The Early X-Files Episode That Sealed Beloved Character’s Fate
Part of why fans kept tuning into The X-Files was the specter of dread hanging over our favorite characters. It wasn’t uncommon for guest stars to meet grisly ends, and even protagonists Mulder and Scully aren’t immune to abduction and death. One of the early X-Files guest stars that fans fell in love with was the informant Deep Throat, and while he died by the end of the first season, his fate was surprisingly sealed in the earlier episode “Fallen Angel.”
Deep Throat’s Fate And “Fallen Angel”
Before we can get into how The X-Files sealed Deep Throat’s fate with this episode, it’s important to recap what “Fallen Angel” is all about. This was an episode where Mulder tries to investigate a crashed UFO and finds an unexpected ally in the form of abduction survivor Max Fenig. However, these two are soon caught between two very powerful forces: the military trying to cover everything up and the invisible alien threat that may soon prove to be the death of everyone involved.
Right Place, Right Time
In this early X-Files adventure, Deep Throat plays a very major role, giving Mulder the initial tip that sends him chasing after this crashed UFO in the first place. He pops up again at the end to save Mulder’s butt when Section Chief McGrath wants to fire the intrepid FBI agent and close down the X-Files altogether. Deep Throat vetoes the man’s decision, justifying keeping the agent where he is because Mulder would be much more dangerous to the shady government conspirators if he could devote the entirety of his time to being a passionate whistleblower.
The Character Expansion We Were Waiting For
With that X-Files recap out of the way, why are we saying that “Fallen Angel” effectively sealed Deep Throat’s fate? Episode co-writer Howard Gordon later admitted that even as both Mulder and the fandom questioned whether this informant was a good guy or a bad guy, even the writing team hadn’t figured this out for themselves. We get a more definitive answer here, and as series creator Chris Carter said of this episode, “it really played into an expansion of his character–who he is and why he’s doing this, all of which was explored later.
Made Out To Be A Good Guy
The “later” he is referring to is most likely the first season X-Files finale, one in which Deep Throat risked his life to save Mulder and was subsequently killed. Therefore, “Fallen Angel” seals this character’s fate by more definitively making him a good guy, one who is inevitably on a collision course with the evil government conspirators that eventually kill him. Sadly, the murder of Deep Throat sets up a kind of running theme where many allies who try to help Mulder out (including everyone from Max Fenig to Deep Throat’s replacement, X) are eventually killed.
The Clarity We Needed
Eventually, The X-Files would lose its steam (if not the plot entirely) when it came to these mythology episodes, but this early arc with Deep Throat proves how good the show originally was at narrative set-ups and payoffs. For only appearing in a single season (not counting occasional visions and flashbacks in later seasons), Deep Throat comes across as a fully formed and ultimately very sympathetic character. Helping Mulder ultimately seals this character’s fate while reminding us of something very important: the wildly high stakes that our favorite FBI agents are playing for.
