The Post-Modern Prometheus

{{Infobox television episode | series = [[The X-Files]] | image = The Post-Modern Prometheus TXF.jpg | image_alt = Two people are sitting in a car with a grotesque figure in the backseat. The scene is entirely in black and white footage. | caption = [[Dana Scully|Scully]] (''left'') and [[Fox Mulder|Mulder]] (''right'') take The Great Mutato (''center'') to a [[Cher]] concert. The episode was filmed in black-and-white, in a stylistic nod to the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]''. | season = 5 | episode = 5 | airdate = {{Start date|1997|11|30}} | production = 5X06<ref>{{cite web|title=The Post-Modern Prometheus|url=http://xfiles.com/episodes/season5/5x06.html|work=XFiles.com|publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|access-date=28 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011123180927/http://xfiles.com/episodes/season5/5x06.html|archive-date=23 November 2001|date=30 November 1997}}</ref> | writer = Chris Carter | director = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] | length = 46 minutes<ref>{{cite web|title=The X-Files, Season 5|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/tv-season/the-x-files-season-5/id283985930|work=[[iTunes Store]]|date=10 September 1993 |publisher=[[Apple Inc.|Apple]]|access-date=28 August 2012}}</ref> | guests = * [[Tracey Bell]] as [[Cher]] * Lloyd Berry as Old Man Pollidori * Stewart Gale as Izzy Berkowitz * Chris Giacoletti as Booger * Dana Grahame as Reporter * Jean-Yves Hammel as Izzy's Friend * [[C. Ernst Harth]] as Huge Man * Vitaliy Kravchenko as JJ * [[John O'Hurley]] as Dr. Francis Pollidori * [[Chris Owens (actor)|Chris Owens]] as The Great Mutato * Xantha Radley as Waitress * Miriam Smith as Elizabeth Pollidori * [[Jerry Springer]] as Himself * Pattie Tierce as Shaineh Berkowitz * Jean-Yves Hammel as Goat Boy<ref name=Meisler72/> | prev = [[Detour (The X-Files)|Detour]] | next = [[Christmas Carol (The X-Files)|Christmas Carol]] | season_article = The X-Files season 5 | episode_list = List of The X-Files episodes }} "'''The Post-Modern Prometheus'''" is the fifth episode of the [[The X-Files season 5|fifth season]] of the American [[science fiction on television|science fiction]] television series ''[[The X-Files]]'' and originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network on November 30, 1997. Written and directed by series creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]], "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the overarching [[Mythology of The X-Files|mythology of ''The X-Files'']]. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" earned a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen household rating]] of 11.5, being watched by 18.68 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. The episode was nominated for seven awards at the [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards|1998 Emmys]] and won one. The entry generally received positive reviews; some reviewers called it a classic, with others calling it the most striking stand-alone episode of the show's fifth season.

The show centers on [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] special agents [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]]) and [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]]) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called [[X-File]]s. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully was initially assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate reports of a mysterious creature that has impregnated a middle-aged woman. They find that the "monster", nicknamed The Great Mutato, is the genetic creation of a [[Victor Frankenstein|Frankenstein]]-like doctor. The Great Mutato is at first ostracized, but later accepted, by his community.

Carter's story draws heavily on [[Mary Shelley]]'s 1818 novel ''[[Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus]]'' and particularly on [[James Whale]]'s 1931 [[Frankenstein (1931 film)|film version]] of the story. The episode was even filmed in black-and-white, with a sky backdrop created to imitate the style of old ''Frankenstein'' films. The script had been written specifically with singer [[Cher]] and actress [[Roseanne Barr]] in mind, but both were unavailable at the time of shooting. Talk-show host [[Jerry Springer]] appeared as himself, and [[Chris Owens (actor)|Chris Owens]]—who appeared in later episodes as FBI agent [[Jeffrey Spender]]—played The Great Mutato. Owens wore makeup and prosthetics that took several hours to apply.

== Plot == The episode begins in the guise of a [[comic book]]. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] special agent [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]]) receives a letter from Shaineh Berkowitz (Pattie Tierce), a single mother who claims to have been impregnated, while unconscious, by an unknown presence 18 years ago, resulting in the birth of her son, Izzy (Stewart Gale). Now, following a similarly unexplained attack, she is pregnant again. She has heard about Fox Mulder's expertise in the paranormal from ''[[The Jerry Springer Show]]'', and wants him to investigate.

Mulder and special agent [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]]) travel to rural [[Albion, Indiana]], where they meet Shaineh and her son Izzy, and learn that the description of the creature that attacked her, with a lumpy head and two mouths, is very similar to a comic book character invented by Izzy. His monstrous creation, called The Great Mutato, is inspired by a mysterious creature that has been seen by many of the locals. Izzy and his friends accompany the agents to a wooded area, where they see Mutato ([[Chris Owens (actor)|Chris Owens]]) from a distance.

They meet an old man who angrily tells them that there are no monsters, and sends them to see his son, a geneticist named Francis Pollidori ([[John O'Hurley]]). Dr. Pollidori shows them his experiments studying the [[Hox gene]], using the fruit fly ''[[Drosophila]]''. This presentation includes images of a mutated fly whose legs are growing out of its mouth. He tells the agents that the same kind of experiment could, in theory, be performed on humans. Afterward, Mulder tells Scully that he believes that Dr. Pollidori, acting as a modern-day [[Victor Frankenstein]], has created The Great Mutato.

Later, Dr. Pollidori's wife Elizabeth (Miriam Smith) is knocked unconscious and attacked in the same manner as Shaineh. At the crime scene, Mulder and Scully find a chemical residue from an agricultural agent used to anesthetize animals, which leads them to suspect Dr. Pollidori's father, who is a farmer. Dr. Pollidori comes to his father's house, angrily confronts him, and murders him. Later, Mutato, who lives with Pollidori Sr., finds his dead body and tearfully buries it in a barn.

Mulder and Scully go looking for Pollidori Sr. and find a shallow grave and photographs of the dead man with Mutato. Meanwhile, Dr. Pollidori leads an angry mob of townspeople to his father's house, demanding that Mulder and Scully turn the alleged murderer over to them. The agents find Mutato hiding in the basement as the crowd gathers upstairs. Someone accidentally sets the barn alight, and in the ensuing confusion, the mob realize that the agents are protecting the monster in the basement.

Mutato speaks to the crowd and explains that he was created 25 years before, and that he is the result of a genetic experiment by Dr. Pollidori. Unbeknownst to his son, Pollidori Sr. rescued Mutato and cared for him, but was unable to provide a friend or a mate for the boy. The old man attempted to emulate his scientist son's experiments, and tried to create hybrids from his farm animals. Mutato asks Dr. Pollidori to create a female companion for him, but the scientist says that he cannot—that Mutato was a mistake.

The townspeople realize that The Great Mutato is not a monster after all, and Dr. Pollidori is arrested for the murder of his father. Mulder feels that it is unjust for Mutato not to get a mate, and so he demands to see "the writer". In a fanciful,<ref name="av"/> if not imagined,<ref name=tor/> scene, Mulder and Scully take matters into their own hands and take Mutato, along with the townspeople, to a [[Cher]] concert. The episode ends with a shot of Mulder and Scully dancing, which slowly turns back into the comic book seen at the beginning of the episode.<ref name=Meisler72/>

== Production == === Conception === [[File:Frankenstein 1818 edition title page.jpg|thumb|150px|right|The episode was heavily inspired by [[Mary Shelley]]'s novel ''[[Frankenstein]]''.|alt=The title page for the original pressing of ''Frankenstein''.]] Going into the fifth season of ''The X-Files'', series creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] noted, "we knew we were going to be hitting these very dramatic marks which were the mythology episodes, and we wanted to lighten, or leaven, the season with quirky episodes."<ref name="thetruth"/> Carter wanted to write a ''[[Frankenstein]]''-inspired episode, but found it difficult to reconcile [[Mary Shelley]]'s unbelievable tale with the style of the show. To achieve his vision, he wrote a script that blurred the real world with the ''X-Files'' reality and that had a distinct fantasy element.<ref name=Meisler85 /> Carter combined elements of the original story with fairy tales and elements of folk tales.<ref name="thetruth"/>

In order to make the episode "as moving" as possible, Carter sought to echo elements of [[James Whale]]'s [[Frankenstein (1931 film)|1931 film version]] of ''Frankenstein''.<ref name=Meisler85 /> He later noted that, by "using modern science, I took an old style, which is black and white, and an old approach, which is a kind of James Whale approach to science fiction, and came up with a story about a love-lorn monster".<ref name="thetruth"/>

The genetic engineering aspect of the story was developed with assistance from the series' science adviser, [[Anne Simon]]. Carter visited a friend of Simon, Dr. Thomas C. Kaufman at [[Indiana University (Bloomington)|Indiana University]] in [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], who had been able to genetically manipulate flies so that they grew legs from their eyes.<ref name=commentary /> After Carter had created the character of The Great Mutato, he discovered that cartoonist [[Matt Groening]] had already created a character with the same name—although with different pronunciation—for [[List of The Simpsons comics|a comic book]] entry of ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Carter contacted Groening, who gave Carter permission to use the name.<ref name=commentary /> Like two-thirds of the episodes of the series, "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the [[Mythology of The X-Files|overarching mythology]] of ''The X-Files''.<ref name=Lavery339 />

=== Casting === [[File:Cher singing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|After viewing the episode, singer [[Cher]] came to regret turning down a cameo appearance.]] [[Cher]]'s music plays a large role in "The Post-Modern Prometheus", Chris Carter having written the episode after spending a summer listening to Cher records and developing a fixation on the singer. Carter knew that Cher's half-sister [[Georganne LaPiere]] was a major ''X-Files'' fan, and Carter learned through LaPiere that Cher herself was intrigued by the show and would be interested in making an ''X-Files'' guest appearance. [[Sitcom]] star [[Roseanne Barr]] also expressed an interest in guesting on ''The X-Files'', and Carter wrote the part of Shaineh Berkowitz specifically for her.<ref name=commentary />

Barr, however, was unavailable at the time of shooting—her projected role was filled by Pattie Tierce—<ref name=commentary /> while Cher passed on the proffered [[cameo appearance]] performing as herself, a decision for which she later expressed regret: "I wanted them to ask me to come on and act—then they just wanted me to come on and sing ... Just to come on and be myself wasn't anything I'd want to do until I saw [the finished episode]" — "Had I [foreseen] the quality of [it] I would have done it in a heartbeat." Cher did authorize the use of three of her tracks on the episode's soundtrack including "[[Walking in Memphis]]" heard at the episode's conclusion while ostensibly performed onstage by celebrity impersonator [[Tracey Bell]]—filmed in longshot, from the back and overhead—as Cher.<ref name=cher2/>

Although Bell was credited for the role, Cher's fans responded to the episode's premiere with online speculation as to whether the singer had [[pseudonym]]ously appeared in the episode.<ref name="thetruth">{{cite AV media |last=Carter |first=Chris]] |date=2002 |chapter=The Truth Behind Season 5 |title=The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season|medium= DVD featurette |publisher=[[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]|location=[[Los Angeles]]|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Tabloid talk show host [[Jerry Springer]] appeared as himself. These casting choices went against a long-standing tradition on ''The X-Files'' of only casting actors who were not well-known.<ref name=Meisler85 />

''[[Seinfeld]]'' regular [[John O'Hurley]] had auditioned for several roles on the show but Carter had not previously thought of him as "an ''X-Files'' actor". For the part of Dr. Pollidori, however, Carter considered him "the absolute perfect casting choice".<ref name=commentary /> Stewart Gale, who portrayed Izzy Berkowitz, was a non-actor who Carter saw "literally on the street one day" sitting in a car.<ref name=commentary /> Carter convinced Gale's father—who was initially suspicious of the director's credentials—to let Gale travel to Vancouver to take part in the episode.<ref name=commentary /> Izzy's friends were also played by inexperienced actors: One worked as a snake handler on the set of [[The X-Files (film)|''The X-Files'' feature film]]—the shooting of which overlapped that of season five—and the other worked at a Vancouver coffee shop that Carter frequented.<ref name=Meisler85 />

Chris Owens played the Great Mutato, and to many, he was unrecognizable in heavy makeup. Owens had played a younger version of [[The Smoking Man]] in two episodes of [[The X-Files season 4|season four]] and was later cast as the recurring character of FBI special agent [[Jeffrey Spender]].<ref name=Meisler85 /> During his audition, Owens noted, "Chris said, 'Okay, did you ever see ''Elephant Man''? ... What I'm looking for is dignity. He's got dignity. But he's definitely mutated.'"<ref name=bigbook/> After Owens heeded Carter's instructions and attempted to bring dignity to the audition, Carter requested that he try it again "with less autism".<ref name=bigbook>[[#BigBook|Hurwitz and Knowles (2008)]], p. 119.</ref>

=== Filming === [[File:Angenieux.png|thumb|200px|right|Director [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] shot the episode using a [[wide-angle lens]].|alt=The image shows a cross-section of a wide-angle lens.]] The first five seasons of ''The X-Files'', including "The Post-Modern Prometheus", were filmed in Vancouver.<ref name=location/> It was the third episode of the program that Carter directed;<ref name=BCarter /> he decided to film the episode in black-and-white—in homage to James Whale—which brought more challenges than he expected. The director of photography, Joel Ransom, had to spend longer than usual lighting the set because of the use of [[grayscale]]. The stormy skies in the episode, added to emulate the atmosphere of old ''Frankenstein'' movies, were a [[visual effects|visual effect]]. Carter also used a [[wide-angle lens|wide-angle]] camera lens throughout the episode, which forced the actors to act directly to the camera, rather than to each other. According to Carter, it also enabled him to give scenes in the episode a more surreal staging than was usual for the show.<ref name=commentary />

The makeup for the character of The Great Mutato was designed and created by special effects supervisor Tony Lindala. The Mutato mask went through several design iterations on paper, including 10–15 drawings and a color rendition.<ref name=cinemakeup/> Constructed from latex and containing an articulated second mouth, it cost $40,000 and took between five and seven hours to apply. In addition to the mask, Chris Owens wore contact lenses and dentures.<ref name=cinemakeup/> Owens later recalled that "the makeup had taken seven hours, and then I had sat around for three or four. And now I was going to sit in the dark, and I could only see out of one eye. They put a big contact lens in."<ref name=bigbook/> Initial versions of the costume were deemed "too human looking" and so a newer design was chosen.<ref name=cinemakeup/>

Lindala also created "Baby Mutato" costumes for the twin infants featured in ''The Jerry Springer Show'' scene, but the production crew had difficulty keeping the costumes on the children. Lindala later said, "[t]he little babies kept tearing their hair off, we kept gluing it back on."<ref name=commentary /> Lindala was happy that the episode was filmed in black and white, because it helped "the prosthetic [because] it is difficult to work in a foam piece that long and not recognize it as a painted, opaque, false translucency."<ref name=cinemakeup/> Lindala later called the filming technique the "saving grace" of the episode. In addition, he later submitted his makeup for the episode to the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] in an attempt to be nominated for an [[Emmy Award]].<ref name=cinemakeup>{{cite journal|last=Fischer|first=Dennis|title=The Great Lindala|journal=[[Cinefantastique]]|date=October 1998|volume=31|issue=7/8|pages=39}}</ref>

=== Music and cultural references === The episode was scored by series composer [[Mark Snow]], and was, according to him, his best episode score of the fifth season. He described the main theme as "a very dark, macabre, insidious sort of nasty waltz".<ref name=Meisler85 /> The episode's main theme is also greatly inspired by ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'''s theme song by [[John Morris (composer)|John Morris]]. Three songs are heard in the versions sung by Cher during the episode: "[[The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore]]", "[[Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves (song)|Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves]]" and "[[Walking in Memphis]]". The latter is played at the end of the episode when the agents take The Great Mutato to a Cher concert.<ref name="av"/> In the episode, the character watches Cher's 1985 movie ''[[Mask (1985 film)|Mask]]'', and derives comfort from the loving relationship between Cher's character and her son, who has a disfiguring genetic bone disorder.<ref name=tor/> At the end of the episode, Mulder and Scully take The Great Mutato from his small town to a Cher concert, where she picks him out of the crowd to dance.<ref name="av"/>

The episode contains several cultural references. First, the episode's title is a reference to both the subtitle for Shelley's original novel, ''The Modern Prometheus'', and to the [[postmodernism|postmodernist]] school of thought.<ref name=commentary /><ref name=boston/> Postmodernism has been described as a "style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, [that] is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories."<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of postmodernism|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/postmodernism?view=uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106083239/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/postmodernism?view=uk|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2015|work=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|access-date=1 September 2012}}</ref> Furthermore, the Frankenstein-like doctor shares the name—albeit with a slightly different spelling—of Shelley's contemporary, [[John William Polidori]], who was present at the conception of her novel.<ref name=Lavery /> Several lines in the episode come directly from James Whale's 1931 movie ''Frankenstein''.<ref name=commentary />

== Themes == "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is the most obvious reference to ''Frankenstein'' made by the series, although traces of the story are seen elsewhere in the [[The X-Files season 1|first season]] episode "[[Young at Heart (The X-Files)|Young at Heart]]" and the [[The X-Files season 6|sixth season]] episode "[[The Beginning (The X-Files)|The Beginning]]". In addition, the series' overarching mythology revolves around shadowy [[Syndicate (The X-Files)|Syndicate]] leaders who salvage alien spacecraft for their own technological use and create human-alien hybrids.<ref name=Bartter /><ref name=Helford /> The episode contains themes relating to motherhood and sexuality. According to film studies writer Linda Badley, this episode, and season four's "[[Home (The X-Files)|Home]]", foreshadow Scully's impending motherhood and her realization, in following episodes "[[Christmas Carol (The X-Files)|Christmas Carol]]" and "[[Emily (The X-Files)|Emily]]", that she has been used to create a human-alien hybrid, Emily.<ref name=Helford />

Diane Negra, in her book ''Off-White Hollywood: American Culture and Ethnic Female Stardom'', points out that while The Great Mutato impregnates both Shaineh Berkowitz and Elizabeth Pollidori without their consent or knowledge, it is "an oversimplification" to label the monster as a rapist, because both Berkowitz and Pollidori "desire for children through unconventional means".<ref name=cher2/> Thus, Mutato's acts allow for the two women to get what they desperately desire in a moment of "magical resolution".<ref name=cher2/>

Despite her physical absence from the entry, Cher's presence can be felt throughout the narrative.<ref name=Negra /> Negra argues that Cher's "flamboyant and self-authored body" is used as a metaphor for "the possibility of self-transformation".<ref name=cher2/><ref name=Negra /> In addition, her voice, heard via songs like "Walking in Memphis", is associated with the idea of "circumvent[ing] patriarchy."<ref name=cher2/> Negra notes that Cher's music is used in scenes during The Great Mutato's sexual encounters with women. Negra asserts that "this juxtaposition of sound and image cues our perception that we have entered the realm of carnival where the normal order of things is inverted."<ref name=cher2>[[#Negra|Negra (2001)]], p. 177.</ref>

Emily VanDerWerff of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' reasons that the ending was not the actual conclusion of the episode, but rather the fanciful and elaborate happy ending that was concocted by Izzy Berkowitz, the writer of the comic book, after talking to Mulder. In this manner, VanDerWerff notes, "the episode abandons logic and reality and, for lack of a better word, transcends."<ref name="av"/> Meghan Deans from [[Tor Books|Tor.com]] postulates that the entire episode never happened "[f]rom a canonical perspective" due to the entry's comic book setting, the various meta-references and the "happy ending".<ref name=tor>{{cite web|last=Deans|first=Meghan|title=Reopening The X-Files – 'The Post-Modern Prometheus'|url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/08/reopening-the-x-files-qthe-post-modern-prometheusq|work=Tor.com|publisher=[[Tor Books]]|access-date=28 August 2012|date=23 August 2012}}</ref>

==Reception== [[File:SpotnitzandCarter-cropped.jpg|[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] was nominated for both [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series|Outstanding Writing]] and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series|Outstanding Directing]] at the [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards]].|250px|thumb|right|alt=The picture shows several people sitting at a table. The one in the center has white hair and is looking up.]]

===Ratings=== "The Post-Modern Prometheus" was first broadcast in the United States on November 30, 1997, on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on March 29, 1998, on [[Sky One]].<ref name=Meisler85 /><ref name="DVDliner">{{cite AV media notes |title=The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season |title-link=The X-Files season 5 |year=2002 |last1=Goodwin|first=R. W.|display-authors=etal |type=booklet |publisher=[[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]|location=[[Los Angeles]] }}</ref><ref>[[#Cornell|Cornell et al (1998)]], p. 390</ref> The episode earned a [[Nielsen rating]] of 11.5, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 11.5 percent of all television-equipped households and 16 percent of households watching television were tuned in. It was viewed by 18.68 million viewers.<ref name=Meisler284 /> "The Post-Modern Prometheus" was the eleventh most watched television program for the week ending November 30.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prime-Time Ratings|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAF418A05CE1193|access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Orange County Register]]|publisher=[[Freedom Communications]]|date=3 December 1997|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Reviews=== "The Post-Modern Prometheus" received generally positive reviews from critics. Mike Duffy, a [[Knight Ridder]] correspondent, wrote a largely positive article on the episode, noting that although the episode was special, this did not make it feel like a gimmick. He wrote, "when most shows blow promotional smoke about 'a very special episode,' it's best to check the Hollywood Hype-O-Meter for wretched, excessive buzzing [but] what sounds like a gimmick—'a very special black-and-white episode' loosely based on the horror movie classic ''Frankenstein'' actually turns out to be a ripping good ride on 'X-Files' creator Chris Carter's wigged-out storytelling train."<ref name="Duffy">{{cite news|last=Duffy|first=Mike|title=Special 'X-Files' Episode Just That|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB595F0762E98FE|access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=[[Columbus Ledger-Enquirer]]|date=29 November 1997|publisher=[[Knight Ridder]]|pages=A8|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

A review from the ''[[Press-Register|Mobile Register]]'' wrote that "Like the very best ''X-Files'' episodes, this one combines a generous amount of humor with its horror."<ref>{{cite news|title='X-Files' Spoofs Horror Classics|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0FB2F1334DE62D68|access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=[[Press-Register|Mobile Register]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications]]|date=30 November 1997|page=8|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In a review of the entire fifth season, Michael Sauter of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' said that "The Post-Modern Prometheus" was the "most striking" of the season's stand-alone episodes.<ref name=Sauter /> Emily VanDerWerff awarded the episode with an "A" grade,<ref name="av">{{cite news|first=Emily|last=VanDerWerff|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-x-files-the-post-modern-prometheus-millennium-1798167961|title='The Post-Modern Prometheus'/'A Single Blade of Grass' {{!}} TV Club|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|date=16 April 2011|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> and, despite noting the silliness of the story and the fact that most of the characters function as stereotypes, wrote that "'Prometheus' just works".<ref name="av"/> In a 2000 review of season five for the ''[[New Straits Times]]'', Francis Dass called "The Post-Modern Prometheus" a "fun episode".<ref name=Dass>{{cite news | last = Dass | first = Francis | title = A Late 'X-Files' Collection | work = [[New Straits Times]] | publisher = [[New Straits Times Press]] | date = 20 April 2000 | url = https://news.google.co.uk/newspapers?id=LdIVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iBQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3817,882603 | access-date =29 July 2010 }}</ref>

Lionel Green of the ''Sand Mountain Reporter'' named the entry the greatest episode of the series and called the ending "one of the most uplifting finales in the series."<ref>{{cite news|last=Green|first=Lionel|title='The X-Files' Was a Rare Magic|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F12220EF96B1AE1B0|access-date=1 September 2012|newspaper=Sand Mountain Reporter|publisher=[[Southern Newspapers]]|date=22 July 2008|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Writing for the ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'', Eric Mink gave the episode a rating of four stars and praised it as an outstanding episode in a weak early fifth season of the show. He said that the two leads acted flawlessly and that Chris Owens' performance as The Great Mutato was especially touching. He concluded that, "[w]ith Shelley's classic as inspiration, Carter and company have created a classic of their own."<ref name=Mink />

Elaine Linere from the ''[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]'' called the episode "brilliantly written" and named it "a classic among many for this always-intriguing, ever-inventive series." She particularly praised the "heart-tugging, romantic" ending.<ref>{{cite news|last=Liner|first=Elaine|title='X-Files' Marks the Spot Once Again – Tale of Alien Encounter Proves Show's Classiness|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11A543FDCE798548|access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]|publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]]|date=29 November 1997|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Matthew Gilbert of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' called the episode "a memorable ''X-Files'' from start to finish", due in part to its "extraordinary visual flair" and "atmospheric black and white" footage.<ref name=boston/> Furthermore, Gilbert positively critiqued Carter's writing and directing, saying he "keeps his balance between drama, low-key humor, [and] allusive wit".<ref name=boston>{{cite news|last=Gilbert|first=Matthew|title='The X-Files' Meets 'Frankenstein'|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8450382.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328173938/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8450382.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 March 2015|access-date=1 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|date=29 November 1997|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Margaret Lyons of ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' called the entry "one of the great TV episodes of all time".<ref>{{cite news|last=Lyons|first=Margaret|title=Breaking Bad's Biggest X-Files Allusion Yet|url=http://www.vulture.com/2012/07/breaking-bad-x-files-house-tent-mutato.html|access-date=29 August 2012|publisher=New York Media, LLC|newspaper=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=30 July 2012}}</ref> Nick De Semlyen and James White of ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' named it the fifth "greatest" episode of the series and wrote that "[Chris Carter] plays with style and form, turning the entire episode into a loving homage to Universal monster movies in general and James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein in particular".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/greatest-x-files-episodes/p16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114023815/http://www.empireonline.com/features/greatest-x-files-episodes/p16|title=The 20 Greatest X-Files Episodes|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]]|author1=Semlyen, Nick De |author2=White, James |date=October 2013|archive-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref> In the 1999 [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] [[Thanksgiving]] Marathon, containing fan-selected episodes, "The Post-Modern Prometheus" was presented as the "Best Stand-Alone Episode".<ref>{{cite AV media|title=The X-Files Thanksgiving Marathon|date=November 25, 1999|medium=TV programming|publisher=[[FX (TV channel)|FX]]}}</ref> Connie Ogle from ''[[The Miami Herald]]'' named The Great Mutato one of "the greatest monsters" that were featured on ''The X-Files''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ogle|first=Connie|title=The X-Factor: As 'I Want to Believe' Hits Theaters, We Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters|url=https://iw.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/iw.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F122255E7DB9EE858|access-date=1 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|publisher=[[The McClatchy Company]]|date=25 July 2008|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[Robert Shearman]], in his book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', rated the episode two stars out of five and criticized various elements of the episode's direction. The author wrote: "Chris Carter the writer has come up with something playful and light and charming. And Chris Carter the director has stamped all over it and made it so arch and obvious and dull that it kills it stone dead."<ref name=Shearman /> Shearman applauded the idea of "a town which feels like an ''X-Files'' audience", but he derided the episode's comic book setting and wrote that "this play on post-modernism just doesn't make any sense [in that format, because] a comic has action, a way of jumping from frame to frame ... this is languorous and self-indulgent."<ref name=Shearman />

Paula Vitaris from ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' gave the episode a moderately negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.<ref name=cinepaula>{{cite journal|last=Vitaris|first=Paula|title=Fifth Season Episode Guide|journal=[[Cinefantastique]]|date=October 1998|volume=30|issue=7/8|pages=29–50}}</ref> She wrote that the episode "falls flatter than the chemical pancakes used to anesthetize the victims of this episode" due to its "collection of situations and observances that bear little relation to each other."<ref name=cinepaula/> Vitaris also criticized the scene wherein various characters are compared to animals, and commented, "the mean spiritedness of [the plot] is mind-boggling".<ref name=cinepaula/> Finally, she called the episode's conclusion a "false ending".<ref name=cinepaula/>

===Awards=== The episode was nominated for seven awards at the [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards|1998 Emmys]] by the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]], including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for Chris Carter.<ref name=Meisler282 />{{refn|Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Art Direction, Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Single-Picture Editing, Outstanding Makeup, Outstanding Music Composition.<ref name=Meisler282 />|group="nb"}} [[Graeme Murray (art director)|Graeme Murray]], [[Greg Loewen]] and [[Shirley Inget]] won the award for Outstanding Art Direction.<ref name=Meisler282 /> Carter was also nominated for an award for Outstanding Directing by the [[Directors Guild of America]].<ref name=Meisler282 />

== Explanatory notes == <references group="nb" />

==Footnotes== {{reflist|3|refs= <ref name=Meisler72>[[#Meisler|Meisler (1999)]], pp. 72–84.</ref> <ref name=Meisler85>[[#Meisler|Meisler (1999)]], pp. 84–85.</ref> <ref name=commentary>{{cite AV media |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]] |date=2005 |section=Audio Commentary for "The Post-Modern Prometheus" |medium= DVD |title=[[The X-Files season 5|The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> <ref name=BCarter>{{cite news | last = Carter | first = Bill | title = TV Notes; 'X-Files' Tries Frankenstein | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | date = 19 November 1997 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/19/arts/tv-notes-x-files-tries-frankenstein.html | access-date =11 June 2010 }}</ref> <ref name=Lavery339>[[#Lavery|Koven (2010)]], p. 339.</ref> <ref name=Bartter>[[#Bartter|Lacy (2004)]], p. 63.</ref> <ref name=Helford>[[#Helford|Badley (2000)]], pp. 82–84.</ref> <ref name=Lavery>[[#Lavery|Koven (2010)]], p. 341.</ref> <ref name=Negra>[[#Negra|Negra (2001)]], p. 176.</ref> <ref name="location">[[#Meisler2|Meisler (2000)]], pp. 18–19.</ref> <ref name=Meisler284>[[#Meisler|Meisler (1999)]], p. 284.</ref> <ref name=Meisler282>[[#Meisler|Meisler (1999)]], p. 282.</ref> <ref name=Mink>{{cite news | last = Mink | first = Eric | title = 'X-Files' is Still a Monster | newspaper = [[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] | publisher = [[Mortimer Zuckerman]] | date = 27 November 1997 | url = http://articles.nydailynews.com/1997-11-27/entertainment/18054646_1_x-files-series-creator-chris-carter-agents-mulder | access-date =11 June 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> <ref name=Sauter>{{cite news | last = Sauter | first = Michael | title = The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season | newspaper = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | publisher = [[Time Inc.]] | date = 14 May 2002 | url = https://ew.com/article/2002/05/14/x-files-complete-fifth-season/ | access-date = 11 June 2010 | archive-date = 7 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607002129/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,237552,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name=Shearman>[[#Shearman|Shearman (2009)]], pp. 128–129.</ref>}}

==Bibliography== {{Refbegin|30em}} *{{Cite book | last = Badley | first = Linda | editor-last = Helford | editor-first = Elyce Rae | chapter = Scully Hits the Glass Ceiling: Postmodernism, Postfeminism, Posthumanism and ''The X-Files'' | title = Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] | location = [[Lanham, MD]] | year = 2000 | isbn = 9780847698356 | ref = Helford | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/fantasygirls00elyc }} *{{cite book | year=1998 |last1=Cornell|first1=Paul |last2=Day |first2=Martin |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |title=X-Treme Possibilities |url=https://archive.org/details/xtremepossibilit00corn |url-access=registration |publisher=Virgin |location=[[London]] |isbn=9780753502280 |ref = Cornell}} *{{cite book |last1=Hurwitz |first1=Matt |last2=Knowles |first2=Chris |title=The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies |location=[[San Rafael, CA]] |publisher=Insight Editions |year=2008 |isbn=9781933784724 |ref=BigBook}} *{{Cite book | last=Koven | first=Mikel J. | chapter = ''The X-Files'' | editor-last = Lavery | editor-first = David | title = The Essential Cult TV Reader | publisher = [[University Press of Kentucky]] | location = [[Lexington, KY]] | year = 2010 | isbn = 9780813125688 | ref = Lavery }} *{{Cite book | last = Lacy | first = Cherilyn | editor-last = Bartter | editor-first = Martha A. | chapter = Women and Mad Science: Women as Witnesses to the Scientific Re-Creation of Humanity | title = The Utopian Fantastic: Selected Essays From the Twentieth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts | publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Praeger]] | location = [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport, CT]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 9780313316357 | ref = Bartter | url = https://archive.org/details/utopianfantastic0000inte }} *{{cite book | year=2000 | last=Meisler | first=Andy | title=The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Season 6 | isbn=9780061075957 | publisher=[[HarperCollins]] | location=[[New York City]] | ref=Meisler2 | url=https://archive.org/details/endbeginning00meis }} *{{Cite book | last = Meisler | first = Andy | title = Resist or Serve: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 4 | publisher = [[HarperCollins]] | location=[[New York City]] | year = 1999 | isbn = 9780061073090 | ref = Meisler | url = https://archive.org/details/resistorserve00meis }} *{{Cite book | last = Negra | first = Diane | title = Off-White Hollywood: American Culture and Ethnic Female Stardom | publisher = [[Routledge]] | location = [[London]] | year = 2001 | isbn = 9780415216784 | ref=Negra }} *{{Cite book | year=2009 | first1=Robert | last1=Shearman | title=Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen | publisher=[[Mad Norwegian Press]] | location=[[Des Moines, IA]] | isbn=9780975944691 | ref=Shearman }} {{refend}}

== External links == {{Portal|Television}} {{Wikiquote|The X-Files}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20011123180927/http://xfiles.com/episodes/season5/5x06.html "The Post-Modern Prometheus"] at XFiles.com *{{IMDb episode|0751232}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Post-Modern Prometheus, The}} [[Category:1997 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Chris Carter (screenwriter)]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Chris Carter (screenwriter)]] [[Category:Television episodes set in Indiana]] [[Category:The X-Files season 5 episodes]] [[Category:Works based on Frankenstein]] [[Category:Black-and-white television episodes]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Jerry Springer]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Cher]]