The third episode in the season finale/opener that began with Anasazi plunges Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) further into the still developing mythology arc of the series with this episode, Paper Clip, written by series creator, Chris Carter.

First airing on 29 September, 1995 the episode sees the agents on the run, investigating a connection of Mulder’s father with not only The Syndicate, but the infamous Operation Paper Clip that brought over Nazi scientists to America after the end of the Second World War.

After a confrontation with the Well Manicured Man (John Neville) as well as a strange experience in a massive underground facility filled with endless filing cabinets (Mulder sees a UFO(?) and Scully catches a glimpse and encounters a group of child-size aliens (?)), containing information on what Mulder believes are abductees, including Scully, and his missing sister (though originally it was supposed to be his file).

The Well Manicured Man spins a story that suggests that one of the Nazi scientists, Klemper (Walter Gotell) was working on alien-human hybrids, carrying on experiments on humans – though Scully points out that DNA hadn’t been discovered at the point Klemper’s supposed experiments were being conducted. What’s the truth? Where’s the reality? And who can they trust?

Skinner (Mitch Pileggi)? The episode picks up with the draw down that he and Scully have with one another, though he is able to prove his trustworthiness eventually, and even screws over CSM (William B. Davis) when he pulls the trump card of Albert Hosteen (Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman) who has memorised and shared the information from the stolen DAT tape with others.

Krycek (Nicholas Lea), however, has the tape, having stolen it from Skinner, but The Syndicate attempts to have him killed because of his flubbing of the attack on Scully – now he’s in the wind…

… but Mulder and Scully are safely back at the FBI, determined, more than ever, to bring justice and explore the secrets that are being kept from them.

D.P.O. written by Howard Gordon, returns us to the monster-of-the-week premise of the series. First airing on 6 October, 1995 the story features guest appearances by Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Black.

The agents head off to Oklahoma to investigate a series of deaths, apparently caused by lightning. The have been four deaths, and one survivor, Darin Peter Oswald (Ribisi).

It seems Darin, or DPO as he signs off on his high scores in the arcade, has some how gained the power of a lightning storm, and can unleash it anyway his young, teenage mind imagines. David seems to be slightly impaired, angry, and unable to properly communicate his feelings or intentions, whether its to his peers, or the crush he has on his teacher, Mrs. Kiveat (Karen Lorre).

Black plays his best friend, Zero, and the pair have more than met their match when Mulder and Scully come to town, but will they be able to control DPO’s power? and will Mulder’s theory about David’s use of lightning be proved correct or will Scully find a more rational explanation?

The explorations into the unknown and the paranormal continue next week because the truth is out there…