This issue is the second part of the “Elders” episode (click here for my thoughts on part 1). It is very good, dripping with conspiracies. To summarize what is happening without including spoilers, Mulder is being discredited at the FBI for allegedly stealing secrets. He has been abducted and is held in a secret facility that appears to be host to alien-hybrid experiments. And at the end, the identity of the mysterious person with the glasses is revealed, and there is a nice cliffhanger setting us up for the next chapter in the saga.
There is an interesting quote that Deputy Director Skinner makes to Scully regarding what is happening to Mulder in regard to the FBI allegations.
If you think powerful forces sought to tear Mulder down before, you haven’t met Special Interests in the 21st century. And the more we resist their efforts to control the levels of government, the bigger the target we all become.
I found this to be an astute assessment of the relationship between government and special interest groups. No one questions that these groups influence legislation. The subtle insinuation that there is something going on behind the scenes works well in deepening the conspiracy aspects of the story.
So I want to close this post with Mulder’s last words in this issue, which I found to be a great twist on the X-Files’ famous tagline:
I don’t believe it…
Stuff Jeff Reads 
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