Grotesque (The X-Files)

"Grotesque" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files and the show's 63rd episode overall. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on February 2, 1996. It was written by Howard Gordon and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Grotesque" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.6, being watched by 18.32 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from television 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 conspiracy theorist and a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully, a medical doctor, has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully work with Mulder's former mentor and the FBI's chief profiler, Special Agent Bill Patterson, to investigate a serial killer who claims a gargoyle spirit possessed him and committed the crimes. When Mulder joins the case, his obsession with solving it causes Scully to question his sanity.

Gordon was inspired to write the episode after walking down the streets of New York and seeing several stone gargoyles on the corner, staring at him. Gordon developed the concept with series creator Chris Carter, who suggested the addition of more psychological aspects to the episode. Originally, the teaser was planned to be filmed at a Catholic hospital, but the shot was relocated to the site of a historic post office after concerns were raised about attaching a fake gargoyle to the building.