The X-files
Tempus Fugit (part 1 of 2)
Episode: 4X17
First aired:3/16/97
Written by:Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Directed by: Rob Bowan
A very important episode in the X-files mythology. Also, poor Agent Pendrell's demise.
At the Headless Woman's Pub, waiters singing "
Happy Birthday" approach
Mulder and
Scully's table. Scully is surprised that her partner remembered the
occasion. Before the
celebration continues, the agents are approached by Sharon Graffia, who identifies
herself as the sister of
Max Fenig (the
alien abductee seen in "Fallen Angel"). Fenig was
killed in an
airplane crash in Upstate New York two hours earlier. It was Fenig's wish
that the agents be sought out should any harm befall him.
The agents attend a
Go-Team meeting assembled by the
National Transportation Safety
Board. Mike Millar, the man in charge of the operation, plays a
tape recording of the last
radio exchange between Flight 549 and
air traffic control in Albany. During the
recording, the pilot makes reference to an "
intercept." Mulder believes is an indication
the
airliner was forced out of the sky. But his
comments before the group are met with
great
skepticism.
The agents comb the crash site for
possible clues. Mulder realizes there is a
nine minute
discrepancy between the official time of the crash and the time indicated on
passengers'
wrist watches. In the distance, an investigator named Garrett sprays an
acid-like
substance on one of the bodies, dissolving the victim's fingertips and face. A few
moments later, other Go-Team members pull a
survivor, Larold Rebhun, from the
wreckage. Scully concludes he was exposed to
extreme radiation. Mulder tells Scully
that he believes Fenig was
abducted from the aircraft by being sucked out of the
emergency exit door. However, Go-Team members find Fenig's body amongst the
debris field.
The agents interview Louis Frish, who, along with Armando Gonzales, manned the
Air
Force Reserve air
control tower on the night of the crash. Louis claims there was no
radio contact between the
Air Force and the civilian plane. Later, Louis finds Gonzales'
dead body inside the control tower. Several
government men storm the tower. Louis
avoids capture by hiding on the
roof. Later, Sharon Graffia disappears from her motel
room. Mulder concludes she was abducted by a
UFO.
Louis Frish tells Mulder, Scully, and Millar that he-not an air traffic controller in
Albany-was the last person to
communicate with Flight 549. Louis explains that his
commanding officer ordered him (along with Gonzales) to lie to
investigators. The men
saw an
unidentified radar blip enter Flight 549's airspace. Moments later, there was an
explosion. Mulder speculates that a third, unidentified aircraft shot down the intercept
craft-but is at a loss to explain the
absence of a second crash site. As the agents drive
Louis away from the Go-Team's
headquarters, two automobiles give chase. In an
attempt to
outmaneuver his pursuers, Mulder drives onto a runway. An
airliner lands on
the strip, narrowly missing Mulder's
car. The two chase cars break off their pursuit.
Later, Mike Millar encounters a UFO hovering above the crash site. He finds Sharon
Graffia nearby.
Scully and Louis await a Federal Marshal at the Headless Woman's Pub. Garrett enters
with a gun. Scully draws her
weapon and a
shoot-out ensues. Agent Pendrell, who
happened to be
frequenting the bar, is shot in the chest. Scully manages to shoot
Garrett in the leg.
After examining a map, Mulder concludes that the
second craft crashed into
Great
Sacandaga Lake. He scuba dives into the murky water, where he encounters twisted
wreckage-and the body of a
gray alien. Suddenly, a bright beam of light emanates from
the surface. Mulder shields his eyes from the impossibly
intense light.
To Be Continued...
Important Quotes:
Mulder -- "Happy Birthday dear Special Agent
Dana
Katherine Scully, Happy Birthday to You . . . I didn't know it was your birthday, Scully."
Scully -- "Mulder, you've never remembered my birthday in the four years I've known you."
Mulder -- "That's the way I like to celebrate. It's every four years, like
dog years."
Scully -- "Dog years? Thank you."
Mulder -- (smiling) "
You're welcome. Oh, I got something for you."
Scully -- "You've got to be kidding me."
Mulder -- "It's just something that reminded me of you."
Scully -- "What, an
alien implant?"
Mulder -- "Two, actually. I made them into
earrings." (she opens the small box - it's a keychain)
Scully -- "
Apollo 11."
Mulder -- "(smiling) Read the back."
Scully -- "Commemorating Apollo 11 and
the mission to the moon, July 1969.
I'm touched."
Scully -- "You sure know how to make a girl feel special on her birthday."
Scully -- "Are you accusing these men of
covering evidence?"
Mulder -- "These men? No. These men are trained to identify
moving parts:
hydraulics,
electronics. They're trained
to reconstruct those parts in the past to arrive at the present but they can't do that because someone has stolen the
past from them.
Nine minutes of it. Nine minutes that became a lifetime to those passengers and now for their
families. Someone has got to figure out what happened in those nine minutes. Somehow we've got to get that
back."
Diver -- "Have you worked at this depth before?"
Mulder -- "Not exactly."
Diver -- "
What exactly is your experience?"
Mulder -- "Once I, uh . . . I got a quarter off of
the deep end of the 'Y' pool . . ."
Back to The X-files: Season 4