Skinner, Scully, Mulder and a dozen FBI agents participate in an undercover operation in
a Washington, D.C. park. Its purpose: to catch Jacob Haley, a militia group member wanted
on domestic terrorism charges. As Skinner and Scully monitor events from a surveillance
van, Mulder and several other undercover agents slowly close in on their suspect, who
meets with a Goateed Man sitting on a park bench. Haley hands the Goatee Man an
envelope, then suddenly runs off. Mulder gives chase, unaware that the skin on Goatee
Man's face and hands is slowly being eaten away. Scully jumps from the van, intending to
warn her partner. But when she reaches Mulder, she is astounded to discover that the
suspect eluded capture.
Scully voices her concerns to her partner, looking for some explanation as to why he
allowed Haley to escape. But Mulder sidesteps the issue. Shortly thereafter, the agents
attend a meeting of a counter-terrorism council, which is headed by Skinner and U.S.
Attorney Leamus. During the meeting, Scully states that the Goatee Man was killed by some
form of bioweapon. Skinner then shows those in attendance a photo of August Bremer, the
militia group's mastermind. He notes that Bremer and Haley are reportedly vying for control.
Her curiosity piqued, Scully begins surveilling her partner's movements from afar. Mulder
rents a room at a motel, where he has a heated telephone conversation with Haley, one that
implies the pair are working together. Shortly thereafter, a BMW rolls into the motel parking
lot, and Mulder climbs in. Scully tails the car, but her progress is halted when two sedans
force her to stop. Four large men then approach her vehicle. Scully is escorted to a
government building where, to her surprise, she is met by Skinner and Leamus. They
explain that Mulder is participating in a deep cover assignment, the existence of which is
known only to Skinner and Leamus. Someone in the militia group reached out to Mulder after
he voiced his opinions about governmental conspiracies during a UFO conference.
The BMW transports Mulder to a remote farmhouse. There, Mulder is questioned by Haley,
who accuses him of spying on the group. When Mulder fails to give acceptable answers, a
Skin-Head Man pushes back on his finger, causing Mulder to scream in pain. The torture
session continues until Mulder suggests a mole exists within the group. Suddenly, the
Skin-Head man pulls back on the finger, snapping it like a piece of celery. When Mulder
passes out, Haley turns to him and says, "I believe you." Meanwhile, Bremer tests the
bioweapon on patrons at a small movie theater, killing fourteen people. But the question
remains as to how the pathogen was spread to the victims.
When Mulder returns to his apartment, he is surprised by Scully. She tends to his broken
finger and discusses the undercover operation. Unbeknownst to them, Bremer is secretly
recording their conversation. Later, Mulder reports back to Skinner and Leamus. It is
determined that the militia group intends to rob a bank. Mulder also relays word that Haley
demanded copies of surveillance files of militia group members (hoping to flush out the
mole). Leamus reveals he anticipated such a request, and already has redacted microfilm
documents prepared. Mulder returns to the motel and gives Haley the microfilm. He is then
transported back to the farmhouse, where the militia group is readying its assault on the
bank.
Scully determines that the toxin was not developed by the Russians as previously
believed. In private, she tells Skinner that the United States is operating a secret
bioweapons program--and that someone in the government may have sent Mulder on a
suicide mission. Later, it suddenly dawns on Scully that the source of pathogen's
distribution is money.
Wearing monster masks, Mulder and the militia members storm a bank. Bremer
accesses the vault and sprays the money with the pathogen. The group stages a successful
getaway, and later Mulder realizes that the entire purpose of the break-in was to contaminate
the money. Bremer pulls a gun on Mulder, announcing that his undercover work has been
exposed. But Haley intercedes, noting that Bremer's alias was discovered on the microfilm,
exposing him as the mole. Bremer responds by playing back the secret tape recording he
made of Mulder and Scully's conversation. Bremer hands Haley a leather car key holder,
allowing him to leave the group unharmed. But Bremer and the Skin-Head Man march Mulder
away, intending to execute him. Suddenly, Bremer kills the Skin-Head Man. Bremer tells
Mulder to run before they are both exposed. Mulder makes his way back to the bank, which
has already been sealed off by Scully and Skinner. Scully explains that she recognized
Mulder on a bank surveillance tape by the bandage on his finger. As the money is hauled out
of the bank, Leamus tells the agents that the bills have tested clean. Scully accuses
Leamus of having orchestrated the entire plan. Later, Haley slumps over in his car, his face
eaten away by the biotoxin, which was transmitted by the key holder given him by Bremer.
................... CREDITS .....................
THE X-FILES "THE PINE BLUFF VARIANT" #5X18
Original Air Date: 05/03/98
CAST:
DAVID DUCHOVNY as Special Agent Fox Mulder
GILLIAN ANDERSON as Special Agent Dana Scully
GUEST CAST:
Daniel Von Bargen as Haley
J.B. Bivens as Field Agent
Armin Moattar as Goatee Man
Sam Anderson as Leamus
Michael MacRae as August Bremer
Kate Braidwood as the Usherette
Ralph Alderman as the Manager
Trevor Roald as Martin
Kett Turton as Brit
Douglas Arthurs as Skin-head Man
John B. Lowe as Dr. Leavitt
Michael St. John Smith as the CIA Operative
WRITTEN BY:
FRANK SPOTNITZ
JOHN SHIBAN
DIRECTED BY:
ROB BOWMAN
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