 " 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 . 
