Dreamland (The X-Files)

"Dreamland"
The X-Files episodes
Fox Mulder sees his reflection in the mirror after switching bodies with a Man in Black, Morris Fletcher.
Episode nos.	Season 6 Episodes 4 & 5
Directed by	Kim Manners ("Dreamland") Michael Watkins ("Dreamland II")
Written by	Vince Gilligan John Shiban Frank Spotnitz
Production codes	6ABX04 6ABX05
Original air dates	November 29, 1998 (1998-11-29) ("Dreamland") December 6, 1998 (1998-12-06) ("Dreamland II")
Running time	45 minutes (per episode)
Guest appearances
Michael McKean as Morris Fletcher Nora Dunn as JoAnne Fletcher Dara Hollingsworth as Christine Fletcher Tyler Binkley as Terry Fletcher James Pickens, Jr. as Assistant Director Alvin Kersh Michael B. Silver as Howard Grodin John Mahon as General Wegman Scott Allan Campbell as Jeff Smoodge Julia Vera as Mrs. Lana Chee Christopher Stapleton as Capt. Robert McDonough Eddie Jackson as Copilot Ted White as Attendant Laura Leigh Hughes as Kersh's Assistant Freeman Michaels as Guard Cesar Lopapa as Soldier Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike Dean Haglund as Richard Langly Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers Andrew Sikking as Soldier Chris Ufland as Sam Mike Rad as Randy Lisa Joann Thompson as Kelly[1][2]
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"Dreamland" is the title of both the fourth and fifth episodes of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. Part one first aired on November 29, and part two aired on December 6, 1998, on Fox in the United States and Canada. The episode was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners ("Dreamland") and Michael Watkins ("Dreamland II"). Although dealing with a member of the Men in Black, the episode is largely unconnected to the mythology of The X-Files, and is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story. Part one of "Dreamland" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, being watched by 17.48 million people in its initial broadcast; Part two received a rating of 10 and was watched by 17.01 million people. The episode received mostly mixed reviews from critics, with many reviews critical of the episode's reliance on humor.

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 the episode, Mulder and Scully visit Area 51. But when the agents witness the flight of a mysterious craft, Mulder and a member of the Men in Black switch bodies, unbeknownst to the others. In part two, Scully begins to suspect that her partner's strange behavior is more than it appears to be, while Mulder fights to return his life to normal before it is too late.

"Dreamland" was the only non-mythology story to be spread across two episodes. Originally, the writers for the episode contacted Garry Shandling to play the part of Fletcher but he was unavailable for filming. Michael McKean was then cast in his place. The episode is notable for a scene featuring Mulder-as-Fletcher encountering his reflection and proceeding to do the dance from the 1933 Marx Brothers comedy film Duck Soup. The scene required Duchovny and McKean to synchronize their movements perfectly. Dreamland is one of the names used for the Area 51 facility.