“Hellbound” is episode eight (though filmed as episode four) of season nine of The X-Files.
An anger management group is being held in a church. One of the attendees, Victor, is having bad dreams. Of people skinned alive. Another man there reassures him that fears prey on them all the time. After the session, Ed, the one who drove Victor there, asks if he ever gets tired of it; the people are afraid of their own true nature. And don’t tell him that Victor feels better and that coming makes the nightmares go away. Victor says it doesn’t. He’s seeing Ed skinned.
Reyes is looking at Victor’s file at the FBI Training Academy when Doggett arrives. She apologises about the hour and says she called Scully as well. She hands Doggett the file; Victor is a repeat offender. And was murdered five days ago. It was the way he was killed.
They join Scully in autopsy; Reyes wants Doggett to see Victor’s body. He’s been skinned. Doggett has seen similar as a cop, usually Asian gangs. Reyes said Victor had a premonition of his death. Doggett, and previously Scully, want to know the point. Because Victor was skinned alive and hours earlier described this. Doggett suggests he was threatened. Reyes says that Dr Lisa Holland, Victor’s therapist, told her Victor dreamt it. Holland runs an anger management group for ex-cons. Doggett says that career criminals make enemies. Scully says the skinning was done with skill to prolong the time the victim suffered. She doesn’t see why it’s an X-file. Reyes just says she needs to solve the case.
Doggett and Reyes meet a detective Van Allen in Novi, Virginia, outside the church. The detective isn’t interested int he case and is sure they’d rather talk to someone who gives a damn. Doggett thinks that probably sums up most people’s opinions. Inside, they speak to Dr Holland, who tells them what happened. When Reyes leaves, Van Allen asks if she’s been there before, as she seems familiar. She hasn’t.
Victor’s friend Ed is butchering a pig at a meat packing plant when another man from the group, Terry, speaks to him. The FBI wants to talk to both of them because of how Victor died. Ed says you can’t run from who you are; he’ll see Terry in hell. Terry sees Ed skinned.
Scully is given details on every case involving skinned people. Most are post mortem and Asian gang related. Except for one, that probably shouldn’t have been included because of its age. But Scully says the case is identical. Except it dates from 1960.
Scully heads to a retirement home to speak to Dr Mueller who did the autopsy to see if he remembers a John Doe from 1960. Mueller asks if she honestly expects him to remember; he’s 84. Scully says the victim was skinned alive. Yes, that one he remembers. There were no suspects and no investigation. The victim was a John Doe and the sheriff figured he was a drifter and didn’t want to stir up the community. Mueller thinks the sheriff had other things on his mind as not long after he killed himself. Perhaps this is a copycat? Scully asks why anyone would cop an obscure murder. Murders, according to Mueller.
Terry is cleaning up in the plant when the lights go out. There’s someone else there and they knock Terry down. Then string him up and start cutting.
Reyes enters the church at night, looking for the doctor. The door slams shut behind her. When she goes to open it, there’s a skinned man on the other side. She jolts awake as Doggett enters the room; he heard her through the wall when he was on the phone. Holland called; there’s been another.
Inside the meat packing plant, Terry has been skinned. Reyes heads outside as Scully arrives with a case of files from 1960, all skinned with the same precision. Inside, Doggett touches Terry. He isn’t dead. Terry gasps a name, Ed. Ed is quickly packing, but gets caught as he tries to flee.
Holland doesn’t think Ed is the killer, as he’s been doing well. Doggett asks why he was running then. Reyes thinks he was running from something, not because he’s the killer. Reyes also seems to know something about the crimes, as these are only the latest in a series. Though she doesn’t seem clear as to what she knows.