The episode opens with Scully pondering choices and how they affect one's life, as she gets dressed and Mulder slumbers in bed. Hmm. Sometime before this, Mulder hops a flight to England, anticipating that a geometric crop circle will appear there within two days; Scully refuses to join him and stays behind to work on an autopsy. She ends up getting an X-ray in the autopsy folder by mistake that leads her to discover that Dr. Daniel Waterston, her former medical instructor, is hospitalized with a heart condition. Waterston's daughter isn't too pleased when Waterston asks her to visit him.
Scully is nearly T-boned by an 18-wheeler at an intersection after a blonde woman crosses her path. She visits a crop circle researcher who she's previously had a chance encounter with at the hospital; the researcher tells Scully how everyone needs to keep their mind open to the accidents or near accidents in life and the lessons they give, right before Scully spies a "heart chakra" pattern in a crop circle photo. Waterston and Scully apparently had a thing going some time ago, and Waterston was saddened to see her leave. Scully also wonders if she chose the wrong path, right before Waterston flatlines.
Scully and the doctors manage to revive Waterston. Scully revisits the researcher and tells her that she has the feeling that Waterston is suffering from a more serious condition. The researcher shares that she used to be a physicist, suffered from cancer, and only got better when she stopped following a self-destructive path. Scully goes to visit Waterston and finds that he's in a coma and his daughter is blaming her for it. Scully again sees the blond woman and pursues her, ending up in a Buddhist temple where she sees a vision of Waterston and his heart.
Scully brings in a religious healer, but he says that Waterston is ready to move on save for something that's holding him back. The next day, however, Waterston awakens; Scully tells him he needs to take responsibility for the hurt he's caused his family. Waterston says he's been living to be with Scully, but she says the reason he's alive might be to make things up to his daughter. Scully again sees the blonde woman, but when she chases her down she finds Mulder, back from England. Scully lets him in on her transcendental experience over tea at Mulder's place, and they mull over the concept of fate together. Scully passes out on the couch...and I guess Mulder takes the bed.
Gillian Anderson wrote and directed this episode. Stacy Haiduk, who plays Maggie Waterston, has also starred in the shows Superboy, SeaQuest DSV, All My Children, and The Young and the Restless. Nicholas Surovy, playing Dr. Daniel Waterston, was also on All My Children as well as Ryan's Hope. Carol Banker, who plays Carol in her only acting role, was a script supervisor for about a quarter of the X-Files episodes.
Episode Body Count
J. Szczesny: Scully mentions how her autopsy reveals that she did not drown in ectoplasm (Mulder's theory) but in margarita vomit as she and her friends try to reenact The Blair Witch Project.
Humans: 1J. Szczesny: Scully mentions how her autopsy reveals that she did not drown in ectoplasm (Mulder's theory) but in margarita vomit as she and her friends try to reenact The Blair Witch Project.
Creatures: 0
Aliens: 0
Cumulative Body Count (156/202 episodes, 1/2 movies)
Humans: 1,711
Creatures: 114Aliens: 62
Grand Total: 1,887
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