Jimmy Bond
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Bond is a fictional character
in the American FOX
television shows The Lone Gunmen
and The X-Files
, two science fiction
shows about government conspiracies
to hide or deny the truth from the people. Portrayed by American
actor Stephen Snedden
, Jimmy was a main character in the first and only season of The Lone Gunmen and made one appearance in The X-Files.
He was an associate of The Lone Gunmen
, he worked with the group and helped to finance their newspaper through his family's wealth. In contrast to the cynical, intellectual, world-weary Gunmen, Jimmy is portrayed as a somewhat naive, idealistic all-American man wanting to make a difference. Though his lack of book smarts and occasional clumsiness exasperates the Gunmen at first, he eventually proves himself useful by offering an outsider's perspective on certain cases, and remains dedicated to the Gunmen even after their death. He is also known for his mostly-unrequited love for the Gunmens' chief competitor and sometimes-collaborator, Yves Adele Harlow. His fate after the Gunmens' funeral in The X-Files episode, "Jump the Shark" is unknown.
first encountered Jimmy while pursuing a lead in the death of a well known hacker. They find him on a football field coaching a practice game of American football with a twist: the entire team is blind. The Lone Gunmen believe that Jimmy's charity organisation is a front for arms dealers and they had first thought Jimmy was the mastermind, thinking that "James Bond
" was an obvious pseudonym. However, after speaking to him they realise their mistake, Jimmy is a charming, idealistic young man with no clue as to where his patronage really comes from. After they solved the case of the death of the hacker, Jimmy decided he would like to help The Lone Gunmen and paid for the copies of the latest issue of The Lone Gunman that they could not afford to retrieve from the printers.
Jimmy truly believed in the work The Lone Gunmen were doing in searching for and printing the truth. He loved the three conspiracy theorists, though he annoyed them when he was a bit slow to pick up on things. When The Lone Gunmen were searching for a water powered car in a disused military bunker they appeared to become trapped beneath a pile of reinforced concrete when these bunkers were blown up. Jimmy wouldn't listen to reason from Yves and kept trying to sledge hammer his way down through a demolished missile silo to reach The Lone Gunmen. They turned up shortly afterward, having found a way out through ventilation shafts that came out above ground under a portable toilet. Despite the fact they were covered in toilet contents Jimmy was overwhelmed to see them alive and hugged all three of them at once. This incident was a perfect example of his love for his friends.
He was the one who figured out why the intelligent chimp that they had helped escape from a test lab had really gotten out. He helped Simon the chimp (slave name Peanuts) switch places with a chimp in a zoo, so he could be re-united with his girlfriend. It was Jimmy who realised the real reason why Simon wanted to escape whereas The Lone Gunmen were following the idea that the chimps were being trained as assassins. Jimmy often became the heart of the group as he was more inclined to see the good in people, particularly Yves Adele Harlow and senator Jefferson. Contrary to Frohike and Langley, he also showed no disgust or prejudice towards Byers' transsexual college roommate.
As Jimmy worked with The Lone Gunmen he also encountered Harlow and became enamored of her. She looked on his affection mainly with scorn but now and again she was obviously touched by the fact that he cared. Jimmy was the one who always gave her the benefit of the doubt anytime The Lone Gunmen questioned what she was doing. He believed that even though she was a thief and usually only out for profit that she was a good person. After Yves disappeared following her capture by Morris Fletcher, Jimmy spent a year tracking her all over the world. He only came back to The Lone Gunmen when he ran out of money and could no longer follow her. They were later re-united when he and The Lone Gunmen finally caught up with Yves and was persuaded to stay by John Doggett
and Monica Reyes
.
, even though the writers had staked out different positions for all three of them, were essentially very alike and had similar knowledge so they needed someone to explain their knowledge to, because having this interaction on-screen would simultaneously help relate to the audience what The Lone Gunmen knew and what was happening in each episode. Hence, the writers created Jimmy Bond, a character who would not only serve this function but also be different from The Lone Gunmen in that he was classically good-looking, an attribute that would also allow him to serve as a potential love interest for Yves Adele Harlow. The potential of this relationship was also unlikely for the three Lone Gunmen, additionally helping to differ the new character from the series' already created protagonists.
Actor Stephen Snedden
was subsequently cast in the role. He was at first unsure of what reactions his work on the character would invoke, because the role was slightly absurd, but he nevertheless went ahead with filming "Bond, Jimmy Bond", accepting the situation and hoping that everyone would like his performance. Even though he knew he would return in other episodes, many members of the production crew were under the erroneous impression that he was only a guest star in this single episode. Consequently, even after this episode was filmed, the actor was approached by several of the crew who voiced their appreciation of his character but were acting like it would be unlikely that they would see him again, since they believed it would be.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the American FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television shows The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen (TV series)
The Lone Gunmen is a television show created by Chris Carter and broadcast on FOX. It was a spin-off of Carter's popular long-running television series The X-Files and a part of The X-Files franchise, starring several of the show's characters. The Lone Gunmen was first broadcast in March 2001 and,...
and The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, two science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
shows about government conspiracies
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
to hide or deny the truth from the people. Portrayed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor Stephen Snedden
Stephen Snedden
Stephen Snedden is an American actor.He moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career shortly after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a double major in theatre and television production....
, Jimmy was a main character in the first and only season of The Lone Gunmen and made one appearance in The X-Files.
He was an associate of The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen are a trio of fictional characters, Richard "Ringo" Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers, who have recurring roles on the American television series The X-Files. They also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called The Lone Gunmen. The name was derived from the lone...
, he worked with the group and helped to finance their newspaper through his family's wealth. In contrast to the cynical, intellectual, world-weary Gunmen, Jimmy is portrayed as a somewhat naive, idealistic all-American man wanting to make a difference. Though his lack of book smarts and occasional clumsiness exasperates the Gunmen at first, he eventually proves himself useful by offering an outsider's perspective on certain cases, and remains dedicated to the Gunmen even after their death. He is also known for his mostly-unrequited love for the Gunmens' chief competitor and sometimes-collaborator, Yves Adele Harlow. His fate after the Gunmens' funeral in The X-Files episode, "Jump the Shark" is unknown.
Character arc
The Lone GunmenThe Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen are a trio of fictional characters, Richard "Ringo" Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers, who have recurring roles on the American television series The X-Files. They also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called The Lone Gunmen. The name was derived from the lone...
first encountered Jimmy while pursuing a lead in the death of a well known hacker. They find him on a football field coaching a practice game of American football with a twist: the entire team is blind. The Lone Gunmen believe that Jimmy's charity organisation is a front for arms dealers and they had first thought Jimmy was the mastermind, thinking that "James Bond
James Bond (character)
Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games...
" was an obvious pseudonym. However, after speaking to him they realise their mistake, Jimmy is a charming, idealistic young man with no clue as to where his patronage really comes from. After they solved the case of the death of the hacker, Jimmy decided he would like to help The Lone Gunmen and paid for the copies of the latest issue of The Lone Gunman that they could not afford to retrieve from the printers.
Jimmy truly believed in the work The Lone Gunmen were doing in searching for and printing the truth. He loved the three conspiracy theorists, though he annoyed them when he was a bit slow to pick up on things. When The Lone Gunmen were searching for a water powered car in a disused military bunker they appeared to become trapped beneath a pile of reinforced concrete when these bunkers were blown up. Jimmy wouldn't listen to reason from Yves and kept trying to sledge hammer his way down through a demolished missile silo to reach The Lone Gunmen. They turned up shortly afterward, having found a way out through ventilation shafts that came out above ground under a portable toilet. Despite the fact they were covered in toilet contents Jimmy was overwhelmed to see them alive and hugged all three of them at once. This incident was a perfect example of his love for his friends.
He was the one who figured out why the intelligent chimp that they had helped escape from a test lab had really gotten out. He helped Simon the chimp (slave name Peanuts) switch places with a chimp in a zoo, so he could be re-united with his girlfriend. It was Jimmy who realised the real reason why Simon wanted to escape whereas The Lone Gunmen were following the idea that the chimps were being trained as assassins. Jimmy often became the heart of the group as he was more inclined to see the good in people, particularly Yves Adele Harlow and senator Jefferson. Contrary to Frohike and Langley, he also showed no disgust or prejudice towards Byers' transsexual college roommate.
As Jimmy worked with The Lone Gunmen he also encountered Harlow and became enamored of her. She looked on his affection mainly with scorn but now and again she was obviously touched by the fact that he cared. Jimmy was the one who always gave her the benefit of the doubt anytime The Lone Gunmen questioned what she was doing. He believed that even though she was a thief and usually only out for profit that she was a good person. After Yves disappeared following her capture by Morris Fletcher, Jimmy spent a year tracking her all over the world. He only came back to The Lone Gunmen when he ran out of money and could no longer follow her. They were later re-united when he and The Lone Gunmen finally caught up with Yves and was persuaded to stay by John Doggett
John Doggett
FBI Special agent John Jay Doggett is a fictional character in the American Fox television series The X-Files, a science fiction show about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of alien existence...
and Monica Reyes
Monica Reyes
Special Agent Monica Reyes is a fictional character in the American FOX television series The X-Files, a science fiction show about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
.
Conceptual history
After looking at the "Pilot" episode, the series' writers realized that they needed one more character because The Lone GunmenThe Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen are a trio of fictional characters, Richard "Ringo" Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers, who have recurring roles on the American television series The X-Files. They also starred in a short-lived spin-off, also called The Lone Gunmen. The name was derived from the lone...
, even though the writers had staked out different positions for all three of them, were essentially very alike and had similar knowledge so they needed someone to explain their knowledge to, because having this interaction on-screen would simultaneously help relate to the audience what The Lone Gunmen knew and what was happening in each episode. Hence, the writers created Jimmy Bond, a character who would not only serve this function but also be different from The Lone Gunmen in that he was classically good-looking, an attribute that would also allow him to serve as a potential love interest for Yves Adele Harlow. The potential of this relationship was also unlikely for the three Lone Gunmen, additionally helping to differ the new character from the series' already created protagonists.
Actor Stephen Snedden
Stephen Snedden
Stephen Snedden is an American actor.He moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career shortly after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a double major in theatre and television production....
was subsequently cast in the role. He was at first unsure of what reactions his work on the character would invoke, because the role was slightly absurd, but he nevertheless went ahead with filming "Bond, Jimmy Bond", accepting the situation and hoping that everyone would like his performance. Even though he knew he would return in other episodes, many members of the production crew were under the erroneous impression that he was only a guest star in this single episode. Consequently, even after this episode was filmed, the actor was approached by several of the crew who voiced their appreciation of his character but were acting like it would be unlikely that they would see him again, since they believed it would be.