Grotesque (The X-Files) - Plot

Plot

At George Washington University, a group of artists sketch a nude male model. However, one of the artists, John Mostow (Levani Outchaneichvili), draws a demonic creature in the model's place; he hurriedly leaves as the session ends. When the model reaches his car afterwards, he is attacked and killed by an obscured assailant. The following morning, Mostow is arrested in his apartment by an FBI task force led by Agent Bill Patterson (Kurtwood Smith), who finds the utility knife used in the murder.

Mostow, a formerly committed immigrant from Uzbekistan, is charged with killing seven men and mutilating their faces. Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) become involved in the investigation when Mostow insists that he was possessed during the killings; his claims are given credence when another murder occurs after his arrest. Mostow draws a gargoyle and claims that it was what killed the victims. Mulder meets with Patterson, his former mentor, who spent three years on the case. The two no longer get along, with Patterson skeptical of Mulder's theories. Later Mulder heads to Mostow's studio, finding corpses within his sculptures.

Another murder occurs. Nemhauser (Greg Thirloway), another agent on the case, tells Scully that Patterson may have been responsible for getting Mulder on the case and that he may admire him after all. Patterson finds Mulder in the library studying gargoyles and tells him he's wasting his time and is a disappointment to him. Scully heads to Mulder's apartment finding the place covered with gargoyle drawings. Mulder awakens in Mostow's studio and chases a figure in the darkness that slashes at him with a blade. Mulder tells Scully of the attack but refuses to admit why he was staying in Mostow's studio. Scully confronts Patterson who tells her to let Mulder continue to do what he's doing. Mulder goes to see Mostow again who will not tell him how to find the creature that attacked him.

Scully finds a disassembled utility knife at the latest crime scene with Mulder's prints on it and discovers the murder weapon is missing from the evidence room. She meets with Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) who is also worried about Mulder's behavior. Mulder has a nightmare about being attacked by a gargoyle, which ends up being himself. He then wakes up and heads to Mostow's studio again, finding a new murder victim there. Scully calls Nemhauser, but his phone is answered by Mulder who denies taking the knife. He searches Mostow's studio and finds Nemhauser's body inside a new sculpture. Mulder now believes that Patterson is the killer due to his three year obsession with Mostow and his request for Mulder to join the case so he could stop him. Mulder confronts him, but Patterson flees when Scully arrives. Mulder pursues him and the two fight. Patterson is shot and apprehended. He is jailed for the murders, despite claiming innocence.