“Dreams of a Smoker” ( Eng. “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” ) - the 7th episode of the 4th season of the series “The X-Files” . The premiere took place on November 17, 1996 on the FOX television channel. The episode allows you to more fully disclose the so-called " mythology of the series ", set in the pilot series Director - James Wong , script - Glen Morgan , guest stars - William Davis , Chris Owens , Tom Braidwood .
| Smoker's Dreams Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode of the series "The X-Files " | |||||
| basic information | |||||
| Episode number | Season 4 Episode 7 | ||||
| Producer | James wong | ||||
| written by | Glen morgan | ||||
| Manufacturer Code | TV channel FOX | ||||
| Delivery Date | November 17, 1996 | ||||
| Episode timeline | |||||
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In the US, the series received a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, which means that 17.09 million people watched the series on the day of release.
The protagonists of the series are Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny ) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson ), FBI agents investigating difficult to scientifically explain crimes called the X-Files [1] .
Content
Story
The smoker, armed with a sniper rifle and covert surveillance equipment, spies on a meeting between Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and the lone shooter Frohike. The latter reports the discovery of information about the mysterious past of the Smoker. According to her, his father was executed as a communist spy, and his mother died of lung cancer , which is why he grew up in various midwestern shelters.
1962 year . A smoker is a US Army captain residing in Fort Bragg in North Carolina . He is talking with his friend and subordinate soldier Bill Mulder, who shows a photograph of his youngest son Fox. The smoker is invited to meet with the general and several strange people in suits. They instruct him to kill US President John F. Kennedy . In November 1963, under the guise of "Mr. Hunt," the Smoker shoots John F. Kennedy, knocking over Lee Harvey Oswald . After that, he smokes his first cigarette from the Morley pack given by Oswald.
1967 year . The smoker, under the pseudonym Raoul Bloodworth, writes the novel Risk - a noble cause: The Adventures of Jack Colquette ( born Take a Chance: a Jack Colquette Adventure), in which he talks about his life in embellished form. Having heard Martin Luther King criticize the distribution of wealth within the United States and the attitude of the country's authorities towards social revolutions abroad , the Smoker meets with a group of people, including the head of the FBI, John Edgar Hoover . Unlike most of them, the Smoker acknowledges King’s principles and perseverance, but further growth in his popularity could harm US participation in the Vietnam War and other lucrative military operations. He convinces the group to organize the assassination of King by personally shooting the activist (April 4, 1968). The smoker’s responsibility for the June 4, 1968 murder of the former attorney general and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is also indicated. Soon after, the publisher refused to release his novel.
In 1991, the Smoker met with his operatives, their further communication indicates his involvement in the scandal around Anita Hill and the trial of Rodney King . The smoker notes that the Buffalo Bills will not win the future Super Bowl , and also admits the poisoning of the Soviet goalkeeper in order to avoid the victory of the USSR in the “ Miracle on Ice ” hockey game. One of the smoker's subordinates invites him to a family dinner. However, he politely refuses, as he plans to visit his family. On the way back after the meeting, he gives each of his employees a Christmas present. Everyone gets the same thing - a striped tie . A smoker passes near the Fox Mulder office.
Later, while at home, the Smoker receives an urgent phone call from Deep Throat , which he meets at the site of the UFO crash. Nearby is a living alien who survived the disaster. Deep Throat and the Smoker recall how many times they changed the course of world history. Next, the duo flips a coin to decide who will kill the alien. Deep Throat loses, and then shoots the creature.
A few months later, in March 1992, the Smoker attends an event where Scully joins the X-Files work and eavesdrops on the first meeting of the agents. In 1996, he receives a letter according to which his novel will be published in parts in the journal Roman a Clef. He makes a letter of resignation, after which he eagerly goes to buy a magazine at a kiosk . However, the publication turns out to be low-grade fiction, the editors of which also changed the ending of the work. A saddened Smoker sits on a bench next to a homeless man and says a monologue that “ life disappoints just like a box of chocolates ”. He tears his resignation letter and leaves the magazine on the bench.
Present time. Frohike informs Mulder and Scully that everything he tells is based on a publication in a magazine of which he is a subscriber . After informing the agents of his decision to obtain evidence of the story through a familiar hacker, Frohike leaves the editorial office where their meeting took place. At the time of his departure, the Smoker takes aim at him from a rifle. Having ideal conditions for a deadly shot, he decides not to kill Frohike, quoting the last line of his unreleased novel: "I can kill you at any time ... But not today." [2]
Production
Filming
Poroduser D.P. Finn coordinated filming dedicated to the killing of John F. Kennedy by the Smoker. A related part of the episode was filmed in the vicinity of Vancouver , similar to Dili Plaza . Costume designers studied Jacqueline Kennedy's pink outfit for the JFK movie to create a similar model. The SS-100-X was created by technical coordinator Nigel Hubgood based on the highly modified Lincoln Continental model. [3] Davis noted the assistance provided to him by James Wong in working on a number of scenes, including a reference to the Forrest Gump film. [3]
Acting as a young Smoker, actor Chris Owens spent a lot of time exploring how Davis smokes cigarettes to maintain continuity. Owens later played the role of the young Smoker in the episode " Demons ", and also played in the following seasons the role of Jeffrey Spender (son of the Smoker). [3] The episode was the first in the history of the series, in which Mulder did not take part, while Scully was shown in archival footage from the " pilot series ". Although the authors initially did not plan to give the main actors a “day off,” the subsequent turn of events pleased David Dukhovny very much. [3]
Notes
- ↑ Lowry Brian The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files. - Harper Prism, 1995. - ISBN 0-06-105330-9
- ↑ Meisler, pp. 75-82
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Meisler, pp. 82-83
Literature
- Cornell, Paul, Day, Martin, Topping, Keith. X-Treme Possibilities. - Virgin Publications, Ltd, 1998. - ISBN 0-7535-0228-3 .
- Edwards, Ted. X-Files Confidential. - Little, Brown and Company, 1996. - ISBN 0-316-21808-1 .
- Gradnitzer, Louisa. X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files / Louisa Gradnitzer, Todd Pittson. - Arsenal Pulp Press, 1999. - ISBN 1-55152-066-4 .
- Lovece, Frank. The X-Files Declassified. - Citadel Press, 1996. - ISBN 0-8065-1745-X .
- Lowry, Brian. The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files. - Harper Prism, 1995 .-- ISBN 0-06-105330-9 .