On the set of "The X-Files" in the early morning of the shooting "Orison", the seventh episode of Season 7, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are ready for action.  As Scott Wilson, who plays Orison, is occupied with a promotional photo shoot, Duchovny with Mulder's typical tones is discussing hypnosis with his co-star in the next room. Seven seasons in to Fox's cult sci-fi show, they seem to be a little tired of being their alter-egos. The director observes their acting with no word spoken, then he interrupts and asks the camera to adjust the shooting angles for their take.   "It's going to be a long day.  Hectic, isn't it?" Manners says smiling.

Kim Manners, whose perceptive and insightful director is relied on heavily by "X-Files" creator Chris Carter, is on the set due to stand in for the sick Rob Bowman. "Rob is the director of this episode.  I'm taking his place for today's shooting."

Manners has just come back from directing an episode of "Harsh Realm" in Vancouver.  However,  to much disappointment, Fox announced the cancellation after airing only a few episodes.  Viewers naturally expected a lot from "Harsh Realm" under sci-fi deity Carter's conducting skill, anticipating a symphony of thrilling stories and dark characterization in the Realm.

As a director and a producer of "The X-Files", Manners has filmed 33 episodes such as the stand-alone episodes, "Unusual Suspect", "Chinga"(penned by Stephen King and Chris Carter),  the mythological episodes "Tunguska", "Patient X", "Two Fathers", as well as "Hungry" and "Sixth Extinction" for the current season.  "I have five more episodes to direct this season.  I'm presently locked on to the show," says Manners.

"I've done many mythological episodes.  'Tunguska', which I like, was one of the most exciting two-parter. We found out that the black oil was, in fact, a higher entity.  Actually it's an alien being.  The black oil is a part of an alien race which is looking into taking over the Earth"  the director says.  "In Season 7, 'Amor Fati', the conclusion of the three-parter Michael Watkins directed, the black oil has caused Mulder fatal illness. The story has continued throughout the series. Very interesting."
 
"The X-Files" has a lot of characters that, as far as we can tell, aren't good or evil but are in the gray area in between,
and these characters are used very effectively.  A bit like fine wine that you can get hooked on after one little taste.  They use exactly the right character at exactly the right place, for the barest minimum number of scenes, to add tension to the drama. In other words, nothing would change if that person were to all of a sudden cease to exist. In fact, making a character disappear works to keep them in the gray area, because it leaves a mysterious impression as in the case of Agent Jeffrey Spender(Chris Owens).

"We kind of blew it up, actually.  In 'Two Fathers/One Son', we killed all the consortium members except for CSM and Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers) to put up the story to bed.  Now, I think it's going to be interesting this season to see how it all pays off.  Because the invasion is still coming.  We're going to find out what that means, how Samantha plays a role in it." Manners says.

"In The Season premiere 'Sixth Extinction', which is part two of a three-parter, Scully goes to Africa, desperately looking for the cure for Mulder's physical and mental disorder.   In that storyline, we come to the spaceship.  The completely recipes of life on Earth, are all on the spaceship.  We're try to suggest that man and all life on Earth was dictated not by God, but by an alien race millions of years ago.  I think it's a great episode as season premiere. " 

The core of "The X-Files" is about aliens and government conspiracies.  However, the foundation for the show is Mulder's obsession with his abducted sister and family. This is the whole mythology that is set up by CSM and Mr. Mulder (Peter Donat). Mulder sincerely loves his sister.  Alien colonization is less important than his search for her. He would be happy to sacrifice himself to save his sister.   The story of his life in the X-Files is also the story of his search for his family.  Mulder has been on the verge of death a number of times, but what kept him alive is no other than these two elements.

As Season 7 unfolds other mysteries will be revealed as well.  Krycek, who seems to be working with the faceless alien rebels, is struggling to save Earth in his own way.  He may be just doing what he thinks is best because he has to, sacrificing his life and faith because of what he believes.

"We'll see in this season."  Manners grins.  "Also we are going to see a very powerful storyline about Mulder and  his sister.  The Agent will finally find out the whereabouts of his sister is, and what really happened to her, him, and his family.  We'll see where human beings originally came from. The chemistry between Mulder and Scully will be exposed in depth.  It's also really scary this year. If Chris Carter decides this season will be the final of the show, all the conspiracies and unsolved mysteries will certainly be revealed.  If the show continues to the next season, then we will keep some issues for then.  That may happen. I don't know yet.  Maybe or maybe not.  That's what 'The X-Files' is."

- Miwa Hirai
 
 

Over 6 years, the guy was with "The X-Files". Now he's gone back to the silver screen and has started building a new career in Hollywood. Rob Bowman talks about his great works on "The X-Files" and the new and probably final season of the show.

Looking back on the Vancouver days, the first episode which Bowman directed in "The X-Files" was "Genderbender" in Season 1. This was probably the first episode that introduced sexual content into the show. Nicholas Lea, not as the infamous anti-hero Alex Krycek, played the role of a nightclub guy who'd survived an erotic experience with a sex-changing alien. "In that episode, Nick's role was just a small one. We just wanted to have a clubguy. I thought Nick had a sort of chic quality. When the role of Krycek came up, we did a little casting in Vancouver, but I really had a strong belief that Nick was the right choice. He seemed purely intelligent, having his own agenda. He's a very strong guy, big shoulders, and strong face. I would have 40 to 50 choices but I thought he was the right actor." The director changes the tone of his voice. "Since then we became friends. We spent a lot of time together on the set. Many great moments. I'm very proud about it because he was a great local Vancouver actor who became a very big part in the show. Oh, we spoke on the phone the other day. We're alltime friends. I wished he was in the movie (Fight The Future), although it was different from the storyline of his involvement. I think he is the kind of actor who, given the right role, could be a movie star. Hope he does." Bowman smiles.

Bowman's artistic camera angles lead the show to a heavier and deeper atmosphere. It's seen more light in Season 4's "Terma", the second part of "Tunguska". The black oil which first introduced the species to inhabit the planet in Season 3's "Piper Maru/Apocrypha", infects humans on contact and controls them.

"That was a great two-parter. The first background was in Russia. Great sets, location and Russian speaking actors with a little English. Screenplays were excellent. It was not so much about technology, but men and horses in "Tunguska". There was a sort of frontier aspect to it. "Terma" means a prison yard. It's great Krycek conspiracy stuff. It was a different back drop from what we used to see. No spaceship." Bowman laughs. " I knew CSM and Well Manicured Man (John Neville) and other veteran actors could do great acting. I think the storyline elevated their characters to higher planes. Nick Lea, however, is a very intense actor. He's very emotional, sort of like an athlete. If you see them at the right time during the game, they're kind of out of mind. There was a physical aspect in the episode. Krycek is blend of intensity and feeling. He's not sure who his enemies are. I think it's just Nick's passion and energy for the role. No doubt, Nick sometimes has held back. But he has the capbility." Bowman says.

"Next season, we're going to find out Krycek has somehow blackmailed Skinner (Mitch Pillegi). He must know something about Skinner, that is, for Skinner to agree to go along with him. Skinner promised Mulder and Scully that he'd never side against them again, but something happens between he and Krycek. Skinner definitely has a deep connection to CSM, too. He supposedly noticed what's behind these two from the very beginning when CSM sent rycek as Mulder's new partner "Sleepless". I can't tell you what the resolution is, but Skinner is the man who plays the people underneath. If you need a certain thing is very important in your life, he'll find that out and stop from getting it unless you do him a favor. He follows people, and people's needs. Somehow he's going to acquire the fact that the spaceship is perhaps speculation. That's what Chris has told me," says Bowman. Skinner's concern to them is now growing bigger and deeper-spread inside him. He met Krycek with no words spoken soon after Mulder and Scully left his office in "Biogenesis". Understanding the pact formed in "S.R. 819", Krycek smiled mysteriously as Skinner threw the tape recording of the meeting towards him. "CSM is going to want that video, the US Government, and the Russians are going to want it, everyone wants it. This is how Krycek controls his place in the game. He's having this, stealing it, blackmailing for it, killing for it, whatever it takes. That's how he works. It's not strictly agreed. It's self preservation. If he doesn't have it, he feels he would be killed because he's worked both sides."

In the main episodes Bowman ever directed in the show, this one- armed renegade has made an appearance very often. "He started as an FBI Agent. He was truly the agent, but then he started to become corrupted by power and money, and had been betrayed by CSM. He goes for what he needs to go for, he does what he needs to survive. This is a hunting man. He's in jeopardy every moment, every day. He pops up where he can, how he can, to survive. He doesn't belong to anybody. "Why was he in Russia in "Tunguska/Terma"?" The director continues. "The Russians were raised to solve that oil cancer. The aliens were saying, 'We will give privilege to whoever solves or comes up with a cure for our cancer.' In the United States the government will hold privilege, so we take over the planet, you'll be given separate treatment. In Russia the same goes for you. WMM, CSM and all these guys will be given privilege. Everybody was raised to cure the cancer. Krycek was with the Russians to do it at the time. He was on their side but of course if he's treated bad, he goes to the other side. "I think Nick Lea, on screen, is gold. Any time Krycek is in the episode it's better." Bowman compliments.

"I would like the show to be a movie series. And I think it should be."

-From Cyber-Ex Online

Rumor says that Chris Carter wanted to bring Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) back for the XF season 7 premiere, but due to Lea's shooting schedule of Martin Campbell"s "Vertical Limit" in New Zealand, the appearance of Krycek will be slated for the February-sweeps mythology episodes. Lea, who is climbing ropes on an icy slope on Mt. Cook, is expected to be in two episodes of the show's final season. X-Files director Rob Bowman speaks highly of Lea; "He's really a good guy and a great actor. I've worked with him many times and look forward to the next," he states. "The X-Files" final season will be launched on November 7 on Fox TV and network.
 

.... One mistake was the glaring absence of Alex Krycek (Nic Lea ). After two seasons of weaving the character of the alternately hero/demon Krycek inextricably into the series canon, the one-armed man is nowhere to be seen.  There is no conjecture about his absence.  His name isn't even mentioned.  Considering that Krycek is the fourth most popular character in the sizeable cast, (some say the third.  He's tied in polls with Skinner) this was a bad move.  Although, as Cyberex-Japan publisher Miwa Hirai pointed out, when WMM lets Mulder go in the alleyway, a scene-inappropriate rat scurries across Mulder's path, and Mulder inexplicably takes time to glance reflectively at the rodent, (even though a gun is pointed at him)  so maybe Krycek did make it into the movie after all!
 

- cyber-ex online