Anasazi

This detail can be hard to spot, so look closely at the picture. Take your time with it, I wouldn't want you to miss anything. Did you notice that Mulder is wearing a watch? Scully must have forgotten to take it off when she undressed him. I know, I missed it too the first time! Go ahead, look again. Details are important!

We have confirmation that our Smoking Man understands and speaks German (remember The Field where I Died, Triangle...).

Maybe because he has worked with Nazi scientists after WWII, as it's suggested in the end...

In this final scene leading us to the "To Be Continued" tag, CSM chillingly orders his lackeys to burn the boxcar where we last saw Mulder. And when we see it go up in flames as he rides off in the helicopter, we sense so much anger, hatred and evil in him. It's extremely powerful, and in my mind one of the best cliffhangers in the series.

I find the scene when Mulder calls Scully after his father's death very intense and moving.

The first thought Mulder had is to call Scully, hopefully. Scully takes care of Mulder and of the situation with great efficiency. This is once again a very powerful moment, just having Mulder and Scully exchanging by phone. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are, as always, amazing.

I adore watching a vulnerable and emotional Mulder.

I'm combining two scenes here, one focusing on each of them. In the first, Scully notices right away that something is wrong with Mulder. She knows him, and no matter how impetuous he might be on occasion, she knows these aren't his normal reactions. In the second scene Mulder calls Scully when his father is shot. Even in his drug-addled state he knows she is the one who will help him.

It's a very unnoticed moment, or should I write an unseen moment. We don't even see Scully's face when explaining it : "We drove two days across country."

So, I've just my imagination to visualize Scully dragging Mulder in her car, healing him, nursing him, driving, sleeping (where and how ?), etc... If it's not a real 'tour de force', what is it ?

There's not a lot of humor in this episode, and really there's so much fantastic action and intrigue that it's not missed. But this moment is pretty funny, making light of the fact that SCULLY SHOT MULDER!

There are a few funny Mulder's line in the episode, and there are the always playful Lone Gunmen, but I choose Mulder falling down on Scully.

It's not completely funny but enjoyable: Mulder trusts Scully's strength to support him. Ouf! It's okay, she doesn't collapse onto his weight, and they have a tight hug. Well done, Mulder !

This episode is full of surprises, and it was very hard for me to choose the most surprising moment. But this scene where Mulder punches Skinner was truly unexpected. It was such a great clue that something was going on with Mulder that we don't yet understand.

The script is full of surprising (and powerful!) moments. It was hard to choose just one.

I think that the most emblematic one for the series is the discovery of the bodies --we'll never know what they are exactly-- in the boxcar. What is the most striking here is all the references to WWII. In just a few lines and a few images we are completely taken aback by horrors we can only imagine. Mulder's line is a great summary of the feelings we can have : "Oh, my God, Scully. What have they done?"

The introduction of the smallpox vaccination scar is a brilliant idea. I have one like that on my arm... It's frightening.

When CSM asks Mulder where he is, Mulder quips "at the Betty Ford Center." The Betty Ford Center is an addiction rehab facility named after a former American First Lady who faced her addiction while in the public eye, helping to remove the stigma of addiction and pave the way for others to seek help.

I choose to point out the most X Files "Native American" episode/trilogy ! (Let's forget Shapes). The Native American are so hugely mythics that I couldn't just select one moment.

Navajo, Anasazi, National Reservation, the oral and written language, Navajo code talkers during WWII (I didn't know that before watching XF), omen... there's so much. And there'll be more in the sequel.

There's even a true Native American actor, RIP Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman. He's great in the XF, and also in Dances with Wolves.

Mulder has come up with a lot of names for CSM over the years. "Black lunged son of a bitch" is a particularly good one.

"Secrets [...] push their way up through the sands of deception, so men can know them."

I like the quote, but have no profound thoughts to share about it.

Mulder is truly not at his best through most of this episode. He's drugged and becoming unhinged, and David Duchovny does a fantastic job of showing us Mulder's slide over the edge. But once Mulder is out of his psychotic state he understands everything Scully has done for him and he thanks her so sincerely. It's a beautiful example of Mulder's empathy, his best character trait.

Mulder not being himself through almost all the episode and behaving irrationaly and very aggressively, it's hard to find his best moment.

When he's out of the drugs, he's eventually able to thanks Scully and appreciate all the risks she has taken. Though, wouldn't Mulder have to really apologize about his former attitude towards her? Maybe just these few words are enough.

Scully, on the other hand, is at the top of her game throughout the episode. She's calm and rational, quick-thinking and effective. She gets stuff done! Even when a bullet grazes her forehead she just slaps on a band-aid and continues her investigation! She was able to consider what would happen if Mulder shot Krycek and do what she had to do (I guess, see below) to protect Mulder.

Scully is at her best from start to end. She's constantly doing her best moment!

The acme occurs when she shoots Mulder: no hesitation, nice and precise shot. Badass Scully!

This link is made by the Creator himself, Chris Carter, who refers us back to the Pilot, questioning whether Scully is still fulfilling her original role on The X-Files and the X-Files.

Bloody Mulder in distress calling Scully, Scully nursing Mulder in shock... It reminds me the episode Demons. I admit that I like it, when Scully is taking care of Mulder.

This is a fantastic episode with so much thrown at us that we have to be on our toes start to finish. We learn that the Syndicate involves a global conspiracy which once included Mulder's father. We learn that Skinner can overpower Mulder without breaking a sweat. The scene when Krycek appears was truly surprising. I love that Mulder is shown drinking water in every scene in his apartment, foreshadowing the reveal that the water is being drugged. And I love the scene where Mulder arrives at Scully's apartment and she manages to carry him to her room, physics be damned!

The episode is rollercoaster ! So much intense and surprising moments happening! So many great characters involved : Skinner, Kryceck, Bill Mulder, CSM, Albert Hosteen. Some slight surprises: Chris Carter as an FBI supervisor, Duane Barry cited. And a great end: the boxcar, the cliffhanger.

I'm not too much into mythologic episodes (especially after season 4), except for episodes like this one. In fact, I like very much the trilogy Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip.

I love this episode. I think it works beautifully. But if I'm being honest, I really don't like that Scully shoots Mulder. I don't see it as a rational choice. I understand the explanation she gives for doing so. I just think the risk that it could go wrong is too high, and it's not a decision Scully would make. She's a doctor: "First do no harm."

Also, I never understood why Scully was being called into account for Mulder punching Skinner. How did that put her job in jeopardy? I guess placing her in some kind of peril ups the stakes, but this plot point makes little sense.

There's nothing I dislike in this episode.

The only thing I have to say it's that I'm sometimes distracted by all Mulder's outfits (or absence of outfits). How can we stay focused on the story with so much sweatiness and hotness?