The Unnatural (The X-Files)

The Unnatural (The X-Files)

"The Unnatural" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, which first aired on the Fox network on April 25, 1999, and on July 4, 1999 in the United Kingdom on Sky1. "The Unnatural" was written and directed by lead actor David Duchovny, and was Duchovny's debut as a television director. Although it deals with an alien, the episode is largely unconnected to the mythology of The X-Files, and functions as a "Monster-of-the-Week" story. "The Unnatural" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1 and its first broadcast was watched by 16.88 million people. The episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews from television critics and members of the cast and crew, most notably by series creator Chris Carter and co-star Gillian Anderson.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Arthur Dales (M. Emmet Walsh), the brother of a retired FBI agent with the same name as a previous recurring character, tells Mulder the story of a black baseball player who played for the Roswell Grays in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 under the pseudonym Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin). Exley was actually an alien with a love of baseball, who was hiding among humans.

Duchovny was inspired to write the story after connecting the history of baseball in Roswell and the 1947 Roswell Incident. Jesse Martin was first considered for the lead guest role as Exley after Duchovny noticed him in an episode of Ally McBeal. Originally, Darren McGavin was cast to play the part of Arthur Dales, but after suffering a stroke he was replaced by Walsh. Many of the outdoor baseball scenes were filmed at Jay Littleton Ballfield, an all-wood stadium located in Ontario, California. The episode has been critically examined for its use of literary motifs, its unique structure, and the overriding themes of racism and alienation.