"The X Files" John Doe (2002)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Michelle Maxwell MacLaren

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Vince Gilligan (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

13 January 2002 (Season 9, Episode 7)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Doggett wakes up in Mexico and can't remember his name or what he is doing there. His only clues are small flashbacks of a child (his son) and two mysterious marks on his head. |

Plot Keywords:

FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files | Conspiracy

Cast

Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Robert Patrick	...	John Doggett
Annabeth Gish	...	Monica Reyes
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eduardo Antonio Garcia	...	Mr. Mariano Molina
Alfred De Contreras	...	Bartender
Ramón Franco	...	Nestor
Jacob Handy	...	Young Luke Doggett
Zachary Handy	...	Young Luke Doggett
Charlie Hartsock	...	Lawyer
Bo Kane	...	Marine Sergeant McCormick
Zitto Kazann	...	Caballero
Barbara Patrick	...	Barbara Doggett
James Pickens Jr.	...	FBI Deputy Director Alvin Kersh
F.J. Rio	...	Cop
Rene Rivera	...	First Cop (as René Rivera)
Luis Robledo	...	Crackhead
Lucy Rodriguez	...	Operator
Frank Roman	...	Domingo Salmeron

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

A character uses the name Ladatel when he reads it posted on a public phone booth. In Mexico, name of the credit card system for public telephone use is Ladatel and is handled by cards, not money.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the very end of the closing scene, a shadow of the camera crane is visible on the far left of the screen.

Soundtrack:

Semper Fi

I'll take the bad, as long as I can remember the good.

John Doe is another excellent episode written by Vince Gilligan. It's different and different is good. Episodes like this cause me to write few notes, because I'm so entranced by the story.

Of course, in this episode, it's the cinematography that jumps right out at you. The overexposure is used to show the bright, hot, Mexican sun beating down on Doggett. The Mexican music is used judiciously throughout the episode, not too heavy, but it's there from time to tome.

On day 8, Doggett should have a much longer beard. I'm a slow grower, and my stubble is longer than his after days, and I doubt they allow him to shave in that jail hole. Also, his future boss, Domingo, if he had all these "connections", why did he have to sit in the jail for eight days as well? The makeup on Doggett is great, making him look all haggard and beat up.

I love seeing Scully sticking it to Kersh by directly disobeying him....again.

The guest actors do a good job, beginning with Domingo, Doggett's "boss".

Despite how cool the episode is, there are some nagging questions that aren't answered. Why is Doggett investigating the disappearance of that man? It is not an x-file. How does Reyes find Doggett in that garage? That seems like a pretty big jump. And how does Doggett manage to find the Skull guy in the end so easily? I would've liked a little more background to the Skull guy and what he was. He did the fingernail thingy on Dogget's boss, for no good reason, and then we don't see him again.

I think John Doe could've worked easily as a two-parter. I felt there was more story there, but Gilligan had to wrap thinks up quickly to get it under 44 minutes. It's too bad. I love the originality of John Doe and the camera work was top-notch. It's one of the best episodes of season nine.