Memento Mori (The X-Files)

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"Memento Mori" is a 1997 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's fourth season. In "Memento Mori" Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) discovers she has cancer while Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) attempts to find out why and how to save her.

[edit] Plot

Scully finds out that she has a tumor between her sinus and cerebrum. She tells only partner Fox Mulder and boss Assistant Director Skinner of the news, and is determined to continue to work. Mulder and Scully head to Allenstown, Virginia to see Betsy Haggopian, whom was discovered to be suffering from similar symptoms in the episode Nisei. When they arrive they are told that Betsy has died, yet they find someone using her phone line. Tracing it, they track down Kurt Crawford, a member of the MUFON network that Betsy belong to. Crawford tells them that of the women Scully met a year earlier, all have died from cancer except for Penny Northern, who is in the hospital as they speak. Scully is skeptical of Mulder and Crawford's claims that a government conspiracy and her abduction is behind her illness.

Scully goes to see Penny Northern at the hospital, who tells her of treatment she is receiving from a Dr. Scanlon. Mulder discovers that all the abductees were childless but had been treated at a nearby fertility clinic. When Mulder is called away by Scully, the Gray Haired Man arrives and kills Crawford with a stiletto, revealing him to be an alien human hybrid. After meeting Dr. Scanlon, Scully starts undergoing treatment, which involves heavy doses of radiation. During this time she starts keeping a diary of her thoughts. Mulder sneaks into the fertility clinic and finds another Kurt Crawford there. The two are able to hack into the clinic's computer database. After finding evidence that Scully had been treated at the fertility clinic, Mulder goes to see Skinner, wanting to deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man to save Scully. Skinner convinces him not to do so.

Mulder recruits the Lone Gunmen to help him break into the Lombard Research facility where he thinks he may be able to find more information on how to save Scully. Meanwhile Skinner tries to deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man for Scully' life, who tells him he'll get back to him. Mulder and Byers head into the Lombard Facility; when Mulder discovers that Dr. Scanlon works there he sends Byers away to warn Scully. Mulder continues through the facility, discovering several clones of Kurt Crawford working on clones of a young boy (previously seen in Herrenvolk). The clones show Mulder ova harvested by Scully during her abduction and tell Mulder they're trying to save the abducted women's lives since they acted as their birth mothers. Mulder takes Scully's ova and leaves, being pursued by the Gray Haired Man as he escapes. Mulder returns to the hospital to see Scully, who has told him that Penny has died. Meanwhile, Skinner has made the deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man that he wanred Mulder against making.^[1]

[edit] Production

The show's producers decided to give Scully cancer early in the fourth season. Series creator Chris Carter initially discussed giving Scully's mother cancer but decided to have Scully suffer from it instead. Carter felt it gave the show an interesting platform on which to discuss things such as faith, science, health care and a certain element of the paranormal.^[2]

Co-writer Frank Spotnitz said of the episode's origin, "Darin Morgan had left the show but was going to contribute an episode. And we realized at the eleventh hour that it wasn't going to happen, and we were stuck with nothing. John, Vince and I broke that story in maybe two days. We split up the acts, wrote it in probably another two days, and gave the crew something to prep before Christmas break. That was the worst ever. Chris ended up rewriting the script over the holiday.^[3]

The initial cut ended up being too long, resulting in a scene introducing Scully's older brother, Bill Jr, being removed. The character would eventually make his first appearance in the fourth season finale Gethsemane.^[4]

[edit] Reception

This episode was submitted to the television academy to represent the X-Files in that year's Emmy awards. Art Directors Graeme Murray and Gary Allen and set decorator Shirley Inget won the Emmy award for Best Art Direction in a series. Actress Gillian Anderson also won the emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series for her work on this episode and the fourth season as a whole.^[5]

Frank Spotnitz praised the episode, saying, "I think that was the best mythology episode we ever did. It's my favorite one."^[6]

This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 11.5, with a 17 share. It was viewed by 19.10 million people.^[7]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Memento Mori article at The X-Files wiki