10 Criminally Underrated X-Files Episodes
1. John Doe - S9E7
One of the most brilliantly scripted X-Files episodes in the show's final four seasons, John Doe had a lot in common with the short-lived FOX drama that shared a name with it. A man wakes up with no recollection of who he is, or how he got where he was. He can't trust the people around him, but has little choice.
That's the situation John Doggett is faced with in this season nine episode. Waking up in a Mexican warehouse to find a man stealing his shoes, Doggett is quickly assaulted, left to rot in jail (along with his remaining shoe), and forced to accept the aid of a fellow prisoner, Domingo. Domingo is bad news, but Doggett has no memory of who he is, outside of brief flashes of his son - who he does not remember has already been murdered. Domingo, meanwhile, knows just what John Doe is: he is one of the disappeared ones, people who have crossed the local drug cartel and had their memories stolen.
Written by Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), this episode was the moment fans knew he was destined for greatness. Yet due to the episode being produced in the show's final year, many missed it. It did get solid reviews in the media, but is criminally ranked no higher than 150 out of the show's 202 episodes on Ranker.