Triangle (The X-Files)
Written and directed by series creator Chris Carter, "Triangle" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the overarching mythology of The X-Files.
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.
Scully, after being informed of Mulder's disappearance by The Lone Gunmen, rushes through the J. Edgar Hoover Building, looking for someone who can help find her missing partner.
At that moment, Queen Anne is boarded by SS troops under the control of an Oberführer resembling the Smoking Man (William B. Davis), who sets the ship's course for Germany.
The crew of Queen Anne lock Mulder in the captain's quarters, where he listens to a radio broadcast announcing the start of World War II.
In the present, the Lone Gunmen inform Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) that they have lost contact with Mulder, who had set out in search of Queen Anne.
Scully first turns to Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), unsuccessfully, then attempts to confront Assistant Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.) who is seen with the Smoking Man.
Meanwhile, aboard Queen Anne, a British sailor tells Mulder that the Germans are looking for what they believe is a weapon called "Thor's Hammer."
One of the sailors, who strongly resembles Kersh, decides to steer the boat towards Jamaica, but Mulder tells them to sail back where they came from, in order to pass through the time warp and re-appear in 1998.
In the midst of the chaos, Mulder and "Scully" escape, at one time aided by a Nazi officer who resembles Agent Skinner and appears to be an Allied sympathizer.
To persuade them, Carter told the executives that the episode would feature elements of Hitchcock's directing style, a move he later called "an easy hook".
[5] To give the effect of rain during the scenes on the bridge, the crew installed large sprinkler systems that provided a constant supply of water.
Davis was given the cassette two weeks before shooting and phonetically memorized his lines; he noted that the method "seemed to work pretty well—at least to non-German-speaking people!
"[12] Tom Braidwood, who played Lone Gunman Melvin Frohike and was an assistant director on the show, called Davis' role "brutal" and noted that "It was really tough for William because he had to learn all this German.
[13] The tagline that usually appears after the opening credits of every episode, "The Truth is Out There", was translated into German: "Die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da draußen".
[7][11] With the exception of Mulder jumping off the Queen Anne, the only noticeable editing occurs between scenes, when a side swipe shifts between the two different time periods.
"[8] In an interview before the episode was finished, Gillian Anderson said she was most looking forward to the scene in which Scully takes an elevator through FBI headquarters in her quest to locate Mulder.
[10] To get a feel for the era, X-Files composer Mark Snow listened to the big band music of Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Gene Krupa, and Glenn Miller.
The "bouncy instrumental" that plays during the ballroom fight scene was inspired by a similar swing tune, written by John Williams, from the 1979 Steven Spielberg film 1941.
"[11] Producer Paul Rabwin also supervised "a special arrangement" of the 1938 jazz standard "Jeepers Creepers", which was also included in the ballroom scene.
[6] The ship's captain is named after the film's lyricist Yip Harburg, and the ballroom singer, Almira Gulch, after The Wizard of Oz character who is the analog for the Wicked Witch of the West.
[10] Robert Shearman, in his book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, examined the characterization of the villains in the episode and the meta-references to the series.
The author noted that, in his portrayal of a Nazi, Jeffrey Spender was allowed to "cut loose and rant like a proper villain rather than a sulky boy hiding in the basement.
[23] Michael Liedtke and George Avalos from The Charlotte Observer predicted that "'Triangle' seems destined to take its rightful place in the pantheon of greatest 'X-Files' episodes".
[16][nb 1] Not all reviewers were so positive; for Alan Sepinwall, "Triangle" was the episode "that turned out to be a dream", making it "technically impressive but dramatically murky".
[32] Not all reviews were as glowing; Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique wrote that "everyone certainly deserves an A for effort", she was unimpressed by the "vertiginous camerawork" and "endless, monotonous tracking shots up and down hallways".
[34] Kessenich noted that, despite the "gloom and doom" talk that the series was heading in the wrong direction, stylistically, the episode proved "just how exciting this show can be".
[35] VanDerWerff noted that she thoroughly enjoyed the concept, pointing out that the "sheer level of crazy stuff that goes on in this episode makes it fun to watch".
[27] Furthermore, she opined that "[e]verything comes together in the episode's fantastically entertaining final act", due to the presence of the dramatic fight scene, among others.
[36] Kessenich opined that the kiss built off "the seeds that were planted in the movie ... Scully clearly believes this is a man lost in delirium, but Mulder ... is finally beginning to deal with some pretty powerful feelings he has for his partner.
