The X-Files
Australian Conne-X-ion
Australian Media
May 2000

The Unbelievable Truth

It's Over. Fox Mulder's anguished search for his sister ends.

Subtext: Mulder's lifelong search for his missing sister ends in a shattering episode of The X-Files screening over two weeks. Simone Hewett reports...

A little girl is missing, a trail of blood at her doorway. No other clue remains, except for a bizarre ransom note.

This week, Fox Mulder finds himself drawn into a case with uncanny echoes of the abduction of his sister, Samantha, so many years ago.

While Scully (Gillian Anderson) is concerned Mulder is identifying too closely with the case, comparing it to his sister's, Mulder is convinced that the disappearance of the little girl is connected with that of his sister.

If you're a fan, you'll know that Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is so obsessed with aliens and the paranormal that his colleagues at the FBI refer to him as Spooky.

But what they don't realise, which fans of the X-Files do, is that his obsession with the paranormal (as well as his inability to form intimate relationships) stems from the trauma of the unsolved disappearance of his sister.

Mulder has come tantalisingly close at times to solve the mystery. In one episode, he made contact with an alien hybrid claiming to be her, in another, with an alien bounty hunter who told him his sister was still alive. These leads proved futile, serving only to reopen his wounds and increase his pain.

But this time, it's the real deal.

Closure, the last episode of the two-part special, is an emotional rollercoaster ride for Mulder, one which not only unravels the mysteries of the past, but one which brings Scully and Mulder even closer, triggering some exciting emotional angst for the will-they-won't-they soulmates and colleagues.

But the real question for The X-Files fans is whether the script ties up the loose ends before Duchovny leaves the series. Currently Duchovny is not contracted for an eighth season, and the sexy star has indicated he wants more cash and less commitment to continue his gruelling schedule.

And without Duchovny, many predict this seventh season could mean Closure for The X-Files.

Duchovny had the power to have the show moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles to be closer to his family (his wife, actor Tea Leoni, and daughter Madelaine). He has said he could do another year on the show, but he's not sure whether it will happen.

"I'm kind of happy that decision's been taken away from me," he says. "I've made the terms clear."

But Duchovny says his motivation to return to The X-Files is not financial.

According to reports, he'll receive $US1 million an episode if he reprises the Mulder character for another season.

"Obviously, there is no reason for me to do the show except to make, you know, mor money than I'll ever need, which is a horrible thing to do to yourself, but it's really more about time commitment," he says. Duchovny was not exactly kind about the show in a recent interview about his new movie, Return To Me.

"Have you seen the show the past 2 weeks? Man, we should stop," he groaned.

"They're getting pretty bad sometimes. It's wearing a little thin."

"It's not like LA Law, where they've got new cases coming in all the time. We've got to have a good plot - and with 170 plots, that's not easy.

Above section transcribed by Lyle
The X-Files Merchant.

Uneasier, perhaps, is Duchovny's desire to shed his skin as Fox Mulder, a modern-day icon of conspiracy theories and off-kilter humour.

"I mean, Mulder's a good man- he just lives inside his head a little too much," he says.

The cast and crew last month finished shooting the series finale, not knowing whether it was the final wrap. (The episode is titled Requiem, making it hard to imagine there's a future in store).

"We will not be here for an eighth season, so it's a matter of mourning the end," Anderson said in a recent interview.

But after the current two-parter, there are still 11 episodes to run in Australia, including one where Duchovny directs and wife Tea Leoni stars.

The light-hearted episode finds FBI Agent Skinner selling stories to Hollywood, and Tinseltown decided to do a film about Mulder and Scully.

In the show-within-a-show, Leoni will play Scully, while comic Gary Shandling will play Mulder.

The X-Files airs Wednesday, 8.30pm, Ten. Fully transcribed by Lucy.