"Season Six & Beyond" by Zeke Ramone
an interview with Kristi - April 5, 2004
(spoilers: 6x15 "El Rehén", 6x16 "The Burden of Intuition", 6x23 "advocatus diaboli")

It's been three weeks now since the season six finale, "advocatus diaboli", and I've had a chance to sit down and have a chat with Kristi as she enjoys her small hiatus break.

Zeke Ramone: "El Rehén" was a different episode for FRVS. Why such a change from the silliness that FRVS is "famous" for?

Kristi: Cassie and I had discussed how we wanted the second half of season 6 to become a little darker, as a way of preparing our readers for something big happening. "El Rehén" and "The Burden of Intution" helped us break away from the silliness that readers are use to reading. We've really been doing that through out the whole season, but "El Rehén" and "Burden" hit it really well, especially after the winter break. A serious tone is something Cassie and I have been working with for our series.

ZR: So FRVS is turning toward the more serious. What does that mean for season 7? Will we be seeing more casefiles or will the alien conspiracy/threat of colonization be dealt with as a serious threat?

K: Season 7 is going to bring some interesting changes to FRVS, and hope people will like what we are doing. I can tell you that season 7 will have a lot more casefiles and character development. "The Burden of Intuition" was a little teaser of what's to come, in a way. As for alien conspiracy and the threat of colonization... only time will tell. *wink*

ZR: "The Burden of Intuition" gave us a nice mix of the classic FRVS silliness along with a seroius casefile. Most readers of FRVS are used to the characters working x-file cases (unexplained cases, paranormal cases), however in "Burden", it's a real case - no paranormal aspect whatsoever. Why exactly did you decided to break them away from x-files?

K: I decided to do that as a way to show that our series can deal with real issues. It was also a way to bring in some new characters, and a slight background to Brad's history in New York. I used characters from "Without A Trace". In "Burden", I used one character named Martin Fitzgerald, who I could see being a friend of Brad's.

ZR: Why bring in characters from "Without A Trace"? How will you and other writers progress FRVS if you are also dealing with "Without A Trace"?

K: These characters are very minor and have only shown up in two episodes so far. Along with Martin, we meet Danny Taylor and Jack Malone in "advocatus diaboli". We'll be seeing Martin again in season 7. With events that happen, he helps Brad out a bit.

ZR: So, more Brad Follmer in season 7? Are you aware that a lot of general X-Files fans don't necessarily like this character?

K: Yes, Brad is a key character in the puzzle of season 7. I'm very aware that general X-Files fans don't care much for him. I've been flamed for being a Follmer fan.

ZR: Do you ever worry that readers may not enjoy episodes that put a lot of emphasis on the least-liked characters from "The X-Files", such as: Alvin Kersh, Brad Follmer -to name a couple.

K: Yes I do, and I know I shouldn't. We have great readers. I get the sense that they like Brad Follmer. I don't know if that's true or not, but we haven't been flamed. I was worried that a lot of people wouldn't like "The Brotherhood" because if focused on Kersh and Follmer, but no flames were thrown.

ZR: As you are aware, the majority of X-Files fans tend to be more supportive of the popular relationship pairings (Mulder/Scully, Doggett/Reyes). Knowing this, what inspired you and Cassie to write in more unconventional pairings?

K: You mean Doggett/Scully and Follmer/Reyes? Well, Cassie and I support those pairings. It's what I like to write. I don't see the point of writing Mulder/Scully or Doggett/Reyes just to get people to read. I like to think that people will read our series for the stories and not because we pair certain people together. I also get the feeling that we've lost some of our Krycek/Marita supporters because we keep adding issues to their relationship, which is sad because Cassie and I do plan on getting those two worked out. It's just a matter of time.

ZR: So what's up with having Doggett finally getting the nerve to ask Scully out and only to be ruined by Monica dragging her away and putting Doggett in a car wreck? Hasn't it been hard enough for these two to hook up? Why make it so difficult?

K: It's a little thing called "Reyes Revenge". LOL Doggett has had a hard time getting the nerve to ask Scully out, which I find rather cute. I know we have a lot of readers out there who have been waiting for Doggett to ask Scully out. We're making it so difficult because it's better to walk down the road and enjoy the ride than getting it handed to you on a silver platter. We've got stories to tell, and it's all a process. A process I enjoy very much.

ZR: Ok, let's recap. By the end of season 6, Brad has become a Super Buddy memeber, Monica is pregnant, Doggett and Scully are pretty much an official couple, and Krycek is trying to kill Doggett and Monica. That's a lot to have going into season 7. Is there anything you can tell us right now about season 7 in general?

K: Hmmm... without giving too much away, season 7 is going to be more serious. There are a lot of things we're doing, a lot of character development. Development with Doggett, Scully, Brad, Monica, everyone. Season 7 is just another hurdle.

ZR: Character development? Does this mean Monica is going to give birth to aliens of some sort by the end of season 7? Or is her child going to be more human than human? LOL Is her pregnancy going to be a major arc in season 7?

K: Her pregnancy isn't going to be a major plot arc in season 7, but it will add to her character. *smiles*

ZR: Lots of character development for everyone. Is it true that there have been discussions about season 8?

K: Season 8 has been discussed and I'm very excited about it as well. We've also planned into season 9 a bit.

ZR: Wow, planning ahead much? Have discussions of the FRVS series finale been brought up?

K: Yes. A lot of ideas have been spouted out about our series finale. Nothing official yet though.

ZR: How many season do you think FRVS will do? What changes to the characters are you anticipating in future seasons?

K: Cassie and I have "mapped" it out for about 10 or 11 seasons. Nothing is official though. I anticipate a lot of character changes in the future, however I don't want to give too much away.

ZR: Enough about the future of the series. What do you think you bring to the series that other writers do not?

K: That's a hard one to answer. I think all of the writers that we have had (past and present) have brought something to our series. I like to bring my feelings and experience into the series. I've also recently been named the Technical Consultant for FRVS. I'm really the only writer who has written casefiles, so I think I bring a little realism to my stories. Not all the time, but when I have to. It's really hard to pin point what I've brought to FRVS.

ZR: Looking back on the series so far (123 episodes), are there any episodes that stick out as the best of the best, or that you hold close to your heart?

K: "Bad Boys" from season one because it's based on a true experience that Cassie and I went through. It's just one of my favorites to re-read because I laugh every time. Yes, I'm a dork. I laugh at my own writing. LOL "El Rehén" is also one I hold really close to my heart. It took me over a year to write, and started when I was really stressed out while visiting family during Thanksgiving. "Lucky Charms vs. Cheerios" is another one close to my heart because it's the first FRVS episode ever written. "The Laundromat" is another favorite because it wrote itself and it's just a lot of fun. I'm also very proud of my writing in "advocatus diaboli", and I hope I'm not alone in thinking that's a really great episode.

ZR: If you were a FRVS character, which one are you most similar to?

K: I tend to have a lot of Monica "moments". Cassie and I will be having an argument and I'll just start to cleans her aura because she's too negative for me. LOL I think I have a part of all the characters in me because I can write them all. As a writer, you become your characters... or your characters become you, I don't know. I've got them all in me.

ZR: Thank you Kristi for taking the time to answer a few questions.

K: You're welcome.

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