"Detour" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by executive producer Frank Spotnitz and directed by Brett Dowler. The episode aired in the United States on November 23, 1997, on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Detour" received a Nielsen rating of 13.2, being watched by 22.8 million viewers, and received mixed reviews from television critics. The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully, while traveling to a conference with two other FBI agents, stop at a roadblock and join a nearby investigation of attacks by an unidentified predator. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz was inspired to write the episode after watching the 1972 American thriller film Deliverance. "Detour" took nineteen days to film, over eleven more than the norm for The X-Files. Shooting was hampered by incessant rain. The episode's villains were created through a mixture of elaborate "bark suits" and digital technology. In addition, the episode contained several cultural references. Plot Two men are surveying an area of the Apalachicola National Forest in Leon County, Florida when they are attacked and killed by unseen assailants with glowing red eyes. Later that day, Michael Asekoff and his son, Louis, are hunting for opossums with their dog, Bo, in the same stretch of woods. Upon discovering a surveyor's bloody jacket, Michael orders Louis to take Bo and run home. As Louis and the dog head off into the woods, two shots are heard. Meanwhile, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are carpooling with FBI agents Michael Kinsley and Carla Stonecypher en route to a "team building" seminar. When they are stopped at a roadblock by local police, Mulder decides to investigate, in part to get away from Kinsley and Stonecypher, whose perky nature annoys him. As he and Scully venture into the woods, they are informed by Officer Michele Fazekas that no conclusive evidence has been found to support Louis' report of a shooting. Mulder sees this as a perfect opportunity to ditch the seminar. Later, Mulder explains to