Beauty and the Beast and TXF
X-Files Confidential, "Conduit": Alex [Gansa] and I made an effort to play to our own strength, which is character," says Howard Gordon. "We thought this was an interesting place to reiterate Mulder's quest for his sister. We set out to tell a simple abduction story, which was played out behind the shadows. We wanted to create an air of tension. With everything that happened, we wanted to explain what it could be. At every point, everything can be explained. Was she taken or killed by her boyfriend, who she was seeing against her mother's wishes? Is it Twin Peaks or an alien abduction? That was the theme of the show.
"We also used UFO Lore," he continues, "like the idea of repeat abductions and mother-daughter abductions. Apparently you're taken and sometimes several members of the family are taken as well. I think we're most proud of the ending: Mulder's quest is reestablished (and Daniel Sackheim directed it beautifully) with Mulder sitting alone in a church with only his faith. The story, again, was fueled by Mulder's belief and emotional connection with this case. Another girl taken from her family. And, in a way, the little boy who is the conduit who is also perhaps touched by the aliens, is essentially Mulder. Those little touches the fans seem to respond to. It was difficult for us, but in the end satisfying. It came out of frustration on our parts, and creative uncertainty."
Most significant about "Conduit" for Glen Morgan was the fact that it drove home the notion of strength in diversity in terms of the writing staff. "Alex and Howard worked on Beauty and the Beast and Sisters, and they have a better character-dramatic sense," he muses, "and I think 'Conduit' really helped define Mulder. Those guys are Princeton-educated, Ivy League, with a literature background. Jim and I are more blue collar, from San Diego. I grew up on Hammer horror films and things like that. Everybody on staff was kind of teaching everybody else."
