In 1989, a SWAT team storms a darkened warehouse, its floors dotted with pools of
blood. There the officers encounter a naked, paranoid Mulder lying on the ground. Suddenly,
the three Lone Gunmen-Langly, Frohike and Byers-spring from a hiding place and make an
unsuccessful bid for freedom. Byers is questioned by Detective Munch, who explains that
despite evidence of a bloody shoot-out, and the involvement of a (now delusional) FBI agent,
he has few clues about what actually transpired. Byers recounts the events that led up to the
warehouse shoot-out.
As the story unfolds, Byers attends a computer show at a convention center. There he
meets a strikingly beautiful woman, “Holly,” who claims her psychotic ex-boyfriend
kidnapped her daughter. “Holly” gives Byers an Internet address, claiming it is her only
hope in locating her child. Byers hacks his way onto government computer, where he types
in the name of “Holly’s” daughter, Susanne Modeski. The computer opens an encrypted file.
Frohike, who mans a nearby booth, agrees to decipher the document.
When “Holly” notices Mulder walking the convention floor, she identifies him as her
ex-boyfriend. Frohike and Byers approach Mulder, only to learn he is an FBI Agent. When
“Holly” disappears, Frohike and Byers ask Langly to hack onto the FBI mainframe computer,
hoping he can find information on Mulder. Langly successfully cracks the mainframe, and
learns that “Holly” is actually Susanne Modeski, who is wanted in connection with the
bombing of an FBI lab that left four people dead.
Modeski locates the threesome inside Byers’ motel room. She claims the information
contained in her file is fabricated. She admits the story about her daughter was a lie… one
she made up in a desperate attempt to have the encrypted file deciphered. She tells the men
that the government is plotting an experiment in which the American public will be exposed
to a paranoia-inducing gas-one she unwittingly helped develop.
The encrypted file reveals the address of the warehouse where the paranoia-inducing
gas is stored. It also reveals that a surveillance device was attached to Modeski’s tooth by
her dentist. Using pliers, Modeski extracts a molar containing a tiny transmitter. Byers,
Modeski and the others break inside the warehouse. There they discover asthma inhalers
containing the gas. Mulder steps forward and announces that everyone is under arrest.
Moments later, government officials enter the warehouse and instruct Modeski to follow
them. When Mulder orders the men to identify themselves, they open fire, inadvertently
striking the asthma inhalers. The liquid rains onto Mulder, triggering a psychotic episode.
Modeski shoots the unidentified men and escapes. X steps forward and prepares to kill the
threesome execution-style. When X lowers the weapon, Byers realizes he only intended to
intimidate them.
When Byers’ finishes his story, Munch dismisses it as fiction. Later, the Lone Gunmen
are released from jail when Mulder verifies what transpired. Afterward, the threesome locate
Susanne at a newspaper office. She laments that no one believes her story. Moments later,
government men usher Modeski away.
THE X-FILES “UNUSUAL SUSPECTS”
#5X01
Original Air Date: 11/16/97
CAST:
DAVID DUCHOVNY as Special Agent Fox Mulder
GILLIAN ANDERSON as Special Agent Dana Scully
GUEST CAST:
MITCH PILEGGI as Assistant Director Skinner
RICHARD BELZER as Detective Munch
BRUCE HARWOOD as Byers
DEAN HAGLUND as Langly
TOM BRAIDWOOD as Frohike
ERIC KNIGHT as the Hacker Dude
SIGNY COLEMAN as Susanne Modeski
KEN HAWRYLIW as Ken Hawryliw
STEVEN WILLIAMS as Mr. X
CHRIS NELSON NORRIS as SWAT Lieutenant
STUART O’CONNELL as 1st SWAT Cop
GLENN WILLIAMS as Officer
WRITTEN BY:
VINCE GILLIGAN
DIRECTED BY:
KIM MANNERS
