Forgotten Television Christmas Episodes: The X-Files

Although you cannot really call The X-Files a “forgotten television” show, as it ran for nine initial seasons and then another two seasons 15 years later. In all that time, the show only produced two Christmas themed episodes. The series is about two FBI agents that investigate paranormal disturbances and starred David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully.  The show was mainly divided into two types of episodes, the “Mythology” episodes which dealt with the convoluted ongoing extraterrestrial conspiracy storyline, and the “Monster of the Week” type of episodes that were more self-contained and episodic.

The first of the Christmas specials comes in season 5 and is a two-part episode heavily embedded in the mythology aspect of the show. The first part entitled “Christmas Carol” has Dana visiting her brother in San Diego for the holidays, when she gets a series of phone calls from someone sounding exactly like her deceased sister, Melissa.  Through a series of dreams and memories, we see Dana’s past, present and future, as she remembers her childhood and the advice her sister gave her about navigating life.  Her brother’s wife is heavily pregnant and although Dana is happy for them, it is upsetting to her as she has recently learned that she can no longer conceive due to experiments done to her while she was abducted back in season 2.  To complicate the matter even further, a murder meant to look like a suicide leads Dana to a young, very ill child named Emily who is biologically linked to Dana.  The first episode revolves completely around Dana and Fox is only in it for a very brief moment.  This was due to David Duchovny needing the time off to promote a movie he was in.  He is in the second part titled “Emily” which sees the duo attempting to save the child and learn what they can about her past and how she came into the world.

The second Christmas special is a “Monster of the Week” format and came in the sixth season titled “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”.  On Christmas Eve, Dana has her own plans, but responds to a call from Fox to investigate a haunted house.  Reluctantly, Dana follows Fox into the house where they get locked in and begin to experience strange phenomena.  The house was owned by a couple, who in 1917 made a lovers’ pact and committed suicide, with the intention of spending eternity together.  They return each Christmas Eve to cause unsuspecting couples to do the same and kill each other.  The ghostly apparitions are Maurice (Ed Asner) and Lyda (Lily Tomlin) who use their illusionary skills to trick the duo into believing that each is trying to kill the other.  Eventually, Fox and Dana realize that what they are seeing is all spectral hocus pocus and not real and are able to escape.  Later that night they exchange gifts, realizing there is no one else they would rather spend Christmas Eve with.

The two Christmas specials are great examples of the two different formats that the show followed.  I personally like the episodic “Monster of the Week” format more than the mythology, which I feel got muddled, convoluted and confusing and honestly betrayed its fan base by never allowing the answers we did get to actually be true.  But the leading characters were fantastic actors and had great chemistry together and the writing and overall stories were interesting and intriguing.