The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).

Scully, Doggett and Reyes discover that the culprit was apparently a swarm of killer flies hidden in the victim's brain.

A group of teenagers, led by "Sky Commander Winky" (Aaron Paul), film one of their friends, nicknamed "Cap'n Dare" (played by Branden Williams), doing stunts for a cable TV show called Dumbass.

The local coroner calls in John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) to investigate the death.

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) examines the body and finds that the insects had fed on Dare's brain to such a degree that it simply collapsed.

At a local high school, Winky and his brother film a memorial service for Dare, much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Natalie.

A subsequent search of the Lokensgard home reveals other bodies, including the bug specialist, cocooned but survived, and Dylan's father, who supposedly ran off years earlier.

[5] According to Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles in their book The Complete X-Files, the episode "revisit[s] [the] themes of genetic grafting experiments from 'Travelers' in a humorous context.

"[5] Series co-star Robert Patrick had a difficult time with the episode; he later explained, "I couldn't deal with some of the material.

[7] The episode makes several references to British singer-songwriter Syd Barrett, with whom the character of Dylan strongly identifies.

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

The two argued that the entry was trying to "be a 'Rain King' or a 'Terms of Endearment' and would like to recapture the sweet and charming feel of those early Season Six experiments.

Crang, in his book Denying the Truth: Revisiting The X-Files after 9/11, felt that the teaser "intrigues for a moment", but that the competing elements of "quirky humour, body horror and teen love story quickly sink this disappointing outing.