In a factory that supplies weapons to the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, a young employee draws attention preparing bombs and mortars. At age 10, the young Issa helps his father at the factory working 10 hours a day, resting just on Fridays. Photos: Hamid Khatib/Reuters. See all photos in a slide show:
Combatant from Free Syrian Army feed a kitten in the Al-Jdeideh in Aleppo. Photo: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters.
The U.S. President Barack Obama tried to convince Americans skeptical of his plan of a limited military attack on Syria, in retaliation for alleged chemical weapons attack by the regime in Damascus on 21 August that Washington says has left more than 1,400 dead. But the idea of a new U.S. military intervention in the Middle East cauldron is very difficult to sell to citizens weary of wars and many of their representatives in Congress, who consider the White House plan very confusing.
If the United States attacks Syria will be the first time in history that a war will be moved by a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. There is no justifiable war. All wars are dirty.
The intelligence material gathered to prove the guilt of the Syrian government for the alleged use of chemical weapons was made by members of the U.S. intelligence community to deceive President Barack Obama and convince him to take measure of punishment, according to Ray McGovern, a veteran of own CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), said in an interview with the Russian news agency RT.
McGovern was one of the signatories of a letter of veteran employees from the intelligence agency delivered to Obama, prompting that Bashar al-Assad is not responsible for the alleged attack with chemical weapons, and that “the CIA director, John Brennan, is committing the same fraud pre-Iraq on members of Congress, the media and the public”. The former analyst said that Secretary of State John Kerry demonstrated to be under the influence of the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu – the only country that would benefit from a war in Syria, and that people with influence and White House advisers try to convince Obama to take a measurement.
American demonstrators opposed to an attack on the Syrian protest in front of the Capitol in Washington DC.
Ray McGovern was a CIA analyst for 27 years and worked with seven presidents, responsible, during the 80s, to prepare daily morning reports with the material gathered by the agency to the head of government. McGovern was a fierce critic of the Iraq war led by President George W. Bush in 2003. McGovern has worked in recent years as a political activist. He has a blog on the website of filmmaker and author Michael Moore, one of the staunchest critics of American militarism and large corporations in the country. More recently, also criticized the government’s actions in the episode involving the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, responsible for the leak of secret documents. He even said at the time that the only Assange crime was “spreading the truth”.
Read more: http://www.globalresearch.ca/
Leftist activist marches with plaque showing the president with a beard and the name ‘Obama bin Laden’, likening it to a terrorist due to the intention of attacking Syria, and act in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters.
Syrian families cross the border and enter in Turkey by passing of Cilvegozu to take refuge in the neighboring country, afraid of international tension becomes imminent conflict with the U.S. Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP.
Boys looking for belongings in the rubble of a place that, according to activists, was hit by bombing of the regime in the neighborhood of Duma in Damascus. Photo: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters.
Syrian boy waits sitting in front of his family’s belongings after they cross the border with Turkey, while expecting a vehicle that will take them into the country in passing of Cinvegozu. Photo: Umit Bektas.
Syrian refugee girl in Turkey, near the passage of Oncupinar on the border between the two countries, eats with his family on the roadside. Photo: Umit Bektas/Reuters.
Rebel fighter carries a child on his motorcycle while crossing a bridge damaged by clashes in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria. Photo: Abo Shuja/AFP.
Children play on a forklift in Aleppo, Syria. Photo: Muzaffar Salman/Reuters.
Refugee camp in the Syrian territory near the Turkish city of Cilvegozu, near the border with Syria, with thousands of Syrians who fled their homes. Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP.
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013: Syrian anti-government activists accused the regime of carrying out a toxic gas attack that killed at least 100 people, including many children as they slept, during intense artillery and rocket barrages Wednesday on the eastern suburbs of Damascus, part of a fierce government offensive in the area.
This citizen journalism image provided by the Local Committee of Arbeen which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens trying to identify dead bodies, after an alleged poisonous gas attack fired by regime forces, according to activists in Arbeen town, Damascus, Syria. Photo: Local Committee of Arbeen/AP.
21/8 – Man takes care of the body of a dead child among other victims after attack in Ghouta region in the neighborhood of Duma in Damascus, Syria. Activists say they were killed in a chemical attack. Photo: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters.
21/08 – Children, affected by what activists say was a gas attack, breathe through oxygen masks in the Damascus suburb of Saqba, August 21, 2013. Photo: Bassam Khabieh/REUTERS.
21/8 – Girls attack survivors rest in a mosque in the neighborhood of the Duma, in the Syrian capital. Photo: Mohamed Abdullah/Reuters.
21/8 – Boy receives care and breathes with the aid of an oxygen mask in Damascus after attack government forces. If confirmed, this will be the largest chemical attack in two years of conflict. The government denies.
21/8 – Boy observes survivors in a mosque in Damascus. Photo: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters.
There’s a lot of videos on Internet showing children and adults dying by the effects from chemical weapons. This is just one. There’s always better ways. Say no to the war in Syria.
It seems like was yesterday, but the TV series “The X Files” is turning 20 years this month.
“The X-Files” is an American science fiction horror drama television series. It is part of “The X-Files” franchise, created by Chris Carter. The program originally aired from September 10, 1993 to May 19, 2002, spanning nine seasons and 202 episodes (see the list of all episodes and the movies clicking here). The series recounted the exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. In addition to the series-spanning story arc, “Monster-of-the-Week” episodes formed roughly two-thirds of the episodes. In such stand-alone episodes, Mulder and Scully investigated strange crimes that had no effect on the show’s mythology, though the episodes enriched the show’s background.
“The X-Files” was inspired by shows like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Night Gallery”, “Tales from the Darkside” and especially “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”. When creating the main characters, Carter sought to reverse the usual gender stereotypes and made Mulder a believer and Scully a skeptic. For the first seven seasons, the show featured Duchovny and Anderson equally.
In the last two seasons Anderson became the star, while Duchovny appeared intermittently, following a lawsuit. New main characters were introduced: FBI agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). Mulder and Scully’s boss, Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), also became a main character. The first five seasons of “The X-Files” were filmed and produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the series eventually moved to Los Angeles, California to accommodate Duchovny.
“The X-Files” was a hit for the Fox network; initially it was considered a cult show, but eventually gained mainstream popularity. By the time it ended, the show had become the longest-running science fiction series in U.S. television history. The series spawned a spin-off show, and two feature films. The series received largely positive reviews from television critics, although its long-term story arc was criticized near the show’s conclusion. The series won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, and Duchovny and Anderson received multiple award nominations with several wins. It became a popular culture touchstone, tapping into public mistrust of governments and large institutions and embracing conspiracy theories and spirituality.
“The X-Files” follows the careers and personal lives of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Mulder is a talented profiler and a firm believer in the supernatural. He is also adamant about the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and its presence on Earth. This set of beliefs earns him the nickname “Spooky” and an assignment to a little-known department that deals with unsolved cases, known as the X-Files. His belief in the paranormal springs from the claimed abduction of his sister Samantha Mulder by extraterrestrials when Mulder was 12. Her abduction drives Mulder throughout most of the series. Because of this, as well as more nebulous desires for vindication and the revelation of truths kept hidden by human authorities, Mulder struggles to maintain objectivity in his investigations.
Agent Scully is a foil for Mulder in this regard. As a medical doctor and natural skeptic, Scully approaches cases with complete detachment even when Mulder, despite his considerable training, loses his objectivity. Her initial task is to debunk Mulder’s theories, supplying logical, scientific explanations for the cases’ apparently unexplainable phenomena. Although she is frequently able to offer scientific alternatives to Mulder’s deductions, she is rarely able to refute them completely. Over the course of the series, she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her own ability to approach the cases scientifically.
Various episodes also deal with the relationship between Mulder and Scully, originally platonic, but that later develops romantically. Mulder and Scully are joined by John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) late in the series, after Mulder is abducted. Doggett replaces him as Scully’s partner and helps her search for him, later involving Reyes, of whom Doggett had professional knowledge. “The X-Files” ends when Mulder is secretly subjected to a military tribunal for breaking into a top-secret military facility and viewing plans for alien invasion and colonization of Earth. He is found guilty, but he escapes punishment with the help of the other agents and he and Scully become fugitives.
As the show progressed, key episodes, called parts of the “Mytharc”, were recognized as the “mythology” of the series canon; these episodes carried the extraterrestrial/conspiracy storyline that evolved throughout the series. “Monster-of-the-Week” – often abbreviated as “MOTW” or “MoW” – came to denote the remainder of The X-Files episodes. These episodes, comprising the majority of the series, dealt with paranormal phenomena, including cryptids and mutants; science fiction technologies; horror monsters; and satiric/comedic elements. The main story arc involves the agents’ efforts to uncover a government conspiracy to hide the existence of extraterrestrials on earth and their sinister collaboration with those governments. Mysterious men comprising a shadow element within the U.S. government, known as “The Syndicate”, are the major villains in the series; late in the series it is revealed that The Syndicate acts as the only liaison between mankind and a group of extraterrestrials that intends to destroy the human species. They are usually represented by The Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), a ruthless killer and a masterful politician and negotiator and the series’ principal antagonist.
As the series goes along, Mulder and Scully learn about evidence of the alien invasion piece by piece. It is revealed that the extraterrestrials plan on using a sentient virus, known as the black oil, to infect mankind and turn the population of the world into a slave race. The Syndicate – having made a deal to be spared by the aliens – have been working to develop an alien-human hybrid that will be able to withstand the effects of the black oil. The group has also been secretly working on a vaccine to overcome the black oil; this vaccine is later revealed in the latter parts of season five, as well as the 1998 film. Counter to the alien colonization effort, another faction of aliens, the faceless rebels, are working to stop alien colonization. Eventually, in the season six episodes “Two Fathers”/”One Son”, the rebels manage to destroy the Syndicate. The colonists, now without human liaisons, dispatch the “Super Soldiers”: beings that resemble humans, but are biologically alien. In the latter parts of season eight, and the whole of season nine, the Super Soldiers manage to replace key individuals in the government, forcing Mulder and Scully to go into hiding.
The first autopsy we never forget. Scully and Mulder on The X-Files Pilot on September 10, 1993.
Mulder is an FBI special agent who believes in the existence of extraterrestrials and a government conspiracy to hide the truth regarding them. He works in the X-Files office, which is concerned with cases marked as unsolvable; most involve supernatural/mysterious circumstances. Mulder considers the X-Files so important that he has made their study his life’s main purpose. After his abduction by aliens at the end of season seven, his role in the show diminished and much of his work is taken on by Agent John Doggett. Duchovny appeared in an episode of “The Lone Gunmen” and both the 1998 film “The X-Files” and the 2008 film “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”.
Scully is an FBI special agent, medical doctor and scientist who is Mulder’s partner. In contrast to his credulity, Scully is a skeptic, basing her beliefs on scientific explanations. As the series progresses, she becomes more open to the possibility of paranormal happenings. In the latter part of the eighth season, her position in the X-Files office is taken by Agent Monica Reyes, and Scully moves to Quantico to teach new FBI agents. She appeared in both “The X-Files” feature films.
Skinner is an FBI assistant director who served in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War. During this time he shot and killed a young boy carrying explosives, an incident which scarred him for life. Skinner is originally Mulder and Scully’s direct supervisor. He later serves the same position for Doggett and Reyes. Although he is originally portrayed as somewhat malevolent, he eventually becomes a close friend of Mulder and Scully. He appeared in an episode of “The Lone Gunmen” and both “The X-Files” feature films.
Doggett is an FBI special agent who makes his first appearance in the season eight episode “Within”. Doggett served in the United States Marine Corps from the 1970s to the 1980s. Later, he started to work with the New York Police Department, reaching the rank of detective. After his son’s death, he joined the FBI’s Criminal Investigations Division. In 2000, Alvin Kersh assigned him to the X-Files office as Scully’s partner after an unsuccessful task force attempt to find Mulder.
Reyes is an FBI special agent who was born and raised in Mexico City. She majored in folklore and mythology at Brown University and earned a master’s degree in religious studies. Her first FBI assignment was serving on a special task force investigating satanic rituals. She is a longtime friend of Doggett’s and becomes his partner after Scully’s departure. Reyes was last seen in the New Mexico desert in 2002, where she warns Mulder and Scully of the arrival of Knowle Rohrer.
The Cigarette Smoking Man is the series’ primary villain. In the seventh season episode “Requiem”, The Smoking Man is believed to be killed after being pushed down a flight of stairs by Alex Krycek until the series finale “The Truth”, where Mulder and Scully travel through remote New Mexico and reach a pueblo where a “wise man” reputedly lives and is revealed to be the Cigarette Smoking Man. Later he is killed by a rocket shot from a helicopter. He appears in the 1998 feature film.
The Lone Gunmen are Richard “Ringo” Langly (Dean Haglund), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood). Described as counterculture patriots, they were ardent conspiracy theorists, government watchdogs and computer hackers who frequently assisted central X-Files characters Mulder and Scully, though they sometimes had their own adventures. The Lone Gunmen authored a news publication called The Lone Gunman (once referred to as The Magic Bullet Newsletter; a pejorative reference to the single bullet theory and, like the group’s name, a reference to the Kennedy assassination), to which Mulder loyally subscribed. They also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called “The Lone Gunmen”.
California native Chris Carter was given the opportunity to produce new shows for the Fox network in the early 1990s. Tired of the comedies he had been working on for Walt Disney Pictures, a report that 3.7 million Americans may have been abducted by aliens, the Watergate scandal and the 1970s horror series “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”, triggered the idea for “The X-Files”. He wrote the pilot episode in 1992. Carter’s initial pitch for “The X-Files” was rejected by Fox executives. He fleshed out the concept and returned a few weeks later, when they commissioned the pilot.
Carter worked with “NYPD Blue” producer Daniel Sackheim to further develop the pilot, drawing stylistic inspiration from the 1988 documentary “The Thin Blue Line” and the English television series “Prime Suspect”. Inspiration also came from Carter’s memories of “The Twilight Zone” as well as from the “The Silence of the Lambs”, which provided the impetus for framing the series around agents from the FBI, in order to provide the characters with a more plausible reason for being involved in each case than Carter believed was present in “Kolchak”.
David Duchovny had appeared as a cross-dressing DEA agent in “Twin Peaks” and the Mulder character was seen as a parallel to that show’s FBI Agent Dale Cooper. Duchovny had worked in Los Angeles for three years prior to “The X-Files”; at first he wanted to focus on feature films. In 1993, his manager, Melanie Green, gave him the script for the “pilot episode” of “The X-Files”. Green and Duchovny were both convinced it was a good script, so he auditioned for the lead. Duchovny’s audition was “terrific”, though he talked rather slowly and while the casting director of the show was very positive toward Duchovny, Carter thought that he was not particularly intelligent. This inspired him to ask Duchovny if he could “please” imagine himself as an FBI agent in “future” episodes. Duchovny, however, turned out to be one of the best-read people that Carter knew.
Gillian Anderson auditioned for the role of Scully in 1993. “I couldn’t put the script down,” she recalled. The network wanted either a more established or a “taller, leggier, blonder and breastier” actress for Scully than the 24-year-old Anderson, a theater veteran with minor film experience. After auditions Carter felt she was the only choice. Carter insisted that Anderson had the kind of no-nonsense integrity that the role required. Anderson rewarded his insight by winning numerous awards: the Screen Actors Guild Award in 1996 and 1997, an Emmy Award in 1997, and a Golden Globe Award 1997.
The character Walter Skinner was played by actor Mitch Pileggi, who had unsuccessfully auditioned for the roles of two or three other characters on The X-Files before getting the part. When the actor auditioned for Walter Skinner, he had been in a grumpy mood and Pileggi’s attitude fit well with Walter Skinner’s character, causing Carter to assume that the actor was only pretending to be grumpy. Pileggi later realized he had been lucky that he had not been cast in one of the earlier roles, as he believed he would have appeared in only a single episode and would have missed the opportunity to play the recurring role.
More than 100 actors auditioned for the role of John Doggett, but only about ten were considered. Lou Diamond Phillips, Hart Bochner and Bruce Campbell were among the ten. The producers choose Robert Patrick. Doggett’s presence did not give the series the ratings boost the network executives were hoping for. The eight season episode “This is Not Happening” marked the first appearance of Monica Reyes, played by Gish, who became a main character in season nine. Her character was developed and introduced due to Anderson’s possible departure at the end of the eighth season. Although Anderson stayed until the end, Gish became a series regular.
Glen Morgan and James Wong’s early influence on “The X-Files” mythology led to their introduction of popular secondary characters who would continue for years in episodes written by others: Scully’s father, William (Don S. Davis); her mother, Margaret (Sheila Larken); and her sister, Melissa (Melinda McGraw). The conspiracy-inspired trio The Lone Gunmen Byers, Frohike and Langley (Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood and Dean Haglund) were also secondary characters. The trio was introduced in the first season episode “E.B.E.” as a way to make Mulder appear more credible. They were originally meant to only appear in that episode, but due to their popularity, they returned in the second season episode “Blood” and became recurring characters. William B. Davis’ character, The Cigarette Smoking Man, was initially cast as an extra in the pilot episode. His character, however, grew into the main antagonist.
The music was composed by Mark Snow, who got involved with “The X-Files” through his friendship with executive producer R.W. Goodwin. Initially Chris Carter had no candidates. A little over a dozen people were considered, but Goodwin continued to press for Snow, who auditioned around three times with no sign from the production staff as to whether they wanted him. One day, however, Snow’s agent called him, talking about the “pilot episode” and hinting that he had got the job. The theme, “The X-Files”, used more instrumental sections than most dramas. The theme song’s famous whistle effect was inspired by the track “How Soon is Now” from The Smiths’ 1985 album Meat Is Murder. After attempting to craft the theme with different sound effects, Snow used a Proteus 2 rack-mount synth with an effect called “Whistling Joe”. Listen the full X Files theme here.
The opening sequence was made in 1993 for the first season and remained unchanged until Duchovny left the show. Carter sought to make the title an “impactful opening” with “supernatural images”. These scenes notably include a split-screen image of a seed germinating as well as a “terror-filled, warped face”. The latter was created when Carter found a video operator who was able to create the effect. The sequence was extremely popular and won the show its first Emmy Award, which was for Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences. Producer Paul Rabwin was particularly pleased with the sequence and felt that it was something that had “never [been] seen on television before”.
The opening sequence ends with the tagline “The Truth Is Out There”, which is used for the majority of the episodes. The tagline changes in specific episodes to slogans that are relevant to that episode. The first of these was “Trust No One” in “The Erlenmeyer Flask”. Other examples include: “Everything Dies” in “Herrenvolk”, “Believe to Understand” in “Closure”, and “They’re Watching” in “Trust No 1”. See above all the taglines. You can read the full list of taglines and the best X Files quotes just clicking here.
Trust No One – “The Erlenmeyer Flask”
Deny Everything – “Ascension”
Éí ‘AaníígÓÓ ‘Áhoot’é – “Anasazi” (“The truth is far from here” in Navajo)
Apology is Policy – “731”
Everything Dies – “Herrenvolk”
Deceive Inveigle Obfuscate – “Teliko”
E pur si muove – “Terma” (“And still it moves” in Italian)
Believe the Lie – “Gethsemane”
All Lies Lead to the Truth – “Redux”
Resist or Serve – “The Red and the Black”
The End – “The End”
Die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da draußen – “Triangle” (“The truth is out there somewhere” in German)
In the Big Inning – “The Unnatural”
Amor Fati – “Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati” (“Love of fate” in Latin)
Believe to Understand – “Closure”
Nothing Important Happened Today – “Nothing Important Happened Today II”
erehT tuO si hturT ehT – “4D” (“The Truth Is Out There” backwards)
They’re Watching – “Trust No One”
Dio ti ama – “Improbable” (“God loves you” in Italian)
Third Man: Are you familiar with an agent named Fox Mulder?
Scully: Yes, I am.
Third Man: How so?
Scully: By reputation. He’s an Oxford educated psychologist, who wrote a monograph on serial killers and the occult, that helped to catch Monty Props in 1988. Generally thought of as the best analyst in the violent crimes section. He had a nickname at the academy… Spooky Mulder.
Section Chief Blevins: Are you familiar with the so-called X-Files?
Scully: I believe they have to do with unexplained phenomena.
Section Chief Blevins: More or less. The reason you’re here, Agent Scully, is we want you to assist Mulder on these X-Files. You’ll write field reports on your activities along with your observations on the validity of the work.
Scully: Am I to understand that you want me to debunk the X-Files Project, sir?
Section Chief Blevins: Agent Scully, we trust you’ll make the proper scientific analysis.
[Scully knocks at the door to Mulder’s office.]
Mulder: Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted.
Scully: Agent Mulder. I’m Dana Scully. I’ve been assigned to work with you.
Mulder: Oh, isn’t it nice to be suddenly so highly regarded. So who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?
Scully: Actually, I’m looking forward to working with you. I’ve heard a lot about you.
Mulder: Oh, really… I was under the impression that you were sent to spy on me.
Mulder: Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?
Scully: Logically I would have to say no. Given the distances need to travel from the of reaches of space the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft’s capabilities …
Mulder: Conventional wisdom…
“Inside the X Files” was a doccumentary broadcasted by Fox network in 1998 to promote the 5th Season and the first The X Files movie “Fight the Future”. Watch and look for more videos with interviews and behind the scenes on this YouTube Channel The X Files Forever.
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This photo was taken in a recent reunion this year. From left: Howard Gordon (“Homeland”), Steven Maeda (“Helix”), Darin Morgan (“Fringe)”, David Amann (“Castle”), John Shiban (“Hell on Wheels”), Greg Walker (“Vegas”), Jeff Bell (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Vince Gilligan “(Breaking Bad”), creator Chris Carter (“The X-Files: I Want to Believe”) and David Duchovny (“Californication”).
Text: Wikipedia. All photos: Google.
Para ler a Parte 6, clique aqui.
Durante cinco anos – uma eternidade para os padrões culturais e televisivos, esse programa inovador penetrou na psique coletiva. “Arquivo X” iniciou seu quinto ano de existência mantendo seus antigos espectadores, atraindo novos seguidores e criando mais grupos de discussão que se espalhavam rapidamente e com ainda mais força através da Internet. Isso foi possível porque os responsáveis pelo programa, particularmente seu criador e produtor executivo, Chris Carter, mantiveram-se fiéis aos princípios básicos que fazem um programa dar certo: o tempo todo criando desafios para eles mesmos e para os espectadores, bem como para os principais personagens da série.
Mulder e Scully eram parceiros íntimos e não amantes, e os laços de amizade e respeito que uniam esses dois agentes desde o início foram se estreitando ainda mais no final do quarto ano e alcançou um momento mais profundo e emblemático na quinta temporada, em que ambos arriscariam mais de uma vez a vida um pelo outro. Mulder continuava a ser o rebelde sonhador que não acreditava na versão oficial e para o qual a autoridade não era digna de confiança. Scully, por sua vez, como médica e cientista, continuava a ser a metade racional da dupla, cuja conduta cética escondia uma profundidade de sentimentos e desejos nem sempre bem-vindos. Durante cinco anos, a dupla se deparou com muito mais do que uma dose absurda de monstros, extraterrestres, criminosos, psicopatas e conspiradores que se uniam a uma raça de alienígenas que pretendia colonizar o planeta.
Quando a quinta temporada estreou em 2 de novembro de 1997, praticamente o mundo todo já havia ouvido falar da série – um programa obrigatório para quem ficava em casa nas noites de domingo – que abordava a saga sem fim de Fox Mulder e Dana Scully, os dois agentes do FBI designados para um setor incomum de sua agência dedicado a casos sobrenaturais.
Durante a quinta temporada os episódios continuaram mostrando uma variedade de temas, divididos entre os “independentes” (episódios isolados envolvendo os monstros da semana e inimigos dos mais diversos tipos) e os “mitológicos” (que abordavam a conspiração e o drama dos agentes em episódios que se desdobravam ao longo da temporada). O “Arquivo X” de 1998 pouca coisa tinha a ver com aquele programa que estreou em 10 de setembro de 1993: as tramas tornaram-se mais complicadas, as ameaças enfrentadas por Mulder e Scully muito mais sinistras, a fórmula que afastava o programa dos dramas convencionais da TV tornou-se ainda mais radical.
O mais curioso de tudo visto na quinta temporada foi a inversão de papéis: Mulder, acreditando que tudo sobre extraterrestres que investigou durante anos não passava de uma enorme mentira, torna-se um cético irredutível e mal humorado. Scully, que enfrentou a morte ao sobreviver a um câncer fatal, flertou com o espiritualismo e com uma tímida crença no paranormal. Os números continuavam impressionantes: “Arquivo X” era o quinto programa mais assistido nos Estados Unidos em 1998, o segundo drama de TV mais assistido e o campeão absoluto nas noites de domingo. Isso tudo se refletiu na quantidade de prêmios que recebeu, entre eles o Emmy e o Globo de Ouro de melhor atriz em série dramática para Gillian Anderson, além do Globo de Ouro de melhor série dramática.
Qualquer produtor de TV no lugar de Chris Carter se daria por satisfeito com o sucesso atingido por sua criação, mas Carter queria mais. Ele planejava levar “Arquivo X” para as telas de cinema no final da quinta temporada. Um projeto ambicioso sob muitos aspectos.
Desesperadamente aguardado pelos fãs, “Em Busca da Verdade”, o primeiro do episódio em duas partes que abre a quinta temporada, faz um flashback para explicar o que de fato aconteceu ao agente Mulder, dado como morto no final da temporada anterior. Com o aval de Scully, que atestou a sua morte e estava investigando um possível traidor dentro do FBI , Mulder conseguiu passar pela segurança do Pentágono e invadiu o laboratório onde estaria a cura para o câncer de sua parceira, que precisou ser internada. Quem deu a dica a Mulder de como salvar Scully é o próprio Canceroso, através do reimplante de um chip similar ao que foi removido de sua nuca anos atrás, e que tentou comprar a lealdade do agente também trazendo sua irmã Samantha de volta: “Saia do FBI. Trabalhe para mim. Farei seus problemas sumirem”.
O episódio “Em Busca da Verdade Parte 2” também foi um dos preferidos do roteirista Frank Spotnitz e da estrela Gillian Anderson: “Eu achei que foi um episódio sensacional, especialmente nas cenas da sala de audiência e em toda a evolução da súplica de Scully. O modo como foi escrito e editado foi fabuloso”, declarou a atriz na época.
No final do episódio, em uma tentativa de queima de arquivo, o Canceroso era visto levando um tiro no peito. Ao saber que Scully estava totalmente curada, Skinner – que era o principal suspeito de ser o agente traidor – sorria aliviado, enquanto Mulder chorava sozinho olhando para uma antiga foto dele com Samantha. Os episódios representaram enormes desafios para a equipe de roteiristas da série, que precisaram amarrar diversas pontas soltas ao longo das temporadas e costurar várias explicações e soluções em uma narrativa que misturava tempo real e flashback. Um desafio para os atores David Duchovny e Gillian Anderson, assim como para todo o elenco secundário, que também ganharam cenas de grande tensão e profundidade dramática. Chris Carter declarou que “Em Busca da Verdade Parte 2” era “um dos melhores episódios que eu já fiz”.
“Redux”, o título original desse eletrizante segmento da mitologia de “Arquivo X” é um termo usado no sentido de “restaurado” ou “trazido de volta”, mas também tem um significado médico, indicando o retorno de um órgão ou organismo a um estado saudável. Esses episódios foram épicos em muitos sentidos. Mostraram os sentimentos mais intensos entre Mulder e Scully já vistos até então e uma guinada na crença pessoal de Mulder – que se tornaria um cético – e de Scully – cada vez mais aberta às possibilidades paranormais. Vários personagens foram trazidos de volta, como a mãe de Scully (Sheila Larken), o irmão dela Bill Jr. (Pat Skipper), a irmã de Mulder, Samantha (Megan Leitch), com a idade como foi vista em “Fim de Jogo”, da segunda temporada, e o chefe de seção Blevins (Charles Cioffi), que havia sido visto apenas nos primeiros episódios do primeiro ano, além do Agente Senior (Ken Camroux), presente no escritório de Blevins durante a entrevista de Scully no episódio Piloto. O episódio apresentou ainda uma alteração no lema de “A Verdade Está lá Fora” para “Todas as Mentiras Levam à Verdade” (All Lies Lead to the Truth).
A primeira atriz escolhida para viver Emily entrou em pânico quando precisou filmar a cena em que a personagem é examinada dentro de uma câmara de laboratório. Como a menina não conseguia mais se acalmar, foi preciso encontrar uma substituta para atuar na segunda parte, “Emily”. Isso obrigou a equipe de produção a descartar todas as suas cenas já filmadas para o primeiro episódio “Surpresa de Natal”, refilmar essas cenas usando a dublê de Gillian Anderson – cuja agenda não permitiu que a atriz refizesse as cenas – e reeditar o episódio de modo que a mudança da atriz não fosse percebida no produto final.
Em “Surpresa no Natal”, Scully conhecia uma menina cuja mãe aparentemente cometeu suicídio mas que ela suspeitava ser a filha adotada de sua irmã Melissa. Exames mostraram depois que Emily na verdade era filha de Scully, gerada durante a sua abdução no passado. David Duchovny precisou se ausentar para promover seu filme “Playing God”, dando a Gillian a oportunidade de brilhar nesse episódio-solo fundamental para os rumos de sua personagem daqui para frente. Mulder só aparecia na segunda parte, “Emily”, quando com a ajuda dos Pistoleiros Solitários descobriu os planos de criação de clones alienígenas a partir de embriões retirados de dezenas de mulheres. Partindo da inspiração do conto de Natal de Dickens, o episódio mostrava Scully às voltas com lembranças do seu passado que iriam se refletir nas ações dela no presente. A personagem é vista em 1968 (vivida por Joey Shea) e em 1976, quando foi representada pela irmã de Gillian na vida real, Zöe, na época com 14 anos. Zöe, que havia participado de peças de teatro na escola, foi chamada por conta da impossibilidade de a diretora de elenco de Vancouver Coreen Mayrs encontrar uma atriz que se parecesse com uma jovem Dana Scully.
A veterana atriz Veronica Cartwright, que interpretou a abduzida Cassandra Spender, tem no currículo filmes como “Os Pássaros”, de Alfred Hitchcock, e “Alien, o Oitavo Passageiro”. O episódio duplo “A Paciente X” mostra um agente Mulder descrente da existência de vida extraterrestre e uma agente Scully mais aberta às possibilidades de que não estamos sozinhos no Universo.
Mais curta por conta da produção do longa de “Arquivo X”, a quinta temporada concentrou-se basicamente na mitologia, com outro episódio duplo fundamental: “A Paciente X” (“Patient X” e The Red and The Black”), que introduz novos personagens, como o agente do FBI Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) e sua mãe Cassandra (vivda pela veterana atriz Veronica Cartwright), uma mulher dezenas de vezes abduzida, que sofreu inúmeros testes biológicos e foi proclamada uma espécie de profeta de uma nova era envolvendo a presença de alienígenas no planeta. Ainda descrente de tudo, Mulder a princípio hostiliza a ideia, enquanto Scully, identificando-se com o drama de Cassandra, tenta protegê-la dos alienígenas sem rostos que estão matando todos os abduzidos.
“A Paciente X” mostrava ainda uma cena de amor entre Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) e Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden), que retornaram em participações importantes neste episódio envolvendo também a corrida desesperada dos membros do Sindicato por uma vacina contra o vírus alienígena. O boato que corria na época foi que Chris Owens, que atuou sob a maquiagem de o Grande Mutato no episódio “Prometeu Pós-Moderno” (The Post-Modern Prometheus) e já havia sido visto como o jovem Canceroso em “Meditações Sobre o Canceroso” e “Demônios” da temporada anterior, iria substituir David Duchovny, que já andava manifestando seu desejo de deixar a série ao final da quinta temporada. A segunda parte mostrava uma alteração no lema de abertura da série, de “A Verdade Está lá Fora” para “Resistir ou Servir” (Resist or Serve).
A contratação de Chris Owens e a sua eventual aparição anteriormente como a versão mais jovem do Canceroso foi apenas mais uma jogada esperta de Chris Carter, que iria surpreender o público ao mostrar que o agente Spender não só era o filho do Canceroso, mas que por linhas tortuosas do passado, também era o meio-irmão do agente Mulder.
O episódio “O Final” (The End) deixou o público estarrecido a começar pelo título que anunciava o fim (da série?) e deixava uma expectativa enorme para o lançamento do filme “Arquivo X – Resista ao Futuro”, que daria continuidade às aventuras de Mulder e Scully agora nas telas de cinema. Na trama, o menino Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka), capaz de ler a mente das pessoas, é perseguido por agentes do Sindicato. Ficamos sabendo que o Canceroso sobreviveu ao atentado à bala que sofreu, que ele é de fato o pai do agente Spender, que a agente Diana Folley (Mimi Rogers), designada para acompanhar o caso do menino Gibson, foi namorada de Mulder no passado, e que os “Arquivos X” foram novamente fechados, com um incêndio criminoso na sala de Mulder destruindo todos os seus documentos. A mudança do lema “A Verdade Está lá Fora” no final dos créditos de abertura para “The End” (O Fim) aumentou ainda mais a ideia de que este seria o último episódio da série.
Em meio a tantas revelações e surpresas dentro da mitologia da série, a quinta temporada marcou episódios isolados curiosos. Um deles foi “Prometeu Pós-Moderno”, inteiramente filmado em preto e branco como uma espécie de homenagem aos filmes de terror do passado, mas com um tom muito bem humorado e uma homenagem à cantora Cher. Os produtores até tentaram, mas não conseguiram com que ela aceitasse participar do episódio. “Vampiros” (Bad Blood), foi outro episódio de humor em que a história era contada sob o ponto de vista de Mulder e também o de Scully, o que gerava profundas e divertidas diferenças entre as duas versões, além do retorno do criminoso psíquico Robert Modell (Robert Wisden), visto antes em “O Instigador”, da terceira temporada, que se recuperava e agora buscava um acerto de contas com Mulder. A temporada foi marcada por aventuras-solo de cada um dos agentes, em que os atores se revezavam atuando sozinhos para que o outro pudesse descansar. Houve também episódios especiais, o primeiro escrito pelo mestre da literatura de terror Stephen King, “Feitiço” (“Chinga”), sobre uma boneca falante maligna, e o segundo, escrito por William Gibson, o festejado autor do romance cyberpunk “Neuromancer”, “Vivendo no Cyberespaço” (Kill Switch), uma trama envolvendo uma forma de inteligência artificial que atacava pela Internet.
“O Serafim” era um antigo roteiro que estava guardado há mais de um ano e que foi reescrito para ser uma espécie de terceira parte do arco envolvendo a filha falecida de Scully, Emily. O episódio abordou aspectos espirituais e sobrenaturais que mexeram com a fé e as crenças de Scully, e ao mesmo tempo mostraram Mulder como um cético irredutível, realçando ainda mais a inversão de papéis entre eles que foi o tema principal de toda a quinta temporada.
O título original de “Suspeitos Incomuns”, “Inusual Suspects”, é uma brincadeira com o famoso filme “Os Suspeitos” (Usual Suspects), de Brian Singer, e traz uma participação especial de Richard Belzer, astro da série de TV “Homicide”. No episódio, Bruce Harwood teve a chance de fazer algumas cenas românticas e com direito a beijo no final quando Byers se apaixona pela fugitiva Suzanne Modeski (Signy Coleman).
Houve ainda dois episódios anacrônicos dentro da série. O primeiro, “Suspeitos Incomuns” (Unusual Suspects), uma aventura-solo dos Pistoleiros Solitários e que se passa em 1989 mostra o primeiro encontro entre o trio de teóricos de conspirações e o agente Mulder, quando esse ainda trabalhava na divisão de crimes violentos do FBI, antes de reabrir os Arquivos X. Como se tratava de um episódio em flashback, o roteirista Vince Gilligan trouxe de volta o ator Steven Williams para interpretar o Sr. X, personagem assassinado na temporada anterior. Por conta da agenda apertada, este acabou sendo o primeiro episódio da temporada a ser produzido, pois os astros David Duchovny e Gillian Anderson ainda estavam presos na Califórnia terminando as filmagens do longa-metragem. Gillian não aparece no episódio, já que sua personagem só entra na história em 1993. As poucas cenas com Mulder foram filmadas por último e encaixadas na trama.
Para o episódio “Simpatizantes”, que revelou alguns acontecimentos envolvendo o pai de Mulder em sua juventude, Chris Carter conseguiu realizar um antigo desejo: trazer o astro do seriado “Kolchak e os Demônios da Noite”, que o inspirou a criar o “Arquivo X”, Darren McGavin, para interpretar o ex-agente Arthur Dales. Aos 74 anos, após inúmeras recusas, o ator finalmente aceitou atuar na série e ainda reprisaria o papel na sexta temporada.
O segundo episódio, que faz uma ponte entre o passado e o presente da série, foi “Simpatizantes” (Travelers), que mostra o agente Mulder investigando um crime acontecido em 1990 que o levou para outro caso, ocorrido em 1952. Para ajudá-lo, decidiu contatar o primeiro responsável pelos Arquivos X, o já aposentado e ex-agente do FBI Arthur Dales, que explicou a ele a natureza estranha dos casos que investigou na década de 50: “Você sabe o que é um Arquivo X?”perguntou o ex-agente. A caça às bruxas promovida pelo senado norte-americano fez nascer na mente dos criadores da série este complicado e curioso episódio: o nome do ex-agente foi uma referência a Howard Dimsdale, um talentoso roteirista que ficou desempregado depois de ter seu nome incluído na lista negra do macarthismo que varreu a indústria de entretenimento norte-americana nos anos 50. Para poder trabalhar, Dimsdale adotou o pseudônimo de Arthur Dales. O episódio exigiu um esforço enorme da equipe de produção que recriou cenários, figurinos e personagens reais, como o próprio J. Edgar Hoover, lendário diretor do FBI aqui interpretado pelo ator David Fredericks, que já havia aparecido em “Meditações Sobre o Canceroso”, da quarta temporada.
Para cumprir a agenda de programação do canal Fox, recapitular tudo o que já havia sido mostrado na série até aquele momento e já fazendo uma prévia do que viria a ser visto no longa-metragem para os cinemas, os produtores criaram um episódio especial chamado “Inside The X Files”, um documentário de uma hora com clipes dos episódios antigos, entrevistas com os atores, roteiristas e produtores, e que você poderá conferir na íntegra logo a seguir:
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All That I Love 