" Closure " is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the 150th episode in its entirety. The film was directed by Kim Manners and was written by series makers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. This installment explores the mythology surrounding the series and is the conclusion of a two-part episode that revolves around the final revelation of what actually happened to Fox Mulder's sister (David Duchovny), Samantha. Originally broadcast by the Fox network on February 13, 2000, "Closing" received a Nielsen 9.1 rating and was seen by 15.35 million viewers. This episode received most of the positive reviews from critics; many feel that the final statement is emotional and strong, although some are unhappy with the resolution.
The event center at FBI special agent Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are working on a paranormal-related case, called X-Files. Mulder is a paranormal believer, while Scully who is skeptical has been assigned to refute his work, but both have developed deep friendships. In this episode, after Mulder was forced to accept that his mother's death was by his own hand, he was led by a man whose son disappeared years earlier to another truth: that his sister, Samantha, was among the souls taken by ' ins', saving the lives of children who are destined to live an unhappy life.
"Closing" is a milestone for the series, finally revealing Samantha's fate; this story-arc has driven most of the previous series episodes. This episode was written as a continuation of the previous episode, "Sein und Zeit," but branched out into different territories. Although most of the episodes were filmed on the sound stage, several scenes were recorded on the scene, such as scenes in the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California. Some of the sequences, especially those featuring the souls of dead children, require complicated film-making techniques. This episode has been analyzed because of the theme of his beliefs and expectations.
Video Closure (The X-Files)
Plot
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For the first five seasons of the series, FBI federal agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) sought to gain an understanding of the disappearance of Mulder's sister, Samantha, who was kidnapped when Mulder was 12 years old. In the previous episode, "Sein und Zeit", Mulder and Scully track down a serial killer who targets children. While investigating the case, Mulder began to engage emotionally, due to the similarity with the loss of his younger sister.
Events
Mulder and Scully assisted the Sacramento Police in an investigation of the brutal murder committed by Truelove, the owner of Santa Village. When the remains of the children were found, he confessed to killing twenty-four children, but denied killing Amber Lynn LaPierre, who disappeared from his home in the previous episode. Mulder was approached by Psychic Harold Piller, who told Mulder that he had helped law enforcement around the world, and has proven in many cases that children have been taken by "walk-ins", creatures composed of starlight. Piller believes that walk-ins save children who suffer bad luck.
Scully became worried about Piller's influence over Mulder. Agents returned to Washington, D.C., where Mulder continued to search for evidence in the case. Meanwhile, Piller gets another vision of Samantha, leading Mulder to the April Air Force Base. Scully finds evidence that the loss of Samantha is related to The Smoking Man (William B. Davis); when he returns to his apartment, he finds him waiting for him. She tells him that she's canceled Mulder's sister's quest when she disappears because she knows he's dead.
When Mulder returned to the April Air Force Base, he uncovered evidence that Samantha was living with a Smoking Man with her son, Jeffrey Spender, and that she was forced to undergo a painful test. Scully found a 1979 police report about a girl who matched Samantha's description, and learned that she was taken to the hospital emergency room. He and Mulder found the nurse who looked after him, and the nurse explained how Samantha disappeared in the same way as Amber - without a trace. Mulder then walks through the forest and receives Samantha's vision along with the spirits of other children. After telling Scully and Piller - who reacted badly after hearing that his son had died - his vision, Mulder accepted that his sister died and was in a better place. When Scully comforts Mulder and asks if he's okay, he answers chokedly, "I'm fine, I'm free."
Maps Closure (The X-Files)
Production
Write
"Closing," authored by series maker Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, ended Mulder's search for his sister, Samantha, who was kidnapped when he was a child. The idea of ​​closing the story arc received mixed reactions from various productions and crew members. However, many show producers realized that the time had come to answer one of the biggest questions of the event. Spotnitz explains that, "I think [the serial star, David Duchovny] gets tired of playing the man who lost his sister. [...] I told him, 'This will be the last time you will have to play [that part]." "Paul Rabwin noted that," It's been seven years. I do not think any of us will miss Samantha Mulder. The device and motivation were very strong in the early years of the show. But as the years passed, the speculation melted. "
"Closing" continues the story from the previous episode "Sein und Zeit" and branches out into different areas. Carter later explained that, "emotionally, that's a tough thing for everyone, but of course so." This episode involves two very personal cases, the search for serial killers [in 'Sein und Zeit'] and the quest for Mulder's sister [ in 'Closing']. " Marc Shapiro, in his book All Things: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 6 notes that, in addition to ending Samantha's story arc, the episode "closely resembles the [Smoking Men] episode" in that it explores his involvement in Samantha's kidnapping and reveals to the audience that he is violently ill. The episode tagline is changed from the usual "Truth Outside" to "Believe in Understanding".
Filming
The manners noted that "Closing" was one of the first episodes in which production staff could "shoot in Los Angeles by sunrise". According to Manners, the show was struggling with the fact that "we are no longer in Vancouver and our performances are suddenly very bright and cheerful". To change this, Bill Roe, director of photography, uses tree branches and c-stands to block out the sun. The first scene with walk-ins rising from their graves, shot at Griffith Park over the playground, is "tricky," according to director Kim Manners. The etiquette was uncomfortable telling the children to rise from the "grave", felt it could psychologically hurt them, so instead the crew called holes in the "fortress" ground. The scene that occurred at the April Air Force Base was shot in San Bernardino, California at the enclosed airfield, the former Norton Air Force Base. At the air base is a large complex of homes abandoned by more than 400 buildings built and used by the United States military. According to Manners, the whole area is "scary", and many homes still have furniture inside. Initially, the producers wanted to mention the fictitious March Force Air Force base. However, the presence of an actual air force base of the same name necessitates a change to the April Air Force Base. One shot at the April Air Force Base was filmed on the sound stage in Los Angeles. The scene at the restaurant was taken at a location on Sepulveda Boulevard, in a hotel that has been standing there for 30 to 40 years.
During filming, David Duchovny decided to portray a reunion scene in a way that contradicts what is called a script. The manners then noted, "In the manuscript, he called his sister to run and hug her, and Mulder would start crying, David did not want to cry, I said, 'David, you finally realize your sister is, in fact, dead. ] He said, 'Just look what I do; trust me.' And, he's holding on to the little girl actress - there's a cheerful smile on her face that's really surprising. "The manners are very happy with the change and put it in the final chunk of the episode. To create scenes featuring the dead children's ghosts interacting with characters, different layers of film should be coated with each other. Many shoot operands are taken, which takes hours to complete. Once the shot is successfully secured, the ghost film must be made transparent. The scene where Mulder interacts with the walk-ins is actually shot during the day. However, the special "day to night" photography is used to make the finished scene look as if it was filmed at night. To achieve this, the subject is illuminated with bright light and the sky is completely avoided. The entire scene is shot at 48 frames per second, twice the normal speed. Rebecca Toolan was flown from Vancouver specifically for this episode, and "Sein Und Zeit". To create a ghost sighting, the production staff had to shoot some frames, which were later connected to Duchovny recordings. Manners play a part of hypnosis in a video that Scully watched Mulder under hypnosis. The behavior then notes that "I only act when you can not really see my face". The manners were critical of the Duchovny wig - which had been added to make the tape look older. He swiftly notes that "this is not one episode that Cheri Medcalf [director of make-up shows] won the Emmy for."
Composer Mark Snow describes his score as having "a sense of biblical passion and religiosity - an elegant - feeling about it that is so touching and touching me." "My Weakness", a song by Moby from her 1999 album Play , was used in this episode, during the first scene when the FBI found mass graves and near the end when Mulder met his brother's spirits. Carter never told Snow about the decision to use other people's music, though since then Snow said that his reaction to the use of the song was very positive and that the song fit "perfect" for the audible scene. Another Moby song, "The Sky is Broken" also from Play , will be shown in the seventh season episode of "all things".
Themes
According to Amy M. Donaldson in his book We Want to Believe: Faith and the Gospel in The X-Files, Mulder's opening monologue may be an example of "Mulder is now more receptive to the possibility of God's intervention." Throughout many series, Mulder has shown humiliation to religion. However, in "Closure", Donaldson points out that "Mulder's trust in God, as always, revolves around his beliefs about the fate of his sister". Thus, Mulder expressed the hope that those who die in a cruel way "live another way". Furthermore, he argues that since the "Closing" opens with the slogan "Believe to understand", Mulder must "take a leap of faith" to find enlightenment, and finally the truth about his sister. The first half of the episode is played according to the tagline; Mulder first believed in "his wish stated in the opening of the voiceover", and then found the closure.
Donaldson is also parallel to the elements in the episode to plot other episodes such as the fourth season entry "Paper Hearts", where it is suggested that serial killers kill Samantha. In "Paper Hearts," a victim's father noted that the uncertainty of her daughter's murder allows those involved to "consider the possibility, both for the best and for the worst." However, once it was revealed that her daughter had been murdered, all hope was eliminated. Instead, Mulder holds to the possibility that Samantha is still alive through many series, but when he realizes that he is indeed dead in "Closure", hope is erased but in place is found peace. For Mulder's parallel acceptance, Harold Piller refused to believe that his son had died; thus, he "sticks [s] into the possibility [because] the uncertainty lets him hope."
Reception
Ratings
"Closing" was first aired in the United States on February 13, 2000. The episode ranked in the Nielsen 9.1 household, with 13 sections. Nielsen Rating is an audience measurement system that determines the size of the audience and the composition of television programs in the US. This means that about 9.1 percent of all households are equipped with televisions, and 13 percent of households watch television, watching the episode. It's seen by 15.35 million viewers in the United States. On May 28, 2000, the episode debuted on Sky 1 in the UK and garnered 0.68 million viewers, making it the eighth most watched program featured on Sky 1 that week, ahead of Angel and > The Simpsons . This episode is then inserted in The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 - Colonization , a collection of DVDs containing the episodes involved with the Colonist alien plan to take over the earth.
Initial review
The preliminary review was mixed, with some critics praising the story's conclusions, and others taunting him. Tom Kessenich, in his book Exam: Unauthorized Views at Seasons 6-9 of X-Files , argues that this episode works best "if some clues related to Samantha were previously forgotten," as it was like when Alien Bounty Hunter told Mulder that he was still living in "End Game". Nevertheless, he writes that "it is only true that Samantha died since Mulder's life was always determined by what he had lost, not what he had found". He guessed that the episode was not "perfect", but it was "plusses beyond any mistakes along the way". He also praised the "subtle quality of the last few moments", writing that they "lifted this episode and made it one of the most memorable seasons." Kenneth Silber of Space.com is pleased with this episode, and writes, "'Closing' is a satisfying episode, one that puts on the now exhausting quest for Mulder's sister, Samantha." Jeremy Conrad of IGN refers to the episode as "extraordinary" and notes that most of the mythology of The X-Files ends with Samantha's abduction resolution, saying, "['Closure'] is final, and concrete , answer the one thing that drives Mulder to the whole series.In some ways, when he gets that answer, most of The X-Files story ends. "
Not all of the reviews are positive. Paula Vitaris from CFQ gave the episode a negative review and gave it one and a half stars out of four. He wrote, "Instead of a big, heartbreaking finale, which should be the peak of Mulder's quest for Samantha, his story ends limp with some nonsense about Samantha being the starlight boy." Bobby Bryant and Tracy Burlison of The State named the episode the episode of "Worst Conspiracy". Both note that because "a The X-Files principle is that the sister of Mulder, Samantha, has been (a) kidnapped by a stranger or (b) kidnapped by government conspirators", the fact that she has actually has turned into a spirit "insanely offering supernatural explanations to a mystery of science fiction".
Later review
Then the review, however, has seen "Closure" in a much more positive light, with many critics praising its endings. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club was awarded the episode "A-". He argues that this episode works because of two scenes: the order in which Mulder read aloud from Samantha's diary, and the last shot Mulder reunited with his sister. He writes that "the striking simplicity" of the former makes it emotionally strong, and the latter is "a bit crybaby, somewhat surreal, a bit beautiful" but still "a beautiful moment". Meghan Deans of Tor.com feels that his story is "ridiculous," but that, when paired with the idea that Samantha is truly an innocent victim, succeeds in becoming "consolation". He called it a "show gesture should give Mulder, and us, to turn this story off for good." Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & amp; The Lone Gunmen , rated the episode four stars out of five, and called it "brave". Both note that while some sentimentality is pushed too far - as when Mulder finds his sister's diary speaking to him, or when Mulder speaks of all lost souls being stars - "critical moments" featuring Mulder reuniting with his sister The "extraordinary moving ".
References
Bibliography
External links
- "Closing" on IMDb
- "Closing" on TV.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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