Season 7: Rush (7X06)

Written by: David Amann
Directed by: Robert Lieberman

Three teenagers meet in the woods late at night in Pittsfield, Virginia but are interrupted by a Sheriff's deputy. Moments later the deputy lies dead, killed with his own flashlight. Mulder and Scully examine the deputy's body, the blow that killed him was so ferocious that his glasses were pushed through the back of his scull. They question the suspect, teenager Tony Reed whose fingerprints were found on the flash light, but he denies any part in the murder.

Mulder and Scully agree that Tony is innocent, although Mulder's theory of spirit involvement is not shared by Scully who prefers a more down to earth course of investigation, suggesting they question Tony's friends. Mulder and Scully visit Tony's school and speak with the two teenagers with Tony in the woods, the Sheriff's son Max Harden and his girlfriend Chastity.

Chastity shows concerned about Tony when Mulder and Scully tell her he may go to jail. However Tony is later released when the murder weapon mysteriously goes missing from the evidence room. Mulder and Scully review video footage of the evidence room that shows the flashlight simply disappears. A blur on the video footage attracts Mulders attention, later analysis by expert Chuck Burks reveals the blurred object is solid and matches the local high school colours.

When one of the teachers at the high school is later attacked by an unseen force in front of many witnesses, Mulder suspects Max posses some kind of paranormal ability and is using it to kill.

Notes:
Max tells Scully she must have been a "Betty" back in the day, which is slang for a hot chick.

Max: Yeah, too much teen spirit.
Mulder: You think? Smells like murder to me.
The above quote is a referance to the popular song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," by Nirvana.

Quotes:
Scully: Mulder, tell me you've got more than SAT scores to show that this Tony Reed didn't commit this crime.
Mulder: Maybe. Take a look at the body. The former Deputy Ronald Foster. As you can see, the report doesn't quite do it justice.
Scully: Oh, my God, it looks like he was hit with a sledgehammer.
Mulder: Police flashlight. One blow. The damage to the maxillofacial bones and the cranium is consistent with a blunt-force trauma, but... I'd say that, uh, Tony eats his Wheaties.
Mulder: Check out the back of his head.
Scully: Ugh. His eyeglasses.
Mulder: Penetrated to the back of his skull. Babe Ruth couldn't hit this hard, let alone a high school sophomore.
Scully: Well, maybe if he was under the influence of PCP or some kind of stimulant.
Mulder: No, his tox screen came back negative.
Scully: Well, even so, I mean, stress and fear may have triggered an adrenaline response which is known to enable feats of near-superhuman strength.

Mulder: C'mon, you were cruisin', right? I mean, a small town like this. You're not exactly Livin' La Vida Loca. I know, I grew up in... Dullsville too. You know, nothing to do but drive and park.

Tony: How long ago was that?

Highlights from ''Rush''

Episode Number: 144
Season Number: 7
First Aired: Sunday, December 5, 1999
Production Code: 7ABX06