Shiban Talks 'X-Files' Ending
So, will The X-Files be back next fall for an eighth season? According to
one of the series' producers, it's anyone's guess. While speaking with
Cinescape magazine contributor Melissa J. Perenson yesterday, supervising
producer John Shiban said that the show's staff is still waiting to find
out. And with all those loose ends to tie up -- and not much time to do it
if the series is going to end this spring -- Shiban admits that "it's
getting very scary." Shiban also revealed that the show's producers know
what to do when they get the final word.
"There is a plan for [the conclusion of the series]," he said. "We always
felt it would take at least two episodes to do it -- if not more. We really
want to do it right."
Shiban Talks "En Ami"
While speaking with Cinescape magazine contributor Melissa J. Perenson,
X-Files supervising producer John Shiban also revealed a few details about
the episode set to air this Sunday. Called "En Ami," it was written by
William B. Davis, the actor known to X-Files fans as "the Cigarette Smoking
Man."
The episode tackles some long-neglected loose strands of X-Files
mythology -- specifically, Agent Scully's cancer and the mysterious chip
planted in her neck several seasons back.
"I was a little concerned because we hadn't touched on [those storylines] in
some time," Shiban says. "Both visually and through dialogue, we tried to
recount what had happened to her -- the emotion of that experience and just
the practical nature of it -- so that those in the audience who vaguely
remember can be brought up to speed quickly."
Shiban also told Perenson that the episode revolves around "a caper" that
brings Scully and the Cigarette Smoking Man together -- and reveals a softer
side to the CSM.
"It's really a powerful idea that this man who we thought of as the dark
nemesis for so many years actually might have feelings for [Scully]," Shiban
says. "You know, not sexual feelings, but an emotional connection."