Welcome to the Falls.
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Welcome to the Falls.
Please enter your code now.
Welcome to the...
Welcome home, Mr. Kline.
Oops.
Did you get some on you, Dave?
Didn't want you to get fined.
Just trying to be neighborly.
Got to be up to code.
Shroeder's out there painting our mailbox!
You know what I'm going to do?
I going to paint the whole damn house pink. Dave...
Forget about the mailbox, huh?
I'm going to make this whole damn place
look like you won it selling cosmetics.
How about that?
That'll show these Nazis.
Honey, would you just calm down.
Rules are rules.
They're repainting our mailbox,
because it's desert sienna instead of desert sage.
I mean, this guy is a freakin' weirdo.
Hon, what's that package?
I don't know.
Doesn't say who sent it.
Whoa.
Tasteful.
Boy, the neighbors would really hate that.
Honey, what is it?
Stay here.
Dave?
Honey?
Wow.
Take a look at this.
Honey, what do you think?
Is this place us or what?
You must be the Petries.
Hi. Welcome.
Welcome to the Falls.
I'm Rob...
and this is my lovely wife, Laura.
Rob and Laura Petrie.
We pronounce it "Pee-trie," actually.
Oh.
Like the dish.
Well, it's so nice to meet you.
I'm Pat Verlander. I live six doors down.
I'm the neighborhood welcome wagon.
Pleased to make your acquaintance, Pat.
I really must say, it's already ten after 5:00.
I don't think you're going to make it.
I'm sorry?
The 6:00 cutoff.
All move-ins are required to be completed by 6:00 p.m.
It's in the CC&Rs.
It's one of our rules.
Wow.
The photos did not do it justice.
Guys, fast, fast now. Come on.
The previous owners left it so clean.
What do you do for a living,
Mr. Petrie?
That's right, isn't it?
Yeah, I, uh... I work mostly at home,
which is... which is great for Laura
because she gets me all to herself.
Oh.
This place really is immaculate, Pat.
I, uh... I wouldn't mind sending a thank-you note
to the previous owners.
Th-That's sweet. Um...
good.
Hurry up! Come on, come on.
Okay, move it, people.
Come on.
Rob and Laura Petrie.
Yes.
"Pee-trie."
Win Shroeder, next-door neighbor. Welcome, welcome.
Hi, Win. Nice to meet you.
Now, don't you folks worry.
We'll have you moved in before 6:00.
Time?!
Uh... pardon me, neighbor.
Thank you.
Excuse us.
Thanks.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Excuse me!
I'll get that. It's okay. No. No, don't be silly.
It's heavy. I got it.
Oh, no.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Mike. Mike, Mike, Mike, it's okay.
It's okay, Mike. Go help Gordy.
Just send me any bills.
I'm... I'm sorry. It's okay.
I'm Cami Shroeder, by the way.
Win's wife.
Nice to meet you. I'm Laura.
Where's this go?
Uh, you can just put that right here in the driveway.
Whoa, whoa! Hold on, hold on.
Hold on, let's... let's talk.
Um, a b-ball fan, huh?
Shooting hoops-- that's, um... that's not good.
That's definitely going to stand out
in your front yard over there. Stand out, Win?
Well, as in, uh, not be aesthetically pleasing...
to the eye.
But, hey, you know, maybe you can get
special dispensation from Mr. Gogolak,
president of our homeowner's association.
I'd take it up with him.
But in the meantime, um...
let's keep that in the garage.
Just... put it in the garage.
Okay.
Let's finish getting you folks moved in.
Let's go, people! Let's move! Move!
Bye!
Oh, yeah.
Nothing weird going on around here.
Hey... ooh, wait a minute.
You didn't let me carry you over the threshold.
You ready?
Let's get it on, honey.
All right, then.
Thanks to our friendly neighbors,
there will be no fluorescein bloodstain enhancement.
Not that it makes much difference.
This place is so clean, you could build computer chips.
Okay.
6:01 p.m., February 24.
Agents Scully and Mulder
in the former home of David and Nancy Kline,
who disappeared without a trace last July.
The Klines were the third such couple to disappear
since this neighborhood was built in 1991.
All were apparently stable professional people
with no history of violence,
domestic discord or mental illness,
and it took a family member or employee
to realize that they were gone,
including their cars and a few personal items.
What local police found in each case was nothing--
just impeccably-manicured homes
and a community of neighbors who professed total ignorance
that anyone had disappeared.
That's pretty surprising,
considering how nutty this bunch is
about being neighborly.
The local police departments were at a dead end,
so they turned to the FBI.
A.D. Skinner, in assigning us this case,
thought a fruitful approach to the investigation would be
if we went undercover posing as prospective home buyers,
as this planned community would seem to hide
a dark, possibly murderous conspiracy of silence.
You want to make that honeymoon video now?
Rob and Laura Petrie?
"Pee-trie."
Mulder, if we ever go undercover again,
I get to choose the names, okay?
Fine.
Just tells me
that you're not taking this seriously.
No, I'm taking it seriously.
I just don't understand why we're on it.
It's our first catch back on the X Files.
This isn't an X File.
Sure it is. It's unexplained.
What do you want, aliens?
Tractor beams?
Wow.
you just want to play house.
Woman, get back in here and make me a sandwich!
Did I not make myself clear?
Hi.
Well, you didn't need to do that.
Oh, please.
I have more dishes than I need.
I just usually use one and then... wash it.
Uh...
I'm... uh, Mike Raskub, by the way.
Hi.
Big Mike, for obvious reasons.
I just live the next street over.
Oh.
That's a caduceus.
Are you a doctor, Mike?
No, a vet. Veterinarian.
If you folks are thinking about getting a dog, or any pet,
I'd be happy to check it out for you, no charge.
Just, uh...
you're not allowed to have over 16 pounds of pet.
That's one of the CC&Rs.
Mighty nice of you, Mike.
I... Gosh, with all this hospitality, I can't believe
the Klines ever left.
That, uh...
that was their name, wasn't it? The, uh, the Klines?
I have to go.
Mulder...
The name is Rob.
What you got there?
Looks like whoever cleaned this place
maybe missed a spot.
That look like blood to you?
Mm-hmm.
How'd it get way up there?
I, uh... didn't really learn much about them.
He just said he works at home, which tells me she's got money.
Well... seemed nice.
Cute couple.
Mm, very cute.
Uh, they're a nice couple.
What do you think, Gene?
Ladies, my compliments to the chef.
Cami? Sissy?
These Petries-- are they going to play ball?
"Pee-tries."
Uh, so far, so good.
I'm keeping my eye on them.
Um, Mr. Gogolak...
Don't you think that, uh...
maybe this time, it would be better if we told them?
Mike...
you and I have been through this before.
We... we don't know yet if we can trust them.
It's just that...
there are so many... so many rules.
I think that maybe they would be able
to keep up with them better
if they knew what happened if they don't.
It's the neighborly thing to do.
I really think we should do this.
Son... Godspeed.
Thank you.
Um... can I, uh, use your...?
Second door to the left.
There's Glade under the sink.
Gordy, how about you go make sure he finds it.
Gene, I can talk him out of this.
When?
The boy's a weak link,
and a strong chain can't survive with a weak link.
...is instinctive and necessary for survival.
Failure to conform within the tribal structure
can often prove lethal.
When group elders suspect such an outcast within their midst,
tribal members gather in a circle
to perform a ritual chant...
...in the belief that this will expose
the unwitting conduit of evil.
The chanters eventually settle on the so-called misfit...
Oh, no.
Agh!
Come on.
Ah, yes.
No...
No, I fixed it!
I fixed it!
Morning.
Oh! Oh, Rob, Laura.
I'm so sorry.
So, good morning.
So how was your first night? Peaceful?
Oh, it was wonderful.
We just spooned up and fell asleep
like little baby cats.
Isn't that right, honeybunch?
That's right, poopyhead.
Win, are we in the right place?
I thought this was Big Mike's house.
Yeah, yeah. I'm just... I'm just helping out.
Mike had to leave town on business.
What kind of business?
I thought he was a veterinarian.
Veterinarian business, I guess.
I just know he's gone weeks at a time.
I'll just leave this here, then.
Let me take those.
Just... tidier-looking than leaving them on the front porch.
Be more aesthetically pleasing, huh?
Exactly. Say, would you two like to join Cami and me
for dinner this evening? About 6:00?
We eat early.
That sounds great. Thanks.
Great.
Oh, Win, you mentioned, uh...
that I could talk to someone
about putting up my basketball hoop?
Who was that again?
Mr. Gogolak, was it?
All right, then, let's see.
Basketball hoop and backboard.
Portable.
Nope, I'm sorry.
It's not allowed.
You're kidding.
I'm afraid not.
Rules are rules.
It may not sound like anything--
a simple basketball hoop--
but from there, it's just a few short steps
to spinning daisy reflectors and a bass boat in the driveway.
In other words, anarchy.
May sound tough,
but ours is a system that works.
That's why the Falls is
one of the top-ranked planned communities
in all of California.
Most of our homeowners have been here since day one.
I love the decor here, Mr. Gogolak.
Is it, um... Occidental?
Well, it's, uh, Nepalese and Tibetan, mostly.
I go there twice a year on business.
Oh.
I run Pier Nine Imports.
I can get you a great deal on rattan furniture
if you're interested.
Indoor only.
Outdoor use is prohibited by our CC&Rs.
Uh-uh, Scruffy.
Go on, now.
Sweetheart?
Did you use the dolphin- safe tuna this time?
Dolphin-safe all the way, honey.
We always use the dolphin-safe.
You got to love those dolphins.
Although they're pretty tasty, too.
So... where'd you two meet?
Actually, it was at a UFO conference.
Flying saucers?
Interesting.
Wouldn't have thought you folks
would have been into that.
Well, it's not me so much as Laura.
She's quite the New Ager.
I mean, she's into those magnetic bracelets
and crystals and mood rings, what have you.
I mean, she's... God bless her,
she's a sucker for all that stuff.
Well, I wouldn't have guessed that, would you?
Mm-mm.
No kidding. Yeah.
You know, Win, uh, when you, uh...
when you told me this morning
that Big Mike was out of town on business,
I don't think that's true.
You don't?
Mm. No, 'cause we called his office, didn't we, honey?
We did. Yeah.
We're thinking about getting a dog,
so we wanted to call him and ask him his advice, whatever,
and see if maybe his office had a forwarding number,
and they said, you know... That he wasn't there.
They didn't know where he was.
Yeah.
Do you know where he is, Win?
Really couldn't tell you.
Hmm.
It's got to be something really freaky-deaky, huh?
I mean, for him to lie about it like that?
Maybe he's got some wild secret life going on.
But every community has
its dark underbelly, don't you think?
We don't have any underbelly.
As far as I'm concerned,
this community is the American dream.
Um...
I'm sorry.
I, um... realize
that it's past time that I walk Scruffy.
Would you like some company?
Yeah.
So, is this the American dream?
This place?
Oh, uh...
nice neighborhood, you know...
Just a lot of people
who want the best for their families.
So it's just not your dream.
You know, Cami, I-I've noticed
that you've, uh, walked us past Mike's house, twice.
Are you worried about him?
No... I don't really know what you mean.
Scruffy!
Scruffy, come here!
Scruffy, no! Scruffy!
Scruffy, come out here!
Scruffy!
Scruffy, come out of there.
Let me take a look.
Do you see him?
Uh-uh.
Oh, Scruffy, Scruffy, it's okay, it's okay.
I got you. I got you.
Oh... What you got there?
Deep breath.
That's a close one, huh?
Yeah?
Let me wipe that off.
That's a good boy.
Okay, let's get you home.
Come on.
All right, Lieutenant.
Here. Caduceus.
Thank you.
Local PD came up blank on...
Mike Raskub.
No activity on his credit cards.
No sighting of his '97 Mercury Villager.
Yeah, there's no sign of him in his house.
I didn't see him in the storm drain, either.
I take it he's dead, Scully.
Laura.
Think it's Win Shroeder?
Mm, maybe Win cleaning up.
Cleaning up for who?
I don't know.
Mulder, speaking of cleaning up,
whoever taught you how to squeeze a tube of toothpaste?
Hey, what do we know about this stuff?
I'm driving down to San Diego tomorrow,
have it analyzed.
All right.
toilet seat.
Why kill Big Mike?
Oh!
What's missing here is intent.
What would be the motive?
Compulsive neatness, or a lack thereof.
Have you noticed how everybody around here
is obsessed with the neighborhood rules and CC&Rs?
You know what? You fit in really well here.
And you don't.
Well, anyway, tomorrow, I got a, uh...
a surefire way of testing out my theory.
Come on, Laura, you know...
we're married now.
Scully, Mulder.
Good night.
The thrill is gone.
Bring it on.
Stay here.
Stop him, Win.
Stay here! Stop him!
Hey, Win, want to play "horse"?
What the hell are you doing?
What am I doing? What are you doing?
Damn it, Rob, get off of it! Help me get this thing inside!
Why? What's going to happen if we don't?
Fine. That's the way you want it?
It's just a basketball hoop, Win.
I don't understand
why you're getting all bent out of shape.
You were warned.
Warned about what?
No! No!
Stop!
Cami... you all right?
Mulder?
Mulder, is that you?
Oh!
Whoa!
Sorry, Mulder.
Somebody was in the house.
Tidying up.
Whoever it was, they put away my basketball hoop.
Somebody's looking out after us, Scully,
which may not be a bad thing.
What do you mean?
I got a look at that thing
that's been scaring everybody,
and I take it back; this is an X File.
How's Cami?
What did we do wrong, Gene?
Was our welcome mat not to your liking?
Did I coil my garden hose clockwise
instead of counterclockwise?
Hold the phone, now.
Are you saying that I had something to do with this?
Who else?
The exact same thing-- the thing you had me do to Mike.
Who else would do that?
Son, you'll want to take a deep breath...
...and rethink that theory.
It's your next-door neighbor, Win.
He's a rabble-rouser.
He's trouble with a capital "T."
And you and I both know it only takes one rotten apple
to spoil the whole bunch.
Here we go.
Yeah...
I'm guessing there's one of these in every yard.
I think this is how this thing travels--
where it lives.
In the ground?
This huge creature you think you saw?
Look, Mulder, huge creatures aside,
do you care to hear what I think?
Always.
These are the lab results from the San Diego PD.
First of all, the stuff that we found on the fan blade--
the dried blood and scalp hairs?
It's neither.
The blood is predominantly ketchup and brake fluid,
and the hairs are bristles from a scrub brush.
And the same goes for the sample we found
on the dog's muzzle.
It's coffee grounds, eggshells and motor oil,
with about 50 other constituents,
with a little mercurochrome for color.
In other words, Mulder, it's garbage.
Which makes perfect sense,
because this entire neighborhood has been built
upon an old landfill.
A landfill? Mm-hmm.
We found this stuff everywhere because it is everywhere.
It's just beneath the topsoil.
And that protrusion in the front yard may occur
from the venting of methane gas.
But... Mulder, I don't see how any of this has to do
with the disappearances that we're investigating.
It does. Somehow, it's one and the same. The Klines?
Yeah?
What if they're still here?
You mean buried in the yard?
Well, once we start
a forensic excavation, our cover's blown.
What in God's name are you doing?!
God...!
Putting in a pool.
In the front yard?
What are you, insane?!
Have you even looked at the CC&Rs?!
You can't just put in a swimming pool!
It's not a swimming pool.
It's a reflecting pool.
I checked the rules.
There's no rule against putting in a reflecting pool.
Very tranquil. You'd like it.
Let him dig his own grave.
Hey.
Mulder.
The Klines aren't down there.
I think it's time you called it a night.
Tasteful, isn't it?
Gogolak.
Hey, can you get an excavation team out here?
Yeah.
We need to dig deeper.
Where are you going?
To price some rattan furniture.
Yes, this is Special Agent Dana Scully.
I need a full forensic team to 450 Autumn Terrace.
No, not tomorrow. Tonight.
I'm sorry. Can I call you back?
Geez.
Oh, God.
It's come for you, Laura.
You can't make a noise.
Shh. Shh.
Mike.
What happened to you?
You have to get out of here.
Why?
What are you talking about?
Who's downstairs?
Shh, shh, shh.
Mike...
Who did this to you?
The Ubermenscher.
It's our fault.
The original homeowners--
we asked for it and now we can't stop it.
Stop what, Mike?
I tried to give it Shroeder.
You know, tit-for-tat.
Just like Shroeder did for me.
Mike, listen, settle down.
Okay? Just give me my gun.
I'm a federal agent.
The Ubermenscher wants you, Laura.
Your husband-- he's broken way too many rules.
I've been hiding in the sewer.
I tried to warn him.
Mike, just give me the gun.
Just...
FBI? What did I do?
Let's start with the Klines.
You're responsible for them
being in little pieces in my front yard.
You gave them that lawn ornament.
The guy with the axe.
Whirligig.
Yeah, whirligig.
It's tacky enough to break your rules and your CCRs--
tacky enough to mark the Klines for death.
Won't that sound good in a court of law?
When the judge asks you who killed the Klines,
what exactly are you going to tell him?
A tulpa.
It's a Tibetan thought-form.
It's a living,
breathing creature willed into existence
by someone who possesses that ability--
an ability I think you picked up
on your whirligig-buying excursions to the Far East.
Why'd you do it?
I mean, is it so damn important
for everybody to have the same color mailbox?
It's important that people fit in.
But you didn't know exactly what you were getting into, did you?
I mean, you can summon its existence, but...
You can give it life, but you can't control it.
The best you can hope for is to stay out of its way.
Son, my lawyers are going to make you sound so stupid
that not only will I never see the inside of a jail cell,
but you'll be signing all your paychecks straight to me.
Gene?
Win.
You've got two FBI agents living next door to you.
Cheer up.
It's not for long.
Scully?
Mulder?
Scully?
Mulder.
Scully, hang on.
Come here. Help me with this.
Win, come here.
Win!
Win, wait a minute. No. No.
He deserves what he gets.
Mulder, it was here.
Mulder!
Several residents of the Falls
have now come forward to blame the deaths in the neighborhood
on home owner association president Gene Gogolak.
These same residents deny agent Mulder's allegation
that they were in some sense all responsible
for the demise of Gogolak himself,
claiming ignorance as to what actually killed him.
It would seem the code of silence
that hid the sins of this community
has not only survived,
but-- in its creator-- claimed a final victim.
Meanwhile, the Falls at Arcadia
has been named one of the top planned communities
in California for the sixth year running.