The X-Files was a huge hit for Fox in the 90’s, both commercially but also critically. Part of the strength of the show was that it portrayed fantastical and paranormal elements through an investigative and almost scientific lens. It may not have always been real, but within context of the show it almost seemed possible.
But there were some episodes that were inspired by actual real life, totally ‘out there’ events. If only there was a real-life Mulder and Scully on the case.
E.B.E.
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The Lone Gunmen conspiracy group, the trusty but excitable group that sometimes helps Mulder and Scully was inspired by a conspiracy group Morgan saw outside UFO convention who were trying to convince passers-by to rip up their $20 bills. The Lone Gunmen eventually got their own spin-off series.
Blood.
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This episode features a fear toxin that causes people to see messages in digital displays inviting them to kill. It was inspired by the 1966 University of Texas shooting in which the killer claimed to have heard and seen murderous messages all around him.
One Breath.
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Scully is in the midst of a deep coma in this episode and is dreamily guided back to consciousness by a patient nurse. This is a similar experience to the one described in the book “Raising the Dead” a real-life account of a man who regained consciousness out of a coma, a favorite book of X-Files writer Glen Morgan.
“Ice”
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Mulder and Scully’s trip to investigate the deaths of an Alaskan research team were inspired by an article in Science News which featured a similar team who found a 250,000 year old item hidden in the icy tundra of Greenland.
The Erlenmeyer Flask.
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In this episode, paramedics stick a needle in a doctor and as his chest decompresses, a mysterious poisonous gas emits out of him, killing the hospital staff. This was inspired by a 1994 case in which a woman dying of cancer had her blood drawn and the nursing staff fainted from an ammonia type smell.
Nowc I want to watch X-Files all over again. Who’s with me? I have a Netflix account and tons of popcorn.
