Via Negativa (The X-Files)

"Via Negativa"
The X-Files episode
Doggett tries to kill Scully in a dream. The "eerie" atmosphere was praised by critics, with one referring to it as a "superb X-Files episode."
Episode no.	Season 8 Episode 7
Directed by	Tony Wharmby
Written by	Frank Spotnitz
Production code	8ABX07
Original air date	December 17, 2000 (2000-12-17)
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearances
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike Dean Haglund as Richard Langly Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers Wayne Alexander as G. Arnold Kirk B. R. Woller as Gene Crane Arlene Pileggi as Skinner's Assistant Keith Szarabajka as Anthony Tipet Grant Heslov as Dr. Andre Bormanis Christopher Jacobs as ER Doctor Wayne A. King as Homeless Man Lawrence LeJohn as Angus Stedman Kevin McClatchy as James Leeds Mary Ostrow as McCaslin[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "Redrum" Next → "Surekill"
The X-Files season 8
List of episodes

"Via Negativa" is the seventh episode of the eighth season and the 168th episode of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on December 17, 2000, on Fox and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer Frank Spotnitz and directed by Tony Wharmby. It is a Monster-of-the-Week episode, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.3 and was viewed by 12.37 million viewers. It was generally well received by television critics, with many positively commenting on the "eerie" atmosphere of the dream sequences; one critic referred to it as a "superb X-Files episode."

The series 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, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)—who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Scully takes time off to deal with the early stages of her pregnancy, and Doggett and Walter Skinner attempt to avert the mysterious murder spree of a religious cult leader who kills his victims in their sleep. Eventually, the cult leader's essence of evil possesses Doggett, who is urged to murder Scully while he sleeps.

Spotnitz was inspired to write the episode after being intrigued by the mental image of a tube of toothpaste that, when opened, oozed blood. Because Gillian Anderson was not available for most of filming, the recurring characters of Walter Skinner and The Lone Gunmen were brought in. The episode's title, "Via Negativa"—which means "Negative Way" in Latin—is a theology that attempts to describe God by characterizing what God is not.