In a brilliant season of The X Files, this episode stands out because of the guest appearance of Darren McGavin, who might be one of the biggest cult TV stars ever, because of his role as Kolchak. In the 1970s, McGavin starred as Kolchak in The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, a role which he later reprised for a short lived TV series, which was not really of the same quality as the previous TV movies, but became a fan favorite nonetheless. McGavin played the charismatic newspaper journalist Kolchak, who faced supernatural threats, and of course skepticism of everybody. Shades of Fox Mulder. Therefore it was a brilliant touch to have Darren McGavin play Arthur Dales, the FBI agent who actually initiated the X Files. Only complaint is that McGavin has too little screen time as most of the episode is a flashback. But the flashback story is eerie and disturbing, featuring appearances by Fox Mulder's father, and by the infamous Roy Cohn. The young Dales is ably played by Fredric Lane. The creepy Alien like story is gory and grotesque, and made more so by the glossy and picturesque 50s setting of suburban America. Great X Files origin story and a well deserved homage to McGavin, a very fine actor.
Review of Travelers
