: Mulder is contacted by Michael Kritschgau, a Department of Defense employee, who claims that the entire "alien" phenomenon is a sophisticated hoax designed by the government to cover up military experiments and justify massive defense spending.
: Charles Cioffi (Scott Blevins), John Finn (Michael Kritschgau), Sheila Larken (Margaret Scully), and Pat Skipper (Bill Scully). Significance
: Kritschgau provides evidence that leads Mulder to believe his life’s work has been a lie. Simultaneously, Dana Scully reveals to her family that her cancer has progressed and she is dying.
The 24th and final episode of Season 4 is titled "Gethsemane." It originally aired on May 18, 1997, and serves as a major cliffhanger for the series. Episode Summary
" Gethsemane " is famous for challenging the core "I Want to Believe" mythology of the show, suggesting for the first time that the aliens Mulder sought were merely a "pious fraud" created by the government. The resolution to Mulder's "death" and the nature of the frozen body is addressed in the Season 5 premiere, "Redux."