Scully: Mulder… look, after all you’ve done, after all you’ve uncovered — a conspiracy of men doing human experiments, men who are all now dead — you exposed their secrets. I mean, you’ve won. What more could you possibly hope to do or to find?
Mulder: My sister.
Written by: Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Original Air Date: May 16th, 1999
Principal Setting: Ivory Coast, Africa
Episode Summary:
An artifact with strange engravings on it is found off of the coast of Africa. When a rubbing of these engravings is shown to Mulder, confusing noises happen inside his head. The agents look to uncover the origin of this mysterious artifact and to find out why it is having a singular effect on Mulder.
Personal Commentary:
This is the first season finale that I don’t like, mainly because it goes against all that I believe in creationism and how we got here. I don’t appreciate the anti-religious undertones and how the plot deals heavily with the fact aliens are the ones that somehow created humans and brought us to our existence. I also don’t like the lack of involvement of Mulder starting towards the end of this episode and into the next two eps of Season 7, due to this extraterrestrial artifact messing with his brain. It’s nice to have Scully discover more truths that lead her closer to believing in extraterrestrial life, but I just wish Mulder would have been more involved.
The defense to these complaints could be the fact it is a science fiction show, and the writers wanting Scully to go on this journey alone and open her eyes to what science may not be able to explain.
I also hate, hate Diana Fowley and her conniving, lying ways.
I grade this a little bit higher since it is a revealing season finale, I just think they are taking the whole alien plot a bit too far.
Episode Grade: C+
Favorite Scene:
Fun Facts:
- David Duchovny was anxious during filming due to the imminent birth of his first child, who was born two days after filming concluded.
- In the opening teaser, footage is used from the X-Files movie of the cavemen walking through a snowstorm.
Faces You May Recognize:
Same actors we have seen in all the mythological episodes.
201 Days of the X-Files Blog 
So, The Smoking Man is Mulder’s father? Or was that just part of the dream state Mulder was in?
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I don’t think he really is CSM’s son. I think it’s just another one of his lies. Although, CSM always keeps Mulder safe from harm and saves him every time, so he cares for him like a father. You would think Mulder’s father that was murdered would have given up CSM’s son and not his own daughter. He may have not known, but that’s hard to believe. It’s a fun topic to debate for sure.
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