Monica Reyes

Monica Reyes
Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes
First appearance	"This Is Not Happening"
Last appearance	"The Truth"
Portrayed by	Annabeth Gish
Information
Occupation	FBI Special Agent

Special Agent Monica Reyes ( /ˈreɪ.ɛz/) is a fictional character in the American FOX television series The X-Files, a science fiction show about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. With her FBI partner John Jay Doggett they work in the X-Files office, which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were left unsolved and shelved by the FBI. Mulder considers the X-Files the truth behind the supposed conspiracy. Portrayed by American actor Annabeth Gish, Reyes was a main character in the last season of The X-Files. Reyes replaced Gillian Anderson's character Dana Scully in the X-Files office. Reyes appeared in the opening credits and every episode of the ninth season.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Reyes made her first appearance in the eighth season 2001 episode "This Is Not Happening". Reyes is religious and a highly spiritual person, and has little doubt about the paranormal. She is willing to accept explanations involving the paranormal. Reyes is a combination of the different members of The X-Files teams: She is not a full believer, like Mulder, nor a scientific mind, like Dana Scully, or a full skeptic, like Doggett, but voices concern and opinions about all three areas.

Character arc

Monica Reyes was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, where her parents still live. Because of growing up in Mexico, Reyes speaks fluent Spanish.^[1] She majored in folklore and mythology at Brown University, and has a Masters degree in Religious Studies. In 1990, Reyes enrolled to the FBI at Quantico, Virginia. Her first assignment in the FBI was serving on a special taskforce investigating Satanic rituals.^[2] Reyes then served in the New York City field office, where she became romantically involved with Special Agent Brad Follmer despite the FBI's strict anti-fraternization rules. Reyes was the head investigator in the kidnapping of 7 year-old Luke Doggett, son of NYPD officer John Doggett. The boy was eventually found dead, but no suspect was ever apprehended. In 1999, Monica Reyes transferred to the New Orleans field office.^[2][3]

In 2001, Reyes was contacted by Doggett, now a Special Agent assigned to The X-Files, to assist in on a case involving the disappearances of several individuals who claimed to be alien abductees, as well as the disappearance of Special Agent Fox Mulder. Because of her background, Reyes considered that these believers may have simply formed something of a cult, but did not rule out the possibility of alien intervention. She stayed with the case until after Mulder was returned by his abductors, but returned to her field office soon after.^[2]

She later contacted Agent Mulder, who was back to full health at the time, involving a case she suspected had some link to the murder of Doggett's son, who assisted her with the case. However, as before, she soon returned to her own work.^[3] Reyes remained with the New Orleans field office until she was called upon to protect Special Agent Dana Scully in May 2001, driving her out to a remote location in Georgia so that the expectant Scully might deliver her child out of harm's way. Reyes helped deliver the child, and soon after made a permanent move, becoming Doggett's partner on The X-Files.^[4][5]

Doggett and Reyes were last seen in the New Mexico desert in 2002, where they were warning Agents Mulder and Scully of the arrival of Knowle Rohrer, a Super Soldier linked to the government conspiracy. They were fleeing the scene as black helicopters destroyed the Anazasi adobes where the Cigarette Smoking Man was living. They are most likely still with the FBI, however The X-Files was closed after Walter Skinner's and Alvin Kersh's involvements in Mulder's escape were revealed.^[6] As of 2008, The X-Files remained closed, and Reyes' current status is unknown.^[7]

Conceptual history

Due to their decision to continue The X-Files television series and try to appeal to a new generation of viewers, the production personnel knew, from the beginning of season 8, that they were going to introduce another female character who would be a believer, as Mulder had been a believer. However, the writers wanted a different kind of believer character to work off of the skeptical nature of John Doggett, who had already been established. The writers were required to create a character who was unlike any of the preconceived main characters that were a part of the series. This female character was initially named Karen Miller and then Jane Jones before the name "Monica Reyes" was decided upon, named after a friend of Chris Carter's acquaintance who had an art gallery in Vancouver,^[8] and later did all the artwork for Fox Mulder's office in the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

The character was considered by some to be like Mulder in her optimism, faith and enjoyment of being open to beliefs but considered by others as being quite different from Mulder as she was more spiritual and subscribed to a more New Age-like view than he did. Reyes was seen as different from both Mulder and the other main characters as she was somewhat more neurotic, scattered, and quirky. She smiled and laughed more than the other characters, having a nature that could be considered lighter, sunnier, brighter, warmer and more overtly sexy. Some also considered her to be more paranormally attuned than the average person.^[9]

The character of Brad Follmer was created in season 9 to provide a love interest for Reyes, as the writers believed the audience needed to know more about her. However, Follmer's unresolved relationship with Reyes also served to heighten the conflict between Doggett and Follmer, as both men had feelings for her. Portraying actress Annabeth Gish was pleased that the relationship between her character and Scully was similar to that of two sisters, rather than Reyes serving as an antagonist to Scully.^[9][10]

The Season 9 episode "Hellbound", in which Reyes discovers that she was apparently reincarnated, began as an effort to give Reyes or Doggett a drive, as they were seen, by at least some writers, as the successors to Mulder and Scully. According to the writer of the episode, David Amann, executive producer Frank Spotnitz was interested in giving Reyes some darkness to play and her past life was consequently written with extremely sombre and terrible overtunes.^[9]

Reception

Monica Reyes appears in the following episodes:

Season 8

• "This Is Not Happening"
• "Empedocles"
• "Essence"
• "Existence"

Season 9

• All episodes

References

1. ^ "John Doe". Michelle Maxwell MacLaren, Writ. Vince Gilligan. The X-Files. FOX. No. 7, season 9.
2. ^ ^{a b c} "This Is Not Happening". Kim Manners, Writ. Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz. The X-Files. FOX. No. 14, season 8.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Empedocles". Barry K. Thomas, Writ. Greg Walker. The X-Files. FOX. No. 17, season 8.
4. ^ "Essence". Kim Manners, Writ. Chris Carter. The X-Files. FOX. No. 20, season 8.
5. ^ "Existence". Kim Manners, Writ. Chris Carter. The X-Files. FOX. No. 21, season 8.
6. ^ "The Truth". Kim Manners, Writ. Chris Carter. The X-Files. FOX. No. 19 & 20, season 9.
7. ^ "I Want to Believe". Chris Carter, Writ. Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz. The X-Files. FOX. No. 2.
8. ^ Carter, Chris, Patrick, Robert, Spotnitz, Frank and Gish, Annabeth (2002). The Truth Behind Season 8 (DVD). FOX Home Entertainment. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Spotnitz, Frank, Gilligan, Vince, Shiban, John, Carter, Chris, Elwes, Cary, Patrick, Robert, Manners, Kim, MacLaren, Michelle, Kaplan, Corey, Beck, Mat, Rabwin, Paul, Mungle, Matthew, Amann, David, Montesanto-Medcalf, Cheri, Wash, John, Roe, Bill and Reynolds, Burt (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). FOX Home Entertainment. 
10. ^ Carter, Chris, Elwes, Cary and Gish, Annabeth (2002). Character profile on Brad Follmer (DVD). FOX Home Entertainment. 

External links

	United States portal
	Television portal
	Fictional characters portal

• Monica Reyes at The X-Files Wiki