Template:Infobox xfiles "Travelers" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of The X-Files.
Synopsis
A young Fox Mulder visits retired FBI Agent Arthur Dales, who tells him about one of the first X-Files, a case that his father was involved in.
Summary
FBI Agents Arthur Dales and Hayes Michel discover the body of Dr. Terrill Oberman in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Soon afterwards, Agent Dales is informed by State Department official Bill Mulder that the doctor killed himself. Like Edward Skur, Oberman was symbiotically infused with an alien creature. Both Oberman and another operative, Gissing, killed themselves rather than release the aliens to the populace. Also that night, Agent Michel is killed by Skur. Eventually, Dales catches Skur and handcuffs him. He leaves Skur for Bill Mulder and his men to apprehend him. Bill Mulder later frees Edward Skur, and Skur goes into hiding.
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Background Information
- This episode reveals that, by 1952, there were already several "unsolved cases", only some of which were actually called "X-Files".
- This episode does not feature Scully, as actress Gillian Anderson was busy still filming her final parts of The X-Files Movie.
- McGavin is, indeed, something of a "father" to the X-Files having played intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak in two TV movies and a one season show, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, an acknowledged influence for Chris Carter, when creating The X-Files.
- Darren McGavin was originally spearheaded by Chris Carter to portray Agent Mulder's father during season 2, but scheduling problems didn't allow it.
Notes
Mulder is wearing a ring in this episode, as well as smoking a cigarette in one scene (when he talks to agent Dales) - another possible clue to his parentage and a tidbit about his life before the series began.
See also Unusual Suspects where he also wears his ring. He seems to be making a point in both episodes to show his ring.
In the scene where Dales is being interviewed by Cohn, Cohn's assistant stands at the back of the office and silently observes. He stands in a similar pose and behaves in a similar manner to that of the Cigarette Smoking Man during Scully's initial interview in the pilot episode. The assistant, who is never named in dialogue or in the credits, is definitely an associate of Bill Mulder at the time. Despite the fact that he was not seen smoking in this episode, is it possible that Cohn's assistant was in fact the CSM?
The character of Arthur Dales would return a few times during the show's 6th season.
Agent Hayes Michel was named after the, then, fiancé of Mary Astadourian, Chris Carter's executive assistant.
The song that plays in the German doctor's house was "Lili Marlene", a song popular with soldiers of both sides in World War II.
David Fredericks reprises his role as J. Edgar Hoover from "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man".
"Fellow Travelers" were Americans who were sympathetic toward the Communist cause during the Cold War, as mentioned in the senate hearing watched by young Agent Dales.
J. Edgar Hoover's paranoid rant to Arthur Dales about the Communist menace was taken almost verbatim from a speech given by Senator McCarthy.
Not a 'Cultural' reference as such, but writers Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban had a teacher at the American Film Institute named Howard Dimsdale. Dimsdale, who was "black listed" during the McCarthy era, used the pseudonym "Arthur Dales" so he could continue to publish his works. This episode and its main character was a sort-of tribute to him.
Coincidentally, Garrett Dillahunt speaks the line, "...For what? To make me some kind of killing machine?" Dillahunt later played a notorious Terminator in the TV series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles."
Goofs
According to the time stamp, this episode takes place in late June. It seems rather odd that both Agent Dales and Agent Michel would be wearing long winter coats (a brown wool top coat in the case of the former) when the average late June temperature in both DC and Northern Virginia is in the mid-80s.
2:32 visible shadow of the boom-mic moving down the wall on the upper to mid left.
Cast
Starring
Guest Starring
- Fredric Lane as Young Arthur Dales
- Garret Dillahunt as Edward Skur
- Brian Leckner as Hayes Michel
- David Moreland as Roy Cohn
- Darren McGavin as Arthur Dales
Co-Starring
- Eileen Pedde as Mrs. Skur
- Dean Aylesworth as Young William Mulder
Featuring
- David Fredericks as J. Edgar Hoover
- Mitchell Kosterman as Sheriff
- Roger Haskett as Coroner
- Jane Perry as Dorothy Bahnsen
- J. Douglas Stewart as Landlord
- Cory Dagg as Bartender
- Eric W. Gilder as old Edward Skur