"Apocrypha"
The X-Files episode
The black oil leaving its host
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 16
Written by	Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter
Directed by	Kim Manners
Production no.	3X16
Guest stars
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man John Neville as Well-Manicured Man Don S. Williams as First Elder Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike Dean Haglund as Richard Langly Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers Brendan Beiser as Pendrell Kevin McNulty as Agent Brian Fuller Sue Matthew as Agent Linda Caleca Barry Levy as Navy Doctor Dmitry Chepovetsky as Young Bill Mulder Craig Warkentin as Young Cigarette Smoking Man Harrison R. Coe as Government Man #2 Frances Flanagan as Nurse Peter Scoular as Sick Crewman Jeff Chivers as Armed Man Martin Evans as Major Domo
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"Apocrypha" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the sixteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. Apocrypha continues the previous episode's storyline regarding the appearance of an alien black oil.

[edit] Plot

In 1953 a burned crewman talks to three government agents about his experience on the submarine Zeus Faber. He explains that he and other crew members on the submarine were locked in with their captain, who was infected by the black oil. After being knocked out from behind the black oil leaves the captain's body and exits a grate into the sea. It is revealed that the agents the burned crewman is talking to includes Bill Mulder and the Cigarette Smoking Man.

In the present, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Krycek arrive back in the U.S., but are run off the road by another vehicle. While Mulder is unconscious, two men from the other vehicle pull out Krycek but are severely injured by a flashing light emitted by him. The Cigarette Smoking Man sees their bodies and orders they be destroyed. Mulder awakens in the hospital with Scully (Gillian Anderson) there, who tells him that Skinner is in the hospital and that an analysis of the spit from the shooter reveals him to be the same man who shot her sister Melissa. The Syndicate meets to discuss the events surrounding the french salvage ship and realize that there has been an information leak. Skinner tells Scully that he recognizes his shooter as a man who was with Krycek when the digital tape was stolen from him (in the episode Paper Clip). Mulder believes that the oil found on the diving suit and Gauthier is a medium used by an alien to transfer from body to body, and that Krycek is currently occupied by it.

Mulder and the Lone Gunmen use Krycek's key to recover the digital tape from a locker at an ice rink, but Mulder finds the case empty. Krycek returns the digital tape to the Cigarette Smoking Man in exchange for the location of the recovered U.F.O. The Syndicate is upset at the Cigarette Smoking Man for moving the U.F.O. to a new location and the fact that Skinner's shooting could expose him. Scully meanwhile identifies Skinner's shooter as a man named Luis Cardinal. By rubbing a pencil over the envelope containing the digital tape case, Mulder finds a phone number which connects him to the Syndicate's office. Mulder speaks to the Well Manicured Man who agrees to meet with him. The Well Manicured Man tells Mulder that the recovered U.F.O. was sunk during World War II and that a cover story of a sunken A-Bomb was used to cover up its attempted recovery. He reveals that anyone can be gotten to, causing Mulder to ask Scully to check on Skinner.

Scully heads to the hospital to check on Skinner and finds that he is being transported to another hospital in an ambulance. She travels along with him and when Luis Cardinal attempts to break in she tracks him down and arrests him. Cardinal tells her that Krycek has headed to an abandoned missile silo in North Dakota. The agents head there and go into one of the silos. They are soon captured by a group of armed soldiers led by the Cigarette Smoking Man and escorted away. Deep inside, Krycek sits atop the U.F.O., coughing out the black oil, which heads into the ship.

Skinner recovers and returns to work. Mulder sees Scully at Melissa's grave, telling her that Luis Cardinal was found dead in his cell. Krycek meanwhile is trapped within the silo, banging on the door in an attempt to be let out.^[1][2]

[edit] Production

Nicholas Lea was fitted with a mask with tubes for the scene where the alien black oil leaves his body. Lea said filming the scene was horrible, and the scene ended up having to be filmed again a few days later. The similar scene from the start of the episode with the submarine captain was accomplished with a dummy head. The black oil effect over people's eyes was accomplished by inserting the footage digitally in post production.^[3]

Director Kim Manners had directed a number of stand alone episodes thus far, but this was his first episode directed featuring the alien mythology.^[4]

[edit] Reception

Co-writer Frank Spotnitz said of the episode "I actually think you didn't learn a lot more about the conspiracy in these two episodes, but emotionally, I think they were really good episodes.^[5]

This episode earned a neilson rating of 10.8, with an 18 share. It was viewed by 16.71 million people.^[6]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Apocrypha article at The X-Files wiki