Well-Manicured Man

Gender	Male
Status	Dead
Died	1998
Affiliations	Syndicate
Appearances	The X-Files (8 episodes) The X-Files: Fight the Future
Portrayed by	John Neville

The Well-Manicured Man (played by John Neville) was a member of the Syndicate. Without his group's authorization, he secretly helped FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, partners assigned to the X-files, in the 1990s. (TXF: "The Blessing Way", et al.) The Well-Manicured Man had at least one grandson and resided (at least temporarily) in Somerset, England. (The X-Files: Fight the Future)

It seems implied, several times, that the Well-Manicured Man is the leader or at least a ranking member of the Syndicate, as the group is portrayed in the television series; Conrad Strughold would seem to be the ultimate leader of the organization, but that character is only present in The X-Files: Fight the Future and does not appear within the television series (nor is he directly referenced).

Biographical Information

Early Photograph Appearance

The Well-Manicured Man pictured furthest right in a group of men in the early 1970s.

About 1973, the Well-Manicured Man was present when a photograph was taken outside the Strughold Mining Company in West Virginia. Six other men, including Fox Mulder's father, William, were also present. (TXF: "Paper Clip")

Helping Scully

In 1995, he attended a meeting between members of the Syndicate in a club on New York's 46th Street. During the meeting, the Cigarette Smoking Man, another member of the group, announced that Fox Mulder was dead. Before his reported demise, Mulder had stolen MJ documents - important Department of Defense files concerning UFOs. At the meeting, the Cigarette Smoking Man stated that the files had been returned. The man along with others started to become skeptical of the CSM's claims.

Soon thereafter, the Well-Manicured Man attended the funeral of William Mulder, Fox Mulder's father. He overheard Dana Scully, who was also present at the funeral, say that she thought Agent Mulder was still alive. The Well-Manicured Man soon revealed his presence to Scully, introducing himself as a "friend of the family", and asked that they talk in private about an extremely serious matter. As they walked along a nearby path, he admitted that he had overheard her earlier.

He also revealed that he was a member of a group which represented certain global interests. If the MJ documents had not been returned, those "interests" would be so threatened by the files that they would be willing to commit murder to retrieve them. The Well-Manicured Man claimed that Mulder was dead. Although Scully refused to believe him, he assured her that he was not lying.

He also warned Scully that her own life was in danger, as the group he was part of would send someone to kill her. He further explained that Scully was in danger because, unlike his group, she wanted justice, and because they were almost completely certain that she did not have the MJ documents.

He confessed that he had informed Scully of this news due to his belief that his colleagues were acting impulsively, and a fear that Scully's death would bring unnecessary attention to his group, a motive that he admitted was selfish. He told Scully that his group were in the business of predicting, and inventing, the future, before he left. (TXF: "The Blessing Way")

The WMM received a call from Victor Klemper who informed him that Mulder was alive but otherwise not given any information. With the confirmation that CSM was lying, the WMM informed the rest of the Syndicate and they decided to take matters into their own hands. (TXF: "Paper Clip")

The WMM became increasingly frustrated at CSM's actions when he learned that he had lied about the tape being destroyed, and that he had tried to intimidate Skinner and had him shot. These methods would be unnecessary attention for them. After the meeting, he heard a call come through and took the phone from his assistant. He realized it was Mulder and asked to meet him in Central Park (then had the line disconnected). There, he tried to find out what Mulder knew about the tape's location without revealing his own knowledge and giving him some details about the Piper Maru and the UFO it found. However, Mulder said he already knew what WMM was telling him and realized that WMM did not know where Krycek was. WMM insisted that "anyone can be gotten to" and was frustrated to see Mulder end the conversation. (TXF: "Apocrypha")

The WMM learned about the diplomatic pouch being confiscated. He was at his ranch when the CSM came to inform him additionally about Mulder probably heading to Russia. The WMM berated him for the situation coming out of control, as this would risk exposure. The CSM assured him he could handle the situation. (TXF: "Tunguska") Later, he learned that Dr. Bonita Charne-Sayre was killed. That night, the CSM met him on the ranch and WMM demanded he find out who killed her, but still refused CSM's ask to call off the congressional investigation. The CSM also informed him that Mulder was found in Tunguska. CSM came back later and informed WMM that the murderer was Vassily Peskow. (TXF: "Terma")

The WMM was at the meeting where Marita Covarrubias described the Kazakhstan incident and Krycek's presence there. He agreed that someone was acting against them, and it seemed that Krycek knew something. At a subsequent meeting, the WMM answered the phone and received Krycek's demand for a trade of the boy who saw the massacre for the vaccine, which he knew they were developing. He later boarded the ship Krycek was on, the Star of Russia, at a New York harbor. He cornered him at gunpoint and demanded the vaccine, though he also noticed that Covarrubias had taken the boy. (TXF: "Patient X")

After Covarrubias, infected with the black oil, was brought to the Syndicate, the WMM monitored the doctors' observations. He had imprisoned Krycek on the Russian ship, and demanded the vaccine from him. He deduced that he must have it, as he deliberately kept the boy infected. He offers Krycek freedom for it. He brought the vaccine and had it tested on Covarrubias, insisting to the others that it would work, though the First Elder was skeptical. The WMM also insisted that, if the vaccine worked, resistance would be possible and a collaboration with the alien resistance should be considered. The Elder and some others did not agree, and, while the WMM was away, the Elder released the rebel prisoner without his knowledge. (TXF: "The Red and the Black")

The WMM received Gibson Praise from the CSM. Since he did not like his methods, he told him his work was done, but the CSM disagreed, saying it had only begun. In the car, Krycek offered to kill him, but the WMM disagreed, as he could be useful later. (TXF: "The End")

While in England, the CSM called him about the Dallas situation and Conrad Strughold's meeting that night in London. Due to his grandson breaking his leg, he arrived a bit late, however, it seemed the meeting went on without him. He was informed of the mutated purity strain, which shockingly changed their role in the colonization. Indeed, the WMM realized it was really a re-population. The WMM wanted to start working against the aliens, as they had clearly been working under a lie, however, Strughold believed they had to keep up appearances to buy time for the vaccine research. The WMM was ordered to kill Alvin Kurtzweil in DC to stop him from helping Mulder. He waited at the back door of the Casey’s Bar & Grill to catch Kurtzweil and, indeed, he found him and cornered him. He killed him and waited for Mulder. When he arrived, WMM had him ride in the car with him while he told him about the alien's origins, the Syndicate's plans, and gave him the vaccine to give to Scully. He killed his driver and himself via a car-bomb explosion, probably as suicide. (The X-Files: Fight the Future)

Relationships with others

The Well-Manicured Man in 1998.

Well Manicured Man seems to get along rather well with most everyone around him and is even polite and respectful to Mulder and Scully during their encounters. the only person whom he seems to openly dislike is Cigarette Smoking Man, whose methods and attitudes he is often vociferously contemptuous of. He seems to regard CSM as little more than a brute killer, and in regards to one situation, he angrily tells CSM, "This will take more than just a good aim!"

Appearances

Appearances for Well-Manicured Man
Season 3
"The Blessing Way	"Paper Clip	"Apocrypha"
Season 4
"Tunguska"	"Terma"
Season 5
"Patient X"	"The Red and the Black"	"The End"
The X-Files: Fight the Future