Talitha Cumi (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Talitha Cumi" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the final episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Talitha Cumi" involved the appearance of a mysterious man who can heal with his hands.
restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, a mentally disturbed man pulls out a gun and takes everyone inside hostage. An older man approaches the gunman and initially calms him down, but the gunman becomes alarmed by the presence of police and shoots three people; he is shot himself by snipers outside. The older man heals the gunman and his victims of their wounds, just by touching them with the palms of his hands.
Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
arrive to investigate. They interview the victims and the gunman, who believes that the "holy man" was God
incarnate. However, they find that the mysterious healer, Jeremiah Smith, disappeared while being interviewed by a detective. Meanwhile, the Smoking Man meets with Mulder's mother Teena at her former summer home in Quonochontaug, Rhode Island. He asks Teena—who is clearly disgusted by his presence—to remember something; the two proceed to argue as someone photographs them from a distance. Soon after, Assistant Director Skinner
notifies Mulder that Teena has suffered a stroke
. At the hospital, she writes the word "PALM" on a notepad. This causes Mulder to believe that her stroke is somehow connected with Jeremiah Smith.
Mulder obtains a video of the shooting's aftermath from a local news station, and finds footage of Smith talking to the detective; he and Scully find that someone else suddenly appears in Smith's place when the detective looks away. Meanwhile, Smith is at his place of work at the Social Security Administration
when he is captured by Men in Black
led by the Smoking Man, who has him locked up in a high-security prison. Mulder heads to the Rhode Island summer house and encounters X, who shows him his photos of Teena and the Smoking Man. X believes that they argued over an item that is hidden inside the house. Mulder searches the place and, after rewording "PALM" into "LAMP", finds an alien stiletto weapon inside one of the lamps.
At FBI headquarters
, Scully meets a man who appears to be Smith, who has come to turn himself in. During an interview with Scully and Skinner, he claims to have no memory of the shooting or of healing anyone. Meanwhile, at the prison, the Smoking Man interrogates the real Smith, who professes to have lost his faith in the project
. He shapeshifts into Deep Throat to unnerve and challenge the Smoking Man. Mulder, now aware of the Smoking Man's meeting with Teena, blames him for her deteriorating condition. When he unsuccessfully demands the Smoking Man's whereabouts from Skinner, he learns about "Smith"'s earlier statement. Mulder goes to the Social Security Administration to bring Smith in for questioning. "Smith" initially complies but flees into a crowd, shapeshifting into someone else.
The Smoking Man once again meets with Smith, who shapeshifts into Bill Mulder to further rattle his captor. Smith also reveals that the Smoking Man is dying of lung cancer
, something he denies. Meanwhile, the impostor
"Smith" arrives at the prison and is revealed to be an Alien Bounty Hunter. He goes to Smith's cell to kill him, but finds it empty. Mulder visits Teena at the hospital, but also runs into the Smoking Man. An angered Mulder threatens the Smoking Man with a gun, but he says that Teena met with him about the whereabouts of his sister, Samantha. In the parking garage, Mulder is confronted by X, who demands the alien stiletto. When Mulder refuses to hand it over, the two brutally fight to a stalemate
.
Scully meanwhile looks into Jeremiah Smith and finds many other Jeremiah Smiths with the same appearance working at Social Security Administration offices across the country. Scully arrives at her home and soon after Jeremiah Smith arrives at her door, telling her the man they met before was an impostor sent to kill him. Smith tells her that he knows of an elaborate plan, a project and Mulder's sister. Scully brings Smith to an abandoned site off the interstate. Mulder wants to take Smith to see his mother, but the Alien Bounty Hunter arrives seconds later.
, particularly the scenes in the prison between the Cigarette Smoking Man and Jeremiah Smith. In addition to these scenes, the title of the episode, which means "arise maiden" in Aramaic and the name of the restaurant in the teaser are references from this book. These references were originally suggested by David Duchovny for the episodes "Colony" and "End Game" but never made their way into those episodes and were used here.
The fight between Mulder and X was heavily edited by Fox's broadcast standards department. Actor Steven Williams was injured during the filming of the scene.
Jeremiah Smith was originally intended to have morphed into Melissa Scully during the scene in the prison as well, but that scene was removed from the script due to actress Melinda McGraw being unavailable.
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...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. It was the final episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Talitha Cumi" involved the appearance of a mysterious man who can heal with his hands.
Plot
At a fast foodFast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, a mentally disturbed man pulls out a gun and takes everyone inside hostage. An older man approaches the gunman and initially calms him down, but the gunman becomes alarmed by the presence of police and shoots three people; he is shot himself by snipers outside. The older man heals the gunman and his victims of their wounds, just by touching them with the palms of his hands.
Agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
arrive to investigate. They interview the victims and the gunman, who believes that the "holy man" was God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
incarnate. However, they find that the mysterious healer, Jeremiah Smith, disappeared while being interviewed by a detective. Meanwhile, the Smoking Man meets with Mulder's mother Teena at her former summer home in Quonochontaug, Rhode Island. He asks Teena—who is clearly disgusted by his presence—to remember something; the two proceed to argue as someone photographs them from a distance. Soon after, Assistant Director Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
notifies Mulder that Teena has suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. At the hospital, she writes the word "PALM" on a notepad. This causes Mulder to believe that her stroke is somehow connected with Jeremiah Smith.
Mulder obtains a video of the shooting's aftermath from a local news station, and finds footage of Smith talking to the detective; he and Scully find that someone else suddenly appears in Smith's place when the detective looks away. Meanwhile, Smith is at his place of work at the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
when he is captured by Men in Black
Men in Black (The X-Files)
In The X-Files television show, the Men in Black refer, unofficially, to a group of enforcers employed by the Syndicate to execute assassinations, cover ups and other covert operations. It is implied that most, if not all, of them are former members of special operations units...
led by the Smoking Man, who has him locked up in a high-security prison. Mulder heads to the Rhode Island summer house and encounters X, who shows him his photos of Teena and the Smoking Man. X believes that they argued over an item that is hidden inside the house. Mulder searches the place and, after rewording "PALM" into "LAMP", finds an alien stiletto weapon inside one of the lamps.
At FBI headquarters
J. Edgar Hoover Building
The J. Edgar Hoover Building is located in Washington, D.C. It is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The building, named for former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, is located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The building received its official name, the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I...
, Scully meets a man who appears to be Smith, who has come to turn himself in. During an interview with Scully and Skinner, he claims to have no memory of the shooting or of healing anyone. Meanwhile, at the prison, the Smoking Man interrogates the real Smith, who professes to have lost his faith in the project
Syndicate (The X-Files)
The Syndicate is a fictional "shadow government" group featured in The X-Files television show and feature film created by Chris Carter. They were also known as The Elders, The Consortium, and The Group...
. He shapeshifts into Deep Throat to unnerve and challenge the Smoking Man. Mulder, now aware of the Smoking Man's meeting with Teena, blames him for her deteriorating condition. When he unsuccessfully demands the Smoking Man's whereabouts from Skinner, he learns about "Smith"'s earlier statement. Mulder goes to the Social Security Administration to bring Smith in for questioning. "Smith" initially complies but flees into a crowd, shapeshifting into someone else.
The Smoking Man once again meets with Smith, who shapeshifts into Bill Mulder to further rattle his captor. Smith also reveals that the Smoking Man is dying of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, something he denies. Meanwhile, the impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
"Smith" arrives at the prison and is revealed to be an Alien Bounty Hunter. He goes to Smith's cell to kill him, but finds it empty. Mulder visits Teena at the hospital, but also runs into the Smoking Man. An angered Mulder threatens the Smoking Man with a gun, but he says that Teena met with him about the whereabouts of his sister, Samantha. In the parking garage, Mulder is confronted by X, who demands the alien stiletto. When Mulder refuses to hand it over, the two brutally fight to a stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
.
Scully meanwhile looks into Jeremiah Smith and finds many other Jeremiah Smiths with the same appearance working at Social Security Administration offices across the country. Scully arrives at her home and soon after Jeremiah Smith arrives at her door, telling her the man they met before was an impostor sent to kill him. Smith tells her that he knows of an elaborate plan, a project and Mulder's sister. Scully brings Smith to an abandoned site off the interstate. Mulder wants to take Smith to see his mother, but the Alien Bounty Hunter arrives seconds later.
Production
This episode was heavily influenced by the book The Brothers KaramazovThe Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880...
, particularly the scenes in the prison between the Cigarette Smoking Man and Jeremiah Smith. In addition to these scenes, the title of the episode, which means "arise maiden" in Aramaic and the name of the restaurant in the teaser are references from this book. These references were originally suggested by David Duchovny for the episodes "Colony" and "End Game" but never made their way into those episodes and were used here.
The fight between Mulder and X was heavily edited by Fox's broadcast standards department. Actor Steven Williams was injured during the filming of the scene.
Jeremiah Smith was originally intended to have morphed into Melissa Scully during the scene in the prison as well, but that scene was removed from the script due to actress Melinda McGraw being unavailable.