49. THE BLESSING WAY
WRITER: CARTER
DIR.: GOODWIN
Mulder (rescued and nursed back to health by Navajo healers) has his near-death encounter with Dad, who urges him to return to
the living and complete his search for the truth. Back in D.C.,
Scully — convinced Mulder is alive — is suspended for helping
conceal the MJ files and discovers a computer chip implant in
the base of her neck. What could that mean? Historic moments: We
meet the Well-Manicured Man (John Neville) — part of the
mysterious New York-based consortium that seems to be pulling
all the strings. And Mulder discovers an old photo linking his
father with Cancer Man and Deep Throat, among others. Critique: The corny dream sequence and high-flown cosmic hooey in this
script keep it from earning an A. However, Skinner rocks big
time and provides a knockout finale. B+
50. PAPER CLIP
WRITER: CARTER
DIR.: BOWMAN
The title of the final third of this triptych refers to
Operation Paper Clip, a postwar alliance formed in the wake of
the Roswell discovery and seemingly bent on creating human-alien
hybrids. Mulder and Scully are reunited and meet former Nazi
scientist (and OPC member) Victor Klemper, who directs them to
an abandoned coal mine containing the medical records and tissue
samples of virtually everyone born after 1954. And Skinner, now
holding the MJ tape, takes on Cancer Man in the hopes of
reinstating Mulder and Scully. Historic moments: Scully's sister
is killed by Krycek; Scully seeks to uncover the meaning of the
implant; Mulder learns why his sister was taken instead of him. Critique: Outstanding episode, but it exacerbates a maddening
trend: Scully has literally ''made contact'' but will not or
cannot open her mouth about it. A-
51. D.P.O
WRITER: GORDON
DIR.: MANNERS
A videogame geek — Darin Peter Oswald — turns out to be a
lightning conduit. He uses his power to destroy his enemies,
barbecue the occasional cow, and impress his schoolteacher
crush. Creative casting: My Two Dads' Giovanni Ribisi as the
sardonic Oswald, everyone's suburban teen nightmare. Critique: Not much in the way of action, but this episode's excellent
photography and truly hilarious sociopathic high jinks keep you
glued. B+
52. CLYDE BRUCKMAN'S FINAL REPOSE
WRITER: DARIN MORGAN
DIR.: NUTTER
A serial killer is preying on the fortune-tellers of St. Paul,
Minn. When one of the bodies is discovered by insurance salesman
Clyde Bruckman, Mulder and Scully are introduced to a true, if
reluctant, prognosticator who tells them more than they want to
know. Creative casting: Peter Boyle, as the beleaguered
Bruckman, delivers the series' most hilarious performance. Critique: Boyle gets lots of help from another superlative,
laugh-a-minute script (for which Morgan won an Emmy). Nicely
captures one of the overarching themes of the show: fate and
man's isolation. A+
53. THE LIST
WRITER/DIR.: CARTER
An executed murderer makes an electric-chair vow of
reincarnation and revenge, promising five deaths as payment for
his. When a guard is found murdered, Mulder and Scully must
determine whether it's penal politics or transmigration of the
soul. Creative casting: Ever-evil J.T. Walsh (Dark Skies) as the
warden; Ken (Dawn of the Dead) Foree as a guard. Critique: Standard but well executed, if you will, and one of the show's
few unsolved mysteries, as it were. B+
