John Doe (The X-Files)

"John Doe"
The X-Files episode
One of various visions of Doggett's past life
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 7
Directed by	Michelle MacLaren
Written by	Vince Gilligan
Production code	9ABX07
Original air date	January 13, 2002
Guest stars
James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh Alfred De Contreras as Bartender Ramón Franco as Nestor Eduardo Antonio Garcia as Mariano Molina Jacob Handy as Luke Doggett Zachary Handy as Luke Doggett Charlie Hartsock as Lawyer Bo Kane as McCormick Zitto Kazann as Caballero Barbara Patrick as Barbara Doggett FJ Rio as Second Officer René Rivera as First Officer Luis Robledo as Crackhead Lucy Rodriguez as Operator Frank Roman as Domingo Salmeron
Episode chronology
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List of season 9 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"John Doe" is the seventh episode of the ninth season and the 189th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on January 13, 2002 on Fox, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan, and directed by co-executive producer Michelle MacLaren.

"John Doe" follows John Doggett (Robert Patrick) after he wakes up in Mexico with no memory of who he is or how he got there, with Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) struggling to locate him. The episode earned a low Nielsen household and syndication ratings compared to other episodes that season, and generally a mixed reception from fans and critics alike.

Plot

John Doggett (Robert Patrick) awakens inside an abandoned warehouse only to discover a crack addict in the process of removing one of his shoes. Doggett chases the man outside, where the man summons two Mexican police officers and claims he was the victim of a mugging. One of the policemen hits the crack addict with their nightstick and the other demands papers (visa or passport) from Doggett. When Doggett realizes he has no papers, the policeman asks him what his name is. Doggett then realises that he does not know his own name. Doggett is than transported to jail where he meets a fellow prisoner named Domingo. Domingo is freed and asks Doggett if he wants to join him, but he can only join if he helps Domingo perform his criminal tasks; Doggett agrees and follows him.

But once Doggett is out, he refuses to perform Domingo’s task. Nestor, Domingo's friend, pulls out a gun, but Doggett quickly overpowers him and takes away the weapon. Doggett then returns to the abandoned warehouse in hopes of finding clues to his identity. In the meantime, at the FBI, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) examine video footage from a security camera positioned at the Mexican border. When finding out of this, Alvin Kersh disbands the taskforce hunting for Doggett, as he believes the photo is proof that Doggett entered Mexico on his own and was not abducted.

In an FBI field office in Texas, Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) interviews Mr. Molina, a Mexican drug trafficker with whom Doggett most likely interviewed around the time of his disappearance. But Molina and his lawyer refuse to cooperate with the investigation. Back in Mexico, Doggett phones a United States Marine public affairs office hoping his Marine tattoo will shed some light on his true identity. But before being able to ask any questions, Doggett notices some Mexican policemen nearby and quickly escapes.

Scully, meanwhile, receives word of Doggett’s call to the Marines. She then arranges to have the call traced. She phones up Reyes that Doggett is in Mexico. Reyes then travels to the local town where Doggett was last seen. She eventually finds Doggett and, together with Skinner and the Mexican police, she is able to help him bring his memory back.

Production

"John Doe" was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The episode marked Gilligan's first solo episode for the ninth season, and MacLaren's directorial debut. He had fiddled with the story of a "memory vampire" for months, before writing it. The idea to set the story in Mexico and center it around Robert Patrick's character was Frank Spotnitz's. From there the story "went together fairly easily."

Director of photography Bill Roe decided to do various tests before filming. The crew ended up shooting "exteriors three, four stops over what you should shoot it at." Roe and his crew had a hard time developing the various lighting contrasts for the episode. When talking about the episode, Roe said: "it was really dark so we had this huge contrast of lighting. It was dark and warm and brown. When you go inside, you can barely see things, but when you're outside, it's just blaring."

When creating the Mexican hotel apartment, the crew re-decorated what was once Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) apartment on the show. Production Designer Corey Kaplan said of the development of the episode that, "It was very creative and very rewarding for us as an art department, to create the complete total look of being in another culture."

Reception

"John Doe" earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.0, with a 7 share. It was viewed by 5.275 million households and gathered a total of 8.700 million viewers in the United States alone.

External links

• "John Doe" on The X-Files Wiki, an external wiki
• "John Doe" at the Internet Movie Database
• "John Doe" at TV.com