Sleepless (The X-Files)

"Sleepless" is the 4th episode of the second season and 28th overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on October 7, 1994.

The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology, although it features the first on-screen appearances of recurring characters X and Alex Krycek, who are central to the show's continuity.

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.

During the first season, Chris Carter had written a similar themed episode but stopped working on it when he became "unhappy" with the result.

Deciding to leave Krycek out of the loop, Mulder calls Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and asks her to conduct Grissom's autopsy.

The two travel back to Quantico to see Scully, who says that Grissom's body showed no signs of a fire, but yet seems to have biologically believed it was burning.

Examining Willig's corpse, Mulder and Krycek find a scar on his neck and realize he was in a Marine reconnaissance unit stationed in Vietnam in 1970; he was one of only two survivors, the other being Cole.

Krycek reports to the Smoking Man and others, telling them that the dissolution of the X-Files and the separation of Mulder and Scully has only made their determination stronger.

[1][2] Writer Howard Gordon was initially inspired to write this episode based on insomnia he was suffering at the time.

However, after shooting her first scene the role was recast with Williams, an actor who had previous experience with writers Glen Morgan and James Wong.

[8] Stephen Mark was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995 in the category "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series — Single Camera Production", but did not win.

[12] Dave Golder from SFX named the episode one of the "20 TV Sci-Fi Gamechangers" due to its introduction of Krycek.

[13] Robert Shearman, in his book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five.

Club wrote that, while the episode is "your standard MotW riff", it is important because it features the on-screen introduction of both Krycek and X.