "This baby will be born!" Monica Reyes helps Scully deliver an apparently normal baby, with the Super Soldiers witnessing the birth in a cold stare. Without explanation, the aliens leave the area as Mulder arrives.

At FBI Headquarters, Doggett and Reyes report to an enraged Deputy Director [[Alvin Kersh]], who objects to Doggett co-opting Reyes to the X-Files without his permission. Doggett retorts by informing Kersh that he is himself under investigation after a late night meeting between him, Rohrer and Crane. Mulder visits Scully and her baby, William, at her apartment. After marveling over the baby and discussing recent events, the two share a long, passionate kiss.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/xfiles/episodeguide/eight/page21.shtml |title=Existence |work=BBC Cult|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=October 1, 2009}}</ref>


== Production ==
== Production ==
[[File:Gerard van Honthorst 001.jpg|right|210px|thumb|The birth of William was supposed to allude to the birth of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]].]]
The first scene with the [[vertebrae]] was all [[CGI]], the only way for the CGI effects to work was to placed excatley were it was supposed to be. The car scene with [[Gillian Anderson]] and [[Annabeth Gish]] was shoot at [[Road|Keynan Road]], [[Malibu]]. Gish and Gilian sat in what is known as a [[Car|insert car]], the crew sat in a [[pickup]] car infront of them. The birth scene was filmed at the old [[Paramount Ranch|Paramount Movie Ranch]]. According to [[Kim Manners]] himself, the hardest scene was the [[elevator]] scene with [[Mitch Pileggi]] and [[Nicholas Lea]].<ref name="audiocommentary">{{cite video |people=[[Kim Manners|Manners, Kim]] |year2=2002 |title=Audio commentary for "Existence" |medium= DVD |publisher=[[Fox|FOX Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>


===Writing and casting===
Gish had never worked much with [[gun]]s before joining the ''[[The X-Files]]'' cast, so the producers got a retired [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] officer to teach her more about [[firearms]]. So she did some shooting practices before returning to set. The [[Garage|FBI garage]] scenes was shoot in [[Century city]] and took a total of four days to be finished. "Existence" was written during filming, which led to Manners helping with the [[Teleplay|script]], as with the whole action scene at the [[Headquarter|FBI headquarter]] was Manners idea. [[Alex Krycek]] was killed by a CGI bullet straight through his face, which again was Manners idea. When [[John Doggett]] was running from [[Knowle Rohrer]] and [[Gene Crane]], they did a mistake when he was running through the [[staircase]].<ref name="audiocommentary"/>
"Existence" was written during filming, which led to [[Kim Manners]]—the director of the episode—helping with the [[Teleplay|script]]. Because of this, several of the action scenes, such as the fight at the [[Headquarter|FBI headquarters]], were Manners' ideas. According to Manners, the last scene with Doggett and Reyes in Kersh's office was the "birth" of the "New X-Files" without [[David Duchovny]] as a lead.<ref name="audiocommentary"/> From here on, [[Monica Reyes]] became a [[main character]] on the show.<ref name="audiocommentary"/> ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' regular [[Denise Crosby]] briefly appears as Scully's gynecologist. The episode features the last appearance of Nicholas Lea, sans the series finale. Reportedly, Lea had become tired of the role and was growing weary of the ambiguous nature of the character. When Lea learned that his character was to be killed off in "Existence", he reportedly welcomed the news. The night the episode aired, Lea wrote on his personal website: "I felt that [Krycek] wasn't getting a fair shake anyway. [...] I wanted more in-depth ideas about the character and it never came to pass. It kind of stopped being fun to play."<ref name="leaunhappy">Kessenich, p. 146.</ref>


The last scene is the birth of the new ''X-Files'' without [[David Duchovny]] (portrayed [[Fox Mulder]]) and the introduction of [[Monica Reyes]] as a [[main character]] as she is Scully's replacement at [[X-file|the X-files office]]. At the end, several allusions to the story of the [[birth of Christ|birth of Jesus]] are in this episode including, Mulder following a star to find Scully, and [[The Lone Gunmen]] bringing gifts for the baby at the end (as the [[Three Wise Men]]). [[Baby William|Scully's child]] was portrayed by [[executive producer]] son Jerry Shiban, who is the son of John Shiban, a producer who worked on the ''[[The X-Files]]'' as well as ''[[The Lone Gunmen]]''. He was the first of seven babies who represented the character and the only one who featured solely as Baby William in a single episode. This would also become the last scene with Gillian and Duchovny alone.<ref name="audiocommentary"/>
The final scene of the episode featuring Mulder and Scully kissing almost was not filmed. Initially, the script called for Mulder to kiss Scully's forehead. Both Duchovny and Manners argued that the scene was "mundane" and that they had "been teasing and doing that bull for so long" that they wanted "a real kiss at this point".<ref name=kiss>{{cite news|last=Kessenich|first=Tom|title=What's Next? Fox Drama 'The X-Files' Will Try to Recover From a Disappointing Season|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-76718561.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328173936/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-76718561.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 28, 2015|access-date=December 26, 2012|newspaper=[[Wisconsin State Journal]]|publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]]|date=July 22, 2001|url-access=subscription }}</ref> During the birth of Scully's child, several allusions to the story of the [[birth of Christ|birth of Jesus]] are made, including Mulder following a star to find Scully and [[The Lone Gunmen]] bringing gifts for the baby, much like the [[Three Wise Men]]. [[List of The X-Files characters#Baby William|Scully's child]] was portrayed by Jerry Shiban, who is the son of John Shiban, a producer who worked on ''[[The X-Files]]'' as well as ''[[The Lone Gunmen]]''. He was the first of seven babies to represent the character and the only one to play Baby William for a single episode.<ref name="audiocommentary"/>


===Effects and filming===
== Reception ==
[[File:Humpback underwater.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Chris Carter included a scene with whale calls after listening to a [[Paul Winter]] album.]]
The episode earned a [[Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen household rating]] of 8.4, with a 13 share. It was viewed by 8.332 million households and gathered a total of 13.573 million viewers in the [[United States]] alone.<ref name="Ratings">{{cite web |author= |url=http://x-files.host.sk/nielsens.php |title=The X-Files Compilation: Nielsen Ratings |work= Compilation |date= |accessdate=July 5, 2009}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, "Existence" received 65 thousand viewers, placing ''The X-Files'' number three in the top ten broadcasts for [[Sky1]] that week behind ''[[Star Trek Voyager]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?RequestTimeout=500&report=weeklytop30 |title=BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes (Go on w/e June 25-July 1, 2001, and scroll down to Sky 1) |publisher=barb.co.uk |accessdate=August 2, 2009}}</ref>
The episode featured several elaborate CGI scenes. The first scene with the [[vertebrae]] was entirely [[Computer-generated imagery|computer generated]] by visual effects head John Wash.<ref name="audiocommentary"/>


According to director [[Kim Manners]], the most difficult scene to shoot was in the elevator with [[Mitch Pileggi]] and [[Nicholas Lea]]. Conversely, Manners' favorite scene was the one in which Skinner kills Krycek. Manners himself proposed the uniqueness of the shot, which features a CGI bullet going straight through Krycek's head. Extra money was budgeted for Krycek's death.<ref name="bigbook"/> [[Mitch Pileggi]] was very happy when he was told he would be killing Krycek; he explained, "when they came to me and told me that I was the one that was going to kill Krycek, I was elated. Not because I wanted Nick to go away or anything, it was just from a character stand-point; Skinner just wanted to kill Krycek so bad."<ref name="bigbook">Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 197.</ref> Manners later called it one of his "favorite scenes [he'd] ever directed" and one of the "best scenes [he's] seen in a long time on television."<ref name="audiocommentary">{{Cite AV media |author=Manners, Kim |author-link=Kim Manners |date=2002 |section=Audio commentary for "Existence" |title=[[The X-Files season 8|The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>
== References ==

{{reflist}}
The car scene with [[Gillian Anderson]] and [[Annabeth Gish]] was shot at Kanan Road, [[Malibu, California|Malibu]]. Anderson and Gish sat in what is known as an insert car, while the crew sat in a pickup car in front of them. The birth scene was filmed at [[Paramount Ranch]]. Gish had never filmed with guns before joining ''[[The X-Files]]'', so the producers hired a retired [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] officer to teach her more about firearms. She also did some shooting practices before returning to the set. The [[Parking garage|FBI garage]] scenes were shot in [[Century City]] and took a total of four days to finish.<ref name="audiocommentary"/>

The episode also contains a scene wherein Reyes serenades Scully by imitating [[Whale sound|whale calls]]. Gish later noted that "[Series creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]]] gave me a tape of whale songs, which was hysterical to be playing in my trailer."<ref name="bigbook"/> Carter was inspired to write the scene after a friend gave him a [[Paul Winter]] album that incorporated whale sounds into the music. Carter later explained that, "I just thought it was kind of much like [Reyes'] character to appreciate that."<ref name="thetruth">{{Cite AV media |author=Carter, Chris |author-link=Chris Carter (screenwriter) |date=2000 |section=The Truth Behind Season 8 |medium= DVD |title=[[The X-Files season 8|The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season]] |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Home Entertainment]]|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Ratings===
"Existence" premiered on May 20, 2001, in the United States on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].<ref name="BBCdate">{{cite AV media notes |title=The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season |title-link=The X-Files season 8 |year=2000–2001 |others=[[Kim Manners]], et al |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Corporation|Fox]] }}</ref> The episode earned a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen household rating]] of 8.4, meaning that it was seen by 8.4% of the nation's estimated households.<ref name=ratinggood/> The episode was watched by 8.58 million households<ref name=ratinggood>{{cite news|title=TV Ratings|newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|publisher=[[Times Publishing Company]]|date=April 2001|pages=7D}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 102.2 million.<ref name=ratinggood/> Thus, 8.4 percent of 102.2 million is 8.58 million households.|group="nb"}} and by 14 million viewers, overall.<ref>{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Season finales lift NBC to No. 1|newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]]|date=May 2001|pages=3C}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, "Existence" premiered on June 28, 2001, and received 0.65 million viewers, placing ''The X-Files'' number three in the top ten broadcasts for [[Sky1]] that week behind ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref name="sky">{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-10/? |title=BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes |publisher=barb.co.uk |access-date=1 January 2012}} Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 25 – July 1, 2001", listed under Sky 1</ref> Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Will the beginning be the end?"<ref>{{Cite sign |title=Existence|year=2001 |type=Promotional Flyer |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]] |location=[[Los Angeles, California]]|url=http://i550.photobucket.com/albums/ii421/maurisap/xfiles%20forum/155seasonfinalebeginningend-1.jpg}}</ref> The episode was later included on ''[[The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers]]'', a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien [[Colonist (The X-Files)#"Super Soldiers"|super soldier]]s arc.<ref>{{Cite AV media |author=Kim Manners |author-link=Kim Manners | title = The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers | medium = DVD | publisher = Fox|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

===Reviews===
"Existence" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' awarded the episode a "B". While offering a positive opinion in regards to the finale as a whole, he felt that "Existence" dragged more so than "Essence", resulting in a less interesting episode. He also felt that the overarching mythology of the series had long ago become too convoluted to make sense, but that the "human pieces of the show still work, and that includes Doggett."<ref name=aloneessenceexistenceavclub>{{cite web|last1=Handlen|first1=Zack|title=Review: ''The X-Files'': 'Alone'/'Essence'/'Existence'|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/aloneessenceexistence-106501|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|access-date=February 2, 2015|date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> ''[[Contra Costa Times]]'' columnists George Avalos and Michael Liedtke were pleased with the episode noting that the last scene was "beautifully written".<ref name="av1george"/> Avalos and Liedtke also reacted positively to the death of Alex Krycek at the hands of Skinner, saying it was the best scene in the episode.<ref name="av1george"/> Despite their praise, however, they stressed that "Existence" was not as exciting as the previous episode, "[[Essence (The X-Files)|Essence]]," or the 1998 ''[[The X-Files (film)|The X-Files]]'' feature film.<ref name="av1george">{{cite news |last=Liedtke|first=Michael|author2=George Avalos| url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-121018305/season-finale-consummates-fans.html | title=Season finale consummates fans' emotional journey with The Kiss. | newspaper=[[Contra Costa Times]] |publisher=[[MediaNews Group]] | date=May 24, 2001| access-date=November 25, 2009 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Jessica Morgan of [[Television Without Pity]] gave the episode an A− rating, noting that "season eight's finale goes out with a big fat juicy kiss between Mulder and Scully, at long last".<ref>{{cite web|author=Morgan, Jessica|title=X-Files|url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the-xfiles/recaps.php|publisher=[[NBCUniversal]]|work=[[Television Without Pity]]|access-date=15 January 2012|archive-date=22 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822073734/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the-xfiles/recaps.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Gareth Wigmore of ''[[TV Zone]]'' was positive toward both "Essence" and "Existence". Wigmore gave the episodes a 9 out of 10 rating and wrote "the reason that this two-parter works is that its plot is simple enough for the audience to still have a handle on".<ref>{{cite web|author=Wigmore, Gareth|url=http://www.visimag.com/tvzone/t141_reviews.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020112230237/http://www.visimag.com/tvzone/t141_reviews.htm|title=TV Zone #141 Episode Reviews - X-Files Essence / Existence|work=[[TV Zone]]|publisher=[[Visual Imagination]]|date=2001|archive-date=January 12, 2002}}</ref>

Not all reviews were positive. [[Robert Shearman]] and [[Lars Pearson]], in their book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', gave the episode a more mixed two-and-a-half stars out of five.<ref>Shearman and Pearson, pp. 247–48.</ref> Paula Vitaris from ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' gave the episode a scathing review and awarded it no stars out of four.<ref name=cinepaula>{{cite journal|last=Vitaris|first=Paula|title=The X-Files Season Eight Episode Guide|journal=[[Cinefantastique]]|date=April 2002|volume=34|issue=2|pages=42–49}}</ref> She heavily derided the plot, and wrote, "Thus endeth the Mulder-and-Scully era of ''The X-Files'', and what a load of sanctimonious crap it turned out to be!"<ref name=cinepaula/>

== Notes ==
<references group="nb" />

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book |title=The Complete X-Files |first1=Matt |last1=Hurwitz |first2=Chris |last2=Knowles |publisher=Insight Editions |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-933784-80-9 }}
* {{cite book | last = Kessenich | first = Tom | title = Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files | publisher = [[Trafford Publishing]] | year = 2002 | isbn = 1-55369-812-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/examinationsunau0000kess }}
*{{cite book | year=2009 | first1=Robert |last1=Shearman |first2=Lars |last2=Pearson | title=Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen|publisher=Mad Norwegian Press|isbn=978-0-9759446-9-1}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote|The_X-Files|TXF Season 8}}
{{wikiquote|The_X-Files|TXF Season 8}}
* {{wikia|X-Files|The X-Files Wiki|Existence|Existence}}
* {{IMDb episode|0751118|Existence}}

{{The X-Files episodes|8}}


[[Category:2001 American television episodes]]
{{Xfiles Season8}}
[[Category:The X-Files episodes|8.21: Existence]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Kim Manners]]
[[Category:2001 television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Chris Carter (screenwriter)]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:The X-Files season 8 episodes]]

Latest revision as of 11:57, 23 October 2024

"Existence"
The X-Files episode
Dana Scully giving birth to William, with Monica Reyes helping.
Episode no.Season 8
Episode 21
Directed byKim Manners
Written byChris Carter
Production code8ABX21
Original air dateMay 20, 2001 (2001-05-20)
Running time44 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Essence"
Next →
"Nothing Important Happened Today"
The X-Files season 8
List of episodes

"Existence" is the twenty-first episode and final episode of the eighth-season of the science fiction television series The X-Files and 182nd episode overall. The episode first premiered on Fox in the United States on May 20, 2001, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2001, on Sky1. It was written by executive producer Chris Carter and directed by Kim Manners. "Existence" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.4 and was watched by 8.58 million households and 14 million viewers, overall. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson)—as well as ex-FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)—who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, continuing from the previous episode, "Essence", a new type of alien, called a Super Soldier programmed to destroy any traces of alien involvement on Earth, is introduced. Mulder, Doggett, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), and Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) help Scully escape from Billy Miles with Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) to a remote town. Shortly after, Skinner kills Krycek and Scully delivers an apparently normal baby with the alien Super Soldiers surrounding her. Without explanation, the aliens leave the area as Mulder arrives.

"Existence", along with previous season eight episodes starting with "Per Manum", introduce the story arc revolving around the "super soldiers", which continued throughout the ninth season. The episode was the last to include David Duchovny's character until the series finale the following year. As such, the last scene with Doggett and Reyes in Kersh's office was intended to show the "New X-Files" without Duchovny.

Plot

[edit]

A metal box containing the remains of Billy Miles is brought to a coroner. The coroner examines it and notices what appears to be a metal vertebra. After he leaves the room, the metal vertebra begins to spin, growing into what looks like the beginnings of a metallic spine.

In Assistant Director Walter Skinner's office, a surveillance video shows Billy Miles leaving the morgue alive and well. Questioned by Skinner and Agents Mulder and Doggett, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) reveals that Miles is a "new type of alien replacement agent" and there are others like him. Doggett is called out of the office on behalf of his source Knowle Rohrer, who claims that Miles is part of a secret military project to create "super soldiers" and that Scully had a chip put in the back of her neck during her abduction to make her pregnant with the first organic version of a super soldier.

Suddenly, Miles appears at the FBI headquarters. Sensing this, Krycek tries to escape with Skinner in pursuit, but as they manage to escape in an elevator, Miles' hand breaks through the elevator door, injuring Skinner and knocking him unconscious. At the hospital, Doggett relates Rohrer's claims to Mulder, who rejects the story, and the two agents set out to find out how trustworthy Rohrer really is. As they observe the FBI garage, they see Krycek and Rohrer arriving in a car. Doggett covertly pursues Rohrer and sees him meet with FBI Agent Crane. After learning of this, Mulder believes that Crane gave Krycek access to the FBI. Suddenly, Krycek smashes through the car window and crushes Mulder's phone. Krycek threatens Mulder with a gun, but is disarmed and eventually shot dead by Skinner. Doggett confronts Rohrer and Crane but ends up being chased by the two. The pursuit ends violently with Crane being run over and Rohrer crashing his car into the garage wall, going up in flames. Both men are presumed dead but later disappear.

Meanwhile, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Monica Reyes have arrived in Georgia at the abandoned town to hide Scully and her unborn child. They are detected by a female trooper, who agrees to bring them supplies for the birth. At night, Miles attacks the hideout but is shot by the trooper. Scully goes into labor, while a revived Miles and other alien Super Soldiers surround the house. The trooper, revealed to be another Super Soldier, exclaims: "This baby will be born!" Monica Reyes helps Scully deliver an apparently normal baby, with the Super Soldiers witnessing the birth in a cold stare. Without explanation, the aliens leave the area as Mulder arrives.

At FBI Headquarters, Doggett and Reyes report to an enraged Deputy Director Alvin Kersh, who objects to Doggett co-opting Reyes to the X-Files without his permission. Doggett retorts by informing Kersh that he is himself under investigation after a late night meeting between him, Rohrer and Crane. Mulder visits Scully and her baby, William, at her apartment. After marveling over the baby and discussing recent events, the two share a long, passionate kiss.[2]

Production

[edit]
The birth of William was supposed to allude to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Writing and casting

[edit]

"Existence" was written during filming, which led to Kim Manners—the director of the episode—helping with the script. Because of this, several of the action scenes, such as the fight at the FBI headquarters, were Manners' ideas. According to Manners, the last scene with Doggett and Reyes in Kersh's office was the "birth" of the "New X-Files" without David Duchovny as a lead.[3] From here on, Monica Reyes became a main character on the show.[3] Star Trek: The Next Generation regular Denise Crosby briefly appears as Scully's gynecologist. The episode features the last appearance of Nicholas Lea, sans the series finale. Reportedly, Lea had become tired of the role and was growing weary of the ambiguous nature of the character. When Lea learned that his character was to be killed off in "Existence", he reportedly welcomed the news. The night the episode aired, Lea wrote on his personal website: "I felt that [Krycek] wasn't getting a fair shake anyway. [...] I wanted more in-depth ideas about the character and it never came to pass. It kind of stopped being fun to play."[4]

The final scene of the episode featuring Mulder and Scully kissing almost was not filmed. Initially, the script called for Mulder to kiss Scully's forehead. Both Duchovny and Manners argued that the scene was "mundane" and that they had "been teasing and doing that bull for so long" that they wanted "a real kiss at this point".[5] During the birth of Scully's child, several allusions to the story of the birth of Jesus are made, including Mulder following a star to find Scully and The Lone Gunmen bringing gifts for the baby, much like the Three Wise Men. Scully's child was portrayed by Jerry Shiban, who is the son of John Shiban, a producer who worked on The X-Files as well as The Lone Gunmen. He was the first of seven babies to represent the character and the only one to play Baby William for a single episode.[3]

Effects and filming

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Chris Carter included a scene with whale calls after listening to a Paul Winter album.

The episode featured several elaborate CGI scenes. The first scene with the vertebrae was entirely computer generated by visual effects head John Wash.[3]

According to director Kim Manners, the most difficult scene to shoot was in the elevator with Mitch Pileggi and Nicholas Lea. Conversely, Manners' favorite scene was the one in which Skinner kills Krycek. Manners himself proposed the uniqueness of the shot, which features a CGI bullet going straight through Krycek's head. Extra money was budgeted for Krycek's death.[6] Mitch Pileggi was very happy when he was told he would be killing Krycek; he explained, "when they came to me and told me that I was the one that was going to kill Krycek, I was elated. Not because I wanted Nick to go away or anything, it was just from a character stand-point; Skinner just wanted to kill Krycek so bad."[6] Manners later called it one of his "favorite scenes [he'd] ever directed" and one of the "best scenes [he's] seen in a long time on television."[3]

The car scene with Gillian Anderson and Annabeth Gish was shot at Kanan Road, Malibu. Anderson and Gish sat in what is known as an insert car, while the crew sat in a pickup car in front of them. The birth scene was filmed at Paramount Ranch. Gish had never filmed with guns before joining The X-Files, so the producers hired a retired LAPD officer to teach her more about firearms. She also did some shooting practices before returning to the set. The FBI garage scenes were shot in Century City and took a total of four days to finish.[3]

The episode also contains a scene wherein Reyes serenades Scully by imitating whale calls. Gish later noted that "[Series creator Chris Carter] gave me a tape of whale songs, which was hysterical to be playing in my trailer."[6] Carter was inspired to write the scene after a friend gave him a Paul Winter album that incorporated whale sounds into the music. Carter later explained that, "I just thought it was kind of much like [Reyes'] character to appreciate that."[7]

Reception

[edit]

Ratings

[edit]

"Existence" premiered on May 20, 2001, in the United States on Fox.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.4, meaning that it was seen by 8.4% of the nation's estimated households.[9] The episode was watched by 8.58 million households[9][nb 1] and by 14 million viewers, overall.[10] In the United Kingdom, "Existence" premiered on June 28, 2001, and received 0.65 million viewers, placing The X-Files number three in the top ten broadcasts for Sky1 that week behind Star Trek: Voyager and The Simpsons.[11] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Will the beginning be the end?"[12] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[13]

Reviews

[edit]

"Existence" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B". While offering a positive opinion in regards to the finale as a whole, he felt that "Existence" dragged more so than "Essence", resulting in a less interesting episode. He also felt that the overarching mythology of the series had long ago become too convoluted to make sense, but that the "human pieces of the show still work, and that includes Doggett."[14] Contra Costa Times columnists George Avalos and Michael Liedtke were pleased with the episode noting that the last scene was "beautifully written".[15] Avalos and Liedtke also reacted positively to the death of Alex Krycek at the hands of Skinner, saying it was the best scene in the episode.[15] Despite their praise, however, they stressed that "Existence" was not as exciting as the previous episode, "Essence," or the 1998 The X-Files feature film.[15] Jessica Morgan of Television Without Pity gave the episode an A− rating, noting that "season eight's finale goes out with a big fat juicy kiss between Mulder and Scully, at long last".[16] Gareth Wigmore of TV Zone was positive toward both "Essence" and "Existence". Wigmore gave the episodes a 9 out of 10 rating and wrote "the reason that this two-parter works is that its plot is simple enough for the audience to still have a handle on".[17]

Not all reviews were positive. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a more mixed two-and-a-half stars out of five.[18] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a scathing review and awarded it no stars out of four.[19] She heavily derided the plot, and wrote, "Thus endeth the Mulder-and-Scully era of The X-Files, and what a load of sanctimonious crap it turned out to be!"[19]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 102.2 million.[9] Thus, 8.4 percent of 102.2 million is 8.58 million households.

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ "The X-Files - "Existence"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Existence". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Manners, Kim (2002). "Audio commentary for "Existence"". The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  4. ^ Kessenich, p. 146.
  5. ^ Kessenich, Tom (July 22, 2001). "What's Next? Fox Drama 'The X-Files' Will Try to Recover From a Disappointing Season". Wisconsin State Journal. Lee Enterprises. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 197.
  7. ^ Carter, Chris; et al. (2000). "The Truth Behind Season 8". The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
  8. ^ The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season (Media notes). Kim Manners, et al. Fox. 2000–2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b c "TV Ratings". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. April 2001. pp. 7D.
  10. ^ Associated Press (May 2001). "Season finales lift NBC to No. 1". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. pp. 3C.
  11. ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 25 – July 1, 2001", listed under Sky 1
  12. ^ Existence (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2001.
  13. ^ Kim Manners; et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). Fox.
  14. ^ Handlen, Zack (December 14, 2013). "Review: The X-Files: 'Alone'/'Essence'/'Existence'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Liedtke, Michael; George Avalos (May 24, 2001). "Season finale consummates fans' emotional journey with The Kiss". Contra Costa Times. MediaNews Group. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  16. ^ Morgan, Jessica. "X-Files". Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  17. ^ Wigmore, Gareth (2001). "TV Zone #141 Episode Reviews - X-Files Essence / Existence". TV Zone. Visual Imagination. Archived from the original on January 12, 2002.
  18. ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 247–48.
  19. ^ a b Vitaris, Paula (April 2002). "The X-Files Season Eight Episode Guide". Cinefantastique. 34 (2): 42–49.

Bibliography

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