Director: R. W. Goodwin
When two anthropologists, Arlinsky and Babcock find an alien preserved in ice at the summit of a mountain in Canada, they ask for Mulder and Scully's help in verifying the alien's remains. As Mulder goes with Arlinksy to collect the alien, Scully examines the ice core taken from the same location. Shortly thereafter Scully is assaulted and thrown down a flight of stairs. Finger prints from the stairwell are matched to a Pentagon researcher Michael Kritschgau, who Scully identifies as the person who attacked her.
She confronts him in an underground garage and arrests him, but Kritschgau warns Scully that if he goes to jail, the same people who gave her cancer will kill him. Mulder and Arlinsky take the alien body to a warehouse to perform an autopsy, Scully contacts Mulder there and arranges for him to meet Kritschgau. He tells Mulder that the alien is a fake, that he was only meant to see the body to believe the lie. That it is all an elaborate hoax by the government to divert attention away from itself.
Mulder accused Kritschgau of lying. But Scully explains to Mulder, that the people behind the hoax, gave her cancer to make him believe their lies. This realization stuns Mulder....Later Scully is called to Mulder's apartment, where she identifies a body. The next day Scully appears in front of a group of FBI officials lead by Section Chief Blevins, she informs them that Mulder was found dead in his apartment, the apparent victim of a self inflicted gun shot wound to the head.
Notes:
'Gethsemane' is the place where Jesus was betrayed by Judas - probably a reference to Scully's (apparent) betrayal of Mulder.
The finale's tagline is changed to 'Believe The Lie', which is what Kritschgau was trying to get Mulder to do. Mulder repeats the line in 'Redux'.
The first cut of this episode ran 12 minutes too long. A lot of scenes in the mountains were cut.
The flashbacks during Scully's testimony are to "Pilot" and "Paperclip''.
Charles Cioffi, playing Sector Chief Blevins, returns the to ''The X-Files''. He first appeared in the pilot episode.
Michael Kritschgau is named for a former drama teacher of Gillian Anderson's.
This episode marks the first on-screen appearance of Scully's brother, Bill Jr. after his scene in ''Memento Mori'' were cut.
Quotes:
Scully: Four years ago, Section Chief Blevins assigned me to a project you all know as the X Files. As I am a medical doctor with a background in hard science, my job was to provide an analytical prospective on the work of Special Agent Fox Mulder, who's investigations into the paranormal were fueled by a personal belief that his sister had been abducted by aliens when he was 12. I come here today, four years later, to report on the illegitimacy of Agent Mulder's work. That it is my scientific opinion that he became over the course of these years a victim. A victim of his own false hopes and of his belief in the biggest of lies.
Scully: Mulder, the only lie here is the one you continue to believe.
Mulder: After all I've seen and experienced, I refuse to believe that it's not true!
Scully: Because it's easier to believe the lie. Isn't it?
Mulder: (hurt) What the hell did that guy say to you, that you believe his story!?
Scully: He said that the men behind this hoax... behind these lies... gave me this disease to make you believe.
(Mulder turns and walks away)
Mulder: You think it's foolish?
Scully: I have no opinion, actually.
Mulder: You have no opinion?
Scully: This is your holy grail, Mulder, not mine.
Mulder: What's that supposed to mean?
Scully: It just means that proving to the world the existence of alien life is not my last dying wish.
Mulder: How about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?
Episode Number: 97
Season Number: 4
First Aired: Sunday, May 18, 1997
Production Code: 4X24
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