three episodes, with Robert Lieberman, Cliff Bole, and Paul Shapiro each directing one. Cast Main cast Starring David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully Also starring Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek Recurring cast Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers Dean Haglund as Richard Langly Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder Guest cast Episodes Episodes marked with a double dagger () are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc. Reception Ratings The seventh season of The X-Files debuted with "The Sixth Extinction" on November 7, 1999. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.6, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 10.6 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned into the episode. The episode was viewed by 17.82 million people, an increase from the sixth season's finale, "Biogenesis", which was viewed by 15.86 million viewers. However, the debut marked a decrease from the sixth season debut, "The Beginning", which garnered 20.34 million viewers. As the season continued, however, ratings began to drop. The season hit a low with the eighteenth episode, "Brand X", which was viewed by 10.81 million viewers. The season finale, "Requiem", earned a Nielsen rating of 8.9, with a 14 share, and was viewed by 15.26 million viewers, marking a 14 percent drop in viewers when compared to the season premiere, and a 4 percent drop in viewers when compared to the previous season finale. The series was ranked at number 29 during the 1999–2000 television season, finishing with an average of 14.2 million viewers. During 2000, companies were paying Fox $225,000 for every 30-second spot that would air between acts of The X-Files. Many Information technology (IT) companies were buying commercials during the show, largely due to the fact that "many ['coders IT geeks'] get their weekly fix of science fiction from this prime-time show." Reviews The seventh season received moderately positive reviews from critics, although increasingly critical reviews were more common this season. While critics enjoyed many of the episodes, many also felt that, as a whole, the season was the weakest of the show's original seven. Eric Mink of the New York Daily News praised the season, noting that it was "proof that The X-Files still has more than enough creative life in it to