"Paper Clip" represents the very best of The X-Files mythology episodes--emotional, exciting, and revealing. In the final of the three episodes, the writers throw the kitchen sink at the viewers. Information flies at the viewer at a torrid pace and it's hard to digest sometimes, not that it really matters in the end.
A rundown on everything that happens: Mulder resolves the standoff between Scully and Skinner and they more or less entrust Skinner with the tape; Mulder and Scully find a Nazi scientist who directs them to an abandoned mining site where they find row and rows of files filled with current medical information on people, including Scully and Samantha; more troubling, Mulder realizes that his sister's file was, at one point, Mulder's, indicating that there was a choice between Mulder and Samantha in the abduction; short aliens run past Scully as Mulder spots a huge alien ship flying overhead; a black-ops team comes to nab Mulder and Scully who manage to escape; Skinner is willing to turn over the tape in exchange for Mulder and Scully's reinstatement, but Krycek and his partner beat him up and steal the tape; the Well Manicured Man tells them about genetic experiments and Mulder surmises the possibility of alien-human hybrids; lastly, Skinner gives an awesome speech to CSM's face, putting to rest any doubt about his allegiance. OK, deep breath...
Operation Paperclip, a real program that brought over Nazi scientists after WWII, is given a new spin--in the alien context. It's really cool when real-world references are altered to incorporate the story, and if you believe that aliens are out there, it adds a layer of believability.
Score: 9.8/10
