The X-Files Tried To Reboot Scully In Season 1
One of the reasons fans are dreading the inevitable X-Files reboot is that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing iconic characters like Mulder and Scully, and a re-imagined version of the show is likely to change up their equally iconic personalities for the worse. The series always worked based on the tension (romantic and otherwise) created by the fact that Mulder is a believer in the paranormal and Scully is a skeptic about all such matters. Interestingly, though, Scully was nearly rebooted in The X-Files season 1 episode “Beyond the Sea” in an effort to make her more of a believer.
Scully Was A Brief Believer In “Beyond The Sea”
We know about the intent to reboot Scully with this X-Files episode because “Beyond the Sea” writers Glen Morgan and James Wong have been very open about it. They were concerned about early fan complaints that Scully came across as too “uptight;” they ultimately agreed with those complaints and wanted to throw the character a curve-ball because she basically did the same thing in each episode. According to Morgan, “we needed an episode where Scully came off as something besides a wet blanket…an episode where she believed.”
The episode ended up being a tremendous success, but at the time, the notion of changing Scully’s character up like this threatened to upturn the entire dynamic that made The X-Files so successful. If she became a believer in season 1, then where would the series go from there? And what would be the point of making her more or less just like her “I want to believe” partner, Fox Mulder?
Luther Lee Bogged Down With The Details
Fortunately, the episode manages to thread a narrative needle regarding Scully’s willingness to believe, one that doesn’t actually compromise the relationship at the heart of The X-Files. In “Beyond the Sea,” she has to emotionally deal with the death of her father even as she and Mulder speak with Luther Lee Boggs, a serial killer who claims he has psychic powers that can help out with a recent kidnapping case. Mulder is skeptical because he busted this guy before and thinks he just wants out of his death sentence, but Scully–who has begun seeing visions of her dead father–considers that the killer might be on the level.
Not A Full Character Reboot, But Rather A Glimpse
Of course, Scully changes her mind by the end of the X-Files episode, ditching the killer’s execution despite his promise to help her speak to her dad one last time. A skeptic to her core, she eventually deduced that Boggs could have found out about the death of her father and used the info to manipulate her. This surprises Mulder, who ends the episode once again wondering why his partner seems so afraid to believe.
Because Scully goes back to skeptic mode by the end of “Beyond the Sea,” it’s fair to say that this attempt to reboot her into a believer didn’t last very long. However, the writers were quite pleased, with Wong saying “Gillian [Anderson] needed a show to show off her talents.” And in Morgan’s words, “The intent was to produce something for Gillian to really sink her teeth into.”
At The End Of The Day, Scully Remains Skeptical
Plus, the writers liked the idea of leaving the door open for Scully’s character to change more as The X-Files went on, with Wong stating “This was a perfect opportunity to dispel those notions that Scully will never believe.” In the meantime, they were successful with their primary intent of giving Anderson a showcase episode, and she delivered a moving performance that previewed what a Hollywood legend she would become.
A Brave Creative Decision For The Series
Looking back, both these X-Files writers and showrunner Chris Carter deserve praise for their willingness to upend everything we know about this show and its characters as early as season 1. This helped keep the show just as fresh and lively as Mulder’s VHS collection.
