Welcome to Mayberry R.I.P. A murder investigation brings Scully to a small town that makes Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" seem like a lighthearted romp.

Written by Vince Gilligan
Directed by Rod Hardy

WHAT HAPPENED

A hitchhiker tries to get a ride through the Sevier Desert in Juab County, Utah at night. He flags down a passing bus and gets aboard. Shortly after he settles into his seat, the bus stops again. The passengers disembark and walk into the desert.

ANALYSIS

Let's talk about the monsters of the week -- any week.

If The X-Files ' "mythology" episodes are about aliens from outer space, these "monster" episodes are about the aliens who live next door. Small-town America contains just as many secrets, conspiracies and cabals of forbidden knowledge as the corridors of power back in Washington. It's just that those secrets' currency only extends to the town or county line.

Whether it's teenage girls whose occult powers derive from a celestial convergence, a planned community gone horribly, horribly wrong, or a community of nomadic vampires who just want to find a place to call home, scratch the surface of seemingly "normal" people and all manner of weirdness comes bubbling out.

These aren't world-destroying conspiracies, but rather the social, moral and behavioral lubricant that keeps small towns chugging along -- the glue behind "business as usual."

Like believers in UFOs and little green men, the people who buy into these communal myths and municipal conspiracies of silence stray from the mainstream, where their "quaint" mores and peccadilloes invite derision.

The cozy communities of X-Files America take this iconoclastic behavior one step further by straying into murder. How often has homespun custom led to bodies being stacked up like cordwood on this show?

When the blood starts showing, someone from the outside -- Special Agent Dana Scully -- needs to step in and cut through the web of secrets to find an explanation and if necessary put a stop to the bizarre behavior.

Scully's past experiences play well in "Roadrunners". By this point, she's seen it all before. She knows when the locals are playing her. Although she never abandons her natural caution in the face of their "Aw, shucks" simplicity, her blasé attitude to their passive/aggressive manipulations carries her through the episode.

Indeed, this world-weary tone is absolutely essential. Without a Mulder or a Doggett to play off, Scully needs some way to deal with the mystery into which she stumbles. Gillian Anderson's mix of resignation and frustration strikes just the right note.

If Anderson makes a good solo act, she does even better as part of a team. The final scene between Anderson and Robert Patrick is fantastic. Doggett's acknowledgement without acceptance of Scully's apology was perfect. His uncompromising accusation that Scully screwed up -- nearly at the cost of her own life -- encapsulates the dynamic between the characters.

Scully and Doggett are in unknown territory. Neither has a fair claim to the high ground, but they are slowly charting some common ground.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Will Scully keep her promise to include Doggett in all subsequent cases?

Where did the spine slug come from? Are there any more out there?

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK

Is he a cute little moppet, or the devil incarnate? A misunderstood urchin or a Monster of the Week? It's up to Scully and Doggett to discover a young boy's secret in "Invocation".