“Quagmire” is episode twenty-two of season three of The X-Files.
A man picks up a frog at Striker’s Cove, Heuvelmans Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. He tells someone that when he began his field research, the frogs were thriving. There are now less than 200 adults and, if they don’t take protective measures, the species will become extinct. The man he is talking to says that frog populations are falling over the globe and no-one knows why. They can’t place them all on the endangered species list. The first, Dr Farraday, thinks a way would be found if they were cute furry animals. The second, Dr Bailey, tells Farraday his research is inconclusive about the population decrease being caused by human encroachment. Farraday says that it’s a frog holocaust and humans executed it. Bailey tells him survival of the fittest. Farraday reminds him that applies to humans too. You can’t turn your back on nature or nature will turn its back on you.
Bailey heads to his car but discovers he’s lost his beeper. He heads back to the lack to look. There’s a splash in the water behind him and everything goes quiet. Bailey finds his beeper but there’s something in the water behind him that grabs him and drags him into the lake.
Mulder and Scully are passing a sign that asks ‘What’s older than the hills?’ with a lake and a lump in it. Scully’s dog is in the car; yes, she really had to bring it. Mulder got her up on a Saturday morning and there weren’t any other options than kennels and he knows how she feels about kennels. Mulder will have to pull over or they will lose their security deposit. Mulder will, because he thinks they are lost anyway. Scully wants to know why he is so interested in a missing person. Bailey worked for the U.S. Forestry Service, so it’s a federal case. Yes, but why is Mulder interested? Two weeks ago, the leader of a scout troop disappeared. Does Mulder think there’s a serial killer at large? The operative word, according to Mulder, is ‘large,’ as they pass a second sign. Scully asks him what he’s leaving out. Then asks him to tell her he’s not serious, as they pass a third sign announcing Big Blue, the Southern Serpent. The lake has a monster.
The first stop is Dr Farraday, who makes it clear he didn’t have a high opinion of Bailey. Yes, he is bitter, but he didn’t plot Bailey’s demise. Mulder asks if there are any indigenous species capable of attacking a human being. Yes; another human being. Mulder is looking for other suggestions and Farraday tells him he has a great problem getting to the point. So, Mulder does; does Big Blue exist? Farraday does not appreciate such suggestions at all; he has no patience for pseudoscience.
Afterwards, as they are arriving somewhere else, Mulder mentions that lake creatures have been proposed in many countries for centuries. Scully knows of some too; she was interested as a kid. Before she grew up and became a scientist. Mulder suggests an evolutionary throwback, such as a plesiosaur. Scully tells him there is no hard evidence; these are simply folktales. Folktales don’t eat Boy Scout troop leaders.
They have arrived at a place that definitely makes money from Big Blue. They were looking for some cabins and the owner, Ted Bertram, sells them a map. Everyone is talking about the missing people, Bertram says when they inform him they are FBI looking into it. He reminisces about a cow that was eaten by Big Blue when he was a child. They need to talk to a man, who just came in; Ansel. He’s the real expert. It was his daddy’s cow that was eaten. Ansel is having some films developed and he plans to catch Big Blue on film one day.
Outside, a man is fishing when he catches something heavy. A body. He comes running in to tell Bertram to call the sheriff. They have a floater. Well, the bottom half of one anyway. Half of the missing troop leader. Scully thinks he probably fell in when drunk and the fish have been eating his decomposing body.
That night, Bertram is making fake monster prints by the lake when one of his boots gets stuck in the mud. Something comes out of the lake and drags him off.
In the morning, at the scene, Mulder thinks the tracks are indicative of a monster. Scully does not; they should be deeper. The sheriff doesn’t think anything untoward is up either; by the nature of the lake they get 8-9 deaths a season. There’s no way he can close the lake as Mulder suggests; it’s 48 miles and he has four deputies. Scully’s dog runs off and finds one of the monster boots. She tells Mulder it’s a hoax. Mulder has found blood on the boot and asks what happened to the hoaxer.
The surviving Stoner and the Chick from “War of the Coprophages” are by the lake; the Stoner is talking about licking a toad’s back to get high. Then does it. Then a man surfaces out of the lake; a friend of theirs. However, something grabs him, drags him off and blood appears in the water. Followed by his snorkel, which is still on his head. Which is no longer on his body. Scully thinks this is propeller damage, when she arrives with Mulder and the sheriff.
The next victim is Ansel, who is dragged off whilst trying to photograph what’s dragging him. When the lake is dragged for bodies, something pulls the sheriff in. Afterwards, he comes a lot more amenable to closing the lake. Enthusiastic, in fact. There’s definitely something in the lake and the deaths are not accidents with powerboats.