Dr. Solomon Merkmallen makes his way to the tide pool, where the same group of fishermen await. Inside his university office, Solomon extracts the metal piece from the rock. He places it next to a matching artifact, which contains similar iconic symbols. As Solomon moves the pieces towards each other, they suddenly fly from his fingers and embed themselves in a bible. The rip mark made by the now-fused object highlights a passage from Genesis. Solomon makes his way to the American University in Washington, D.C. where he meets with a Dr. Sandoz inside a biology lab. As the pair converse, Solomon realizes the man standing before him is not Dr. Sandoz. Later, the real Dr. Sandoz discovers Solomon’s body.
Skinner discusses Solomon’s death with Mulder and Scully. Although Solomon’s body is missing, a large amount of his blood was discovered inside the biology lab. Both Solomon and Dr. Sandoz believed that life on Earth originated elsewhere in the universe. Skinner hands Scully a piece of paper containing a carbon rubbing of the (second) artifact Solomon had in his office. A short time later, Mulder hears a cacophony of sound in his head. He quickly recovers from this mysterious episode. Scully wonders why Mulder still has any interest in pursuing “the truth” now that the Syndicate members are dead and their secrets exposed. Mulder explains that there is one more thing he hopes to find: his sister.
Mulder interviews the man who had earlier posed as Dr. Sandoz. That man, Dr. Barnes, is the head of the biology department at the university. Scully hands Barnes the carbon rubbing… which causes Mulder to experience another episode. He quickly excuses himself. Meanwhile, inside a hospital, Dr. Sandoz watches over Albert Hosteen, the Native American Navajo who assisted Mulder many years earlier. Hosteen is gravely ill.
Mulder meets with Scully and Chuck Burke, who analyses the symbols on the carbon rubbing. Burke declares that the writing is phonetic Navajo, but a literal interpretation is impossible. It turns out that Dr. Barnes authored an article on the manufacture of religious artifacts, and has made a career out of exposing scientific and religious fraud. Moments later, Mulder experiences another attack. He tells Scully that the attacks have given him a special “sense.” He is convinced that Barnes murdered Solomon. He and Scully travel to Dr. Sandoz’s apartment, where they find a photo of Sandoz posing with Albert Hosteen. They also find Solomon’s body inside a trash compactor. The agents discuss their findings with Skinner. Mulder believes Solomon’s body was planted in the compactor to frame Sandoz. He also believes that Sandoz possesses an actual artifact, as does Dr. Barnes. Lab tests reveal that Solomon was exposed to radiation that only exists beyond the solar system. That radiation, according to Mulder, originated from the artifact. Before the meeting concludes, Mulder accuses Skinner of secretly operating in conjunction with another party. After the agents leave the office, Skinner moves to a small pinhole camera mounted in the wall. He ejects a tape from a VCR… and hands it to Alex Krycek.
Mulder returns to the American University. He searches Barnes’ office for the artifact, but comes up empty handed. Mulder suffers an intense attack that affects his vision. He collapses on a stairwell. Moments later, a dark figure steps over Mulder’s body. Mulder, who is unable to see or hear, cannot identify the form. The figure turns out to be Krycek. He makes his way to Barnes’ office and hands him the surveillance tape that Skinner gave him.
Sandoz tells Scully that the metal piece is only a part of a much larger puzzle. Solomon found two more pieces in the tidal pool. Hosteen was given a rubbing made from those pieces. Together, the elements formed a passage from Genesis. Hosteen was working on more translations when his health deteriorated. Scully telephones Mulder’ apartment. An unidentified woman answers and hands Mulder the phone. Mulder tells his partner that the artifacts are extraterrestrial in origin… proving that mankind’s progenitors are alien. The unidentified woman turns out to be Diana Fowley. Later, she contacts the Cigarette Smoking Man and reports that Mulder is suffering from attacks.
Scully and Sandoz accompany Hosteen to a place of healing in New Mexico. Skinner contacts Scully by phone and informs her of Mulder’s deteriorating condition. When Scully reaches the hospital, she learns that Mulder has been confined to a psychiatric ward. Scully becomes suspicious of Skinner and Fowley and their interest in the case.
Dr. Sandoz telephones Scully. He informs her that the letters Hosteen translated from the artifact are a map to the genetic makeup of mankind. Krycek shoots and kills Dr. Sandoz.
Scully stands amongst the group of fishermen. She shows them the carbon rubbing. The Yelling Man points her in a direction further up the beach. Scully reaches the tide pool… where it is revealed that she is standing on a massive craft buried in the sand, its surface covered with the strange symbols.
To Be Continued.
THE X-FILES “BIOGENESIS”
#6X22 Original Air Date: 5/16/99
CAST:
DAVID DUCHOVNY as Special Agent Fox Mulder
GILLIAN ANDERSON as Special Agent Dana Scully
GUEST CAST:
Mitch Pileggi as Assitant Director Walter Skinner
Mimi Rogers as Agent Diane Fowley
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Murray Rubinstein as Dr. Sandoz
Floyd Red Crow Westerman as Albert Hosteen
Michael Chinyamurindi as Solomon Merkmallen
Bill Dow as Chuck Burke
Michael Ensign as Dr. Barnes
Warren Sweeney as Dr. Harriman
Samule Kwaku Minta as Yelling Man
Ayo Adeyemi as African Man
Benjamin Ochieng as Second African Man
Chet Grissom as Detective
Marty Zagon as Landlord
Sheila Tousey as Native American Nurse
WRITTEN BY:
CHRIS CARTER & FRANK SPOTNITZ
DIRECTED BY:
ROB BOWMAN