A mysterious Plain-Clothed Man alerts Mulder to a pair of multiple-homicides in which the
killers suddenly became delusional. Mulder is unsure who the informant is working for, but
he nonetheless follows up on the tip. He and Scully visit a psychiatric hospital, where
Joseph Patnick, one of the mass murderers, suddenly goes berserk while watching
television. The agents meet with Dr. Stroman, who theorizes his patient might be suffering
from a delusional syndrome.
The agents search Patnick’s home looking for clues. While combing the house, Mulder
and Scully locate row upon row of video cassette tapes containing cable news broadcasts.
Back at the motel, Mulder views hours of the news footage but is unable to formulate a link
between the broadcasts and the murders. Scully, however, cites recent studies linking
television violence to violent behavior. Mulder dismisses the connection.
Out of curiosity, Scully views the rest of the video tapes. Late that night, she sees Mulder
and The Cigarette-Smoking Man meeting in secret in a car parked outside the motel. The
next day, the agents receive word regarding yet another strange murder. This time, a
housewife suddenly beat a neighbor to death. The killer, Mrs. Riddock, told authorities that
her husband was having an affair with a blonde woman in a hammock in their backyard. In
reality, Mrs. Riddock attacked and killed her next door neighbor, who was resting in a
hammock with a Golden Retriever. The agents search Riddock’s home and uncover a large
pile of VHS cassette tapes. Mulder spots a cable technician working on a utility pole nearby.
When the technician drive off, Mulder climbs the pole and removes a video trap device. He
brings it to the Lone Gunmen for analysis.
Meanwhile, Scully grows more and more suspicious about Mulder’s activities. While
speaking with Scully over the telephone, Mulder notices her paranoia and drives back to the
motel. Believing she is being attacked by unknown intruders, Scully opens fire, narrowly
missing her partner. She then runs off.
The Lone Gunman confirm Mulder’s theory that the device somehow induces violent
behavior. Using different colors, it acts as a sort of mind control. Mulder, who is red-green
color blind, realizes why he was not affected.
Mulder receives word that Scully’s body may have been located. Before he reaches the
morgue, the Plain-Clothed Man warns him to concentrate on finding the parties responsible
before they destroy evidence. Mulder ignores the warning and goes to the morgue. The
victim, however, is not Scully.
Mulder travels to Mrs. Scully’s house. Scully suddenly steps into view, leveling a pistol
at Mulder’s head. Delusional, she claims that Mulder has been lying to her from their very
first assignment. But Mrs. Scully convinces her distraught daughter to drop the weapon.
Mulder realizes that Dr. Stroman’s treatment of Patnick was unorthodox. He tracks
Stroman and the cable technician to a house on the outskirts of town. Suddenly, gunshots
rings out. When Mulder enters the home, he finds X standing over the bodies. X blames the
deaths on Mulder. But Mulder counters he never knew who the Plain-Clothed Man was
working for.
Later, Mulder and the now-recovered Scully meet with Skinner. But Mulder does not
identify X as the man who killed Stroman and the cable technician.
THE X-FILES “WETWIRED” #3X23
Original Air Date: 5/10/96
CAST:
DAVID DUCHOVNY as Special Agent Fox Mulder
GILLIAN ANDERSON as Special Agent Dana Scully
GUEST CAST:
MITCH PILEGGI as Assistant Director Walter Skinner
WILLIAM B. DAVIS as The Cigarette-Smoking Man
BRUCE HARWOOD as Byers
TOM BRAIDWOOD as Frohike
DEAN HAGLUND as Langly
STEVEN WILLIAMS as X
SHEILA LARKEN as Margaret Scully
LINDEN BANKS as Joseph Patnik
ZINAID MEMISEVIC as the Cruel-Faced Man
SANDY TUCKER as Mrs. Riddick
COLIN CUNNINGHAM as Dr. Stroman
WRITTEN BY:
MAT BECK
DIRECTED BY:
ROB BOWMAN
