This is perhaps the most crucial time of season 8 so far. Mulder’s back and it’s not looking too good, since this episode starts with Mulder’s funeral. Scully, Mummy Scully, Skinner, Kersh, The Lone Gunmen are all there to pay their respects to Mulder.

Scully can’t believe this is happening, and notes that all the Mulder’s are now gone, to which Skinner remarks there still may be one more (Scully’s baby). Three months later, Doggett is getting a pat on the back from Kersh and Skinner officially transfers him off the X-Files, Kersh congratulates Doggett but Doggett has other plans. He asks to think about it and heads back down to the X-Files office, after stating that Skinner did most of the work. Kersh gives Doggett a little friendly warning about fishing while there biting of something.

Then all of a sudden, from out of nowhere… Billy Miles is recovered in the north Atlantic, looking rather dead…. but he’s alive! It seems his body is regenerating into something different, and his skin is slowly shedding off. Skinner believes the same thing could be happening to Mulder and orders his coffin to be exhumed. And what do you know? Mulder’s alive!

He’s taken to a hospital and Scully is informed. Skinner gets a blast from the past when walking down the corridor, he collapse. After making it to the elevator – he see’s Krycek! Krycek happens to have the little device which controls the nanotechnology in Skinners blood, and at the click of a button, causes him great pain – or even death (the device Krycek obtained in Season 6). After telling Krycek to shove it, and getting a rather nasty jolt of pain, it’s time to find out what Krycek meant when he said ‘all in good time’. He offers Skinner the ability to save Mulder, with the vaccine we’ve heard so much about.

Skinner knows best not to trust Krycek, and unsuccessfully tries to grab the device controlling the nano-bots. Meanwhile, Billy Miles manages to get up, take a shower, shed his skin and stand in the hospital corridor looking rather confused. There’s a bit of tension between Doggett and Scully when despite everything they’ve seen, he still doesn’t believe – yet he’s not accepted Kersh’s offer yet because Doggett knows that when Scully goes on maternity leave, there will be no one to run the X-Files.

Billy Miles explains to Scully that the aliens took him because they want to save us. Scully looks through Mulder’s chart and realises that he’s on the same fait as Billy. Billy has come back to life – but as a totally different person, and none of it makes sense. Skinner drops in the words ‘alien virus’ and Scully starts asking questions. He only states the vaccine comes with a price. Finally, we learn that Billy didn’t come back as Billy – but as an alien, all part of an alien take over plan. Krycek visits Mulder’s hospital bed with Skinner and explains that he’ll give Skinner the vaccine in exchange for Scully’s babies life. Skinner absolutely refuses to carry it out.

Doggett notices Krycek leaving, but remember they’ve never met. Doggett gets locked out of Mulder’s room by Skinner who attempts to kill Mulder by disconnecting his life support! Doggett wrestles Skinner to the ground after learning of the vaccine. Skinner explains his blackmail position which sends Doggett down to look for Krycek. After a cool fight between Krycek and Doggett, the vaccine gets destroyed and Krycek makes off, but Scully discovers that disconnecting Mulder’s life support actually improved his changes of survival.

To wrap up this intense episode, Doggett gets called into Kersh’s office and explained that he’s now staying on the X-Files and the promotion has passed, Kersh tells Doggett to get out and go back to the basement. Mulder also wakes up to see Scully next to him, he plays a little joke and pretends he doesn’t know who she is, and they hug.

Doggett pops his head in, and looking rather redundant, leaves the two agents to peace.