The Gift (The X-Files)

"**The Gift**"
"The Gift"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.	Season 8; Episode 11
Directed by	Kim Manners
Written by	Frank Spotnitz
Production code	8ABX11
Original air date	February 4, 2001
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearances
	Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike; Dean Haglund as Richard Langly; Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers; Caroline Lagerfelt as Rustic Woman; Michael McGrady as Sheriff Kurt Frey; Jordan Marder as Soul Eater; Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner; Natalie Radford as Marie Hangemuhl; Justin Williams as Paul Hangemuhl;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Badlaa"	Next →; "Medusa"
	The X-Files season 8
	List of episodes

"The Gift" is the eleventh episode of the eighth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 2001. The episode was written by Frank Spotnitz and directed by Kim Manners. "The Gift" has elements of both a "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, and an entry in the series' mythology. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 8.8 and was viewed by 14.6 million viewers. Overall, the episode received largely mixed reviews from television critics; while many appreciated the focus on Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) absence, others felt that the plot revelations were unnaturally forced into the show.

The season centers on FBI special agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and her new partner John Doggett (Robert Patrick)—following the alien abduction of her former partner, Mulder—who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Doggett traces Mulder's movements shortly before his abduction, learning of his attempts to seek a cure for his terminal brain disease.

"The Gift" featured the first appearance of Duchovny since the season's opening story; he had elected not to return to the show as a full-time main character following the season seven finale. The episode was written by Spotnitz and was based on folklore surrounding the soul eater. Gillian Anderson does not appear in the episode, save for stock footage, due to an agreement to allow her to spend more time with her daughter. The episode has been analyzed for its themes of death and resurrection, its use of a medicine wheel as a motif, and it has been compared and contrasted with the fourth season episode "Leonard Betts".

^ Cite error: The named reference BBCdate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "The X-Files, Season 8". iTunes Store. Apple. 10 September 1993. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
^ "The X-Files – 'The Gift'". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2012.

[BBCdate-1] Cite error: The named reference BBCdate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "The X-Files, Season 8". iTunes Store. Apple. 10 September 1993. Retrieved 28 August 2012.

[cast-3] "The X-Files – 'The Gift'". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2012.

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