10 Best Episodes of ‘The X Files’

‘The X-Files’ follows FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigate cases that sit outside ordinary procedure. The show mixes strange standalones with a long conspiracy arc that pulls in shadowy officials, secret programs, and a file cabinet full of unanswered questions. It pairs science and belief on every case while letting the evidence lead.

Across its run the series delivered inventive storytelling, bold stylistic swings, and a long list of standout guest stars. The episodes below highlight turning points in the mythology, experiments in form, and monster stories that left a mark. You will find writers and directors at the top of their game along with details that shaped later chapters of ‘The X-Files’.

Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose

This case from season 3 episode 4 brings Mulder and Scully to a man who can foresee how people will die. Darin Morgan wrote the script and David Nutter directed, with Peter Boyle guest starring as insurance salesman Clyde Bruckman. The episode uses Bruckman’s gift to connect a string of murders while showing how specific predictions affect the choices of everyone involved.

It includes a memorable interrogation run by a celebrity psychic and a killer who believes fate is on his side. The story supplies concrete clues that tie victims together and builds to a finale that pays off details set early on. Peter Boyle’s performance earned major awards attention and the episode won recognition for its writing.

Jose Chung’s From Outer Space

Season 3 episode 20 frames an abduction case as a true crime book in progress. Novelist Jose Chung interviews witnesses who disagree on every detail while Rob Bowman directs the shifting versions. Charles Nelson Reilly plays Chung, and the hour folds in offbeat cameos that underline the unreliable testimony at the center of the file.

Each retelling changes clothing, dialogue, and timelines in ways that matter to the investigation. The script catalogs physical evidence, official reports, and interviews to show how records can conflict yet still point to a workable sequence of events. By the end the audience has a map of the case materials that Scully files and Mulder disputes.

Home

Season 4 episode 2 opens with a shocking discovery that sends the agents to a remote farmhouse. Glen Morgan and James Wong wrote the story and Kim Manners directed, focusing on a family trying to keep a deadly secret. The town’s sparse records and a closed community make standard procedure hard, so the agents build a case from forensics and local history.

Network notes kept this hour out of early rerun cycles due to its content, which only added to its reputation among viewers. The investigation uses tire tracks, birth records, and environmental clues to establish motive and means. It remains one of the clearest examples of a rural case that pushes the team to work without reliable cooperation.

Bad Blood

Season 5 episode 12 tells the same case twice from two clashing points of view. Vince Gilligan wrote it and Cliff Bole directed, with Luke Wilson guest starring as a small town sheriff. Mulder’s version and Scully’s version each include specific evidence and exact timelines that do not match, which forces a final pass through the facts to reconcile the file.

Beyond the humor the hour lays out autopsy details, bite patterns, and travel logs that narrow suspects in a string of nighttime deaths. Every difference between the two stories teaches something about the agents’ methods. The closing scene shows what the paperwork will actually say after both accounts are sifted.

The Post-Modern Prometheus

Season 5 episode 5 is presented in black and white and shaped like a classic creature feature. Chris Carter wrote and directed the story of a misunderstood figure called the Great Mutato. The agents follow reports from a small community while a tabloid vibe runs under the interviews and town meetings, and a real talk show appearance anchors a key scene.

The production design and makeup were recognized with top awards. The episode uses a Cher recording in a closing sequence that fits the fairy tale framing. It gathers sworn statements, paternity claims, and medical records to reach a solution that balances local wishes with what the law can actually do.

Pusher

Season 3 episode 17 introduces Robert Patrick Modell, a suspect who can talk people into lethal acts. Vince Gilligan wrote the script and Rob Bowman directed, building the case through phone records, shopping receipts, and courtroom transcripts. The agents track Modell by pattern, finding that he advertises his own trail inside classified ads.

A tense standoff centers on a game of chance that depends on whoever holds focus longest. The hour maps every step of the manhunt and logs each documented use of Modell’s ability, which later leads to a follow up case in a later season. The file becomes a study in how influence and suggestion can be treated as physical evidence.

The Erlenmeyer Flask

Season 1 episode 24 closes the first year with a major development in the conspiracy arc. The agents uncover lab work that points to altered genetic material and to a network of facilities that share research. Mulder follows a lead from Deep Throat that yields physical samples and a witness list that opens the door to higher level interference.

The episode includes a warehouse exchange that shifts the balance of power inside the investigation. It confirms that the work reaches into federal programs and private contractors, and it shows how quickly evidence can vanish once a meeting goes wrong. The closing moments change the resources available to the agents in the next run of cases.

Duane Barry

Season 2 episode 5 centers on a former agent who takes hostages while claiming he is being tracked by abductors. Chris Carter wrote and directed, and Steve Railsback plays Duane Barry. Negotiation transcripts, medical files, and surveillance recordings drive the hour while the team tries to keep the subject calm enough to extract verifiable facts.

The case triggers events that continue in the next episode and reshape Scully’s storyline. It documents a transfer, a pursuit on a mountain road, and a set of key card records that point to inside help. The file shows how a contained incident can ripple through multiple jurisdictions and leave long term marks on the larger investigation.

Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

Season 4 episode 7 explores the past of one of the show’s most secretive figures. Glen Morgan wrote it and James Wong directed, using a story within a story told by the Lone Gunmen. The hour places the character at the edges of historic operations while keeping the source materials questionable, which is noted inside the dialogue.

It includes a stack of unpublished pages, surveillance photos, and office memos that may or may not be authentic. The framing device is clear about what is documented and what is hearsay. By the end the viewer knows what the informants think they learned and what remains unproven inside the official record of ‘The X-Files’.

Triangle

Season 6 episode 3 stages parallel action aboard an ocean liner caught in strange waters and inside the FBI building on the same day. Chris Carter wrote and directed with long takes that create the feel of a continuous timeline. The camera follows Mulder through narrow corridors while Scully works the phones and hallways back in Washington, which lets the story cut between two urgent searches.

Split screen work clarifies who is where and when, and production notes show how locations were stitched together to maintain the illusion of uninterrupted movement. The hour includes period costuming and dialogue that tie to a specific year inside the ship’s scenes. The case file logs the contacts Scully makes to keep Mulder alive and the exact sequence that returns everyone to shore.

Share your own picks from ‘The X-Files’ in the comments and tell us which cases you think deserve a spot.