Of course it wasn't Mulder lying there with his brains blown out! Of all the false trails Chris Carter has laid for us over the years, this was one of the least convincing. It is hard enough to believe that Scully is really ill with cancer. Whatever rules The X-Files (Pearl, 8.30pm) may have broken, it cannot afford to dump its two stars.
So this evening, for the first episode of the new series, we go back to 24 hours before the scene that ended the last series, and discover that Mulder had unravelled the most sinister plot of his career. All the elements are in place for a cracking new series: a possible cure for Scully's cancer, the revelation that former friends may have been foes all along, and, of course, strange aliens in the cupboard.
After The X-Files, ER (Pearl, 9.30pm) is always a bit of jolt back into all too prosaic reality. No conspiracies are necessary in this series, just everyday objects such as badly driven cars, handguns and humdrum diseases.
This evening, the writers make one of their unfortunate forays into life outside the hospital again, when Mark Greene is summoned to his parents' home in San Diego. Mrs Greene has had a fall and is now confined to a wheelchair, and Captain Greene wants his son there to help out.
Unfortunately, Cynthia, showing an almost Lewinsky-like lack of insight into her lover's real feelings, decides that Mark needs her beside him during this difficult time. Her presence in San Diego is a continual irritant for the whole Greene clan, and by the end of this episode we can only wonder how long it will be before Mark dumps her.
Then again, he might decide that the difference in their ages, interests and ambitions add up to a perfect recipe for marriage, or at least cohabitation. It is about as likely as Doug Ross' metamorphosis into a selfless, generous, faithful fiance last week. Just how long is he going to keep that up anyway? In Millennium (Pearl, 10.30pm) another single dad, Frank, for once shows some normal human frailty when he gives Jordan a clip around the ear after she is particularly annoying on a shopping trip. This is such a rare occurrence - Frank's emotional range is usually limited to that annoying fatalistic fear or an other-worldly wisdom - that regular viewers are immediately tipped off that this is a Significant Moment in the episode's plot development.