This article is about the X-Files episode. For the 2009 film, see Paper Heart (film). For other uses, see Paper Heart.
10th episode of the 4th season of The X-Files
"Paper Hearts"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 4 Episode 10
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
4X08
Original air date
December 15, 1996 (1996-12-15)
Running time
44 minutes
Guest appearances
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Vanessa Morley as Samantha Mulder
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Tom Noonan as John Lee Roche
Byrne Piven as Frank Sparks
Carly McKillip as Caitlin
Edward Diaz as El Camino Owner
Jane Perry as Care Operator
Paul Bittante as Local Cop
Episode chronology
← Previous "Terma"
Next → "El Mundo Gira"
The X-Files season 4
List of episodes
"Paper Hearts" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on December 15, 1996. It was written by Vince Gilligan, directed by Rob Bowman, and featured guest appearances by Tom Noonan, Rebecca Toolan and Vanessa Morley. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, although it is tangentially connected to the series' wider mythology. "Paper Hearts" was viewed by 16.59 million people in its initial broadcast, and received positive reviews, with critics praising Noonan's guest role.
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, and the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully find that a child killer (Tom Noonan) who Mulder had helped to apprehend several years earlier had claimed more victims than he had confessed to; the resulting investigation uncovers a possible link to the disappearance of Mulder's sister, Samantha.
Gilligan came up with the concept for "Paper Hearts" when thinking about the series' longest running storyline, the abduction of Samantha Mulder; he came up with a story questioning whether Samantha had not been abducted by aliens, but was rather murdered by a child killer instead. "Paper Hearts" was written specifically with Tom Noonan in mind for the role of Roche, and was amongst the first television work the actor had done.
"PaperHearts" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network...
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Revis published a series of books on writing and publishing, called the PaperHearts series. The series began as a collection of informational essays and...
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and Mai in Next Gen (2018). Yi's screenwriting debut, the feature film PaperHeart, won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival...
television series, including The X-Files (in the much-praised 1996 episode "PaperHearts" that was written specifically for him), Law & Order: Criminal Intent...
The material was released as a double album in 2023 titled Paper Airplanes, PaperHearts, named after the song from their self-titled EP. The band also...
the Paper Mario series and the first Mario game on the Wii. The game follows Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi as they attempt to collect Pure Hearts and...
a heart-shaped piece of cloth from each girl's clothing. Through a dream, Mulder finds another girl, and the discovery of the missing "paperhearts" reveals...
grand final was won by Dylan Wright who released his winner's single, "PaperHeart", on 25th March 2024. In July 2023, it was officially revealed that the...
sequel. Johnson has also starred in Let's Be Cops (2014), and appeared in PaperHeart (2009), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), 21 Jump Street (2012), Jurassic...
Instinct (1992) as Catherine Merrims Trauma (1993) as Grace Harrington PaperHearts (1993) as Patsy Deadly Exposure (1993) as Rita Sullivan Hunt for the...
sequel to 2009's Hearts of Iron III and the fourth main installment in the Hearts of Iron series. Like previous games in the series, Hearts of Iron IV is...
collecting the eight Pure Hearts with the help of Peach, Luigi, Bowser, and a new ally named Tippi. Unlike the previous games, Super Paper Mario features gameplay...
Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, My PaperHeart, was released on July 22, 2008. Her first single, "I'm Letting Go", was...
brand. Since 1994, Chrome Hearts has been co-owned by Richard Stark and his wife Laurie Lynn Stark. In 1996, the first Chrome Hearts boutique opened at 159...
album by Moving Units, their third release. Rough demos of the tracks "PaperHearts", "Dark Walls", and "Pick Up the Phone" were available on the band's...
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