"Listen" is one of the most similar episodes to "The X-Files" in plot, cinematography, and overall tone that "So Weird" has done to date… and it works well. This fifth episode of season two opens in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Molly Phillips Band is joining several other groups to sing at Harvest Aid, a benefit for local farmers. A visit to Harron’s Bakery is all it takes for Fiona to begin suspecting that there is something strange going on in this small town. The bakery owner’s son, Greg, seems to know things without being told – what Clu and Carey want to eat, who Fi and Jack’s mother is. Unlike Jack, however, Fiona’s immediate impression is not that Greg is good at deduction. She thinks that he may have ESP.

Meanwhile there is a sideplot involving Molly’s last minute search for a new guitarist. Seems her old guitarist got a great deal in Nashville and couldn’t make it out to Kansas for the gig. Molly wonders if Carey would like to fill in. She has every confidence in his abilities. Irene, blissfully ignorant of the fact that her eldest has dropped out of college, firmly vetoes the idea. She believes Carey would be much better off with a business degree and a real job than a head full of dreams. It appears that Irene may be the only one unaware of Carey’s plans to the contrary.

Fiona’s belief in her ESP theory is strengthened when the kids run into Greg again. Jack’s attempts to volunteer his help with Greg’s chores are harshly rebuffed. Greg makes no secret of the fact that he believes that Molly is involved in the benefit to gain publicity for her own career and that he doesn’t want any kind of charity. He also hints that he knows more about the Phillips family situation than he should. His angry remarks to Jack imply that he knows that Jack and Fi lack a father and how Jack feels about having to be the "man of the family". As the Phillips and Bells leave this confrontation Fiona pauses to look back and "hears" Greg’s mental voice. "Stay out of this," he warns.

At this point Fiona begins her rounds of trying to convince someone of her suspicions. Molly is much more interested in Fi’s failure to study for an upcoming math test than her theory-of-the-week. Candy, Fi’s friend from home, supplies her with a new angle via email. Hutchinson, Candy discovers, has been known to sport a crop circle or two. Fiona eagerly latches onto the alien aspect of this new information and expands her theory to include "infected wheat". This line of reasoning leads her back to the bakery with a skeptical but willing Clu in tow. Mrs. Harron quickly becomes uncomfortable with Fi’s loaded questions and gives them the brush-off.

Back at Harvest Aid "SheDaisy" begins their set. Molly has arranged to borrow a guitarist from them later but is still uncomfortable with the idea of having to rely on "outsiders". She agrees with Fiona’s opinion that Carey is good enough to do the show. The only problem is that Fi hasn’t said anything aloud. Fiona stares at her mother in astonishment. Molly is oblivious to her own apparent telepathy and tries asking Irene to reconsider letting Carey play for her. Irene is still against the idea… and abruptly realizes that her son has dropped out of college. Fiona obviously believes that Irene read Molly’s mind, but Molly irritably assures her that Irene had simply guessed. Fi is concerned that the infected wheat seems to be affecting all of them.

Carey is thrilled that he’s finally getting a chance to perform. Clu seems just as excited for him. Fi, however, still has loose ends in her theory that she wants to track down and Jack reluctantly joins her expedition. He undoubtedly hopes that his presence will be enough to keep her out of too much trouble, but he has no such luck. Fiona intends to trespass on the Harron’s farm with the Potter Stewart line of reasoning in mind – I don’t know what it is, but "I’ll know it when I see it". What she sees is a crop circle.

This section of the story contains the most "X-File-esque" imagery of the entire show. The setting, the camera angles, the characters – all of these elements combine to create a scene that would be right at home in an "X-Files" episode. As Jack tries to rationalize how the circle came to be, Fiona suddenly tells him that Greg knows they’re there. Their race through the wheat field is slightly reminiscent of a scene from "Fight the Future". When they are finally cornered on the farm Jack moves into his traditional protective stance between Fiona and trouble. He refuses to let Greg bully Fi. As the two boys argue Mrs. Harron appears.

Mrs. Harron is strangely unaware of the crop circle wheat’s more unusual side effects, although she does seem to know where the wheat comes from. The Harron’s carry on a conversation while all but ignoring the Phillips children. It is implied that Mrs. Harron is worried about alien abduction. She then reassures Fiona that the "infected" field will be allowed to lie fallow because of proceeds from the benefit. She also expresses a hope that then "maybe those… things will stop coming".

Fiona and Jack head back to Harvest Aid for the last bit of their mother’s set. As they make their way through the maze of tents and speakers and amplifiers Jack reveals that Fiona isn’t the only one in the family capable of doing research. He presents her with an article he has found on crop circle hoaxes and a fervent wish that the Harron’s are able to take a nice, long vacation. He thinks they’re both a bit screwy. Fiona prefers to hang on to her own theories.

They get to the main stage just as Molly is finishing "New Math". Carey has a prominent guitar solo in this song and seems relieved to see his own mother arrive just before he begins it. Irene appears to be slowly accepting the fact that he isn’t going to do things quite the way that she had hoped. As the song ends an odd sonic boom-like sound rolls across the venue. All heads turn skyward and a rumble that might be interpreted as "Listen" is heard.

"The wheat…" Fiona gasps in awe, "…the ESP… They’re trying to get us ready."

"Who is?" Jack asks blankly. "Ready to do what?"

"To listen."

Although Jack claims to have heard nothing but an airplane his expression is just uneasy enough to indicate that he did hear "something" that he can’t quite identify.

As in nearly every other episode loose ends fail to be tied up, most of the evidence is subject to interpretation, and proof is nowhere to be found. Sounds more and more like an "X-File" all the time.

Notes:
Apparently the people who write the scripts and the people who create the credits don’t communicate often. As in "Nightmare", characters’ names don’t quite match up. Although the bakery, the farm, and even Greg and his mother are referred to as "Harron’s" in the episode, they are listed as Greg and Mary "Hollander" in the credits.

SheDaisy: Kristyn, Kelsi, and Kassidy Osborn