Radio Times

The X-Files ran for nine series and, in Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, gave us one of TV's most celebrated partnerships. But in a show rich with well-drawn characters, who else really stood out?

In terms of keeping viewers awake at night, you'd have to go some way to beat Eugene Victor Tooms. Tooms was a killer who would lunge from the smallest of hiding places to tear the livers from his unsuspecting victims with his bare hands. Actor Doug Hutchison endowed this unlikely, bendy-limbed mutant with creepy believability, right up to the moment he was turned into bloody strips by being sucked into an escalator.

Among the recurring cast, William B Davis gave a brilliantly judged performance as the Cigarette Smoking Man, positively rippling with feline grace. He was never less than magnetic, a commanding presence that held the camera even as CSM sat weakened and dying in a wheelchair, taking puffs of a cigarette through a tube inserted in his throat.

In my opinion, though, straight-arrow Agent John Doggett stands head and shoulders above the rest. He joined The X-Files in series eight, after Mulder was apparently abducted by aliens. It can't have been easy taking over from fan favourite David Duchovny - I was certainly prepared to be disappointed by the guy who'd "replace" Mulder.

But in no time at all I was won over by Doggett, as played by Terminator 2's Robert Patrick with understated determination, quiet laughter in his eyes and a flavour of the South in his voice.

When he was first introduced, Doggett displayed an incredible patience towards the sulky and withdrawn Scully that surely warranted investigation as a paranormal phenomenon itself. It soon transpired that he carried a torch for his pretty, red-headed partner. (Yes, I know there was a lot of crawling about in dark spaces in this show, but I mean that figuratively.) Then there were his complicated feelings for new colleague Monica Reyes.

All this, along with memories of the murder of his young son, gave Patrick plenty of opportunity to register flashes of pain and inner conflict in Doggett's apparently orderly life. It's a key part of what makes Doggett as a character - and Patrick as an actor - so compelling.

But make no mistake, Doggett was no sap. (Just as well, given that when he arrived, Scully and Skinner had both started burbling about the importance of accepting "extreme possibilities", and Reyes was prone to spouting earth-mother mumbo jumbo and having visions.)

He was stoic in the face of danger - whether that meant tackling a bioengineered "super-soldier" or refusing to play politics with the boss - and had an admirable ability to go from 0 to furious in the space of a syllable. In short, he was a breath of sceptical fresh air.

Prior to series eight, some seasons contained a few too many self-indulgent vanity episodes, or storylines played purely for laughs. So it was great to see the writers using granite-faced Doggett as a way in to some truly frightening tales in those last two seasons.

But for all the mysteries he investigated, perhaps the greatest remained unsolved: after all his years of experience in the marines, NYPD and FBI, why did Doggett persist in turning his back on the bad guys?

I know I'm late to the party but I have to say that this was an excellent post. Doggett was a great addition to the show; his character was a breath of fresh air after the disappointing (in my opinion always) seventh season. Robert Patrick is a very talented actor and although in the beginning I had my doubts about how a new main character would fit to the show he won me very soon and became one of my favorite characters of the series.

My favorite characters in order are:

1) Dana Scully, hands down the best thing of the series. Strong, intelligent, independent, loyal, with a strong sense of justice and absolutely gorgeous!

2) The Lone Gunmen. I can separate them, I love them equally

3) Walter Skinner and a John Doggett. They're both awesome

4) Cigarette Smoking Man. By far one of the best villains on television.

Great article! Doggett was a fantastic character and I love him very much but my absolute favorite character always was and always will be the one and only Dana Scully followed by the lone gunmen and Deep Throat!

I love Doggett's catchphrase - "Dollars to Donuts"... he said it a few times to mean "for sure". Anyone that could make me warm to the terrifying 2nd Terminator gets a thumbs up, even in a show that was totally made by 7 years of DD an GA before him.

Late reply but just came across this and had to comment.

It was great to read this, Doggett was a great character and doesn't get enough credit...but I can't say he was the best!

The programme was full of memorable characters, The Lone Gunmen for their humour and heart, Krycek for the 'boo/hiss' quality, CSM for being one of the most complex and fasinating evil characters ever written, Skinner who was the strong back-bone...

Reyes and Doggett were great bonuses and I wouldn't change that...

Mulder is without doubt perfectly-inperfect in everyway and the 14 year old inside me will always love him. To go in further detail would take pages...

But there is only one hands down best character in the x-files (or any other programme!) - one winner, no question...Dana Scully! If anyone needs a reason why they didn't watch the programme, or didn't get it!

Robert patrick was a great addition to the show,unfortunately they made his character a little stupid instead of just letting patrick play the character he could.The x files however run two season too long and carter shouldv'e known to call it a day once duchovny decided enough was enough,the show could never survive without the main man and once people sensed scully was going next theres no way the show could survive whoever the cast

That one's easy. Dana Scully. A qualified medical doctor who also read physics, equally capable of putting a round through your ten-ring AND an attractive redhead. Her progression from sceptic to qualified believer can be seen over the course of the series, although she always manages to stick to her principles when faced with the unknown, doing her best to keep her partner 'honest' in the process.

A close second would be the Lone Gunmen. Heh heh :)

No-one has mentioned Krycek yet! Or the Alien Bounty Hunter! Or the Lone Gunmen! Or the entire Rest of the Syndicate! Or Mulder's three main informants: Deep Throat, X, or Marita Covarrubias! Or Blevins! The Gray-Haired Man! Or Jeffrey Spender or Cassandra Spender! Or Diana Fowley (and how widely hated she is)! It's impossible to decide...!!! It's like choosing your favourite grandchild - impossible and just plain wrong!

I dont see the point in adding my weight to the absurdity of the John Doggit love going on here. If youre talking about regulars outside of Mulder and Scully then CSM was excellent, always lingering in the background of the best episodes whilst playing a strong part rhoughout all 9 seasons. However my favourite single or rare appearances would have to me either Tooms or Pusher. Both caracters that really stay in the memory of any true X-Files fan, shame that they were both gone by Season 3.

Just to add in on John Doggit - I think Robert Patrick was very good in this role, but for me he was the person who meant Mulder wasn't there anymore. Kinda like a step Dad saying 'I know Daddy's gone but I'm bangin Mummy now so get used to it.'

whilst i adored mulder - who wouldn't - and still do - i always loved the character of skinner. he was the voice of authority, but a man of reason. a big man with a gentle voice and when he put his arms around dana he reminded me of a lovely dad comforting a distraught daughter. i am sure he's a lovely man in real life

Interesting to see you disagree, NostalgiaCritic and DaceBurnham... But I'm curious: who would be your favourite X-Files character?

Awesome post and I'm in total agreement that Doggett is the best character of the X-Files. Patrick really did portray a wide variety of emotions through those gorgeous blue eyes those two season we had him. And yes, a lot of those emotions were due to his adoration for Scully. ...*sigh*

I agree 1000000% Doggett quickly became my favorite on the show. Thanks for giving him the props that he WELL DESERVES!!

Dace,there is no DSR. it ammuses me doggett actually has fans. he had no personality

What I liked about Robert Patrick's portrayal of Doggett was the energy. He moved fast, talked fast, and his facial expressions could change in a second. The character was always about Action, and that's what drew me into X-Files in Season 8. Until then, I had only watched it a few times, and felt that it just moved way too slow and the characters talked way too soft. Heck, half the time, they didn't move their lips and I couldn't understand them.

Doggett was like watching a toddler in church--the kid is doing his/her best to behave and be quiet, but you know that the kid is loaded with suppressed energy and as soon as church is over and mom or dad gives the OK, that kid will be down the aisle, into the lobby, and all over the church.

Or like watching a good dog sitting politely on the floor, just waiting for Master to take out the leash! Then good dog jumps up and gets ready for the walk and the playtime! That's what Doggett was like.

I remember one episode where he was reading a case file while doing push-ups. That's kind of the way I am--constantly restless, looking for a new project, something to do. I'm not very good at sitting around and contemplating. I wish I was--I would be a better Catholic!

One mistake I think they made with Doggett was the dark lighting that seemed to be characteristic of the X-Files. That show was made to be watched late Sunday night in the dark; now I try watching it during the day, and it's almost too dark to see. I think that the dark lighting worked with Mulder, Scully, and all the other "conspiracy-minded" characters on the show. But I feel that Doggett needed "light." His energetic, quick-silver character was such a contrast against all the darkness. So many times, when he and Scully were in their dimly-lit office, I felt like Doggett should say, "S**t, it's dark as a morgue down here! I'm turning on some lights!" There was one episode where he was watching NASCAR on Saturday morning--to me, this is Doggett--up and about, doing stuff in the light. His eyes were shining lights, and I think his character should have stood in the light more. Just a techy thought, and I certainly appreciate that others feel differently.

John Doggett, mmmm...What amazing things I could say about this man. I was a HUGE fan of Mulder and Scully but THIS man was so good - so honorable - gorgeous, that I abandoned MSR and went straigt to DSR. He IS the man! Scully can have such a wonderful life with him if the writers would just think about it.

I'm glad to see someone making NICE articles about him, he deserves it; tired of people putting him down. He never replaced Mulder and that was never the intention.

Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz literally waited for RP to be done with another contract so they could have him specifically for Doggett! So people saying that CC and FS made a mistake is a big a$$ JOKE!

Reading over the 5 comments I was amazed to see someone named "DaceBurnham" Who said Doggett was 2 dimensional. You must be joking I hope. His character was a very complex one where in each episode a part of his life was pulled away and revealed a very complex man. It reminds me of an onion. The outer part of it is covered in a hard shell but as you peel away each layer the onion becomes soft. The same with Doggett's character. Our whole family loved what Doggett and Reyes brought to the table (The X Files). Doggett's character was very deep and it's ashame that a lot of people did not catch onto that. Robert Patrick is a brilliant actor. CC did not realize how blessed he was to have had him. RP has a presence about him. The camera loves that man. I have loved a lot of RP's work ---from Die Hard 2 to Of course The Unit on CBS

X Files is not the same without him.

If you open your mind and your heart while watching sesons 8 & 9 and be honest with yourself you will understand Doggett.

Take Care,

Robin

(A Dogg Person)

DRR always

PS:

If I'm not mistaken Robert Patrick won an award for his 1st. season (8) on the X Files and Nominated for the 2nd.(9). I do not know any 2 dimensional characters that have won awards.

I agree with you Dace, I'm a shipper and love the MSR. Not a DSR fan at all, but I don't think that you have to dislike the Doggett character just because you dislike the idea of DSR. It's possible to enjoy Doggett as a character without thinking that he is in love with Scully. DSR fans, don't come down on me! I'm not saying that it WASN'T there, I'm just saying it wasn't there for me. ;)

Doggett was a 2dimensional quick fix. he sucked. sooooo bad. and Chris carter new it, otherwise he'd have been inteh new film. MSR 4 Life, screw the DSR

Thank you for this post. Doggett was an absolute great addition to the show, even if it did take some fans awhile to realize that. You have given credit where credit is due and a nice nod to the marvelous actor, Robert Patrick. Kudos!

Excellent post. I like Doggett, but Skinner is the best character for me. Love is the bald assistant director, as far as I'm concerned.

An excellent blog. I almost had to stop reading after paragraph 2. Tooms absolutely scared the life out of me and still has the same reaction all those years later. I only have to type tooms instead of rooms and my tummy constricts as I remember how very frightening he was. I did enjoy all the series I watched but by no means an afficiado like you, but can't wait to see the movie.

Awesome blog post! Among all the love for Mulder and Scully right now I'm glad that you've posted about how John Doggett is the best "The X-Files" character. I couldn't agree more. (and it didn't hurt that you made mention of his torch carrying for Scully)