Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose
Encyclopedia
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is the fourth episode of the third season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. The episode first aired in the United States on October 13, 1996, on FOX
. It was written by Darin Morgan
and directed by David Nutter
. The episode is a stand alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster-of-the-Week pattern of the show. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.2, being watched by 15.38 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode was also a critical success, winning two Primetime Emmy Award
s.
"Clyde Burckman's Final Repose" features FBI
special agents Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) investigating a series of murders of psychics and fortune tellers. The two are assisted by Clyde Bruckman, who has the ability to foresee how people are going to die.
headlines about a psychic's predictions. After purchasing the paper and a lottery ticket, he leaves. In the street he almost bumps into a man. Then they have a short conversation and the other man then heads to a fortune teller. The fortune teller is a palmist who dresses and speaks like a gypsy. The man looks at the fortune teller and asks her why he does the thing he is about to do. She replies that she is not a psychologist. He grabs the fortune teller's hands and remarks that as a psychic, she should have seen this coming. Then, he attacks and kills her.
A few days later, a different fortune teller has been found with her eyes and entrails removed
. Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
arrive at the scene of that murder to help the local cops, who have recruited the help of a psychic, the eccentric 'Stupendous Yappi'. The psychic delivers clues and descriptions of the killer that are so vague that they could apply to almost anyone and be intuited about the serial killer by almost anyone. The cops are thoroughly impressed, although Scully and Mulder are skeptical.
Meanwhile, Bruckman takes the trash out for his neighbor. Bruckman discovers the body of the fortune teller outside in his dumpster and when interviewed by Mulder and Scully reveals details about the crime that he couldn't have known from the media accounts. Mulder believes that Bruckman has the psychic ability to predict death and insists that he join them in a visit to the other crime scene. Bruckman walks around the scene, looking disturbed, and tells them that they will find another victim, giving them a specific description of the place. A body is soon found at a place that meets Bruckman's description, causing Mulder to ask Bruckman to join the agents on the case.
The three of them go to the woods, where they discover another body. Bruckman explains how he gained his ability following the death of the Big Bopper
in a plane crash
(along with Ritchie Valens
and Buddy Holly
). Bruckman foresees Mulder's death, telling him that he'll have his throat slit by the killer after stepping in a pie. Mulder quickly believes Bruckman. On the other hand, while Scully does 'not' believe in Bruckman's power, the two develop a fast friendship. Bruckman asks Scully why she isn't interested in knowing how she will die. Scully finally breaks down and lets him tell her, to which Bruckman, joyfully but cryptically, replies, "You don't." Bruckman later tells Scully that they will end up in bed together, in a very special moment neither of them will forget. This reinforces her skepticism.
Bruckman gets a note from the killer saying he's going to die, and Bruckman tells the agents that he himself will die before they catch the killer. In response, the agents bring Bruckman to a hotel where he is guarded by Detective Havez. As they walk through the hallway to leave, they bump into a bellhop who is delivering food to Bruckman's hotel room. It turns out that the bellhop is actually the murderer. He kills Havez and prepares to do the same to Bruckman. Meanwhile, Scully realizes that the bellhop is the murderer. They rush back to the hotel. Mulder chases the killer to the basement and the scene plays out as described in Bruckman's earlier premonition, but when the killer attacks him, Scully arrives and shoots him—what Bruckman had seen was the dying killer's last thoughts, not Mulder's death.
Mulder and Scully return to Bruckman's apartment to find that Bruckman has committed suicide by tying a plastic bag around his head. Scully sits on his bed holding his hand as he dies, deeply moved, as a drop of condensation flows down, like a tear, just as he had predicted. Bruckman has left Scully a note asking her to take the Pomeranian that belonged to his recently deceased neighbor. That night Scully sees a commercial for the Stupendous Yappi on T.V., causing her to throw her phone at it.
. Morgan was in a dark mood at the time, and decided to craft a plot around a character who committed suicide
at the end of the episode. The joke in the episode about Fox Mulder
's predicted death being by autoerotic asphyxiation was inspired by previous jokes in the series about Mulder's interest in pornography
. It was also inspired by a book Morgan had read on homicide
investigations. Morgan also claims to have watched the episode "Beyond the Sea" several times and wanting to write an episode in that vein. Morgan feared putting too much comedy in the episode, like his previous effort "Humbug
", and purposely tried to make it as serious and dark as possible, only to end up adding a lot of jokes by the time the final draft was completed. The name 'Clyde Bruckman' refers to an actual screenwriter from the silent film era named Clyde Bruckman
who committed suicide. The names of characters Detective Havez and Detective Cline are also references to a writer and director from that era (Jean Havez
and Eddie Cline, respectively). One of the victims, Claude Dukenfield, is a reference to the real name of W.C. Fields. The name of the hotel in this episode, "Le Damfino" is a reference to a boat used by Buster Keaton
in the movie The Boat. While playing poker with Agent Scully in their hotel room, Bruckman is seen to be holding the "dead man's hand
" (a full house composed of two Aces and three Eights).
in mind, but was eventually cast with Peter Boyle
. Chris Carter
preferred to not cast well-known actors, but felt that Boyle was such a gifted character actor that he ignored that preference for this episode. The character of the Stupendous Yappi was specifically written for Jaap Broeker, David Duchovny
's stand-in. The character later appeared again in the episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space
". Stu Charno, who played the part of the killer in this episode, is the husband of Sara Charno, a former writer on the show.
being removed from the episode.
. The success of the episode led to it earning two Primetime Emmy Award
s—writer Darin Morgan
won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
, while Peter Boyle
won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
David Duchovny
considers this episode one of his favorites of the third season
. David Nutter
called it one of the most enjoyable shows he had done. He also said of the episode "The writing was so tight and so crisp and so fresh that I think, as a director, the only thing you have to do is create the atmosphere, set up the characters, set up the shots and you are basically invisible. Then you step back and just let it happen." Frank Spotnitz
stated that the episode worked on every level and is his favorite of those episodes written for the show by Morgan.
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" received praise from critics as well. Author Phil Farrand rated the episode as his third favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Entertainment Weekly
gave the episode a rare A+, writing "Boyle gets lots of help from another superlative, laugh-a-minute script [...] Nicely captures one of the overarching themes of the show: fate and man's isolation." Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a A and wrote positively of the ending, saying "For an episode that ends with a likable character killing himself, "Bruckman" isn't what I'd call a downer." Review website IGN
named it the best standalone X-Files episode of the entire series, writing that the episode " is a distinctive episode of the series, mixing a healthy amount of humor [...] with some very nasty business [...] In just 44 minutes, Boyle creates a fully formed character who makes a big impact in his one and only appearance."
The X-Files (season 3)
Season three of the television show The X-Files ran from 1995–1996.Chris Carter, the series creator, was still the lead writer - writing eight episodes - and the sole executive producer. Glen Morgan and James Wong continued their roles as co-executive producers, though they began to write...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. The episode first aired in the United States on October 13, 1996, on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. It was written by Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
and directed by David Nutter
David Nutter
David Nutter is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television series, being known as "the pilot whisperer."-Career:...
. The episode is a stand alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster-of-the-Week pattern of the show. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.2, being watched by 15.38 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode was also a critical success, winning two Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
s.
"Clyde Burckman's Final Repose" features FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
special agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
(David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
(Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) investigating a series of murders of psychics and fortune tellers. The two are assisted by Clyde Bruckman, who has the ability to foresee how people are going to die.
Plot
In a store Clyde Bruckman standing in a liquor store reading tabloidTabloid
A tabloid is a newspaper with compact page size smaller than broadsheet, although there is no standard for the precise dimensions of the tabloid newspaper format...
headlines about a psychic's predictions. After purchasing the paper and a lottery ticket, he leaves. In the street he almost bumps into a man. Then they have a short conversation and the other man then heads to a fortune teller. The fortune teller is a palmist who dresses and speaks like a gypsy. The man looks at the fortune teller and asks her why he does the thing he is about to do. She replies that she is not a psychologist. He grabs the fortune teller's hands and remarks that as a psychic, she should have seen this coming. Then, he attacks and kills her.
A few days later, a different fortune teller has been found with her eyes and entrails removed
Disembowelment
Disembowelment is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract , usually through a horizontal incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment may result from an accident, but has also been used as a method of torture and execution...
. Agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
arrive at the scene of that murder to help the local cops, who have recruited the help of a psychic, the eccentric 'Stupendous Yappi'. The psychic delivers clues and descriptions of the killer that are so vague that they could apply to almost anyone and be intuited about the serial killer by almost anyone. The cops are thoroughly impressed, although Scully and Mulder are skeptical.
Meanwhile, Bruckman takes the trash out for his neighbor. Bruckman discovers the body of the fortune teller outside in his dumpster and when interviewed by Mulder and Scully reveals details about the crime that he couldn't have known from the media accounts. Mulder believes that Bruckman has the psychic ability to predict death and insists that he join them in a visit to the other crime scene. Bruckman walks around the scene, looking disturbed, and tells them that they will find another victim, giving them a specific description of the place. A body is soon found at a place that meets Bruckman's description, causing Mulder to ask Bruckman to join the agents on the case.
The three of them go to the woods, where they discover another body. Bruckman explains how he gained his ability following the death of the Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
in a plane crash
The Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...
(along with Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
and Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
). Bruckman foresees Mulder's death, telling him that he'll have his throat slit by the killer after stepping in a pie. Mulder quickly believes Bruckman. On the other hand, while Scully does 'not' believe in Bruckman's power, the two develop a fast friendship. Bruckman asks Scully why she isn't interested in knowing how she will die. Scully finally breaks down and lets him tell her, to which Bruckman, joyfully but cryptically, replies, "You don't." Bruckman later tells Scully that they will end up in bed together, in a very special moment neither of them will forget. This reinforces her skepticism.
Bruckman gets a note from the killer saying he's going to die, and Bruckman tells the agents that he himself will die before they catch the killer. In response, the agents bring Bruckman to a hotel where he is guarded by Detective Havez. As they walk through the hallway to leave, they bump into a bellhop who is delivering food to Bruckman's hotel room. It turns out that the bellhop is actually the murderer. He kills Havez and prepares to do the same to Bruckman. Meanwhile, Scully realizes that the bellhop is the murderer. They rush back to the hotel. Mulder chases the killer to the basement and the scene plays out as described in Bruckman's earlier premonition, but when the killer attacks him, Scully arrives and shoots him—what Bruckman had seen was the dying killer's last thoughts, not Mulder's death.
Mulder and Scully return to Bruckman's apartment to find that Bruckman has committed suicide by tying a plastic bag around his head. Scully sits on his bed holding his hand as he dies, deeply moved, as a drop of condensation flows down, like a tear, just as he had predicted. Bruckman has left Scully a note asking her to take the Pomeranian that belonged to his recently deceased neighbor. That night Scully sees a commercial for the Stupendous Yappi on T.V., causing her to throw her phone at it.
Conception and writing
This episode was the second of four episodes written for the series by Darin MorganDarin Morgan
Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
. Morgan was in a dark mood at the time, and decided to craft a plot around a character who committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at the end of the episode. The joke in the episode about Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
's predicted death being by autoerotic asphyxiation was inspired by previous jokes in the series about Mulder's interest in pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. It was also inspired by a book Morgan had read on homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
investigations. Morgan also claims to have watched the episode "Beyond the Sea" several times and wanting to write an episode in that vein. Morgan feared putting too much comedy in the episode, like his previous effort "Humbug
Humbug (The X-Files)
"Humbug" is the twentieth episode of the second season of American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Darin Morgan and directed by Kim Manners. Morgan had previously appeared in a guest role as the Flukeman in an earlier episode of that season called "The Host"....
", and purposely tried to make it as serious and dark as possible, only to end up adding a lot of jokes by the time the final draft was completed. The name 'Clyde Bruckman' refers to an actual screenwriter from the silent film era named Clyde Bruckman
Clyde Bruckman
Clyde A. Bruckman was an American writer and director of comedy films during the late silent era as well as the early sound era of cinema. Bruckman collaborated with such comedians as Buster Keaton, W.C...
who committed suicide. The names of characters Detective Havez and Detective Cline are also references to a writer and director from that era (Jean Havez
Jean Havez
Jean Havez , was an American writer of novelty songs and silent era comedy films. In his film career, Havez worked with comedians Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.-Career:...
and Eddie Cline, respectively). One of the victims, Claude Dukenfield, is a reference to the real name of W.C. Fields. The name of the hotel in this episode, "Le Damfino" is a reference to a boat used by Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
in the movie The Boat. While playing poker with Agent Scully in their hotel room, Bruckman is seen to be holding the "dead man's hand
Dead man's hand
The dead man's hand is a two-pair poker hand, namely "aces and eights". This card combination gets its name from a legend that it was the five-card-draw hand held by Wild Bill Hickok, when he was murdered on August 2, 1876, in Saloon No. 10 at Deadwood, South Dakota.According to the popular...
" (a full house composed of two Aces and three Eights).
Casting
The role of the title character Clyde Bruckman was originally written with Bob NewhartBob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
in mind, but was eventually cast with Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
. Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
preferred to not cast well-known actors, but felt that Boyle was such a gifted character actor that he ignored that preference for this episode. The character of the Stupendous Yappi was specifically written for Jaap Broeker, David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
's stand-in. The character later appeared again in the episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space
Jose Chung's From Outer Space
"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is the 20th episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on April 12, 1996, on FOX. It was written by Darin Morgan and directed by Rob Bowman...
". Stu Charno, who played the part of the killer in this episode, is the husband of Sara Charno, a former writer on the show.
Filming and post-production
Visual effects producer Mat Beck and Toby Lindala created the elaborate dream sequence where Bruckman's body decomposes. The two used a skeleton rib cage made of copper wire along with fake skin that melted into gelatin when the wires were heated. Eight different stages were used for the effect, starting with Boyle in makeup, progressing to the dummy, and eventually a computer generated skeleton which were morphed together. The episode's original cut was 10 minutes too long, resulting in multiple scenes with Bruckman and Dana ScullyDana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
being removed from the episode.
Reception
"Clyde Bruckmann's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen rating of 10.2, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. The episode was watched by 15.38 million viewers. It was named the tenth greatest episode in television history by TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
. The success of the episode led to it earning two Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
s—writer Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
, while Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
considers this episode one of his favorites of the third season
The X-Files (season 3)
Season three of the television show The X-Files ran from 1995–1996.Chris Carter, the series creator, was still the lead writer - writing eight episodes - and the sole executive producer. Glen Morgan and James Wong continued their roles as co-executive producers, though they began to write...
. David Nutter
David Nutter
David Nutter is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television series, being known as "the pilot whisperer."-Career:...
called it one of the most enjoyable shows he had done. He also said of the episode "The writing was so tight and so crisp and so fresh that I think, as a director, the only thing you have to do is create the atmosphere, set up the characters, set up the shots and you are basically invisible. Then you step back and just let it happen." Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
stated that the episode worked on every level and is his favorite of those episodes written for the show by Morgan.
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" received praise from critics as well. Author Phil Farrand rated the episode as his third favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the episode a rare A+, writing "Boyle gets lots of help from another superlative, laugh-a-minute script [...] Nicely captures one of the overarching themes of the show: fate and man's isolation." Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a A and wrote positively of the ending, saying "For an episode that ends with a likable character killing himself, "Bruckman" isn't what I'd call a downer." Review website IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
named it the best standalone X-Files episode of the entire series, writing that the episode " is a distinctive episode of the series, mixing a healthy amount of humor [...] with some very nasty business [...] In just 44 minutes, Boyle creates a fully formed character who makes a big impact in his one and only appearance."
External links
- Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose article at X-Files Wiki
- Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...