| "Milagro" | |
|---|---|
| The X-Files episode | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Milagro_x_files.jpg) Phillip Padgett rips out his own heart. To mimic a beating heart, the cast used air pumps to rapidly inflate and deflate the prop. | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 18 |
| Directed by | Kim Manners |
| Story by | John Shiban Frank Spotnitz |
| Teleplay by | Chris Carter |
| Production code | 6ABX18[1] |
| Original air date | April 18, 1999 |
| Running time | 45 minutes[2] |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Milagro" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 18, 1999. The episode's teleplay was written by Chris Carter from a story by John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "Monster of the Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Milagro" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9, being watched by 15.2 million people upon its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed to 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 believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders in which the heart has been removed from the victims. A writer who lives next door to Mulder is writing a novel about the murders before they actually happen and soon, Scully finds herself confused and drawn to the writer, who has a romantic interest in her.
"Milagro" was inspired by the idea of someone thinking of something so much that it becomes a reality, a topic Shiban later noted was "familiar" to anyone who had written a script. The part of Phillip Padgett had been written specifically for the actor John Hawkes. In addition, the production for "Milagro" was decidedly low-budget due to its "intimate and personality-driven" nature. The episode's title means "miracle" in Spanish. The episode has been analyzed for its use of symbolism, its exploration of motive, and the role reversal of Mulder and Scully.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
DVDwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The X-Files, Season 6". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ Meisler (2000), pp. 224–35.