Grotesque (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Grotesque" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Grotesque" features a serial killer who claims a gargoyle
spirit committed the crimes. When Mulder joins the case his obsession with solving it causes Scully to question his sanity.
, a group of artists sketch a nude male model. However, one of the artists, John Mostow, draws a demonic creature in the model's place; he hurriedly leaves as the session ends. When the model reaches his car soon afterward, he is attacked and killed by an obscured assailant. The following morning, Mostow is arrested in his apartment by an FBI
task force led by Agent Bill Patterson, who finds the utility knife
used in the murder.
Mostow, a formerly committed
immigrant from Uzbekistan
, is charged with killing seven men and mutilating their faces. Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
become involved in the investigation when Mostow insists that he was possessed during the killings; his claims are given credence when another murder occurs after his arrest. Mostow draws a gargoyle and claims that it was what killed the victims. Mulder meets with Patterson, his former mentor, who spent three years on the case. The two no longer get along, with Patterson skeptical of Mulder's theories. Later Mulder heads to Mostow's studio, finding corpses within his sculptures.
Another murder occurs. Nemhauser, another agent on the case, tells Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) that Patterson may have been responsible for getting Mulder on the case and that he may admire him after all. Patterson finds Mulder in the library studying gargoyles and tells him he's wasting his time and is a disappointment to him. Scully heads to Mulder's apartment finding the place covered with gargoyle drawings. Mulder awakens in Mostow's studio and chases a figure in the darkness that slashes at him with a blade. Mulder tells Scully of the attack but refuses to admit why he was staying in Mostow's studio. Scully confronts Patterson who tells her to let Mulder continue to do what he's doing. Mulder goes to see Mostow again who won't tell him how to find the creature that attacked him.
Scully finds a disassembled utility knife at the latest crime scene with Mulder's prints on it and discovers the murder weapon is missing from the evidence room. She meets with Assistant Director Skinner
who is also worried about Mulder's behavior. Mulder has a nightmare about being attacked by a gargoyle, which ends up being himself. He then wakes up and heads to Mostow's studio again, finding a new murder victim there. Scully calls Nemhauser, but his phone is answered by Mulder who denies taking the knife. He searches Mostow's studio and finds Nemhauser's body inside a new sculpture. Mulder now believes that Patterson is the killer due to his three year obsession with Mostow and his request for Mulder to join the case so he could stop him. Mulder confronts him, but Patterson flees when Scully arrives. Mulder pursues him and the two fight. Patterson is shot and apprehended. He is jailed for the murders, despite claiming innocence.
originally came up with the idea for the episode when he was walking the streets of New York and noticed some stone gargoyles on the corner staring at him. Gordon developed the idea into a story about possession and the spirit of a gargoyle involved in an X-File
. He wrote a draft script for the episode but had to turn to series creator Chris Carter
three days before production began to rework the draft. The two worked on the script over the weekend to add more psychological aspects to the episode. Gordon claimed to be very proud of the final product. The producers originally planned to film the teaser sequence by a Catholic hospital
, but the hospital was reluctant to affix a gargoyle to the building, so the shot was relocated to the site of an old post office instead. Some last minute scrambling was required when city workmen tore up the sidewalk on the very spot where the producers planned to film the scene. Assistant Art Director Gary Allen drew the gargoyle sketches used in this episode.
Kim Manners
praised David Duchovny
's performance on this episode, saying "Duchovny drove himself, and he was brilliant in that show." Manners also said of the episode "I think 'Grotesque' is a frightening show. I think it is a disturbing show, and I think that's why - for me - it's such a good show. We pulled it off making the viewer feel uneasy. I even found it a difficult show to watch. Yeah, it was a pretty dark hour of television and I would like to do more of those." Manners called the episode his favorite of the third season. Manners also theorized that the episode may have been the template for the show Millennium
, which premiered on Fox the following television season.
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...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. It was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Grotesque" features a serial killer who claims a gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
spirit committed the crimes. When Mulder joins the case his obsession with solving it causes Scully to question his sanity.
Plot
At George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, a group of artists sketch a nude male model. However, one of the artists, John Mostow, draws a demonic creature in the model's place; he hurriedly leaves as the session ends. When the model reaches his car soon afterward, he is attacked and killed by an obscured assailant. The following morning, Mostow is arrested in his apartment by an 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...
task force led by Agent Bill Patterson, who finds the utility knife
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife used for general or utility purposes. The utility knife was originally a fixed blade knife with a cutting edge suitable for general work such as cutting hides and cordage, scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish, and other tasks.Today, the term "utility knife"...
used in the murder.
Mostow, a formerly committed
Involuntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
immigrant from Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, is charged with killing seven men and mutilating their faces. 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...
become involved in the investigation when Mostow insists that he was possessed during the killings; his claims are given credence when another murder occurs after his arrest. Mostow draws a gargoyle and claims that it was what killed the victims. Mulder meets with Patterson, his former mentor, who spent three years on the case. The two no longer get along, with Patterson skeptical of Mulder's theories. Later Mulder heads to Mostow's studio, finding corpses within his sculptures.
Another murder occurs. Nemhauser, another agent on the case, tells 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...
) that Patterson may have been responsible for getting Mulder on the case and that he may admire him after all. Patterson finds Mulder in the library studying gargoyles and tells him he's wasting his time and is a disappointment to him. Scully heads to Mulder's apartment finding the place covered with gargoyle drawings. Mulder awakens in Mostow's studio and chases a figure in the darkness that slashes at him with a blade. Mulder tells Scully of the attack but refuses to admit why he was staying in Mostow's studio. Scully confronts Patterson who tells her to let Mulder continue to do what he's doing. Mulder goes to see Mostow again who won't tell him how to find the creature that attacked him.
Scully finds a disassembled utility knife at the latest crime scene with Mulder's prints on it and discovers the murder weapon is missing from the evidence room. She meets with Assistant Director Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character 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...
who is also worried about Mulder's behavior. Mulder has a nightmare about being attacked by a gargoyle, which ends up being himself. He then wakes up and heads to Mostow's studio again, finding a new murder victim there. Scully calls Nemhauser, but his phone is answered by Mulder who denies taking the knife. He searches Mostow's studio and finds Nemhauser's body inside a new sculpture. Mulder now believes that Patterson is the killer due to his three year obsession with Mostow and his request for Mulder to join the case so he could stop him. Mulder confronts him, but Patterson flees when Scully arrives. Mulder pursues him and the two fight. Patterson is shot and apprehended. He is jailed for the murders, despite claiming innocence.
Production
Writer Howard GordonHoward Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
originally came up with the idea for the episode when he was walking the streets of New York and noticed some stone gargoyles on the corner staring at him. Gordon developed the idea into a story about possession and the spirit of a gargoyle involved in an X-File
X-file
On the television series The X-Files, an X-File is a fictional case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The files constitute an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream that is more or less concerned with unexplained phenomena. -First X-Files:The very...
. He wrote a draft script for the episode but had to turn to series creator 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 :...
three days before production began to rework the draft. The two worked on the script over the weekend to add more psychological aspects to the episode. Gordon claimed to be very proud of the final product. The producers originally planned to film the teaser sequence by a Catholic hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, but the hospital was reluctant to affix a gargoyle to the building, so the shot was relocated to the site of an old post office instead. Some last minute scrambling was required when city workmen tore up the sidewalk on the very spot where the producers planned to film the scene. Assistant Art Director Gary Allen drew the gargoyle sketches used in this episode.
Kim Manners
Kim Manners
Kim Manners was an American television producer, director and child actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.-Early life:...
praised 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 performance on this episode, saying "Duchovny drove himself, and he was brilliant in that show." Manners also said of the episode "I think 'Grotesque' is a frightening show. I think it is a disturbing show, and I think that's why - for me - it's such a good show. We pulled it off making the viewer feel uneasy. I even found it a difficult show to watch. Yeah, it was a pretty dark hour of television and I would like to do more of those." Manners called the episode his favorite of the third season. Manners also theorized that the episode may have been the template for the show Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
, which premiered on Fox the following television season.