The X-Files Episode Nearly Canceled Due To A Famous Horror Movie

“Beyond the Sea,” like other X-Files episodes, was subject to a veto from Fox, who could kill any script if they thought there was a major problem. In this case, they were worried about the basics of the plot, which had Scully visiting the serial killer Luther Lee Boggs in order to find where a kidnapper was hiding.

To the executives, the notion that an attractive female FBI agent was getting information from a charismatic killer made everything seem too much like the relationship between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs.

Not willing to let such a good script go, Chris Carter ended up personally taking the “Beyond the Sea” matter up with Fox. The X-Files creator gave the executives a very simple promise: that co-writers Glen Morgan and James Wong “had their own take on it” and were not simply copying the plot beats of this popular film. And he eventually won the execs over with a passionate plea: “These guys believe in this episode, I believe in this episode, we’ve got to do this episode.”

Carter’s plea was effective, but getting the go-ahead to shoot “Beyond the Sea” required more than just a passionate statement from The X-Files showrunner. Despite Carter later asserting that his presence helped sway Fox, co-writer Glen Morgan vividly remembers that “There were 45-minute screaming fights about where the story should go.” Ultimately, though, the episode that aired on television does bear very little resemblance to Silence of the Lambs.

That’s because “Beyond the Sea” has far more than Scully talking to a serial killer. This X-Files episode involves her dealing with the death of her dad at the same time that she and Mulder have to interview a serial killer who claims he has psychic visions, ones that could help out with a recent kidnapping case. In a reversal of their typical roles, Mulder (who previously brought the killer to justice) is skeptical about these so-called abilities, but Scully (who is seeing visions of her dead dad) considers that these visions might be on the level. 

In this way, “Beyond the Sea” is far more than a Silence of the Lambs rip-off…it’s a great character examination of Scully that also tweaks the traditional X-Files formula to wonderful effect.

But before the episode could be created, Carter had to convince skeptical execs that his writers had an innovative new angle on what sounded like a very familiar story. By the end, he and his writers were a bit like Mulder himself: they wanted to believe, and their faith paid off in the best possible way.