SEASON 1

SEASON 2

SEASON 3

SEASON 4

SEASON 5

FIGHT THE FUTURE

SEASON 6

SEASON 7

SEASON 8

SEASON 9

< PREVIOUS

Krycek then asks about Scully, and the CSM is vague when he answers that They've taken care of it. Of course, being the fresh-faced double-agent that he is, Krycek would like to know how. But the CSM smacks him down, saying that They tell him only what he needs to know. Ooh, and then Krycek gets uppity again, *telling* the CSM that he thinks he has a right to know what They've planned for Scully. But it seems Krycek has no rights, only orders to be carried out! Hee, Krycek kind of opens and closes his mouth like a fish at that comment from the CSM. It's like all of a sudden he's realized that he's bitten off more than he can chew. Then Krycek looks pissed off when the CSM tells him that if Krycek has a problem with it, They can make other arrangements. Then he closes his eyes as the CSM leaves the car. Nick just licked his bottom lip too, so it's all shiny and kissable in this scene. Just thought you'd like to know.

Back in Skinner's office at 10:36 a.m., the Skin-Man is looking at a photo of Duane Barry, and says that apparently the man died from "prolonged hypoxemia secondary to asphyxiation." Skinner says that the cause is most likely strangulation, and as he passes the photo around to the other FBI officials, asks Mulder if he wants to share. Mulder says that he didn't kill him. But Skinner and the other officials know that Mulder was a bad boy, and Mulder admits that he lost control and pushed Duane, but he then left the room. Mulder is looking rough here, and he is still wearing the same clothes from the night before. I bet he smells really stanky. Mulder says that when he left the room Duane was still alive, and that Alex spoke to him. But Skinner says that Krycek entered the room because Duane was gagging. But Mulder didn't kill Duane; Krycek is also corroborating Mulder's story.

But there's still a dead suspect, so Krycek and Mulder are to report to OPC (the Office of Professional Conduct) to take a lie detector test. As Mulder gets up to leave, he posits that there is another possible cause of death: poisoning by injection or ingestion. He thinks the military covered up Duane's tox screen report because they know where Scully is. All the FBI officials are looking at Mulder like he's crazy again. They must go through that a lot, huh? Then one of the officials asks, "Why are you so paranoid, Mulder? " And Mulder answers, "oh, I don't know, maybe because I find it hard to trust anybody." Hee, I used that as my answering machine message after this first aired while I was at college, and my mom would call up and say, "Who the hell was that guy on your answering machine?" LOL.

Slashiness alert! Mulder comes out of Skinner's office and sees Krycek, and calls out to him, "Alex. Alex, can I borrow your car keys?" This marks the one and only time Mulder calls Krycek "Alex," until Krycek's final death scene in "Existence." Of course, in this scene we also get that cute little shoulder touch as Mulder kinda slides his hand down Krycek's arm. Now, we can't read too much into it because Mulder has a habit of touching everyone like that. Mulder tells Krycek that there's someone he needs to see, but Krycek balks, saying that they're scheduled at OPC. Mulder uses the charm, and Krycek turns over the keys. Wouldn't you if Mulder slid his hand over your shoulder like that? Hell, I'd offer to drive him via rickshaw if he wanted. After Krycek gives up the keys he looks decidedly apprehensive about something.

By 11:45 a.m. Mulder has entered the office building of Senator Richard Matheson, who you'll remember as Mulder's "patron" from the second-season opener episode "Little Green Men." But looky here, Mr. X stops Mulder on the stairwell to tell him he wasted a trip, since the senator can't help. There's something brewing, X tells Mulder, and the senator can't get involved. This scene is shot so that you can't see X's face at all; it's completely in shadow. All you can see of Mulder is his chin and right ear. Seriously. It's freakin' dark. Anyway, Mulder whines that Deep Throat could have helped him, and then walks into the light to tell X that he thinks X knows what happened to Scully. But X is all slippery, and is playing cat and mouse with Mulder, asking why they killed Duane if there was nothing to hide. He tells Mulder he has no answers for him, and that They only have one policy: Deny Everything.

Mulder leaves the office building and gets into Krycek's car. He [sighs], looking all lonely and forlorn because he's missing Scully so much and not realizing that now is the perfect time to be seeing Krycek on the side without Scully knowing. Instead, he notices the ashtray is slightly open, and finds the CSM's cigarettes: Morleys. Dun dun dunnnnnn! And for you non-smokers out there like me, did you ever have to pick up a cigarette butt? Gah, it's nasty...it leaves residue on your fingers so that you can't wash the smell away! Blargh. Mulder slams the ashtray shut. Ooh, he's pissed off that the guy that would have made a great lover betrayed him! Or maybe he's just pissed to find out the guy he's been working with betrayed him. Either one.

Back in Skinner's office at 8:11 a.m. Okay, now either time has shifted its universal invariant, or we've skipped ahead a day. But Mulder's still wearing the same suit, and he looks even scruffier, so let's assume it's now August 11. This actually brings up something that may be interesting to all you writers out there: what was Mulder doing from the time he found the cigarette butts until the time he goes to Skinner's office with his report about how he thinks Krycek is in on the conspiracy? Certainly it didn't take Mulder all that time to type up the report. Was he looking for Krycek to prove that he was right in suspecting him? Did he find Krycek? Hmm.