Chimera (The X-Files)
It premiered on the Fox network in the United States, on April 2, 2000, was written by David Amann, and directed by Cliff Bole.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.
In this episode, Mulder investigates what appears to be the case of a missing woman from a small town, but soon turns out to be a murder by a spirit summoned from the underworld.
In Bethany, Vermont, a raven frightens a little girl, Michelle Crittendon, at a park while a neighbor, Jenny Uphouse, watches.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are on a stakeout looking for a woman who is possibly killing prostitutes.
Back at the office, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) tells Mulder that Crittendon disappeared and asks him what he knows about ravens.
At the Crittendon home, Michelle sees the raven outside her window again and Howard leaves to check it out, leading him to find a hand sticking out above the flower bushes.
Ellen transforms into the creature, attacks Mulder, and attempts to drown him in a bath tub, but stops when she sees her monstrous reflection in the water.
The episode ends with Ellen smiling knowingly as she sees a raven outside the window of her cell at the psychiatric hospital.
"[3] Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles noted in their book, The Complete X-Files, that "David Amman's script is an insightful commentary on suburban repression and self-delusion, which made a major comeback in the conservative late '90s.
"[4] While the episode was being written, the production crew dealt with a number of issues, notably the fact that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were busy directing their own episodes—"Hollywood A.D." and "all things", respectively.
[3] Rick Millikan, the show's casting director, was tasked with finding "normal-looking suburban people" to play the episode's various characters.
However, because the producers felt that the locale was not suitable for the "tree-lined elements", they supplemented the scenes shot by also filming on the grounds of a nearby museum in Hollywood.
Producer Paul Rabwin explained, "Originally, we wanted to show a mirror image of the woman being attacked by the monster, but it didn't really sell.
Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book, Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five, calling the script "very stylish".
"[9] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "Cawing birds, spirit portals and split personalities are the order of the day in a story that doesn't offer that much in genuine thrills, but the best moments are Scully's occasional complaints from the field.
[11] Despite noting that the episode "gets off to an awkward start", Vitaris concluded that "'Chimera' takes us into the heart of a quintessential X-Files family".
He explained that, "If we had a sense of where her need comes from, if there was some hint at what drove her to this point, it would work; as is, the actress’s performance is excellent, but the character remains too generic.
