History Channel's 'Project Blue book' is rooted in reality in its depiction of fantasy, and coming from executive producer Robert Zemeckis, the show has managed to bring out all the controversial stories which had compelled the US Air Force to work on cases of "Unidentified Flying Objects". Starring Aidan Gillen (Dr. J Allen Hynek), Michael Malarkey (Captain Michael Quinn), Laura Mennell (Mimi Hynek), and Ksenia Solo (Susie Miller), the show is about to proceed into its penultimate episode for this season, and it can be said that things are about to get bizarre in this story about Germans, Americans, and aliens. 

The synopsis for Episode 9, titled 'Abduction', reads: "Hynek is drawn into a case he literally can’t escape when a man arrives at Blue Book headquarters with his wife, claiming he was abducted by aliens, and with plans to hold Hynek and Quinn hostage until they find out the truth."

An innocent man claims he was abducted. See the physical evidence on #ProjectBlueBook, Tuesday at 10/9c on @History. pic.twitter.com/bgbvXq1JPx

— PROJECT BLUE BOOK (@HistoryBlueBook) February 28, 2019

The synopsis itself gives away the fact that the episode has been inspired by the renowned Barney and Betty Hill abduction case which had left the nation on the edge of its seat as the couple opened up about their encounter. Although Betty and Barney's story isn't the first reported case about alien abduction, their story was certainly publicized to such an extent that it began to shape how discussions about alien encounters and abductions are done, to this day.

The incident took place sometime in the year 1961 when the couple was returning from their much-delayed honeymoon through Montreal and Niagara Falls. As they attempted to make it to their home in New Hampshire before the break of dawn, they began to realize that while they were driving, they weren't alone on the road. A strange string of lines had been following them, but Barney — being an avid plane watcher and World War II vet — tried assuring his wife, Betty, that the lights were probably those of satellites which had tilted from their axis. However, Barney's claim soon turned out to be futile when the couple was suddenly abducted and taken inside a ship-like body which represented the shape of a flying saucer. 

Although they barely remembered anything, the couple — with a little help from psychiatrists — began recalling the encounter where they were subjected to various experiments. The so-called aliens had apparently taken away samples of their hair, nails, and skin, and one large needle, around 4 to 6 inches long, was inserted into Betty’s belly. What was even bizarre about the encounter was that Betty drew a certain constellation, explaining it to be the home of the aliens. The constellation, Zeta Reticuli, was not known in the 1960s but Betty's sketch was just as accurate as the map of the constellation today, and that was the turning point. If no one knew the map, then how did she, who had never been into astronomy, draw such a precise map of the constellation?

Betty would later claim that she was taught the map on board the ship but the Hills soon lost their authenticity, as most alien-related stories do. Richard J. McNally, a Harvard psychologist, had stated, "The 'alien-abduction' phenomenon, in my opinion, shows how sincere, non-psychotic individuals can develop beliefs about, and false memories of, incredible experiences that never happened." Whether their story was true or not, we don't know, but the Hills' story will play a large part in the upcoming episode of 'Project Blue Book'. Their story also comes at a very interesting point on the show, when Hynek and Quinn are almost at odds with each other ever since Quinn discovered the strange object Hynek had been hiding from him for so long.

This case might be crucial for their partnership, as Quinn is on the verge of losing his head over the Air Force's incapability to rely on the truth and mask facts with fiction. 'Project Blue Book' Episode 9, 'Abduction', returns to History Channel on March 5, and things are about to reach boiling point. Watch the promo trailer below: