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The X-Files: Hell Money

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The deaths of several Chinese men found to be missing vital internal organs that were removed prior to death leads Mulder and Scully to a deadly Chinatown lottery where men wager their body parts for a chance to win a cash jackpot. Add a recap »

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Writers:: Jeff Vlaming

Director:: Tucker Gates

Stars:: David Duchovny (Special Agent Fox Mulder); Gillian Anderson (Special Agent Dana Scully)

Recurring Role:: Doug Abrahams (Detective Neary)

Guest Star:: Ellie Harvie (OPO Staffer); Ed Hong-Louie (Money Man); Graham Shiels (Night Watchman); Paul Wong (Wiry Man); Diana Ha (Dr. Wu); Donald Fong (Vase Man); Stephen M.D. Chang (Large Man); James Hong (Hard-Faced Man); Lucy Liu (Kim Hsin); Michael Yama (Shuyang Hsin); B.D. Wong (Detective Glen Chao); Derek Lowe (Johnny Lo)

Why were Scully and Mulder even assigned this case? There was no question of it being supernatural, and the incident took place in San Francisco, far away from their DC home. Even if this was a 'punishment' case, it seems unlikely that the FBI would want to send them all the way across the country. edit »
Hell bank notes are also featured in The X-Files: The Game, as are the Chinese tiles, which were used as a game in the episode as a lottery. edit »
The term 'hell money' comes from the Chinese tradition of offering representations of money or goods to the dead. edit »

B.D. Wong now has a recurring role as police psychologist George Huang, a specialist in aberrant sexual behavior on "Law & Order: SVU". edit »
In postproduction, the producers realised that several actors spoke Chinese with a Mandarin accent although the script called for a Cantonese accent. These actors were called back and their dialogue was dubbed with the help of a vocal coach. edit »
Lucy Liu would later become famous playing a lawyer in Ally McBeal. edit »
This is the second of several episodes throughout the series to be completely devoid of a paranormal storyline (the first was Irresistible). edit »

Scully: What a way to go... Have you seen this MO before Detective? A man cremated alive?
Detective Neary: Yeah. Third time this year.
Mulder: Eleventh time actually. edit »
Scully: So you're saying that the ancestral spirits pushed Johnny Lo into the oven and turned on the gas?
Mulder: Well, it would sure teach him to respect his elders, wouldn't it? edit »
Mulder: You think this guy was selling his body parts.
Scully: A kidney, a portion of the liver, bone marrow, a lobe of the lung. A cornea. A person can lose these things and live to cash their social security checks. edit »
Dr. Wu: In my belief, death is nothing to be feared. It's merely a stage of transition. But life without hope...well, now that is a living hell. So, hope was my gift to these men.
(Scully sighs angrily.)
Dr. Wu: I don't expect you to understand.
Scully: I understand this. You are going to prison for a very long time. edit »
Scully: Do you know how much the human body is worth, Mulder?
Mulder: Depends on the body... edit »

Mulder: Who you gonna call?

This is Mulder's response to the first mention of the "Festival of the Hungry Ghosts". It is, of course, one of the taglines from the 1984 comedy film Ghostbusters. edit »

8.5
00
arkhyel
member since: Jun 21, 2005
Hell Money
The Bottom Line: "Dream sequence"
The intensity and difference of the story make this episode to represent better half of third season's episodes. ...Continue »
01/01/08 05:34am | report abuse
7.8
10
Anon67683
member since: Oct 20, 2006
Hell Money
The Bottom Line: "Above average"
Unfairly Maligned ...Continue »
03/06/07 11:15am | report abuse
7
00
danideathstrike
member since: May 9, 2006
Hell Money
The Bottom Line: "Painful to watch"
Takashi Miike should have done it ...Continue »
07/11/06 01:27am | report abuse
9.7
00
SleepTight
member since: Jun 16, 2005
Hell Money
The Bottom Line: "Well written"
The one with the organs game ...Continue »
05/02/06 05:41pm | report abuse
8.2
20
Ummagnumma
member since: Jan 26, 2006
Hell Money
The Bottom Line: "Out of character"
The premise is out of character, but the tone is most certainly X-Files. ...Continue »
04/13/06 01:45pm | report abuse