We’ve seen just how chaotic Mulder and Scully’s life is during office hours, so what about when they get a break? We learn Mulder hasn’t taken a day’s holiday in four years – and the Bureau practically make him take one, so where does Mulder go on holiday? To some Elvis Presley museum. Still, we get to see some cool moves he’s capable of!

Meanwhile, Scully’s still feeling rather preoccupied, presumably due to the events of the last episode in which it’s revealed he may have cancer, it makes her question her place in life, in The X-Files and what she hopes to achieve. Which basically means she does a bunch of reckless stuff. She starts off wondering why she doesn’t have a desk in Mulder’s office, Mulder’s not really thought about it, but while he’s gone, does give her an assignment in Philadelphia to track some bad guy.

Turns out he’s not the focus of the episode which has no paranormal theme what so ever. She meets a man in a tattoo parlour (after following the bad guy), and gets chatting. From the invite to dinner she receives, we can see Scully thinking about it, but makes her excuses. Later on she reconsiders – and meets the guy for dinner. He offers to take her to a nice place, but she wants the whole experience of this man and asks to go to his usual dive bar he pointed out earlier. From there they get talking, about life, direction, and Scully’s main influences in life. She worshipped her father, and the seas he sailed on. Yet at the same time, used to sneak out of the house at ages 13 just to smoke her mothers cigarettes – purely for the reason that her dad would kill her for doing so. She also confesses that weather it be her farther, or Mulder – she’s craved someone to take control and seek approval from, all this conforming in life brings them onto the subjects of rebellion and the tattoo he has on his arm – this leads to something we’d never suspect Scully would do.. she gets a tattoo of a snake wrapped in a circle eating it’s own tail on her lower back.

Afterwards she learns that her choices are pretty stupid, you see… the tattooist uses a strange grass from Russia to make his ink, which cases psychotic episodes for some people, her new boyfriend just so happens to fall victim to it, kills the woman in the apartment below, and attacks Scully, then attempts to burn her. So much for Scully’s intuition on men! Returning back home to see Mulder (home being FBI HQ), Mulder thinks it’s all because she didn’t get a desk. Scully reminds him “It’s not all about you Mulder’”. Silence hits the small basement office for the first time.