"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is the fourth episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on October 13, 1995, on Fox. It was written by Darin Morgan, directed by David Nutter, and featured a guest appearance by Peter Boyle, who portrayed the titular Clyde Bruckman. The episode is a stand alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster-of-the-Week pattern of the show. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.2, being watched by 15.38 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode was also a critical success, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders of psychics and fortune tellers. The two are assisted by Clyde Bruckman, an enigmatic and reluctant individual who possesses the ability to foresee how people are going to die.
Morgan wished to write an episode of The X-Files wherein one of the characters commits suicide at the end. Although Morgan was initially afraid to add humor to his script, he created a compromise by making the episode as dark as possible. Several of the characters' names are references to silent film-era actors and screenwriters. Notably, the episode features a prediction by Bruckman—that Agent Scully will not die—that is later bookended by the sixth season episode "Tithonus."
Read more about Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Plot, Reception
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