‘X-Files’ Introduced One of TV’s Most Iconic Monsters

It has been three decades since The X-Files premiered, blending serialized science fiction with chilling case-of-the-week horror. While aliens and government conspiracies came to define the series, Season 1, Episode 3 — “Squeeze” — showed the show’s broader potential.

“Squeeze” introduced Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison), a mutant able to contort his body to slip through vents and chimneys, stalk victims and remove their livers. The episode also marked the debut of writers Glen Morgan and James Wong, who would help shape the series’ signature tone.

By that point the series had only shown two episodes centered on alien abduction, and creator Chris Carter recognized it could not rely solely on extraterrestrials. “Squeeze” established the standalone “monster of the week” format, leaned more into horror than sci‑fi, helped define the Mulder–Scully dynamic and begins with the baffling murder of a Baltimore businessman whose liver was removed despite no sign of forced entry.

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