Scully (Gillian Anderson) is still missing, and Mulder (David Duchovny) heads off to L.A. to investigate possible vampires, or at least blood fetishists in the first real clunker of season two, 3.

Written by Chris Ruppenthal as well as Glen Morgan and James Wong, this disappointing episode first aired on 4 November, 1994. As Mulder slowly reopens the X-files, including the office, he ruminates and worries about Scully, but still gets drawn into what may be a serial murder case that centres around an unholy trinity that may or may not be vampires.

Working the case, he deals with local PD, sharp-eyed Stargate fans may recognise Tom McBeath and encounters a young woman, Kristen (Perrey Reeves – Duchovny’s girlfriend at the time) who may have a connection to the killers.

Are they actually vampires, or do they just suffer from some form of disease? And will Mulder become a target for them, and what will be Kristen’s fate?

It’s not a terrible episode but coming on the heels of the superior Duane Barry two-parter, this one feels like a bit of a letdown and a miss. I like they they didn’t rush to get Scully back into the story somehow, and that Mulder is dealing with her loss, I just wish they had given him a better episode to do it in.

That’s okay, because they make up for it with the next episode, which in fact, which serves as the third part in the Scully abduction arc.

One Breath is a beautiful, poetic episode, that first debuted on 11 November, 1994. It was written by Morgan and Wong and delivers the reveal that Scully has been returned!

Mulder along with Scully’s mother (Sheila Larken) and new-agey sister, Melissa (Melinda McGraw) come together, to watch over her, while she has experiences of her own – an encounter with her father (Don S. Davis) as well as a nurse (Nicola Cavendish) who may not exist.

Outside the hospital, Mulder attempts to hunt down those responsible for her abduction, X (Steven Williams) provides some information, but how trustworthy is it, and Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) reveals himself to be a true ally when he relates a story from his time in Vietnam, and delivers a confrontation with CSM (William B. Davis).

And when it comes to choosing between his own desire for vengeance or being there for Scully, he chooses Scully, causing him to miss a potential opportunity at revenge.

There are some truly beautiful moments in this episode, and Davis’ ‘one breath’ speech is poetic, and heart-rending.

And now, with the event of the abduction behind them, Scully’s recovery beginning, and the X-files being reopened, we, and those two dogged FBI agents are ready to continue their hunt for the truth, because the truth is out there…