Written by Chris Carter
Directed by David Nutter
Summary by Randi Lynne Gross ([email protected])
Infernal dating: Scully performs an autopsy about half way through this case. She dates it as Monday November 14th (1994), thus clashing hideously with "Firewalker", in which Mulder and Scully started a month-long quarantine on this very same date. Oops.
(It was a deliberate mistake, by the way. It expresses my feeling about these timelines.)
Teaser: Jenelli-Heller Funeral Home: A teenage girl stands at the pulpit reading a eulogy for Jennifer Simmons, a teenage girl, who lies below in a coffin. As the funeral service ends and everyone leaves Donald Pfaster stands by the door watching. Once alone he goes to the casket and caresses a strand of hair. "What a beautiful Girl" he says
Later inside the preparation room The funeral director enters. He is looking around and hears a noise. He hears a coffin close and sees a form. But this form is not human. It is some sort of demon creature. he turns on the light and sees Donnie with a pair of scissors. The funeral director looks down and sees a trail of blind hair clippings from Jennifer, The funeral director yells at him and tells him to go. Donnie turns, not caring, a demonic smile on his face
Opening Credits
ACT ONE
Montifiore Cemetery Minneapolis, Minnesota: Mulder, Scully, and another agent appear walking across the cemetery. They arrive at a grave site where there is a mound of freshly dug dirt. Yellow tape surrounds the scene. Bocks (the man Mulder and Scully are with) believes the desecration to have been done by UFO's. Looking down into the grave Scully seems disturbed by the sight. Mulder disproves Bock's theory saying it was probably human. Bocks looks embarrassed.
Scully still looks disturbed and shudders as she looks into the grave
As Mulder and Scully walk back to their car Mulder asks if she is alright. She replies she is fine and has read about people disturbing the dead but had never seen it before. Mulder says that no one understands why they do it. Scully comments that she is surprised that Mulder was not upset by the scene and he replies that he had prepared himself. Scully is annoyed that he knew it was not aliens and that he had dragged her out there. Mulder then pulls out two tickets for a Vikings versus Redskins game.
Ficicello Frozen Foods: Pfaster sits in a chair facing a woman at a desk. He is interviewing for a job. He says he is a beautician.
FBI Minneapolis Field Office: The Game Mulder and Scully were supposed to watch in on TV. Mulder and Scully walk in and Mulder gazes at the TV longingly. Bocks tells them that there has been another desecration. He hands the file to Scully who looks through it, her back turned , so they do not see her reaction. She looks horrified as she flips through looking at the pictures.
She closes it quickly, hands Mulder the file, an leaves the room. Mulder notices this but continues talking to Bocks. He tells Bocks he believes there to be an "escalating fetishist" in the area. he says that the person may resort to homicide.
Mulder walks out and sees Scully sitting alone looking upset. She says she is alright and it is ok to stay on the case
Agent Bocks' Office: Scully is typing on a computer. Her voice over talks about the horror of the crimes, and what she believes the profile of the person to be. Her voice sounds almost afraid.
Donnie Pfaster's car: Donnie is driving, he stops by some prostitutes and picks one up. He takes her home. The prostitute notes that it is freezing and Pfaster says he wants to run her a bath. He goes into the bathroom and turns on the water He asks about her hair, whether or not it is chemically treated and she looks confused. The phone rings and he goes to answer it. She looks at bit nervous.
On the phone it is the woman he was interviewing with for the job. he got the job. he thanks her and hangs up. The prostitute walks in and says that the water is freezing. Then she notices the room she is in. It is covered in funeral wreaths. the prostitute gets really frightened now and tells him not to come near her.
Tenderloin District: There are police cars and yellow tape. Mulder and Scully are there. Bocks says it is the guy. He took hair and fingernails and this time even a few fingers. Scully looks nervous. Mulder goes to see the body but Scully stays back saying that she needs a few minutes. Her look is a look of fear and terror
ACT TWO
Residential neighborhood. Pfaster, at his new job, goes to a house to make a delivery. The woman is very warm and friendly. She says she has three daughters. Pfaster goes to the bathroom to wash his hands and finds a wad of hair in the wastebasket. He takes it and places it into his pocket. The woman comes back telling him they always leave the back door unlocked.
County Morgue: As Scully performs the autopsy, her voice over is heard. She talks about autopsy and how by doing one you can piece together the evidence of a crime. She says that death, like life, is a drama with a beginning, middle or end. Then she goes on to explain the cause of death. She believes the body to have been immersed in cold water. She ends by saying it is one of the most hideous murders imaginable.
County Sheriff's Line-up Observation Room: Mulder, Bocks, and the other prostitute stand looking at a bunch of men at a line-up. The prostitute does not recognize any but says he was normal looking and drove a white car.
Junior College Classroom: Pfaster is in a class. He is staring at a girl in front of him. After class he follows her to her car and asks what chapters they were to read. She replies but he does not go away. He tells her not to go and she kicks him in the groin sending him to the ground. She then screams for help.
Morgue: A body lies on the table covered with a sheet. Scully enters and goes overt to the body She lifts it up and looks horrified. It is her body under the sheet. The demon figure that was in the beginning is above her. Suddenly a phone rings
Scully's hotel room: Scully wakes up from her dream the phone ringing,. She picks it up and it is Mulder telling her they think they got the guy. She says she will be right there.
Jail: Bocks tells them about a guy who attacks someone. They stop in front if a cell but it is not Pfaster. A face is peering out of the cell behind them. Pfaster. And he is staring at Scully like he stared at the other victims.
ACT THREE
Jail: They exit saying it is not their guy. Scully asks for minute alone with Mulder. Bocks leaves. Scully says she would like to return to DC to user the crime labs for her autopsy so she can find more. Mulder asks if she is alright and that if she is having trouble she should tell him. She says she is fine,. Mulder nods knowing she is lying and she is not ok.
Pfaster calls across to the suspect. He asks the name of the younger agent/ He says it is Scully. The jailer comes and releases Pfaster saying the lady dropped the charges.
Washington DC Scully and another agent are discussing the case The other agent says he will try his best to find something. Scully nods and exits.
She walks down a hallway to a door marked "EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM" She looks around making sure no one sees her, Then she enters the room.
She sits across from the psychiatrist Karen Kosseff trying to discuss her feelings. She explains that she feels she has looked at pure evil and was paralyzed by it and could not handle it. Kosseff asks if she can talk to her partner and she replies no that she does not want him to know the case is bothering her or to feel he has to protect him. She also mentions that she trusts Mulder with her life. She ends by saying she feels she has lost her faith in her ability to do her job, and needs the faith back.
After her meeting Scully goes back to the lab. The agent tells her someone had called asking when she would be returning and that they had found a print. She calls Mulder with the news. Mulder is glad and she asks if he or Bocks called her. They say no.
They find who Pfaster is by the print. They go to his house but he is not there. They do find however, a severed finger which had belonged to the prostitute.
Scully, back in Minneapolis walks to her rental car. She gets in and drives away, Someone is behind her. She is driving and his lights are shining brightly in her eyes. She blinks trying to see and he bumps into her three times knocking her out
ACT FOUR
Mulder begins to get worried that Scully is not there yet. Someone walks in and says they found her car.
Scully is tied up in a corner of a small room. She is gagged. Pfaster walks in. He is holding a long knife. He leans towards her and she tries to scream through the gag. She looks up on him and he transforms into alot of different faces including the demon from the beginning. He cuts the rope from her foot
Mulder finds paint on the side of Scully's car which he sends to be analyzed. They trace the car back to the mother, who is dead, and find her old residence.
Pfaster leads Scully to a bathroom where he was a bath running. She backs away slow and he comes towards her and she kicks him, sending him into the bathtub, She runs and he follows her. He goes to a drawer and grabs a gun. He opens a closet and she jumps out spraying a cleanser into his eyes. Then she runs, He chases her to the stairs and catches her at the landing. They struggle and tumble down the stairs together. Once at the bottom Scully grabs for the gun which had fallen beside her. Pfaster leaps on top of her smacking her and the gun away. The door opens and police enter. Pfaster rolls away and Mulder goes to Scully. she is shaking. he helps her up.
She says she is fine. He helps her untie her wrists. He sees she is shaking. He looks into her eyes which are filling with tears. She falls against him crying. He holds her and kisses the top of her head.
END