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"Piper Maru" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. It premiered on the Fox network on February 9, 1996. The episode was written by executive producer Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. "Piper Maru" is one of those which helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. Its introduction of the black oil became a storyline milestone for the series. The black oil would later go on to play a much larger role in the series, including playing a pivotal role in the 1998 ''X-Files'' movie. "Piper Maru" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.6, being watched by 16.44 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, a French salvage ship sends a diving crew to recover a mysterious wreckage from World War II, but the crew falls prey to a bizarre illness forcing FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to investigate the source. Their investigation brings them face-to-face with Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). "Piper Maru" was written to showcase two visual images Chris Carter had wanted to include in a script "since the beginning of the show". The first of these was that of a deep-sea diver finding a still-living pilot trapped in the wreckage of a World War II-era fighter plane and the second was that of a black-and-white flashback taking place in a submarine. The title of the episode is a reference to the first and middle name of Gillian Anderson's daughter, who had been born during the production of the second season. == Plot == ''Piper Maru'', a French salvage vessel, is exploring the Pacific Ocean. Gauthier, a member of the ship's crew, dives down into the sea and finds a sunken fighter plane from World War II. He is shocked to find a man alive in the plane's cockpit, with what looks like black oil in his eyes. When Gauthier returns to the surface, he has become possessed by the black oil. In Washington, Walter Skinner tells agent Dana Scully that the FBI's investigation into her sister's murder has been made inactive, despite the evidence that had been recovered. Fox Mulder tells Scully about the ''Piper Maru'', which had laid anchor at the same coordinates as another ship believed to have salvaged a UFO; when the ''Piper Maru'' came to port in San Diego, her crew was found suffering from radiation burns. Aboard the ship, the agents find traces of the black oil on Gauthier's diving suit. Upon viewing a video of the dive, Scully identifies the sunken plane as a P-51 Mustang. Meanwhile, Gauthier returns home and searches for something. When his wife Joan arrives, the black oil passes itself along to her. Scully visits an old friend of her father's, Commander Christopher Johanson, seeking information about the plane. Johanson admits that he had been sent to find a sunken bomber aboard the submarine ''Zeus Faber'', and recalls how many aboard the sub suffered from radiation burns while he joined a mutiny against his commanding officer, who succumbed to the black oil. Meanwhile, Mulder visits Gauthier's home and finds him passed out, covered in the black oil; he has no memory of his experience. Mulder finds a letter from a salvage broker, and visits the broker's "secretary" Jeraldine. Mulder follows Jeraldine after her office is invaded by several armed men. Both Mulder and Joan follow Jeraldine to Hong Kong, where Mulder learns that she is a middleman selling government secrets. Mulder tracks down Jeraldine and handcuffs himself to her. Arriving at her office, Mulder finds Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) waiting inside, having been selling the contents of the digital tape. Krycek escapes through a window while Jeraldine is shot by a group of men coming down the hallway. Mulder unlocks the handcuffs and escapes. Meanwhile, Joan walks down the hall and encounters the men, creating a flash that causes them all to suffer from the radiation burns. Meanwhile, Skinner is initially confronted by several men, including the Gray-Haired Man, and is told not to pursue Melissa Scully's case any further. Skinner is later shot by Luis Cardinal. After Mulder catches Krycek in an airport, he tells him the tape is in a locker back in Washington and that he'll give it to him in exchange for letting him go. Mulder lets Krycek go to the bathroom, where he is confronted by Joan. As he departs the bathroom to leave with Mulder, Krycek's eyes show he is now infected with the black oil.〔Lowry, pp. 161–164〕〔Lovece, p. 211〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Piper Maru」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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