[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2aVaSZZbJw ]
“Via Negativa”
Season 8, Episode 7
Original Airdate: December 17, 2000
Robert Patrick’s FBI special agent John Doggett was never going to fill Mulder’s shoes. Never. But what critics noted (and many fans didn’t) is that he didn’t have to — Dogget was an entirely different kind of character. His coarse demeanor and no-nonsense outlook spoke to an old-school agent, more aligned with the cops of Dirty Harry or Kojak.
In “Via Negativa”, Doggett’s thrown into a murderous and baffling case involving a supernatural cult, only he’s sans Scully. His wits are challenged when his mind’s subdued by the assailant, leading to a murky, Lynchian conclusion that involves an axe and one our beloved characters. With Mulder as a par- time cast member, the eighth season doesn’t exactly register high with fans, but episodes like this proved there were just enough thrills to get by without Spooky.