Vienen

Several scenes were filmed on an oil platform in the Santa Barbara coast.

"Vienen" was written by Steven Maeda as a vehicle for Mulder to pass on the X-Files legacy to Doggett. Patrick compared Mulder to a Greek chorus and said that the episode was a "way to have Mulder give Doggett his blessing and pass him The X-Files baton."[6] Maeda complimented the show's producers for deciding to pass the X-Files division over to Doggett, noting that they were "aware of what's going on in the audience's head".[6] The title, "Vienen," is Spanish; it is the third-person plural present indicative form of venir, which means "they come" or "they are coming".[7]

The episode was directed by Rod Hardy, who directed the earlier season eight episodes "Roadrunners" and "Salvage".[1][8] Hardy was offered the role after an unknown individual working on The X-Files saw his TBS remake of the film High Noon.[9] Of the three season eight episodes that he helmed, Hardy enjoyed directing this episode most due to its adherence to the series' mythology; he later described the episode as "classic X-Files."[10][11] The eighth season was filmed out of order; "Vienen" was the sixteenth episode produced but the eighteenth aired, largely due to Duchovny's availability.[12] Each episode of The X-Files usually took about eighteen days to film, including seven days for pre-production, nine for main-unit shooting, and two for second-unit filming. "Vienen" was produced in eleven days because the crew worked thirteen- to fourteen-hour shifts.[13]

"Vienen" was shot in three locations: a studio in Los Angeles, a closed-down CENCO oil refinery in Santa Fe Springs, and an offshore oil platform in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara.[14] During the show's previous seasons, location manager Ilt Jones had been required to scout for locations after scripts were submitted. Starting with the eighth season, however, he was allowed to go on several "scouting roadshow[s]" in order to find new and interesting locations that could be written into scripts.[15] Jones, who discovered the oil platform and the refinery during his first scouting trip, later said the oil platform was "his favorite example" of places he was able to find.[15] Because the platform and refinery were scouted in advance, Jones was given six weeks to prepare the shoot—a "far cry" from the usual two.[15] This added time also saved the series a considerable amount of money.[15] Filming on the oil platform occurred between sunrise and sunset in one day.[15][16] The film crew used Steadicams for filming on the oil platform because the decks were slick with oil and, according to Hardy, the cameras "sort of fit and blend[ed] in quite well" on the platform.[17]

The series' leading actors were required to film in three separate locations. Anderson's scenes were filmed solely on the show's sets in Los Angeles.[18] Since her character did not accompany Mulder and Doggett, Anderson had no scenes with Patrick and Duchovny, except for the opening sequence that takes place in Kersh's office.[18][19] Most of Patrick and Duchovny's scenes were filmed on the oil platform and at the refinery, although several key scenes, including the destruction of the oil platform, were filmed on the show's set in Los Angeles. Patrick and Duchovny were flown between the three locations.[19] Others scenes were filmed in the studio. Production designer Corey Kaplan was tasked with recreating the oil platform's control room, mess hall, and some operational sections, which required "a brilliant piece of synergy between all [of the series'] departments" in order to come together.[15] The scene in which the oil platform bursts into flame was created in the studio on the mock-rig set. The set was made of wood, posing a unique challenge for the art department, as they had to make it look as if the fire was melting steel.[20]

Chocolate syrup and molasses were used for the black oil visual effect.

The scene in which Mulder and Doggett agree to jump from the oil platform—which was shot in a way that evokes a similar scene in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid[21][22]—was filmed by having Patrick and Duchovny jump in front of a green screen.[23] Separate footage of the rig exploding, created by combining actual shots of the rig with CGI, was then filmed, and the two shots were composited on top of one another.[24]

The episode featured the penultimate appearance of the alien black oil; it would appear for a final time via flashback in the series finale.[25][26] Visual effects for the black oil were created by combining molasses and chocolate syrup with computer-generated imagery (CGI) imagery.[27] Nine takes were needed for the scene in which the black oil pours out of a worker's eyes, ears, and mouth, as the syrupy mixture would not spill correctly.[28]

"Vienen" premiered on American television on April 29, 2001.[1] It received a Nielsen household rating of 7.4, meaning that it was seen by an estimated 7.4% of US households and was viewed by 11.8 million viewers overall.[31] The episode debuted in Ireland and the United Kingdom on June 7 on Sky 1, and was the channel's sixth-most watched program for that week with 0.52 million viewers.[32] On November 4, 2003, the episode was released as part of the eighth-season DVD box set.[33] Vienen was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection including episodes involving the alien super soldiers arc.[34]

The episode's casting and plot initially proved controversial when in early 2001, Hispanic activists complained about the often negative portrayal of Latinos on television, particularly in the Law & Order episode "Sunday in the Park with Jorge". In turn, the major broadcasters signed agreements that created a head of diversity at each network. When the episode's title and synopsis were announced, some activists worried that it would further propagate negative stereotypes.[35]

Michael Liedtke and George Avalos of the Contra Costa Times were pleased with the episode and wrote, "The latest episode also contained many of the elements of a classic mythology episode. The stakes were huge and the heroes faced the greatest of hazards. The use of the oil rig created a sense of isolation for Mulder and Doggett, and the paranoia levels were sky-high. We still can't figure out why we haven't seen more episodes along the lines of Vienen during the past three seasons."[22] Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity awarded the episode a "B–".[4] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave Vienen a positive review, and wrote, "after watching 'Vienen', I can honestly say that for once of the few times this season, it felt good to be an X-Files fan again".[36] Kessenich praised the significant development in Mulder and Scully's relationship and the return of the "fourth season version" of the black oil; the 1998 movie had dramatically altered the nature of the substance—infected hosts gestate aliens inside their bodies rather than merely being taken over.[36]

Emily VanDerWerff from The A.V. Club named the episode one of the "10 must-see episodes" of The X-Files, and wrote that it "abruptly makes the series’ alien-conspiracy storyline relevant again."[37] Her review concludes, "[i]t's a fine example of a show past its glory days, nevertheless finding a way to make itself relevant again."[37] VanDerWerff later awarded the episode an "A−" and praised—in addition to its refreshing take on the alien mythology—the episode's location, noting that the oil rig's "isolation and man-made island status, was definitely the sort of place that would look and feel different from just about every other episode of the show."[38] She also applauded the dynamic between Mulder and Doggett, and wrote that the episode successfully was a way for "David Duchovny and Fox Mulder to pass the torch to Robert Patrick and John Doggett."[38]

Not all reviews were positive. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode two stars out of five and wrote that the installment's return to the black oil mythos seemed "out of date".[26] They also wrote that Mulder and Doggett are "good at running away, which doesn't give either of them much dignity."[26] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[39] She wrote, "as action-adventure, 'Veinen' is so-so. Except for the big 'money shot' explosion at the end, it doesn't exploit the possibilities of the physical location."[39] Meghan Deans of Tor.com ultimately concluded that "while 'Vienen' works hard to hit its marks—a classic villain, a battle of dudes—it can’t measure up to all that’s come before it."[40] She surmised that "the transfer [from Mulder to Doggett] is functional, but the transfer is hollow."[40] She did, however, applaud the return of the black oil.[40]