“Kitsunegari” is episode eight of season five of The X-Files.
Someone is undergoing physiotherapy in an institution; the therapist is pleased with his improvement. Afterwards, two orderlies fasten him into a wheelchair; the older tells the younger one to back away and keep his fingers on his pepper spray like the older told him. The younger asks what the story is with the inmate. He’s a cop killer, regular people killer and a waste of skin. The younger doesn’t see what there is to be scared of. The older tells him not to underestimate him. Never trust him, never let your guard down. The inmate is Robert Patrick Modell, from “Pusher”.
That night, the younger orderly is on duty when he gets summoned to Modell’s cell by a call light. The orderly checks the restraints then leans close to Modell to hear what he’s whispering. Never a good idea. Later, the older orderly sees the station empty and hears a noise. He heads to Modell’s cell. Modell isn’t there, just the younger orderly hitting his head against a wall. When asked where Modell is, the younger replies that he had to go.
Mulder and Scully arrive at the facility as Skinner is briefing those hunting for Modell. Modell apparently just walked out the front door. Given the unique nature, the FBI will be running the operation. Mulder and Scully are Skinner’s seconds, given that they caught Modell the first time. They brief the gathered officers on Modell. Mulder explains how Modell forces his will on others, pushing his victims into hurting or killing themselves. Do not trust him, talk to him or engage him in conversation, even if he’s unarmed. Approach with adequate backup – every cop you can lay your hands on.
Scully is surprised that Modell is even alive. He was comatose from being shot in the head, then six months ago woke up. The brain tumour is still killing him. They are going to talk to the physical therapist. Scully reminds Mulder that Mulder was Modell’s target last time.
In a sports shop in Occoquan, Virginia, the assistant, Todd, has just watched Modell on the news when Modell walks in. Todd reaches for a baseball bat, but Modell convinces him that it’s a snake. Modell sees Mulder and Scully on the news article.
The therapist tells Mulder and Scully that Modell had an occasional visitor from the Little Sisters of Charity, and that’s it. He never gave her any grief; he worked harder at getting better and they made small talks. She has no doubt that Modell belonged in prison, but she never had any problems with him. Then Modell calls the place, wanting to speak to Mulder. They manage to trace the call, which Modell expected. Modell isn’t in the sports shop, but he appears to be across the road. Except, of course, it’s Todd. Modell had to go. Modell is somewhere where there’s blue paint splattered around, including a man covered in it.
There are ideograms painted on the wall and Mulder takes a wild stab that this is a clue. The man painted blue is dead; he drank the paint. The paint is cerulean blue. Skinner arrives; the dead man is the prosecutor who tried Modell. The ideogram is the same one repeated – ‘Fox Hunt.’ There’s a photo of a woman with a blue fingerprint on it. The dead man’s wife. Linda Bowman. She runs a realty place and she’s out meeting a client in Falls Church. Fox Mulder.
Falls Church PD send a cruise and two officers enter the place. One hears Modell calling out to him. He finds him, armed, and tells him to put it down and lay face down. When everyone else arrives, the cop tells them he has Modell. He hasn’t, of course; he has his partner.
The wife turns up at this point; her client didn’t leave a number so she couldn’t tell him she was running late. She knows who Pusher is and she’s told he may have murdered her husband. Mulder is puzzled as to why Modell didn’t kill the cops. Scully suggests that he may have been too tired. Mulder says something doesn’t make sense. Modell is watching Mrs Bowman leave from across the way.
Modell is behaving differently and Mulder is sure something else is going on. However, part of his assurance comes after talking to Modell which, given Modell’s ability, does not do wonders for Mulder’s credibility. Even though Modell let Mulder live.