Travelers (The X-Files)

"Travelers"
The X-Files episode
An alien-spider emerges from Edward Skur's mouth and attacks Hayes Michel. The scene was created with a special facial appliance that allowed the creature to crawl out of Skur's mouth.
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 15
Directed by	William A. Graham
Written by	John Shiban Frank Spotnitz
Production code	5X15
Original air date	March 29, 1998 (1998-03-29)
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearances
Fredric Lehne as young Arthur Dales Garret Dillahunt as Edward Skur Brian Leckner as Hayes Michel David Moreland as Roy Cohn Eileen Pedde as Mrs Skur Dean Aylesworth as young Bill Mulder David Fredericks as FBI Director Mitchell Kosterman as Sheriff Roger Haskett as Coroner Jane Perry as Dorothy Bahnsen J. Douglas Stewart as Landlord Cory Dagg as Bartender Eric W. Gilder as old Edward Skur Darren McGavin as Arthur Dales[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Red and the Black" Next → "Mind's Eye"
The X-Files season 5
List of episodes

"Travelers" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of American science fiction television series The X-Files, and the 111th episode of the series overall. It was written by John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz, directed by William A. Graham and aired in the United States on March 29, 1998, on the Fox network. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.9, being watched by 15.06 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed 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 believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this flashback episode, a young Fox Mulder visits retired FBI Agent Arthur Dales (Darren McGavin), who tells him about one of the first X-Files, a case that Mulder's father, Bill, was involved in.

"Travelers" was written as a tribute to Howard Dimsdale, a screenwriter who was victimized by Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s and explored the idea that "the witch-hunt [of the 1950s] was actually a smoke screen to conceal something else". Noted actor Darren McGavin appears as Arthur Dales. McGavin was requested for the part especially by Chris Carter and had been approached to play various characters on the series before. In order to create a "convincing period movie", various special effects were used, including a special facial appliance that allowed the "alien spider" to crawl out of Skur's mouth and into his victim, and a bleaching job for the final film to give it an aged feel.