An Evil Thought, by The X-Files, Part 1: The Truth “There’s nothing more frightening than an X-File that isn’t explained…” –Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy By the end of Season 6’s “Humbug” we knew that Scully was not the only one who had seen the strange little man. It was only a matter of time before the shadowy figure would return. That, naturally, was a promise fulfilled in the first part of Season 7. In “Tithonus” an amnesiac Mulder is taken to an alien world by an enigmatic “John” who has an interesting explanation for his loss of memory. In “Babylon” it’s the beginning of the end for Fox Mulder. In “Monday” another alien pops up and we get a rather interesting bit of backstory about one of The X-Files’ first weird men. In “Alone” (that’s right, “Alone”) we learn the identity of the little man. And, in “One Breath” a bizarre alien returns and Scully is the one in danger. That’s right, my friends, welcome to a week-long excursion into the weird and bizarre, where the paranormal and the alien collide. The real threat is… “MULDER?” “Tithonus” – “The Story of Your Life” (Season 2, Episode 1) Episode Summary: Agent Mulder tries to prove his own innocence after an encounter with an alien entity causes him to suffer memory loss. A.K.A. – The story of your life When last we saw the Agents Mulder and Scully (well, Scully), it was the end of Season 5, one week before Mulder was abducted. As the credits rolled we learned that Scully, a Catholic, had recently given birth to a child. I’ve never been the biggest advocate for a story in which Mulder just never shows up again in an act of faithfulness. So, Mulder had to have faked his abduction. That’s not the interesting part of this episode. The interesting part is the conclusion to the “My Struggle” arc, the ongoing battle between the agents over the existence of aliens. After we see Mulder disappear again, the agents fight again about their faith. Mulder believes that Scully was abducted and believes that aliens are among us, so he’s a true believer. Scully does not believe that aliens exist, so she is a faithful non-believer. The issue here is one of belief versus faith. These words are often used interchangeably, but while belief is based in reason, faith is based in faith. Now, Mulder’s faith is not unfounded, for he sees things no one else sees. However, Mulder’s blind faith is a bit ridiculous, for even the sight of a man in a spacesuit will not convince him that aliens are not among us. And, that man in the spacesuit, in his own way, is Mulder’s version of God. Yes, Mulder and Scully were fighting over God and Jesus… but in another sense they were fighting about aliens, UFOs, and abduction. “Tithonus” is a battle between faith and reason and, because it takes place in two distinct worlds, it is really a battle between faith and religion. The story begins with Scully trying to recall an abduction she went through five years before. Mulder is called in to investigate the disappearance of a man that seems to be linked to the missing abductee. Mulder, Scully, and Skinner find a body that isn’t quite a body. Mulder then takes a walk in the park and meets up with an old friend who introduces himself as the “shadow man” and explains that he helped create Scully’s child. Skinner is told to forget about the incident and Mulder is sent home. While driving back to his apartment, he hears an argument outside. A man is standing on the street corner, but the light is wrong. There’s an awkward pause and Mulder sees that his abductor has a beard and is wearing a space suit. Mulder is abducted again and brought to the same alien world as before. This time he learns that he’s been brought there by a man named John to meet “The Smoking Man.” The Smoking Man explains that Mulder was not abducted. Mulder was not abducted because he wasn’t on Earth. When he abducted him, the aliens put him into this world. He is, however, in danger and cannot be seen. The Smoking Man says he must believe or the creatures will kill him. As this is happening, Mulder sees a little boy on a bridge, then has the same memory as he did at the start of the episode. The little boy was himself on a bridge. After the events of the episode, he still doesn’t remember anything about the abduction or what is happening now. Mulder thinks about his family and wonders if he ever really saw his daughter… he’s in a prison, not his own. He’s been there for almost two months now, and all he wants to do is go home. While Mulder is trying to make sense of this, Scully is searching for the little boy on the bridge. Meanwhile, Mulder is getting closer to the light. He knows that he’s not dead, but he knows he’s trapped. It is the man in the space suit, his shadow self, that holds him there. It is possible that Mulder is trapped in this world because of his belief that aliens are among us. It is also possible that the light is the gateway to another world, but Mulder cannot get to it because the shadow man is standing in the way. This is a battle between faith and reason and, depending on what you believe, could be a battle between faith and religion. To continue his fight for faith, Mulder has to believe. If he doesn’t believe, he will die. As Mulder continues to make sense of things, Scully continues to search for the little boy. She is not as devout as Mulder, but she is an believer as well. That’s right, Mulder’s fate rests in her hands as much as it does in the shadow man. If we believe in aliens, Mulder will live, but if we believe in God, then we will be safe… “Tithonus” may be Mulder’s episode, but it’s Scully’s story. It’s Scully that we follow when she visits the little boy on the bridge and has a series of terrifying visions. In this story, Scully is fighting for her life and she is the one who is in danger. It is Scully’s story because Scully is the one in peril, but it is Mulder’s story because he is being held prisoner by his own fear. It is Mulder that we watch when he tries to prove his faith by trying to be seen. We follow his story because he’s the one in danger and the one trapped. Scully is not willing to give up on her faith because of fear or lack of faith, while Mulder sees himself as a victim of fear. In the face of what seems to be an abduction, Mulder sees himself as the victim and as a martyr to faith. Yes, Scully and Mulder are fighting over faith, but this is really Scully’s faith versus Mulder’s blind faith. Mulder does not see the value of the little girl on the bridge. Scully does and does not fear that alien world. When Scully was abducted in “Shadows,” she did not even hesitate to throw herself into the unknown abyss to get help. When Mulder sees the light at the end of his struggle, he believes he is getting closer to his daughter. And, despite his own doubt about aliens, Mulder still wants to believe. He has a deep and genuine faith in a higher power, in God, and in God’s creations, but those are things the shadow man and Smoking Man cannot understand. This is a battle between faith and reason. And, when Scully sees the little boy on the bridge, she believes there is a higher power. She just isn’t sure of what it is yet. It seems that it was all an illusion, a trick of the mind. But, Mulder and Scully were so certain that they saw a little girl on the bridge. In Scully’s case, that meant that she had visions that could never be understood. For Mulder, that meant that he would be trapped on a strange world. In both cases, the visions were more real than what appeared in the real world. When Scully sees the little boy, she is certain it’s the end, for he is gone and all hope is lost. But, Mulder’s experience is different. For Mulder, there’s still hope, even in the midst of death and uncertainty. In fact, Mulder believes that his fate is to be the savior of his people. Mulder, who sees aliens and UFOs and monsters, believes that he is only one man who can stop them. He sees himself as the last hope for mankind. So, while it is true that Scully’s story is a battle between faith and reason, her faith is greater than Mul