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The Truth
"I know things. It's better you don't."
Written by Chris Carter
Directed by Kim Manners
Directed by Kim Manners
"My trial's a forgone conclusion. What they really want is for me to admit my guilt and help them out. What's really on trial here is the truth."
— Fox Mulder
Mulder is caught by the supersoldier Knowle Rohrer accessing classified government documents about the upcoming alien invasion. In the ensuing fight, Rohrer sustains an injury that would have killed a normal human, which Mulder's enemies use as an excuse to put him on trial for murder and discredit him.
Originally aired as a movie-length finale, "The Truth" was edited into two normal-length episodes for syndication. This recap section treats it as two episodes.
Tropes:
- 2 + Torture = 5: After being arrested, prison guards deny Mulder food, water, and sleep and beat him in the hopes of getting an admission of guilt. It doesn't work.
- Back for the Finale: Mulder, Knowle Rohrer, Krycek, X, Marita Covarubias, Jeffrey Spender, Gibson Praise. Some of them are ghosts.
- Cliffhanger: Marita is silently stopped by Mulder from revealing all Super Soldiers' identities, to protect her from the government officials who would kill her if she did this. Unfortunately, this means that there is still no concrete evidence for any government conspiracy to clear Mulder's name. She leaves, and the final shot of the episode is Mulder's vacant stare into the distance, as if he's accepting his impending death.
- Courtroom Episode: This entire episode revoles around Fox Mulder being held on trial due to him breaking and entering a top secret military base, as well as seemingly killing a military man.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Mulder to Scully, right after the Reunion Kiss.
- Joker Jury: Mulder is captured by U.S. Marines and put before a show tribunal.
- Obfuscating Insanity: Mulder pretends that the torture has brainwashed him into denouncing his quest and admitting guilt for murder. He keeps it up through his first meeting with Scully and Skinner. As soon as they get him alone, he makes it clear that he doesn't believe it for a second and is keeping up the act to stop being tortured.
- Office Romance: Mulder and Scully's case gets Discussed rather insensitively when one jerk tries to ruin Scully's credibility as a witness.
- Reunion Kiss: When Scully and Skinner finally manage to meet with Mulder alone in his cell, he waits about ten seconds before pulling Scully into a lengthy kiss.
