A year and a half after his last fateful meeting with Mulder, Pusher's back. Only this time, he's decided to bring along a friend. The Modell twins, seeking revenge for the pain inflicted on little Bobby, decide to engage Mulder and Scully once more in their tangled web of vague clues and mind control. The man they had vowed never to spend another minute of their time on was once more the focus of a bizarre and potentially dangerous investigation. But in the end, it was worth it for the viewers, for the product of this fox hunt was a fast-paced, intelligent, and suspenseful thriller. To emulate the Backstreet Boys (please don't groan!), "Pusher's back - all right!" ;-)

I fell in love with "Pusher" the first time I saw it. The suspenseful plot, magnificently written by one of my favourite writers, Vince Gilligan, and superb acting all came together to create an X-Filean masterpiece. My biggest fear for "Kitsunegari" was that it would be unable to live up to such high standards. After all, it was a sequel, and sequels are notorious for being worse than their predecessors - a recycled script used only because it would be easy to write and the viewers happened to like the original. I didn't really feel this was the case with "Kitsunegari", however. What it may have lacked for suspense in the beginning of the episode was more than made up for in the latter half. As the show progressed, involving Mulder more and more in the plot, there was a definite heightening of the suspense. When the case became personal for Mulder, it became personal for me. In fact, I was so engrossed that by the time I finally looked up to see the time, it was already 9:45. When a show can keep you watching that intensely for that long, you know it's got to be good.

Unlike Robert and Linda, "Pusher" and "Kitsunegari" were not twins. There were some significant differences between the original and its sequel. As Mulder said, it didn't really make sense at first. In the beginning, everyone assumed that Modell was the bad guy because that's the way it was before. It didn't become apparent that he was actually attempting to help Mulder, to be a good guy, until well into the plot. Perhaps the gunshot wound to the head he received in "Pusher" put some things into perspective for our friend Modell. But in any case, it was an interesting twist added to the plot to distinguish it from its predecessor. Another change was the ability of the viewer to see what Modell's victims saw. When the cashier saw a snake, we saw a snake, not the baseball bat he actually held in his hands. When Skinner saw Modell holding a gun, we saw him with a gun, even though all that was there was a pointed finger. I liked this effect, for it was able to draw the viewers into Modell's world just like the people he seduced. We saw what they saw, making us more a part of the story.

The thing that interested me most about "Kitsunegari" was Mulder's character. I haven't felt that he truly cared about his cases up until this point in the season. Well, until this one came along anyway. Maybe it was because of the personal implications this case held for him, or perhaps it was the challenge of making others believe in him when no one would, but Mulder displayed a passion in this show I haven't seen for a very long time. This passion can get Mulder in a bit of trouble sometimes. A well-trained FBI agent like him should know better than to go after a suspect alone, especially a suspect he knows can be very dangerous.

"Where's Modell?"
"He had to go."

This move was rather ignorant of him - Mulder admitted that himself - but I think I can understand his reasons behind it. He felt he was responsible for Modell's release, and wanted to catch him so badly that he left all reason at the door. This, of course, was the worst thing for him to do. It only left him more vulnerable to Modell. This irrational move in turn led to his dismissal from the case, which only fired up Mulder's passion more. It proved to be a pivotal point in the story. This is when it got personal for Mulder, when he knew he had to solve the case no matter what, with or without permission. And when it's Mulder vs. The World, I'd bet on Mulder any day.

I was enormously happy to see Mulder back to his old self again in "Kitsunegari," but it seemed the opposite was true of Scully. She hardly reacted at all to this case, even when faced with a confused partner pointing a gun at her. Scully clearly lacked the vigour Mulder had for the investigation, which makes me wonder once again if she's growing restless with her work. She usually trusts Mulder's judgement even when no one else does, but I didn't get the feeling she trusted his instincts in "Kitsunegari". I was getting flashbacks to "Ice" when she asked Mulder to give her his gun after their talk with Linda Bowman. By taking away his gun, she was essentially locking him in that closet at the Arctic Ice Core Research Facility. Only this time she wasn't worried about him being infected with a deadly worm. Rather, she was concerned that he might not be in control of his own mind, and she had to save him from himself. I think her concern for Mulder was genuine, but the frustration and pointlessness she felt during the case was quite evident. An increasing ennui and lassitude has been growing in her over the past few years, and I think we're just beginning to see evidence of it now. I can only begin to wonder what that may hold for the future.

Before I launch into another character analysis (It's your turn Skinner! Gotta play by the rules...), I feel obliged to explain why I think the characters are so important to the show. Some people think "The X-Files" has become too character-orientated in the last season. I agree with that statement, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Once a television show has progressed so far, the audience automatically wants to delve deeper into the characters who make up the show. The closer we can feel to the characters, the closer we get to their lives, and that is essentially what television is all about. Who the characters are and what they stand for is what shapes a series, and what ultimately gives it a plot to move forward with. So, that said, on to Skinner! I was quite impressed with Walter in this episode. Sure, he made a mistake by not believing in Mulder to begin with, but that can be forgiven. He had good reason not to. But yet he still took the time to admit he was wrong. That can be a very difficult thing for such a proud man to admit, and I admire him for it. It's just too bad he still couldn't believe in Modell's powers, even after seeing the truth with his own eyes.

"I just wanted to say you did a good job."
"How's that?"
"Nobody could have figured this out but you. You knew it was Linda Bowman and not Modell. You were way ahead of me."

Despite this, Mulder still felt like he lost. The climax only emphasized how pointless these mind games were. What was the point of this fox hunt? Mulder almost killed Scully, but for what? Nothing. The futility of it was quite evident in Mulder's expression during the final scene between him and Skinner. As for the climax itself, I could only watch in awe, as Mulder played the most important game of his life, of which the fate of his partner and best friend ultimately rested. The look on Mulder's face when he thought he had killed Scully was an awful sight to behold. The pain and depth of emotion flowed from Mulder like the blood from 'Scully's' head. Thankfully, it was all an illusion, and both Scully and Mulder were left alive at the end of this game. But nothing had been gained by this emotional excursion. He had won Linda's game, but in the process, had almost killed his partner, a sacrifice he could never have lived with. The Modell twins didn't get the revenge they were seeking, and in the attempt killed themselves, but in the end, it was Mulder who truly lost.