A priest releases serial killer Donnie Pfaster from prison for reasons of his own, and Mulder and Scully try to track Donnie down before he can kill again.
Five seasons ago, X-Philes had the chance to enjoy Irresistible, a story in which a man who collects hair and fingernails from dead people switches to murder to get his fix and abducts Scully to be his next victim. This sequel puts Gillian Anderson through her emotional paces once again as Scully starts off worried by Pfaster's release, and then is forced to confront the object of her fears.
Nick Chinlund perfectly recreates his role as Donnie five years on, providing a wonderful creepiness that keeps him up there among the best of the X-Files criminals. After five years of wondering, we also discover whether what Scully saw was her imagination or an actual demon during her last confrontation with Donnie. This time, she's also much more ready for him, leading to a vicious and well-choreographed fight sequence between Scully and Pfaster.
What works especially well though is the layering added to give the episode a new twist this time out. The priest, Orison, who lets Donnie out wants him to pay for his crimes, and the concept of God speaking through someone or directing their actions is a powerful one and gives Scully a stronger emotional link to events through her Christian faith.
There have been several episodes centering around religious events for Scully, and this is another strong one. Not all the elements are fully explained by the end of the episode, particularly the song Don't Look Any Further turning up frequently, but this makes it something of a better episode, harking back to the early days of The X-Files when stories would leave some events and significances open to interpretation, allowing fans to discuss them for ages. Somehow, after mythology stories getting less conclusive, a slightly cloudy standalone is much easier to take.
****
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