Within (The X-Files)
"Within" is the eighth season premiere of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on November 5, 2000 on the Fox Network. It was written by executive producer and series creator Chris Carter, and directed by Kim Manners. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.5 and was watched by 15.87 million viewers, marking a slight increase from the previous season's finale "Requiem". "Within" was largely well-received by critics, although some fans felt alienated by the addition of Robert Patrick to the cast.
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 this episode—continuing from the seventh season finale "Requiem" when Mulder was abducted by aliens who are planning to colonize Earth—an FBI taskforce is organized to hunt for Mulder but Scully suspects the taskforce leader, Special Agent John Doggett (Patrick), and instead chooses to search for her lost partner with Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). Scully and Skinner travel to Arizona, only to be followed by Doggett's task force. There, they find Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka) and someone who they believe may very well be Mulder.
"Within" was a story milestone for the series. It introduced several new character changes for the season, including the departure of Mulder and the inclusion of Doggett as a main character to the cast. The episode was written as a way to both explain Mulder's absence as well as appease fans who would otherwise lament the loss of Duchovny. "Within" also marked the first major change to the opening credits since the show first started, with new images and updated photos for David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and the addition of Robert Patrick. "Within" has been analyzed due to its themes of death and resurrection. In addition, the experiments performed on Mulder after his abduction have been thematically compared to the Crucifixion of Jesus.