"Darkness Falls" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on April 15, 1994. "Darkness Falls" was written by series creator Chris Carter and directed by Joe Napolitano. It featured guest appearances by Jason Beghe and Titus Welliver. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot that is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Darkness Falls" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.0, being watched by 7.5 million households in its initial broadcast, and received mostly positive reviews.
The show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully are called-in to investigate when a team of loggers disappear without a trace. Initially suspecting eco-terrorism, the agents find themselves trapped by a seemingly ancient menace lurking in the woods.
Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology, a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non-tropical tree species. Carter credits the episode's ominous ending with his experience growing up in the era following the Watergate scandal, having spent his life coming to profoundly mistrust the government.
In Olympic National Forest in Washington State, a group of loggers flee through the woods, trying to escape from an unseen force. They are eventually killed by a large swarm of small glowing green insects. Later, at FBI headquarters, Fox Mulder shows Dana Scully a photo of the missing loggers, telling her that another group of loggers disappeared in the forest in 1934. The two agents head to the forest, where they meet U.S. Forest Service employee Larry Moore and Steve Humphreys, head of security for the logging company. While driving through the forest, their truck hits caltrops left in the ground by eco-terrorists, forcing them to walk the rest of the way. Upon arriving at the camp site, Mulder and Scully find the cabins abandoned and the communication equipment destroyed. Searching the forest, they find a corpse encased in a large cocoon hanging from a tree.
While repairing one of the generators, Humphreys catches an eco-terrorist named Doug Spinney. He tells the group that there's a deadly swarm of insects in the forest and that they must avoid darkness to stay alive. The next morning, they find an old-growth tree cut down with an unexplained band of green contained within its growth rings. Spinney suspects that an organism that was dormant in the tree for centuries was disturbed when the tree was illegally cut down. Humphreys hikes down to Moore's truck but is killed by the swarm at nightfall. In the cabin, everyone else is kept safe by the light. The next morning, Spinney convinces Mulder to let him hike to his colleagues with gasoline so he can return with a Jeep to pick them up. Scully and Moore confront Mulder, since this will leave them with little fuel for the generator.
The night passes with only a single light bulb lighting the cabin, going out just as morning arrives. Mulder, Scully and Moore hike down to the truck with a busted tire from camp, hoping to patch it, put on the spare and escape. They find Humphreys' cocooned body. Spinney returns with the Jeep, telling the others his friends are all dead. The Jeep hits another caltrop left in the ground, and Spinney is killed when he leaves the Jeep after dark. Moore and the agents are engulfed by the insects, which enter the vehicle through the air conditioning vents. They are found soon after and brought to a quarantined facility in Winthrop, Washington, where one of the scientists tells Mulder that the forest is being bombarded with pesticides and controlled fire in the hopes of eradicating the insects. Mulder asks the scientist what will happen if the efforts fail, but is simply told "that is not an option."[1][2]
Production
Series creator Chris Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology, a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non-tropical tree species,[3] as he believed that trees that were "thousands of years old" might end up acting as "time capsules" that would shed light on past events or species.[4] Carter also credits the episode's ominous ending with his experience growing up in the era following the Watergate scandal, having spent his life coming to profoundly mistrust the government.[4] The green insects in this episode were primarily computer-generated and added in during the post-production process.[3] The close-up shots of the bugs were done using microscopic photography of mites.[5]
The episode was intended to be a bottle episode, meaning that it would be an episode that would be based in a single location and help save money, but bad weather plagued production, and it was one of the toughest episodes of the season for the crew.[6] The episode was shot on location in Lynn Valley, British Columbia, in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, known as the Seymour Demonstration Forest.[7] The atmosphere amongst many of the crew had grown quite tense towards the end of the shooting schedule, and it culminated in a heated argument between director Joe Napolitano and first assistant director Vladimir Steffof, after which Napolitano did not appear on location again. "Darkness Falls" was the last episode of the series that Napolitano directed.[8] The weather delayed production at the site so much that pick-up shots and inserts had to be filmed at a later date to finish the episode.[3] Delays were also caused by the inaccessibility of the location, as only generators, camera equipment, and first aid crew were able to stay on-site, and time was wasted commuting staff in each day.[8]Jason Beghe, who played Ranger Larry Moore, was a childhood friend of David Duchovny and helped convince him to pursue an acting career. The camaraderie between the two actors is said to have helped lighten the mood during the episode's difficult production.[3]
Broadcast and reception
"Darkness Falls" premiered on the Fox network on April 15, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on February 9, 1995.[9] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.0 with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 8 percent of all television-equipped households and 14 percent of households watching television were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 7.5 million households.[10]
In a retrospective of the first season in Entertainment Weekly, "Darkness Falls" was rated a B, with the episode being called an "eerie outing" set against a "torn-from-today's-headlines backdrop".[11] Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, called "Darkness Falls" an "excellent" episode that "hits the right notes". He praised the episode's setting, comparing it to the earlier first season episode "Ice"; and felt that the "on-the-nose" approach to the environmental themes worked well.[12] Matt Haigh, writing for Den of Geek, felt positively about the episode's ambiguous resolution, feeling that its "open-ended treatment" lent the episode "a real mysticism and strength" and finding that the episode held a sense of "weight, credibility, and intrigue".[13] Writers for IGN named the episode their fifth-favorite standalone episode of the show, finding that it "boasts several interesting twists" and noting positively the episode's "smart" environmental themes.[14]
Although Carter claims "Darkness Falls" was not written with an environmental message in mind, the episode was honored at the fourth annual Environmental Media Awards in 1994, winning in the "Television Episodic Drama" category.[3][15] The plot for "Darkness Falls" was also adapted as a novel for young adults in 1995 by Les Martin.[16][17]
darkness, falls, files, darkness, falls, twentieth, episode, first, season, american, science, fiction, television, series, files, premiering, network, april, 1994, darkness, falls, written, series, creator, chris, carter, directed, napolitano, featured, guest. Darkness Falls is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X Files premiering on the Fox network on April 15 1994 Darkness Falls was written by series creator Chris Carter and directed by Joe Napolitano It featured guest appearances by Jason Beghe and Titus Welliver The episode is a Monster of the Week story a stand alone plot that is unconnected to the series wider mythology Darkness Falls earned a Nielsen household rating of 8 0 being watched by 7 5 million households in its initial broadcast and received mostly positive reviews Darkness Falls The X Files episodeEpisode no Season 1Episode 20Directed byJoe NapolitanoWritten byChris CarterProduction code1X19Original air dateApril 15 1994 1994 04 15 Running time43 minutesGuest appearancesJason Beghe as Larry Moore Tom O Rourke as Steve Humphreys Titus Welliver as Doug SpinneyEpisode chronology Previous Shapes Next Tooms The X Files season 1 List of episodesThe show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder David Duchovny and Dana Scully Gillian Anderson who work on cases linked to the paranormal called X Files In this episode Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate when a team of loggers disappear without a trace Initially suspecting eco terrorism the agents find themselves trapped by a seemingly ancient menace lurking in the woods Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non tropical tree species Carter credits the episode s ominous ending with his experience growing up in the era following the Watergate scandal having spent his life coming to profoundly mistrust the government Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Broadcast and reception 4 Footnotes 4 1 References 5 External links 5 1 NovelizationPlot EditIn Olympic National Forest in Washington State a group of loggers flee through the woods trying to escape from an unseen force They are eventually killed by a large swarm of small glowing green insects Later at FBI headquarters Fox Mulder shows Dana Scully a photo of the missing loggers telling her that another group of loggers disappeared in the forest in 1934 The two agents head to the forest where they meet U S Forest Service employee Larry Moore and Steve Humphreys head of security for the logging company While driving through the forest their truck hits caltrops left in the ground by eco terrorists forcing them to walk the rest of the way Upon arriving at the camp site Mulder and Scully find the cabins abandoned and the communication equipment destroyed Searching the forest they find a corpse encased in a large cocoon hanging from a tree While repairing one of the generators Humphreys catches an eco terrorist named Doug Spinney He tells the group that there s a deadly swarm of insects in the forest and that they must avoid darkness to stay alive The next morning they find an old growth tree cut down with an unexplained band of green contained within its growth rings Spinney suspects that an organism that was dormant in the tree for centuries was disturbed when the tree was illegally cut down Humphreys hikes down to Moore s truck but is killed by the swarm at nightfall In the cabin everyone else is kept safe by the light The next morning Spinney convinces Mulder to let him hike to his colleagues with gasoline so he can return with a Jeep to pick them up Scully and Moore confront Mulder since this will leave them with little fuel for the generator The night passes with only a single light bulb lighting the cabin going out just as morning arrives Mulder Scully and Moore hike down to the truck with a busted tire from camp hoping to patch it put on the spare and escape They find Humphreys cocooned body Spinney returns with the Jeep telling the others his friends are all dead The Jeep hits another caltrop left in the ground and Spinney is killed when he leaves the Jeep after dark Moore and the agents are engulfed by the insects which enter the vehicle through the air conditioning vents They are found soon after and brought to a quarantined facility in Winthrop Washington where one of the scientists tells Mulder that the forest is being bombarded with pesticides and controlled fire in the hopes of eradicating the insects Mulder asks the scientist what will happen if the efforts fail but is simply told that is not an option 1 2 Production EditSeries creator Chris Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non tropical tree species 3 as he believed that trees that were thousands of years old might end up acting as time capsules that would shed light on past events or species 4 Carter also credits the episode s ominous ending with his experience growing up in the era following the Watergate scandal having spent his life coming to profoundly mistrust the government 4 The green insects in this episode were primarily computer generated and added in during the post production process 3 The close up shots of the bugs were done using microscopic photography of mites 5 The episode was intended to be a bottle episode meaning that it would be an episode that would be based in a single location and help save money but bad weather plagued production and it was one of the toughest episodes of the season for the crew 6 The episode was shot on location in Lynn Valley British Columbia in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve known as the Seymour Demonstration Forest 7 The atmosphere amongst many of the crew had grown quite tense towards the end of the shooting schedule and it culminated in a heated argument between director Joe Napolitano and first assistant director Vladimir Steffof after which Napolitano did not appear on location again Darkness Falls was the last episode of the series that Napolitano directed 8 The weather delayed production at the site so much that pick up shots and inserts had to be filmed at a later date to finish the episode 3 Delays were also caused by the inaccessibility of the location as only generators camera equipment and first aid crew were able to stay on site and time was wasted commuting staff in each day 8 Jason Beghe who played Ranger Larry Moore was a childhood friend of David Duchovny and helped convince him to pursue an acting career The camaraderie between the two actors is said to have helped lighten the mood during the episode s difficult production 3 Broadcast and reception Edit Darkness Falls premiered on the Fox network on April 15 1994 and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on February 9 1995 9 This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8 0 with a 14 share meaning that roughly 8 percent of all television equipped households and 14 percent of households watching television were tuned in to the episode It was viewed by 7 5 million households 10 In a retrospective of the first season in Entertainment Weekly Darkness Falls was rated a B with the episode being called an eerie outing set against a torn from today s headlines backdrop 11 Zack Handlen writing for The A V Club called Darkness Falls an excellent episode that hits the right notes He praised the episode s setting comparing it to the earlier first season episode Ice and felt that the on the nose approach to the environmental themes worked well 12 Matt Haigh writing for Den of Geek felt positively about the episode s ambiguous resolution feeling that its open ended treatment lent the episode a real mysticism and strength and finding that the episode held a sense of weight credibility and intrigue 13 Writers for IGN named the episode their fifth favorite standalone episode of the show finding that it boasts several interesting twists and noting positively the episode s smart environmental themes 14 Although Carter claims Darkness Falls was not written with an environmental message in mind the episode was honored at the fourth annual Environmental Media Awards in 1994 winning in the Television Episodic Drama category 3 15 The plot for Darkness Falls was also adapted as a novel for young adults in 1995 by Les Martin 16 17 Footnotes Edit Lowry pp 145 146 Lovece pp 94 95 a b c d e Lowry p 146 a b Chris Carter narrator Chris Carter Speaks about Season One Episodes Darkness Falls DVD Fox Edwards p 72 Edwards p 71 Gradnitzer and Pittson p 46 a b Gradnitzer and Pittson p 47 The X Files The Complete First Season Media notes Robert Mandel Daniel Sackheim et al Fox 1993 1994 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Lowry p 248 X Cyclopedia The Ultimate Episode Guide Season 1 Entertainment Weekly November 29 1996 Retrieved August 11 2011 Handlen Zack August 1 2008 The X Files Shapes Darkness Falls Tooms The A V Club Retrieved August 12 2011 Haigh Matt December 4 2008 Revisiting The X Files Season 1 Episode 20 Den of Geek Dennis Publishing Retrieved August 11 2011 Collura Scott Fickett Travis Goldman Eric Seghers Christine IGN s 10 Favorite X Files Standalone Episodes IGN Archived from the original on October 30 2011 Retrieved April 18 2011 EMA 1994 Award Winners Environmental Media Association Archived from the original on July 19 2011 Retrieved August 11 2011 Martin Les 1995 Darkness Falls A Novel HarperCollins ISBN 0 06 440614 8 Darkness Falls a novel Book 1995 WorldCat OCLC 32898476 based on the teleplay written by Chris Carter References Edit Edwards Ted 1996 X Files Confidential Little Brown and Company ISBN 0 316 21808 1 Gradnitzer Louisa Pittson Todd 1999 X Marks the Spot On Location with The X Files Arsenal Pulp Press ISBN 1 55152 066 4 Lovece Frank 1996 The X Files Declassified Citadel Press ISBN 0 8065 1745 X Lowry Brian 1995 The Truth is Out There The Official Guide to the X Files Harper Prism ISBN 0 06 105330 9 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to TXF Season 1 Darkness Falls on The X Files official website Darkness Falls at IMDbNovelization Edit Darkness Falls title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Darkness Falls The X Files amp oldid 1121720235, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
