"Lazarus" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on February 4, 1994.
It was written by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by Cec Verrell and Christopher Allport.
The show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.
[citation needed] Dana Scully assists a fellow FBI agent, Jack Willis, in pursuing violent bank robbers Warren Dupre and Lula Phillips.
He finds Dupre's body and cuts off his fingers to retrieve a wedding ring before fleeing the hospital.
The agents visit a University of Maryland medical professor who theorizes that during near-death experiences, an energy release can occur that could radically change someone's personality.
Willis, who finds Dupre's tattoo appearing on his arm, confronts Lula's brother Tommy and kills him, believing that he sold him out to the FBI and caused his "death".
Scully is skeptical of Mulder's claims that Dupre is in Willis's body, believing that he is under stress due to his near-death experience.
After seeing Willis/Dupre consume a large quantity of soda, Scully reveals that Willis is a diabetic and will require insulin to survive.
[4] Eventually, however, Fox's stance was changed; most notably, in the two-part sixth season episode, "Dreamland", when Mulder's consciousness is exchanged with government agent Morris Fletcher.
[5] Gordon ultimately came to believe that the final decision was almost certainly for the best and saw the benefit of introducing Scully's former boyfriend as it provided a welcome opportunity to delve into her history.
[6] Interior shots set in Dupre's basement were filmed in an asbestos-lined apartment building, where a translator was required to interface with the mostly-Asian tenants.
He found that the episode left its premise "largely unexplored", and would have benefited from a stronger focus on the relationship between the characters of Willis and Dupre.
[14] Anna Johns, writing for TV Squad, was critical of "Lazarus", stating that its opening scene was "the only good part" of the episode.