There are quite a few episodes of The X-Files where a kind of foreign, non-Western mysticism is at the heart of the episode, including "The Blessing Way," which features a Native American ritual. More often than not, those episodes have weak plots, trying to tie in the themes without concentrating on anything else.
"The Blessing Way" lies somewhere in the middle; Mulder is wasted in this funky, ethereal plane of existence while Scully salvages the episode. The writers tried something bold with Mulder's return to health, but it come off as hocus pocus, sidelining Mulder while he floats in a bed and hears Deep Throat and his father tell him things. Then, he comes about in time to rescue Scully.
The plot is pushed forward by Scully who, in the aftermath of Mulder's death, is largely cut off from help. She took a huge risk evading the FBI and now she has no where to turn. Unwilling to give up, Scully finds a chip implanted in the back of her neck, further perking her interest and is warned by the Well Manicured Man of assassins out to get her. Her first suspicion is Skinner, who appears to be a puppet of the Syndicate, and the episode ends with a standoff between them.
And Scully's sister is shot by Krycek's partner! By now, with the murder of Mulder's father and shooting of Scully's sister, it's clear the government will stop at no ends to achieve their ends, as the Well Manicured Man tells Scully, to predict the future by creating the truth.
Score: 8.6/10
