A Krycek Timeline


[Krycek slideshow]

Last updated April 1, 2001

Establishing a timeline in THE X-FILES is problematic at best. Often, they don't even try to keep their chronology consistent. And the order in which the episodes were shown is not necessarily the order in which they were originally meant to air, raising the possibility that we are viewing events out of order. Nevertheless, here's my best guess....




FBI Agent: Sleepless / Duane Barry / Ascension

It is impossible to determine exactly how long Krycek was Mulder's partner. There is only one date stated in these three episodes: August 7, 1994, given in "Duane Barry" as the date Krycek meets Mulder at the swimming pool in the infamous Speedo scene. (It's mentioned in "Sleepless" that it's the 24th anniversary of the massacre at Phu Bai, but since this is apparently a fictional event, it doesn't help us much. There is no date on the newspaper we are shown in this episode.)

The Lone Gunmen Page suggests that we use the dates that the episodes originally aired (late October-early November 1994) as the dates Krycek was Mulder's partner. This doesn't work, though. X-FILES does not try to claim that the episodes are happening at the time they are airing; when a date is mentioned in an episode, it may be months off from the airdate (though the year is usually right). Moreover, that chronology gives Krycek only two or three weeks as Mulder's partner. I think they had to be together longer than that; Mulder grew to trust Krycek somewhat, and he doesn't trust easily. Also, these dates don't match the August 7 date given in "Duane Barry," and the season is wrong.

According to "The Erlenmeyer Flask," the X-files were closed down and Mulder and Scully separated in late May 1994, so that's the earliest Krycek could have been assigned as Mulder's partner. "3" and "One Breath" take place in early November, so Krycek must have left before then. We know the pool scene in "Duane Barry" took place August 7, but not how much time passes between then and the ending of "Ascension."

We are given a time hint in "Ascension," when the tram operator tells Mulder and Krycek that the tram is "closed down for the summer." That indicates that Krycek left during the summer. Of course, if it's a ski resort, they might well consider October to be summer, at least that far south. But the trees were all still green, so I'd say Krycek had at most a single summer as Mulder's partner - perhaps three or four months, May through September, 1994.



Consortium Agent: Anasazi / The Blessing Way / Paper Clip

In "Blessing Way," we see a newspaper clipping which reveals that Kenneth Soona's body was found on April 16, "the day before yesterday, after Mulder disappeared." The year is 1995 (from Melissa Scully's gravemarker, seen in "Apocrypha.") Therefore, the events of "Anasazi," "Blessing Way," and "Paper Clip" occur during April of 1995.



Renegade: Piper Maru / Apocrypha

In "Piper Maru," Skinner mentions that it's been five months since Scully's sister Melissa died. This is corroborated in "Apocrypha," when CM states that Krycek disappeared five months ago. So presumably "Paper Clip" occurred five months before "Piper Maru." That means the events of "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" occur in approximately September of 1995.



Russian Agent: Tunguska / Terma

One date is given in these episodes. When Mulder looks at his watch while in Marita's apartment, it reads November 25, 1996. (Okay, it's not likely there would still be thick, green leaves on the trees in the Siberian forest and no snow at all by that late in the year, but never mind....) The first courier is detained in Honolulu ten days before Scully testifies at the Senate Subcommittee hearing. Mulder says the Honolulu incident was two days before Krycek threw the second courier off Skinner's balcony. Therefore, the first courier was detained in Honolulu on November 22, 1996, Krycek was arrested in the early morning hours of Nov. 24, 1996 and pitched the courier over the railing later that day, and Mulder and Krycek flew to Tunguska on November 25, 1996. Scully testifies (and Mulder escapes the gulag) on December 2, 1996. Which means Mulder and Krycek were traveling together through Russia and vacationing in that gulag for about eight days.



International Player: Patient X / The Red and the Black

No date stamps or other date references that I can find, but assuming these episodes take place in 1998, it's been over a year since "Tunguska." The events of the "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black" take place over several weeks, since it must have taken quite awhile for Krycek and Dmitri to travel from Russia to New York via ship.



Consortium Agent Again: The End

Again, no date stamps or other time references. It aired in spring of 1998, though, and that time of year seems right: there's still snow on the ground in Canada, but in D.C. people are wearing "transitional" clothing.



Man of Mystery: S.R. 819

No specific date references, but the events of this episode take place over three weeks. Most of the action occurs within 24 hours, but the final scene is stamped "three weeks later."



Consortium Elder-In-Training: Two Fathers / One Son

No date references, but according to the time stamps and such, these two episodes take place over at least five days, possibly a lot more.



Man of Mystery Again: Biogenesis / The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati

These episodes took place over at least two weeks (since Albert Hosteen was in a coma that long). It could be a lot longer. In the "The Sixth Extinction II," Mulder says, "I couldn't find a tie to go with my victory cap" - referring to the New York Yankees winning the World Series. That was on October 27, 1999, so these episodes took place in October, 1999.



The Anti-Mulder: Requiem

No date references, but it probably takes place around June, 2000. It's after May, 2000, anyway, since they refer to Mulder renting cars for four weekends in May.



The Trickster: Deadalive

This episode takes place over three months, since it starts with Mulder's being buried, then cuts to Mulder being dug up, three months later. (Eyewwww.) The timeline is hopelessly screwed up. If previously established dates are correct, Scully is over a year pregnant now.


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