After five dark, cold, and rain-filled seasons filming in Vancouver, the x-files wrapped up production and moved to warm and sunny L.A. It was a great five years, and the dark and wet atmosphere really helped set the tone for the series. For the opening teaser, the show used a large arena and advertised for all the locals to come fill up the arena as extras for the chess tournament. Those aren't CGI people. They're all real. It was the x-files way of thanking the people of Vancouver for five wonderful years. It's hard to believe that that many people would watch one chess match, but it's still a cool visual. The season goes out with a bang in 'The End', a fitting finale for Vancouver. It's cool to see the syndicate out of their usual office. I believe this is the first time you see all of them together in a different setting. It's interesting how the cartoon Gibson is watching mirrors the episode. The emotional tension in this episode is heightened, especially between Mulder and Scully. This is caused by the addition of Diana Fowley, excellently played by Mimi Rogers. The character of Diana Fowley adds a certain amount of dramatic tension to the show, when she apparently horns in on Scully's territory. The scene of Scully seeing Mulder with Fowley and then returning to her car to call him is very poignant. The Cigarette Smoking Man's vocabulary is replete with chess terms in his conversations with others. And the final scene of Mulder's office is very powerful. The whole episode is layered with meaning. 'The End' means so many different things in this episode; an excellent title for the episode. It's a very fitting end to the Vancouver years of the X-Files.