Mulder and Scully // The X-Files
Shipping. One True Pairings (OTPs). Terms that you’re all probably familiar with and use whenever you talk about your favourite TV couples. But it all had to start somewhere, right? That’s where Mulder and Scully come in. The 90s gave the world a TV phenomenon that was the science fiction horror drama The X-Files, becoming a touchstone for the decade through the public’s growing mistrust of the government and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Although, the shows real pull was through its two leads – Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully – with their ‘will they won’t they’ relationship that spanned 202 episodes, 9 seasons, two movies and another 6 episodes through the upcoming revival. Mulder and Scully’s relationship is unique in the sense that it was built over the span of seven years until they actually fully realised it. Their relationship has so many layers firmly built off of friendship, trust, partnership and love that entangles them together to the point that there’s no Mulder without Scully, and there’s no Scully without Mulder.
If had to pick a scene to sum up their relationship, I’d go for the less generic route and pick my personal favourite scene of theirs, where Mulder teaches Scully to play baseball in Season Six’s ‘The Unnatural’. It has everything there to perfectly sum up their relationship, without a majority of the emotional feels that a lot of Mulder and Scully moments garner throughout the series. This is just pure, cute and honest Mulder and Scully at its finest.
Words by Sophie McEvoy