SEASON 1

SEASON 2

SEASON 3

SEASON 4

SEASON 5

FIGHT THE FUTURE

SEASON 6

SEASON 7

SEASON 8

SEASON 9

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Modell tries to stop him, but Mulder tells Scully where he is, and then puts the radio away and yells at him to shut up when he starts in on the whole “I have to tell you something” spiel again. But though Mulder continues to state loudly that he will shoot Modell, he isn't actually doing anything other than holding out his gun, and Modell keeps telling him to listen. Trembling with effort, he finally makes Mulder listen.

Scully and a bunch of other agents run toward the building. Mulder is leaving, looking disorientated. And when Scully asks where Modell is, we can all mouth along with him, “He had to go.” Scully sighs. Fade to black.

Next scene is Scully on her cell phone, saying it was just 10 minutes ago and he can't have gotten far. She continues that Agent Mulder is fine. I have shrewdly deduced that it's probably Skinner on the other end, but I could be wrong. She hangs up and walks over to Mulder, who is leaning against a car and brooding. She asks how he's feeling.

“Well, aside from the utter grinding humiliation that comes from knowing I let our suspect go, pretty good,” Mulder says bitterly. Scully tries to tell him it could have happened to anyone, but that just makes him think of something. “No, actually, it couldn't have. I didn't find Modell. He sought me out. He wanted me to hear his message,” he says. And that message was not to play the game. Seriously? Why in the world couldn't he have said that waaaaay back at the beginning, on the phone, instead of just going on and on and on about how he wanted Mulder to hear it?

Scully assumes he meant Modell's game, but Mulder doesn't think so. He doesn't even really think Modell's playing a game. This alarms Scully, who reminds him that he said himself at the prison that Modell was going to pick up where he left off. But Mulder counters with asking why he didn't kill the cops or the prison guard – or Mulder, while he was at it.

Scully argues that he killed Nathan Bowman, but Mulder won't agree with that, either. He says Modell was there, but that doesn't prove he did it. Now Scully's really worried: “Mulder, this man's affected you. He's influenced your thinking.”

Mulder, annoyed, says it's not like that. Scully wants to know, then, why he's trying to say it isn't Pusher after seeing a man made to drink cerulean blue paint, and the word “kitsunegari” (which she helpfully translates for us again). Mulder says that Modell is involved, related to it all, but not the way Scully thinks.

Scully: That's your opinion?

Mulder: Yeah, that's my opinion.

Scully: How can you be sure it's your own?

Mulder: What do we still agree on here? That Modell was pursuing Linda Bowman? I'd like to know why.

At the safe house, Linda Bowman is shakily explaining to Mulder and Scully that she doesn't think she can tell them much more than she already has. Mulder politely says they appreciate her help. She says she does know that Nathan was proud of having prosecuted the case, because Modell was very clever and dangerous and a menace to society. She goes on to ask, rather pointedly, if Mulder was the one Nathan mentioned who shot Modell. Mulder quietly says yes. She says that Nathan said it was too bad the shot didn't kill him and save the taxpayers the cost of a trial.

Scully, perhaps watching Mulder more closely than Mrs. Bowman during this whole scene, remarks that her husband seems to have talked about it a lot with Linda. She says yes, because he was proud of it, and adds, “I guess he felt that, that it was his brush with greatness.” At this, Mulder looks up and stares at her.

Scully suggests that maybe Mr. Bowman mentioned her to Modell (what, like they had regular chats together?), but Mrs. Bowman doubts it because they'd only been married two months. Mulder asks how long they knew each other. She laughs a little and says it was two months and two days, but why wait when it's true love?

She goes on, “It's not like Nathan was impulsive or flighty. I don't want to paint him as that.” Mulder seems to understand, and suggests, “He was true blue.” I remember thinking, “Man, Mulder, that's really insensitive of you,” but Linda Bowman just nods. Mulder thanks her and gets up to leave, Scully following and looking confused. Poor Scully. How often is she in that position?

Outside, Mulder states, “She killed Nathan Bowman.” Scully doesn't believe him (no way!), but Mulder goes on as Skinner comes up, too, that Modell was there but it was for some other reason, because Linda Bowman definitely killed her husband. Skinner starts to object. Mulder: “Wait a minute, just hear me out. Her husband's brush with greatness, she doesn't want to paint him as being impulsive. Who the hell talks like that?” I hate to break it to you, Mulder, but you're on The X-Files. Don't you remember some of these voice-overs? Heck, you've done so many, yourself, already! People who live in glass houses shouldn't complain about unnatural-sounding speech!