Aubrey (The X-Files)

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.

In the episode, Mulder and Scully believe that a serial killer from the 1940s passed his genetic trait of violence to his grandchild after a detective, BJ Morrow (Deborah Strang) mysteriously uncovers the remains of an FBI agent who disappeared almost fifty years before while investigating a modern-day murder case similar to the older cold case.

Terry O'Quinn, who guest stars in the episode, would later play roles in the 1998 feature film, the ninth season episode "Trust No 1", become a recurring character as Peter Watts on Millennium, and appear on the short-lived series Harsh Realm.

Mulder tells Scully of the case Chaney and Ledbetter were investigating, which involved the rapes and murders of three women with the word "Sister" slashed on their chest.

claims to have seen the victim in her dreams, which involve a man with a rash on his face and a monument which, after a quick sketch by B.J., Mulder recognizes as the Trylon and Perisphere from the 1939 New York World's Fair.

recognizes the man from her dream as Harry Cokely, who was arrested in 1945 for raping a woman named Linda Thibedeaux and slashing "Sister" on her chest.

awakens from a nightmare covered in blood, finding the word "Sister" slashed into her chest, and sees a young Cokely reflected in the mirror behind her.

She heads to a stranger's basement and tears away the floorboards, revealing a skeleton that is found to be the remains of Agent Ledbetter.

[4] Glen Morgan and James Wong, who had written for The X-Files before, helped Charno refine the story,[4] and the script was revised shortly before shooting, which resulted in newer scenes being added during production, such as the scene in which BJ attacks Mulder.

[8] Series creator Chris Carter was happy with the finished episode, later noting, "I think it came out great" and that "Rob Bowman came through for us and gave us an excellent job.

[9] Carter was also pleased with the episode's casting; he called Morgan Woodward "excellent" and said that Deborah Strang's performance was "top notch".

Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B, describing it as "a well-paced murder mystery with an inventive wrap-up".

[11] Robert Shearman, in his book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three-and-a-half stars out of five.

However, he was critical of the genetic defect plot point, arguing that, because Strang's character is fleshed out, the reveal turns her into "a puppet of the paranormal".

He stated that things got "dicey" for him around the revelation about Thibedeaux's child and that he did not buy Mulder's genetic impulse theories.

He criticised the ending, writing that it "[sacrificed] whatever mood and character development the previous thirty had spent establishing for cheesy theatrics, and the whole thing lands with a resounding thud.

There are too many problems with the concept; the nature/nurture debate has been going on for decades, and this ep throws the whole thing out the window in about two minutes.

[14] However, Deans was critical of various elements of the episode, most notably, the genetic theory conceit and the idea of an "activator baby" that caused Morrow's past ancestors to work through her.