Doggett is attacked by a man in the X-Files office, and on capturing him it is revealed that he is badly deformed. When the man claims he has information from Mulder for Scully, Scully must decide whether he can be trusted and work out just who he is.

I'm not sure whether or not I like this episode. On the one hand it's a strong mystery story, as all the way through you're trying to work out just who this man is. Clearly he can't be Mulder as he's not played by David Duchovny, but you're never quite sure until the last act plays out. Casting a frequent guest star on the show in one of his former roles is a smart move, as the make-up hides him and his previous appearances as different characters mean that he could just be someone random this time.

It's the ending that I feel doesn't work. The revelation of who this person is is fine, although I debate the desperate act of bringing back someone who'd had one of the show's more conclusive deaths. It's not made totally clear exactly how he survived, what happened to him and whether the person who shot him was trying to kill him or not, and the revelation of his identity is too late in the day to pick up all the plot points and tie them together neatly. Still, high marks to writers Carter, Spotnitz and Duchovny for finally putting to an end one mystery and telling us once and for all who Mulder's father is after endless speculation, even if it does provide a Star Wars ending.

The other element is poor William himself. By the end of the story he's been given what seems to be some kind of impressive cure-all that turns him back into a normal, healthy bouncing baby boy again. After all we've been through this season, with super-soldiers and suchlike after him all the time, this seems to be an almighty cop-out. For Scully to then give her child up for foster care seems even more out of character. She may not be able to protect her son forever, but if the super-soldiers are really determined to get William, they're not going to be put off by a middle-aged couple looking after the kid. It also makes Scully look weaker than she's ever looked before, a stark contrast to her earlier determination and a real backward step, which doesn't suit her.

***

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