The Gift

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PLOT: Doggett opens a case that Mulder was investigating prior to his disappearance.

Though "The Gift" is essentially another MOTW episode, it links back to the season premiere episodes, "Within" and "Without," in regards to Mulder's behavior and health prior to his disappearance. It answers a few questions but still leaves many more to ponder.

Essentially, Mulder worked on a case in Pennsylvania prior to his disappearance involving a woman who feared that she might be "eaten" by some legendary monster in the nearby woods. The strange thing was that there was no crime committed, only that the woman's sister feared for her safety. Also, Mulder felt compelled to not mention the case to Scully. So when we see the teaser where a man shoots *something* resembling a man in literal cold blood, it is no surprise that it was Mulder who fired the gun (because of all the publicity regarding David's return), yet the impact of what he had just done before our eyes was nevertheless shocking.

Hence, months later, we see Doggett going to this same Pennsylvania town to find further clues to Mulder's disappearance. It was clever and beneficial to recap some of the events from "Within" where Doggett was discussing some puzzling evidence regarding Mulder to the two people who knew him the best: Scully and Skinner. Why did Mulder not mention that he had an inoperable brain tumor? What was the reason that Mulder had car rental receipts to Raleigh? Why did he investigate a case and not mention it to Scully? Well, that one may have been easy to answer some four years ago when he regularly ditched Scully without a moment's notice. Yet, by the time he was abducted, Scully was literally his soulmate, and he told her so.

So Doggett feels that this unmentioned case in Pennsylvania would be a vital clue to finding Mulder. He wants to understand what was so important in that little town that Mulder had to falsify official documents and not even mention it to his partner. What Doggett finds is something that both puzzles and troubles him.

At this point, we are unsure what Doggett's true intentions are. He decides that breaking into and searching Mulder's apartment might help him find further clues, but I'm not sure how. Doggett finds the gun that Mulder shot the creature with and analyzes it to conclude Mulder shot something at close range. It's interesting to note that he approaches Skinner about his findings even though he knows Skinner will do whatever it takes to protect Mulder's interests. But Doggett answers both Skinner's and our suspicions when he states that he just wants to find out the truth. Sound familiar?

The rest of the episode is more of Doggett doing a behaviorial profile on Mulder. He believes that Mulder shot the creature not because it was endangering someone, but to basically put it out of its misery. I personally found that both shocking and rather conflicting of Mulder's own personality. What would make him think that killing the creature would be a permanent solution? Plus, why in the world would he still have the very gun he shot the creature with in his apartment?

The other controversial issue in the episode was initially mentioned in "Within." From medical information that Doggett found, Mulder was dying from an inoperable brain tumor. So Doggett surmises that Mulder really went to Pennsylvania to save himself through the creature's "gift of life." That was why Mulder never filed an official report of his travels and also kept it from Scully. Yet, he has no real evidence that was Mulder's intentions or whether he did or did not go through the "procedure." However, Doggett has proven that he has good investigative instincts even if his methods are nothing like Mulder's. As Skinner said, Doggett got "into Mulder's head" and figured out the events from Mulder's point of view. So it was more than appropriate that Doggett had the vision that he did at the end of the episode.

For the most part, "The Gift" was an interesting view on people's belief systems as well as pure greed. It was clever to show the creature as a victim who is suffering because of people's need for self-preservation. *If* Mulder truly did shoot the creature to end its pain, then Doggett was only continuing that unusual kindness by offering to help it escape the town.

The effects in this episode were exceptional. I must admit that it was very graphic when the creature was "eating" its victim and then regurgitating them later. It was a good thing that I wasn't eating something at the time. I certainly wouldn't recommend people with weak stomachs to watch some of those scenes.

Also, the shocking scene with Doggett being shot from behind was done well. It was slighty unexpected and something that I wouldn't have noticed in a more mediocre episode like last week's "Badlaa." For an instant, I felt as though Robert Patrick wanted to get out of his contract (lol), but in essence, it was just another clever turn by writer Frank Spotnitz to "kill" the monster and bring Doggett back to life. I'm sure many members of the female audience probably didn't mind that Mr. Patrick was in a slimy birthday suit either.

It was nice to see Skinner so involved in the episode. Even though he will always be protective of Mulder and Scully, he still sees integrity in an agent when he encounters it. When Doggett initially confronts him about Mulder's weapon, Skinner accuses him of trying to make Mulder look bad so that he can get out of the X-Files and be back on the fast track to the Director's chair. To his credit, Doggett only states his suspicions to Skinner and noone else, especially since it involves Scully's guilt in helping Mulder cover up his actions. That devastating fact is plainly evident in Skinner's face, and Doggett knows it.

Of course, it's always nice to see The Lone Gunmen as well, even if they are probably busy working on their own show. I like the fact that both Doggett and Skinner seem to be more than comfortable in seeking their help. They have a good camerarderie with our conspiracy geeks and the funny exchange between Langly and "Dogbert" was hilarious. In one strange way, they are honoring Mulder by using his own resources.

I was a little puzzled by Scully's absence in this one considering that there was no mention of why. However, there was definitely enough in the plot as well as David's brief return to forgive that little plot hole. Even though he was shown in brief flashbacks, David casts such a *huge* shadow over the show that he only reminded us just how important his presence is. I honestly believe that another season with just a smattering of Mulder episodes will be disastrous. David has already stated that he will "most likely" not return for another season. Though there has been no official word of another season as of this episode, that would be disastrous if Fox does continue the series. Can you imagine Scully being sad and trying to be a single parent during Season 9? Of course, I'm wondering how this new female FBI agent will add to the series, and if Carter is planning to make it like "Silk Stalkings" where there have been three sets of duos during that series' run. Let's hope not.

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