X-Files Episodes Pre 1996

[HighPlainsDrifter]

I have been revisiting The X-files Box Sets, i have to find Chris Carters hints of Frank Black/MilleniuM.

I started with Clyde Bruckman in rememberence to Peter Boyle. The opening scene had Peter talking to Ken Roberts from MM's Sacrament. The hints of Pre-MM to me was Mulder telling Boyle, "you see things that other people dont see". Even though the episode suggests Boyle to be a pyschic, Boyles character looks at a crime scene was able to see something that made him sick. To me these kinds of episodes where the ground work for our fav. dark hero Frank Black

[Raven Wolf]

Yes, I see hints in MANY X Files episodes. Season 3's, "Grotesqe" for one. The entire episode speaks of the tole it takes on someone to immerse themselves in the dark side of the human soal, and even ends with "We work in the dark....", as we saw again in MM season 2 The Mikado. Then, there's another episode of The X Files (the title escapes me right now), in which Scully gets that infamous tatoo of the Oroboros.

[nothing i do is magic]

yes, i seem to remember often reading that 'grotesque' was one of the main inspirations for MM/early evidence of it. i'm not being very articulate, but i do remember it was singled out because it dealt so clearly with human minds, capacity for evil, the potential for corruption/obsession, and relationship between a mentor and a protege. i remember CC citing it specifically as one of the darker eps, and also as a taste of MM.

the other one i remember is 'home', which wasn't necessarily so much a MM precursor but CC being given a bit of a looser reign to tell an xf story... and a fairly odd one.

- nothing, who REALLY needs to get to bed

[Raven Wolf]

LOL So do I,.....

[Guest ZeusFaber]

Then, there's another episode of The X Files (the title escapes me right now), in which Scully gets that infamous tatoo of the Oroboros.

That would be "Never Again", a fairly weak episode, but Millennium was already well into its first season before that.

If we're talking about real precursor episodes though, let's not forget "Irrisistible", Chris Carter's script which showcases many of the themes later explored in more depth through Millennium, and the one he primarily cites when talking about his ideas for creating the show. To a lesser extent you could also mention something like "Aubrey" or "Oubliette", which feel simmilar in tone, although I wouldn't really call them inspirations.

[Guest lilblackgirl]

I'm off on my timing, but hadn't scully gotten her oroboros tattoo before the episode Frank appeared on TXF? If so, when Skinner presented the pic of the oroboros to mulder and scully discussing the millennium group, wouldn't she have made some comment, at least, about knowing what it was? Since she had it as a tattoo? Or did she get the tat after the episode with Frank? Trying to get my timelines in order.

[Earthnut]

I sure hope someone comes along to straighten it up because I'm with you Kennett. I'm so confused I didn't even know how to ask the question. I never kept up with the XF individual episode titles. Thanks for your post. Hope we get an answer soon.

[Libby]

The episode where Scully gets the tattoo was "Never Again", and it aired in February 1997, so that was well before the XF "Millennium" episode.

There was much speculation on the internet about that very same question. Obviously Scully knew about the tattoo, and Mulder would have known that Scully had got a tattoo but maybe not what the design was. There's no indication about how much Skinner was told - I wonder if it's against FBI rules for agents to get a tattoo?

It could, of course, be that the producers forgot about the tattoo or, more likely, that they didn't want to get into any explanations about it as it wasn't particularly relevant to the episode.

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

I'm off on my timing, but hadn't scully gotten her oroboros tattoo before the episode Frank appeared on TXF? If so, when Skinner presented the pic of the oroboros to mulder and scully discussing the millennium group, wouldn't she have made some comment, at least, about knowing what it was? Since she had it as a tattoo? Or did she get the tat after the episode with Frank? Trying to get my timelines in order.

Good point. It would have given "Millennium" (the episode) quite a different flavor if Scully, after being asked about the Ouroborous, got up, turned around, lifted up her top and flashed her tatoo!

Both of the Donnie Pfaster episodes (Irresistible and Orison) had a Millennium feel to them. Die Hand had some similar flavors to Antipas as well.

[Earthnut]

The MLM "Pilot" aired on October 25, 1996, before Scully's tatoo, and the writers may have been thinking about bringing her and even Mulder into the series somehow. It could have been a little advertising, or something just for fun. Obviously they didn't do anything with it and left us hanging.

According to my research, FBI agents can have tattoos, but they cannot be visible to the public. Many agents are ex-military, with their platoons having their own tattoo.