It seems temporal disorder is something Chris Carter has been dabbling in recently when this episode sees us back in 1990, with Mulder listening to a story from 1952. A story about his father, and what kind of work he was involved in.

It also shows us how the ‘X-Files’ came to be. Mulder is investigating the death of an old man, who’s last words were his fathers name. The agent who was investigating this case may have the answers, at first he’s unwilling to open up to young Mulder but begins to tell his story about a man who was experimented on in 1952. Pretty gruesome experiments to, they managed to graft some crab like being into his body, that he could vomit up and kill people with.

Arthur Dales is the agent investigating this. Who is the first man to lean of X-Files – a place where unsolvable cases go to die (they used ‘X’ because ‘U’, for unsolvable was getting too full). After realising that his superiors were hindering his work, removing bodies who died as a result of this mutant man running around, he began to search for the truth. It was then he met Mulder senior who helped him on his way. Senior Mulder helps Arthur learn about the secret tests on three men after the war, and that in order to prevent the secrets getting out, the men who did this branded them communists, and discredited them and their family.

Still at the end the man was never caught until 38 years later when a sheriff shoots him. Why he was never caught – we learn that Mulder Senior released him secretly.. in a hope that the truth will find it’s own way to the surface.