10 Criminally Underrated X-Files Episodes

10. Drive - S6E2

Breaking Bad fans arguably have Drive to thank for the casting of Bryan Cranston as Walter White on Vince Gilligan’s breakout hit. Gilligan was the writer behind Drive, part of The X-Files sixth season, and one of its better episodes (it should be noted that Dean Norris and Aaron Paul also appeared on The X-Files, making the paranormal drama very much the point of conception for the AMC hit).

Up to this point, Cranston was probably best known to viewers as the beleaguered dad from Malcolm in the Middle, the popular FOX sitcom. After Drive, well, suddenly it became apparent that the man was an extremely versatile actor.

Playing the crude, racist Patrick Crump, who is initially encountered on a high speed chase with his wife in the back seat of the car, Drive digs into government conspiracies and the idea that an ELF project might have caused a horrific inner ear condition to form in Crump and his wife capable of killing them. Only speed reduces the effects. The episode was well received at the time it aired, but (criminally, frankly) doesn’t even make the top fifty of many episode guides/rankings, including Ranker. However, the chemistry between Duchovny and Cranston in this episode pushes it to another level, as does the rather original idea of making the primary set piece a pursuit.