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Ghost in the machine

1.7 Ghost in the Machine

US Airdate: October 29, 1993

writers: Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon

director: Jerrold Freedman

STARRING:

David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder

Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully

Guest stars:

WAYNE DUVALL as Agent Jerry Lamana

GILLIAN BARBER as Agent Nancy Spiller

ROB LABELLE as Steven Wilczek

JERRY HARDIN as Deep Throat

BLU MANKUMA as Claude Peterson

MARC BAUR as Man in Suit

BILL FINCK as Sandwich Man

THEODORE THOMAS as Clyde

TOM BUTLER as Benjamin Drake

WHEN THE CEO OF A COMPUTER COMPANY DIES IN A LOCKED ROOM, MULDER AND SCULLY SUSPECT SABOTAGE -- FROM A NONHUMAN SOURCE.

The CEO of Eurisko Industries, who planned to shut down an advanced artificial intelligence project is electrocuted in a locked room; Mulder and Scully are asked by Mulder's old partner, JerryLamana, to help find the killer. Suspicion falls on the brilliant but eccentric computer designer who built the computer that controls Eurisko. Lamana's death in a "freak" elevator accident confirms Mulder's suspicion that there is more to the computer than wires and transistors. He sets out to defeat it with the help of its designer. Scully is trapped in a deadly tunnel as Mulder races to shut down the computer, and discovers treachery within his own ranks.

Notes

Philosopher Gilbert Ryle wrote an article in 1949 that attacked Cartesian dualism - the idea that our body is a kind of robot, haunted by a spirit or ghost (our mind). Ryle also believed that when we know enough physics, all phenomena can be explained, sounds like one Dr. Scully's position, huh?! In the 60's, Arthur Koestler wrote a book called "Ghost In The Machine", defending the dualist position. The title also refers to simply the "ghost" in the "machine", or computer.

Quotes

Scully: "So, why did you two go your separate ways?"

Mulder: "I'm a pain in the ass to work with."

Scully: "No, seriously."

Mulder: You mean I'm *NOT* a pain in the ass to work with?"

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Scully: "Must be for the visually impaired."

Mulder: "How do you like that? A politically correct elevator."

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Mulder: "Maybe Drake was talking to someone before he doing his Ben Franklin impersonation."

The X-Files - 1.