 Carter was inspired to write the scene in which Scully splashes water into Doggett 's face , since he was aware that new actor Robert Patrick would be facing opposition from some members of the fan community . The scene was even the first filmed , in order to truly introduce Patrick to the show . After the conclusion of The X @-@ Files television series in 2002 , Patrick commented that this part of the episode had been his favorite scene in the series , and admitted that he could not think of a better way to introduce his character because the scene not only said a lot , but it had actually helped him . Tom Braidwood , who appears in this episode as long @-@ running recurring character Frohike , similarly remarked that the first meeting of Doggett and Scully was one of his favorite scenes from the entire series . Both Robert Patrick and the director of this episode , Kim Manners , felt that it was the perfect introduction to the character of John Doggett as the leader of the taskforce sent to find Mulder . Manners stated that Patrick gave a new " sense of energy " to the show , since they had basically used the same characters for seven years . 
