Alpha (The X-Files)

"Alpha"
The X-Files episode
The Wanshang Dhole. The creature was the impetus for the episode, but was derided by several critics for being boring and uninventive.
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 16
Directed by	Peter Markle
Written by	Jeffrey Bell
Production code	6ABX16
Original air date	March 28, 1999 (1999-03-28)
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearances
Andrew Jordt Robinson as Dr. Ian Detweiler Melinda Culea as Karin Berquist Thomas F. Duffy as Jeffrey Cahn James M. Connor as Jake Conroy Michael Mantell as Dr. James Riley David Starwalt as Officer Frank Fiedler Tuan Tran as Fong Yau-Gene Chan as Woo Dana Lee as Yee Lisa Picotte as Stacey Muir Mandy Levin as Angie Treva Tegtmeier as Peggy Adrienne Wilde as Nurse[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "Arcadia" Next → "Trevor"
List of episodes

"Alpha" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 28, 1999, in the United States. The episode was written by Jeffrey Bell, and directed by Peter Markle. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Alpha" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, being watched by 17.7 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly negative reviews from critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate several killings blamed on an Asian dog called the Wanshang Dhole, thought to be extinct. Mulder and Scully join an obstinate Sheriff, a seemingly eccentric hunter, and a reclusive canine expert to find it. However, there is more mystery to the expert than meets the eye.

"Alpha" was based on a single motif—"Scary dogs in the City"—written by Jeffrey Bell onto a notecard. The episode went through several drafts before being readied right before filming began. Several of the scenes featuring the Chinese freighter were created either through digital technology or through the combination of matte paintings and actual filmed footage.