Requiem (The X-Files)

"**Requiem**"
"Requiem"
The X-Files episode
	Mulder notices a mark he made in the road seven years earlier. Fearing that the show was nearing its end, Chris Carter decided to bring back elements from the show's pilot episode to bring the show closure.
Episode no.	Season 7; Episode 22
Directed by	Kim Manners
Written by	Chris Carter
Production code	7ABX22
Original air date	May 21, 2000
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearances
	Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner; Leon Russom as Detective Miles; Peter MacDissi as Prison Guard; Laurie Holden as Marita Covarrubias; Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek; Eddie Kaye Thomas as Gary; Judd Trichter as Richie; Zachary Ansley as Billy Miles; Gretchen Becker as Greta; William B. Davis as The Smoking Man; Richard Riehle as Shaw; Sarah Koskoff as Teresa Hoese; Darin Cooper as Ray Hoese; Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike; Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers; Dean Haglund as Richard Langly; Brian Thompson as Alien Bounty Hunter; Grace and Kelly Demontesquiou as Baby;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Je Souhaite"	Next →; "Within"
	The X-Files season 7
	List of episodes

"Requiem" is the twenty-second episode and the finale of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the show's 161st episode overall. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. The episode was written by Chris Carter, and directed by Kim Manners. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "Requiem" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.9, being watched by 15.26 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Many applauded the way it made the series' increasingly marginalized alien mythology relevant again, although others lamented the partial loss of David Duchovny.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (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 return to the site of their first investigation together when a series of abductions take place. However, Scully's failing health, and Mulder's concern that she is in danger, cause him to take her off the case. Meanwhile, the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis)—on his deathbed—reunites with Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden) and Alex Krycek in an attempt to revive the project^{[clarification needed]}.

"Requiem" was a story milestone for the series, featuring the alien abduction of Mulder. Mulder would appear sporadically in the last two seasons, only returning for about half of the episodes in season eight and only two episodes in season nine. Prior to being picked up for another season, however, many believed that the episode would serve as the series finale. As such, many elements from the show's pilot episode were brought in to bring the show closure and help it segue into a movie franchise.

^ Cite error: The named reference DVD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. 10 September 1993. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
^ Shapiro (2000), pp. 266–277.

[DVD-1] Cite error: The named reference DVD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. 10 September 1993. Retrieved September 22, 2012.

[plot-3] Shapiro (2000), pp. 266–277.

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