The Erlenmeyer Flask
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| “The Erlenmeyer Flask” | |
|---|---|
| The X-Files episode | |
 The Erlenmeyer Flask |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1X23 |
| Guest stars | Lindsey Ginter, Anne DeSalvo, Simon Webb, Jerry Hardin, Jim Leard |
| Written by | Chris Carter |
| Directed by | R.W. Goodwin |
| Production no. | 24-124 |
| Original airdate | May 13, 1994 (Fox) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Roland" | "Little Green Men" |
"The Erlenmeyer Flask" was the twenty-fourth and final episode of the first season of The X-Files science-fiction television series created by Chris Carter. The title of the episode comes from a common piece of laboratory equipment, an Erlenmeyer flask.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
A seemingly unrelated car chase leads Mulder and Scully to a scientific lab encompassing a secret which could provide proof of a government conspiracy. However, individuals involved with the scientific experiment are being murdered, and the two agents must ensure their own safety.
[edit] Trivia
- The end of the episode is an allusion to the end of the pilot episode, intended to bring the story of the first season full-circle.
- "The Erlenmeyer Flask" referenced in the episode title is often incorrectly thought to refer to the metal holder containing the alien fetus (pictured above). In fact it refers to the glass flask containing the red liquid labelled "purity control" found in Dr. Terrance Allen Berube's laboratory. The alien fetus is removed from a dewar flask instead by Scully.
- Additionally, there is some question about what Scully gives to Deep Throat and subsequently to Crew Cut Man at the end of the episode in exchange for Mulder. Is it the alien fetus (as implied by her retrieving it in the previous scene and Cigarette Smoking Man's placement of it, no longer under liquid nitrogen storage, in the Pentagon at the end of the episode) or "The Erlenmeyer Flask" referenced in the episode title? If it's the fetus, how did she manage to smuggle it out of the high-security facility where it was held, why didn't she keep it under liquid nitrogen, and what happened to the Erlenmeyer Flask? If it's the Erlenmeyer Flask, how did the Cigarette Smoking Man end up with the fetus, no longer under liquid nitrogen, at the end of the episode?
- The usual "THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE" at the end of the X-Files theme sequence, is changed to "TRUST NO ONE" for this episode. These are Deep Throat's last words.
[edit] Production details
[edit] Guests
- Lindsey Ginter as The Cleaner
- Anne DeSalvo as Dr. Anne Carpenter
- Simon Webb as Dr. William Secare
- Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat
- Jim Leard as Captain Roy Lacerio
- Ken Kramer as Dr. Terrance Allen Berube
- Phillip MacKenzie as Medic
- William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
- Jaylene Hamilton as Reporter
- Mike Mitchell as Uniformed Cop
- John Payne as Guard
[edit] References and external links
| The X-Files Season 1 | ||
| Episode List | Official Website | ||
| Pilot | Deep Throat | Squeeze | Conduit | The Jersey Devil | Shadows | Ghost in the Machine | Ice | Space | Fallen Angel | Eve | Fire | Beyond the Sea | Gender Bender | Lazarus | Young at Heart | E.B.E. | Miracle Man | Shapes | Darkness Falls | Tooms | Born Again | Roland | The Erlenmeyer Flask | ||
