Strong Women Series #10: The Women Gillian Anderson Has Played [Contributor: Lizzie & Guest Poster: Shana]

   

Gillian Anderson likely first entered my general conscious (and yours) in 1993. It feels like a lifetime ago. She was young then — green, and a little less likely to speak her mind. We’ve seen her “grow up” in the spotlight, as it were, just as we’ve seen her take control of her characters. And we’ve admired her for it.

These days, when I think of Gillian Anderson, I always go back to this quote “You can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.” It sounds like a very basic notion. Obvious, even. And yet, isn’t it sad that we live in a world where women not only need to hear this, but struggle to believe it?

Gillian Anderson speaks the words, walks the walk, and talks the talk.

The concept of a “weak woman” doesn’t exist in the vocabulary of Gillian Anderson, which is probably why two of our favorite strong female characters happen to both be played by the lady herself. If you’ve ever watched The X-Files or The Fall, you probably know where we’re going with this. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

Let’s get talking about our heroes (and they really should be yours), Dana Scully and Stella Gibson.

DANA SCULLY

Shana: Her Holiness Dana Katherine Christ Scully Mulder. Yeah, okay. I don’t remember the exact moment that I originally elongated FBI Agent Dana Katherine Scully’s name like this, but considering she wound up being the key to saving the world at the end of the tenth season of The X-Files, I’d say it fits perfectly. I saw her as my lady and savior the whole time I was watching the series. And she became exactly that for so many of us.

Originally assigned to work on the X-files as part of a conspiracy to invalidate Fox Mulder’s work by any means necessary, Scully showed, pretty much from day one, that she was not going to be just a pawn in someone else’s game. If we’re looking at the traditional idea of a “strong female character” here, Scully was the prime example. She had a gun, and she wasn’t afraid to use it -- even on her (“platonically”) beloved partner. She stood up for herself, took no crap from anyone, and her death glare was the stuff of legend.

Also, a word to the wise? Don’t patronize Dana Katherine Scully. You’ll lose some body parts.

But it was through totally different measures of strength that Scully became an icon: the strength of her intelligence, the strength of her faith, and the strength of her convictions. It wasn’t just about the way that her tiny 5’3” frame could bring men and monsters alike to their knees; it was everything else in that small, yet powerful package, that inspired a generation of young women and continues to do so.

Scully survived everything from her own abduction, to her sister’s murder, to cancer, to all sorts of terrible things involving her ability to have children. The cancer arc was probably my favorite of the series because it highlighted so many incredible things about the stuff Scully was made of and was just so incredibly well-written. Slowly fading due to an incurable disease, which had been given to her by the very men who’d abducted her and made her barren (I hate that word, but it was part of the series so whatever), Scully never stopped working and never stopped fighting for the truth. The loss of her physical strength didn’t hold her back from using that mind of hers to help her partner keep fighting against the very forces that sought to destroy her, all because her morals were too ingrained in her for her to become that nasty spy they thought they’d hired.

Despite losing everything, including the miracle son she should never have been able to conceive in the first place, Dana Scully still kept fighting. She never gave up; she never backed down. She never, ever lost her faith in God, science, Fox Mulder, or herself. Somehow, in spite of all of the horror she faced, she still maintained an adorable sense of humor and a powerful ability to love. Armed with the strength of her convictions, her unwavering belief, and a level of fearlessness that should not have been possible, Scully put herself into the most dangerous of situations time and time again and always because she knew that the truth she and Mulder were fighting for was far more important than a single individual’s safety.

Scully suffered enough crippling losses to incapacitate a small village of otherwise “strong” people — male or female — but she just kept rising to the occasion. And at the end of nine years of suffering, she said she’d do it all over again.

So, too, would millions of fans of The X-Files, as we proved when the series had its recent revival. I’d follow Dana Scully and her impossibly unique inner strength anywhere, any time, any way.

Being a brainiac doesn’t make you weak, and being a woman really doesn’t. Dana Scully taught us all that.

Lizzie: Scully and I have a long history — a long, long history. I would even say we have a complicated one. You see, I met her when I was young. Too young, really, to know that she wasn’t the norm. Too young to understand that she was an exception in a sea of pushover women. I met her, and I fell in love with her. And from that moment on, I have never looked back (or appreciated television in the same way).

Contrary to popular opinion, people didn’t start watching The X-Files back in the day because of the shipping aspect of the series. Funnily enough, that’s one thing that kind of grew because of the actors, and from the story itself. No, you watched The X-Files because you liked conspiracies, creepy monsters, or strong, intelligent women.

That’s how different Scully was from anyone else on TV.

Because women in those days (and I’m only talking about twenty or so years ago), we conditioned that science? Pfft. That’s a man’s job. Logic and reasoning? That’s clearly the way a MAN looks at a case. These female characters were supposed to be all about the gut feelings, or reliance on emotions, or something else of the sort. They weren’t supposed to be skeptical, no-nonsense petite redheads with the best “are you kidding me?” face in the entire universe.

Role reversal at its best.

When you’re too young to understand that Scully is an anomaly, you grow up thinking that you can be like her — that everyone can be like her. You stare at other female characters and you want better, because you know it can be done. It’s possible to be both smart and pretty, to fall in love with a man and still challenge him, to apply logic to unexplainable phenomena, to be more than a sidekick in someone else’s hero’s journey.

And, when you finally understand that not everything is as it seems, that not everyone is like her, you somehow get to appreciate her even more. You are fascinated by her constant pursuit of not just the truth, but the truth that made sense. You are in awe of her inner strength — of the woman who survived a kidnapping, cancer, the lost chance to have a baby, and then, having to give up the miracle baby that she always dreamed of for his own good. And you are proud that you got her as a role model, that you tried impossible things, used logic and never let anyone tell you that what you dreamed of, what you wanted, couldn’t be done.

You already knew it could. You learned from the best.

STELLA GIBSON

Shana: Over twenty years later, Anderson’s still at it, this time playing the tough-as-nails Stella Gibson. Gibson resides firmly in a realm that’s usually reserved only for men, and she dares anyone to question her right to do so. Pro tip: don’t take that dare.

Stella eats what she wants, drinks what she wants, sleeps with who she wants, and shuts down unwanted advances from the unsuspecting dude-bros that see a pretty lady and automatically think they have a right to approach her. Her no-nonsense attitude fits into every single detail of her life, and she’s not one to suffer the carelessness of others, either.

Tasked with leading a group of (mostly incompetent) men in finding a heinous serial rapist and murderer, Stella approaches both her profession and her personal life with a certain unapologetic attitude that is unheard of, especially in a world of television that usually reduces women to one of two categories: romantic interest or ice queen.

Stella Gibson is a feminist icon, full of words of wisdom for women everywhere and snappy retorts for the men that try to reduce us all to something less than. Although she works in a male-dominated profession, she’s reached great heights without sacrificing her femininity or her sexuality to get there. And she’s not about to be accused of trying to be one of the boys, either — because, to quote the lady herself, “maleness is a kind of birth defect.”

Stella Gibson is who she is, and she’s not afraid to show it. If Dana Scully was the perfect role model for women in the 90s — especially those seeking a certain level of intelligence — then Stella Gibson is the feminist hero we all need in the modern age. Too bad the rest of the world hasn’t yet caught up.

Lizzie: Sometimes I like to think Stella Gibson is what Dana Scully would have been if she’d lived twenty more years without coming across Mulder OR the X-Files. Still amazing. Still a scientist. Still a woman in power in a world usually reserved for men. Still all the things we loved way back when — just without the romantic aspect.

Critics (mostly male ones) like to joke that women don’t engage with television unless there’s a ship to follow, a love story to get excited over. I want to go on the record as saying those people are idiots. People relate to good characters, and Stella Gibson is one of those.

And it’s not because she breaks all stereotypes in a time where there are fewer stereotypes than in the Dana Scully days (though she does), or because she’s smarter than all the men in the show combined, or because she represents a new era of strong female characters, but because she does all of this without making it seem like the show is operating in an alternate dimension. Sure, Stella Gibson is amazing, but the best part about her is that she’s real.

She drinks. She sleeps with men. She takes no nonsense from anyone. She actually eats.
You could conceivably meet someone like her. You could BE someone like her. And that’s not just a comforting thought; it’s a pretty awesome one.

WHAT BINDS THESE TWO CHARACTERS TOGETHER

The one thing that ties Scully and Gibson together, regardless of any other similarities, is the phenomenal actress who portrays them: Gillian Anderson. The strength inherent in both of these wildly popular characters pales in comparison to the reality of Anderson herself. Gillian is Stella and Scully. Yes, they’re both extremely well written characters, but a character is 50% writing and 50% performance. And Gillian Anderson has no problem inhabiting these women, because she is pretty badass herself in real life.

Think Stella Gibson’s unapologetic about her beliefs? Try listening to Gillian speak. One day, she’s at the U.N., fighting to end human trafficking and delivering inspirational speeches like this one:

“I’ve played a lot of roles over the years with women who are strong and effective women... And I have been approached by young women of all ages, saying that they have chosen to go into medical fields, or science, or whatever because of the characters that I have played. But those are choices that people have today, and those same women and young women today have choices to be powerful activists. And I would hope that that would also be something that women would choose to emulate if you want to emulate something — is somebody who is interested in making a mark and making a chance. And there are so many opportunities.”

... And on another, she’s taking the press to task for shaming.

If only we could all be as strong as Gillian and the women she plays, women would truly run the world. Gillian Anderson is the embodiment of the phrase “strong female,” and maybe that explains more fully than any other collection of words aimed at describing their excellence, why her characters happen to be, as well.

* GIFs

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10 Defining Moments for Mulder/Scully [Contributor: Lizzie]

First, there were Mulder and Scully.

Then came romance and shipping and OTPs. We’ve talked about this subject before, and yet for as much as we’ve discussed Mulder/Scully as an entity, we’ve barely discussed them as an actual couple. Because, despite what Chris Carter wants to say in his revisionist history, Mulder and Scully had a romantic progression that, though slow, was always certain. In fact, you could even say that, in the world of The X-Files, it was Mulder/Scully or bust. After all, there were never any other viable prospective candidates for either of them.

They were partners first, and then friends, and then lovers — but they never stopped being one to become the other. Maybe that’s why, over twenty years after they first appeared on our TV screens, the revival of The X-Files got us as excited as a new season of any other show. For many of us, these two were our first OTP, and they remain the standard. The golden couple, if you will. The one that made all the others possible.

So join me in this journey from “platonic” to “OTP” as we count down ten defining moments in the ship that started it all. Not all of them are obvious “romantic” moments, necessarily, but I dare you to take a look at this list and agree with that platonic nonsense.

No, really. I dare you.

Scully goes to Mulder for help. (“Pilot”)

They had no reason to like each other, must less trust each other yet, but when Scully finds two suspicious looking marks in her back who does she run to? That’s right — her new partner, Fox Mulder. It seems like a little thing in the grand scheme of events that unfold later on, but it’s the moment that broke the proverbial ice. This moment took them from being two agents forced to work together to two human beings who just so happen to work for the FBI. After that, Mulder sort of opens up to Scully, and she stops seeing him like a crazy person who’s trying to wind her up.

A sick Mulder goes to Scully’s apartment. (“Anasazi”)

We jump to the season two finale, and we find our favorite duo to now be a well-oiled machine, but more importantly, friends. Real friends. Friends who defy authority to protect each other. And, of course, the type of friends who — when drugged — go to each other’s apartment. Because who else are you going to turn when you’re not in total control of yourself? Worth noting is that the scene after Mulder shows up in Scully’s apartment, he’s in his underwear, which leaves us to assume that the level of intimacy between these two has gone up to the point that Scully felt comfortable divesting him of his clothes. Which, yeah, I’m here for. I approve.

Scully grabs Mulder’s hand. (“Pusher”)

Before Olicity, before Bellarke, and before many many others, there were Mulder and Scully — the first couple that became iconic because of the chemistry between two actors and not because of the actual writing. And part of that magic are the unscripted touches and the little things that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson added to these two characters, like this first instance of hand-holding and what it represents. Dana Scully is not a touchy-feely person, especially not at work. She’s worked very hard to get where she is, and she’s done it by being anything but the stereotypical woman. But it’s not only her comfort that she’s seeking when she reaches out for Mulder — it’s his. He’s, after all, the one just got controlled by Modell, and the one who almost shot her. (Yes, to recap: she was almost shot, and she’s comforting him. How can you not love that?)

Mulder and Scully hug. (“Memento Mori”)

If you want two characters to get closer, angst is the way to go. Or so they say. For someone who claims he wasn’t trying to get his two main characters together, Chris Carter sure threw a lot of personal angst their way during Scully’s cancer arc in seasons four through five. There are tons of moments to choose from in that whole arc — from Scully calling Mulder first when she gets the diagnosis, to Mulder losing it when Scully’s in the hospital, to her journal, and the sobbing at her bedside. And that’s without even mentioning Scully offering to take the blame for something he’s being accused of, since she’s going to die anyway, Mulder fighting until he finds the cure, and Scully believing him when he does.

But none of those moments are quite as important in the overall journey from separate entities to coupledom as the hug of absolute tenderness, love, and relief when Scully decides to return to work and keep fighting by his side.

“You’re my one in five billion.” (“Folie a Deux”)

If you need affirmation, Mulder and Scully are not the couple for you. Really, they’re not. Romantic declarations are not the norm for these two, though Mulder does like to reaffirm their bond from time to time. Scully always acts like she doesn’t need it/like it, but we know better. Mulder might not be saying "I love you," but considering the lessons of this episode, saying “You’re my one in five billion” is just as poignant. In a way, it means more than I love you. It means: "I need you. I want you. I can’t do this without you."

“You kept me honest. You made me a whole person.” (The X-Files: Fight the Future)

This is a movie, so the drama needs to be amped up. It doesn’t feel out of character, however, for Scully to think that’s she’s bringing Mulder down. She’s, after all, the one who always has a "... but." Maybe without her, he’d be better off, she tells him.

And that’s when Mulder sets her straight. Boy, does he. He starts by telling her that she’s saved him. He hasn’t always liked it, he hasn’t always appreciated it, but she’s grounded him. She’s made him a better man. And, in the most heartbreaking admission ever, he also lets out that he doesn’t feel he’s done the same for her. He doesn’t feel he’s bringing anything to the relationship. And to think: this conversation started because Scully thought he’d be better off without her.

“Even when the world was falling apart, you were my constant. My touchstone.” (“The Sixth Extinction, Part II: Amor Fati”)

It’s always Mulder with the words, even though it’s not always Mulder with the actions. This time, it's Scully rescuing him. It is Scully who needs the reassurance, and — since these two are partners in everything — though he’s still not close to 100%, it's Mulder who utters what could almost be marriage vows, and Scully the one that’s left to agree. And it’s not just the part I quoted above. It’s also this: “... my world was unrecognizable and upside down. There was one thing that remained the same. You.”

Platonic indeed.

First kiss. (“Millennium”)

It’s not just that they kissed for the first time (that we know of, but considering the next moment, who knows what revisionist history Chris Carter might be telling tomorrow) — it’s how they looked at each other AFTERWARDS. It’s how Mulder got a little meta with his whole “the world didn’t end,” comment. It’s that they carried on as if nothing had changed, because — deep down — nothing had. They already knew.

“What if there was only one choice? And all the other choices were wrong?” (“All Things”)

The consensus is that THIS is when Mulder and Scully finally became a thing. After all, the episode ends with a shot of Scully IN Mulder’s bathroom, getting ready, while Mulder sleeps on, apparently sans clothes. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something happened. But the actual sex scene that Chris Carter deprived us of isn’t even as important as Scully taking a walk down memory lane, exploring the what-ifs and definitively choosing Mulder, accepting him as her destiny. After all, like Mulder says, in response to the question I quoted above: “All the choices would then lead to this very moment.”

Just about every scene they have together in the series finale. (“The Truth”)

The only bright spot in season nine, this episode almost made up for Duchovny’s absence (almost). From that first somewhat-awkward reunion in jail (where Mulder calls her Dana instead of Scully as a way of warning her they’re being watched), to how they almost ignore that Skinner is right there and get to kissing as soon as they’re not being watched, to how they cannot let go of each other after (Mulder even kisses Scully’s hand like it’s nothing — like he does it every day). And, of course, there’s also how the two very literally run away together at the end, only to give us a final scene that’s so reminiscent of the first moment that it makes my heart ache. Mulder and Scully together in a nondescript hotel room. They’re even discussing the same things. Except, this time, they’re finally on the same page.

And then they just spoon, and it’s the end, but it’s not — because it’s them against the world, and we don’t know how or when, but we know they won’t give up.

BONUS SCENE: Mulder and Scully share a bed. (The X-Files: I Want to Believe)

Six years after the events of “The Truth,” Mulder and Scully are still together, and still partners. Except now, they’re what they were always meant to be — what they always were, and the show never actually allowed. They are 100% in a relationship. They joke about how well-endowed Mulder is; she complains about his scratchy beard, and he nuzzles her neck. It’s like they tore a page out of one of the fandom’s most recognizable fanfics and decided to play it out. It’s glorious, amazing, and a dream come true.

Agree? Disagree? Have a moment you think should have made the list? Share with us in the comments!

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'The X Files': Mytholology 101 [Contributor: Lizzie]

The X-Files revival is coming. And when I say it’s coming, I mean it’s coming now. Not in an undefined future, or in a year, or even in six months. No, the thing we’ve all been waiting for is upon us, at last. It’s both exciting, and nerve-wracking, and a little worrying. Because, this is The X-Files. And you were meaning to re-watch the series before the new episodes were here. It’s all so complicated, after all. You can’t really remember what happened. Or, if you can, you don’t really trust your memory.

It was a long time ago.

Maybe you haven’t seen the show in a while. Maybe you just caught up. Perhaps you want to check out the new episodes without watching (or re-watching) nine seasons. Or perhaps you stopped watching all those years ago after David Duchovny left and have missed a few mytharc-related developments. Either way, I’m here to help. Think of this as X-Files Mythology for Dummies. A “what you need to know (or remember) before the revival” kind of thing.

Before we begin, I want to state that a lot of casual viewers like to refer to The X-Files as show with an open-ended conclusion, or, at least, a show which left many questions unanswered. Let’s dispense with that notion right away. During the nine-year run, The X-Files answered most of the big questions. It didn’t always do so satisfactorily (I’m looking at you, Samantha), but it answered the questions. The show is not coming back to provide answers to old mysteries, but to advance a storyline that never really got a conclusion. And that’s why you need to know these ten things:

1. Aliens? Check. But there’s more than one kind of alien.

This is basic X-Files stuff. Aliens exist, yes, but they’re not all the same. Duh. There are many planets out there, so this is just common sense. The basic ones you need to know are the Greys.
The actual aliens, however, are not as important (or at least don’t appear nearly as much) as the Human-Alien Hybrids and the Bounty Hunters. The hybrids are clones with green blood that is actually deadly to humans. So, killing them? Not as easy as it sounds. The Bounty Hunters are shapeshifting aliens (a type of Greys) used mostly as enforcers for the Syndicate.

The only way to kill them? Pierce the back of the skull with something sharp.

2. The Black Oil is really the thing you should be concerned about. 

Purity (also referred to as “black oil”) is basically an intelligent alien virus that can enter a body, control it, and emit radiation and/or incapacitate the host and incubate a Grey inside of it.
The last part is important. Just as the Syndicate was making secret contingency plans, so were the colonizers, apparently. When the Syndicate discovers that the virus can actually incubate a Grey, the Colonists develop a race of super soldiers to ensure colonization. Politics at its best.

Also, the black oil is apparently the original inhabitant of Earth. So, in truth, the aliens are not really trying to colonize us. They’re just returning home, and getting rid of those pesky humans who decided to use their planet.

3. The Syndicate was actually trying to save the human race at first. They just forgot that was the end goal. 

Following the Roswell crash, a group of men and woman negotiated an agreement with the alien colonizers. The Syndicate would use their government connections to help the Colonizers with the invasion, and the aliens would provide an alien fetus so the Syndicate could produce alien-human hybrids. When the hybrids were done they would be slave labor. But, at least, that way, humanity sort of survived.

Sort of.

The members of the Syndicate and their families, would, of course, be allowed to live out their lives. The only problem was that colonization was to begin as soon as the hybrids were done. So, like the politicians they were, these people stalled. For like, ages. Maybe the alien sense of time is not the same as us, because they generally bought it. Oh, yes, and the Syndicate also worked on a secret vaccine against the virus in the meantime.

4. For the previous deal to work, each member of the Syndicate had to give up a kid, as a hostage of sorts. 

Mulder’s father was one of them. He didn’t agree with the whole negotiating with the colonizers thing. And, in a shady government organization, when you don’t agree, bad things happen. That’s just the rule. So, he refused to give up a kid.  That’s when the Cigarette Smoking Man arranged to have Samantha (Mulder’s younger sister) abducted. Samantha is never seen again, and is revealed to have died as a teen, after many years of being experimented on. During the course of the series Mulder sees more than one “aged” Samantha clone

5. While they’re all busy trying to play each other, the Syndicate actually gets something right.

Not the vaccine — that doesn’t work like they want to (though it works well enough to save Scully’s life, so really, we’re not complaining), but the hybrid. They actually create a hybrid who can survive the virus. Of course, that’s just before...

6. Even aliens have rebels. 

At some point there’s a rebellion within the colonizers. The rebels that break off start killing off the alien abductees to sabotage the hybrid program. They also disfigure their faces by closing all orifices so they can’t be inflected by the black oil.

Oh, yes, and they kill most of the Syndicate. Not that killing most of anything ever works out.

7. The Smoking Man is one of the key figures behind everything. He might also be Mulder’s father. 

We’re not sure about the whole being Mulder’s father thing. It’s hinted at, but never really confirmed. We know he had an affair with Mulder’s mother, and that he was part of the original Syndicate. We know that he “chose” Samantha to be abducted, and that Mulder’s father would have chosen him, if he had to. This could indicate that he is Mulder’s father, or that he’s Samantha’s father, or that he’s just an evil SOB, or all of the above. He survived the assassination by the rebels and went on to create a whole new Syndicate. He also killed JFK.

No, I’m not kidding about that last one.

8. Mulder and Scully have a child, named William.

At least, we presume they do. The show never explicitly states that the baby is Mulder’s, but it goes out of its way to make it seem like it is. This was around season nine, when not even Chris Carter was buying into the whole platonic thing that he’s now trying to convince us of again.

When Scully was pregnant, super soldiers tried to take the baby away, believing him to a perfect human being, and thus a threat to them. But later it is revealed that he’s just another imperfect hybrid. This is all after William is injected with magnetite, to “make him normal.” The baby is given up for adoption, for his own protection.

(No, it doesn’t make sense to us either)

9. Scully was supposedly sterile.

Scully gets kidnapped by “aliens” and experimented on. We never really learn if she was actually abducted by the aliens or if it was the government experimenting on her, but as a result of her abduction, she’s left unable to bear children. Oh, and she almost dies of cancer after removing an implant that she found on her neck. She’s, of course, miraculously cured after Mulder finds another implant for her to put on her neck. Miracles don’t stop there, though, because a couple of years later, bam! Pregnant.

No explanation is ever given.

10. Colonization was presumably set for December 21, 2012.

... Except we’re still all here. So either that’s a bust or we’re in the middle of an episode of Colonization, and we’ve yet to realize it.

Excited for the return of The X-Files? Does the idea of just six episodes make you as crazy as me? Are you counting down the days? Do you have any more pressing mythology questions I failed to ask? Share in the comments below!

The X-Files returns to FOX on a two-night season premiere event, with the first episode airing Sunday, January 24, 2016, 10-11 PM ET/7-8 PM PT, following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME; and the second episode airing Monday, January 25, 2016, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT.

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Of Mulder/Scully and the Birth of the "Shipping" Phenomenon [Contributor: Lizzie]

Shipper: short for relationshipper; one who believes there is, was, should, and could be a relationship between two characters in a certain fandom.

IN THE BEGINNING...

The definition above is mostly, for the uninitiated. I’m not even sure there’s a person online right now who needs the term "shipping" described to them, but I decided to play it safe and include it anyway. After all, my mom could be reading this article. And she would probably need the definition.

But the rest of us… we’re clear. We know what shipping is. We’ve probably actively engaged in shipping (or currently "engage," present tense, whatever). We’ve discussed the merits of one ship over another; we’ve written fanfic, created GIF sets, analyzed every little word and/or touch to distraction, and written thousands of words about character motives. And we’ve probably even told our friends -- or maybe our editors -- that they’re wrong to ship a certain pairing (Jenn, I still love you, but Harry/Hermione?!).

Shipping is a part of life. Well, it's a part of fandom life, at least. And something pretty great is that shipping not a rational thing: we don’t always ship two people because the writing is dictating that they become a couple, though that’s a reason. Sometimes, honestly, we ship two characters because of the chemistry. Other times, it’s just purely for the sake of aesthetics – we want the pretty people to get together, dang it! We may even ship two characters because their interactions speak to a part of ourselves and our lives that we keep hidden from the rest of the world.

The point is, there are many reasons to ship one couple or another. I’m not here to discuss, in-depth, those particular reasons or my own preference of ships. I have mine (many, many ships... too many to count, really but hit me up on Twitter if you want to know) and you have yours. You probably won’t change your mind about your ships, and I won’t change mine. And, actually, that doesn’t even really matter.

What matters is this: this whole shipping phenomenon, as we know, it started a little over twenty years ago, because of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and a purposely vague relationship between the male and female leads of The X-Files.

The rest, as they say, is TV history.

Now, this isn't to say that Mulder and Scully were the original ship. They were not the first time people looked at two people and said: "I want THOSE two to get together." People have been shipping characters for as long as there have been books, TV, and movies. Heck, I would not be surprised if people shipped Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare's day. But the actual term and the frenzy associated with it? Well – you can thank fans of The X-Files for that.

ANCIENT HISTORY

In the old days of usenet groups and modems, when fanfiction.net and Tumblr were still pipe dreams, X-Files fans were divided in two groups: those who wanted Mulder and Scully to get together (a.k.a, the relationshippers) and those who wanted the relationship to remain platonic (a.k.a. the noromos). One of those terms stuck, the other one… well, the other one went the way of their desires.

Since this is the Internet, of course, and the word relationshippers is far too long of a word to use in normal conversation, the term was pretty quickly thereafter shortened just to "shippers."

How’s that for an ancient history lesson?

Even during the show’s run, however, the term "shipping" was rarely talked about outside of specific fan circles (namely, nerds on the Internet). Yes, there was media coverage focused on the fans who liked the idea of the couple getting together, but that coverage was never as widespread as it is today.

It’s not that people were less passionate about shipping back in the day though, lest you think that – they just had less of an opportunity to connect with the people behind the show and actually affect outcomes. Think of Mulder/Scully as the little ship that could – the relationship that developed despite the creator's best intentions (you can’t rewrite history now, Chris Carter, we know), and despite the fact that, for at least half of its run, the shippers weren’t even that vocal. In fact, for the inevitability of a Mulder/Scully romance I see in retrospect, watching live I was often convinced that it was never, ever going to happen.

(... Did it happen? Did I dream it? Are Mulder and Scully together right now?)

For me, shipping started with these two characters. I’ve evolved now, of course. I ship just about everything there is. But there was a time I didn't. And I spent much of my teenage years obsessing over gestures between Mulder and Scully and/or hoping for at least a hug between the two. And I wasn’t the only one, obviously. So what was it about them, you ask? (If you’ve never seen the show, this is a valid question. If you have, then… are you a noromo?) What was it about Mulder and Scully as characters and as a ship that drew such a passionate fanbase that we’re all still here -- talking about them -- twenty-two years after the pilot first aired?

Okay, I’m going to try my best to answer you. I really am. It’s probably going to take a lot of words in order to do so, because, well… the show lasted for eight eight seasons (technically nine, but we all try to ignore season nine), and there’s a lot to analyze. Too much, maybe.

And it started right from the pilot episode.

A LITTLE BIT OF CHEMISTRY GOES A LONG WAY

Chemistry between actors is a funny and an inexplicable thing. Sometimes the spark is there, sometimes it isn’t (and sometimes shows attempt to force chemistry out of two actors who don't, but that's another case altogether). And boy, do David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have chemistry. They have so much chemistry, in fact, that sometimes I find myself wondering about if that chemistry translated to real life or originated there. As Mulder and Scully, though, the spark and sizzle was readily apparent from day one.

In fact, it was so apparent that before there were real signs of the ship in the writing itself, Chris Carter was already answering questions about the possibility of romance between the two leads. In an interview published before "Ghost in the Machine" (literally THE FIFTH EPISODE OF THE FIRST SEASON) aired, the show’s creator gave this response to a question about the nature of Mulder and Scully’s relationship.

“No, it’s a relationship that is much stronger and more passionate. First of all I would call it a cerebral romance, in that these characters sort of delight in each other’s approaches and it isn’t the pat or standard or expected television romance between them. There is no physicality between them. I don’t see it in the near future here. They don’t end up in the sack together. At least I don’t see it happening yet. I think it’s refreshing. I mean I was raised on shows like The Avengers which are smart and the characters were very attractive for those aspects. They didn’t have to end up in bed together.”

We should have known just by how defensive Chris Carter got (and by the fact that he felt compelled to deny the possibility of a romantic relationship three times in one paragraph) that he didn’t really understand what was happening between the two leads on his own show. (No physicality, Carter? What’s with the whole Mulder straightening out Scully’s necklace in episode three?!). But we’re not here to talk about Chris Carter and what he did or didn’t understand about the romantic relationship between Mulder and Scully. We already had that chat. We’re here to talk about what we saw, not what he saw.

(Hint: we saw plenty)

From the very beginning, the whole set-up of the series felt like a slow-burn couple with a clear endgame in sight. After all, Mulder and Scully were, in the early days of The X-Files, the only two characters you saw episode in and episode out. Have you heard the phrase “it’s you and me against the world”? Well, it WAS Mulder and Scully against the world.

And what a world it was.

A strange, strange world where unexplained was the norm, where evidence disappeared, where you were expected to report on your partner. A world where you’re given a job that -- just by accepting it -- would make you a pariah. A world where you’re the only one who can see the truth, and are ridiculed for it.

So, it was only natural that these two people would develop chemistry, that we would be drawn to them as viewers and invested in their relationship. When there’s no evidence of the crazy stuff you’ve seen, the only person who’ll believe you’ve seen some crazy stuff... is the person who was there with you for it. And yes, the show took Scully’s skepticism to extremes sometimes, mainly by having her conveniently “miss” most of the moments that would have proven Mulder right. But in general, Scully was always there for the weird and for the unexplained. She just usually managed to have a rational explanation for it.

This is the beginning, the basis for everything in their relationship. You have this person, this one person who’s there with you – there for you, and you sort of end up trusting that person by default. And then that trust is put to the test. (See "Ice" and "Darkness Falls" just in season one alone). And after a while, it’s not that you trust them because they’re there, and it’s easy. You trust them because they’ve proven themselves to you. That person has become your friend, your confidant – your partner.

THE EVOLUTION OF A SHIP

Early on in the show, we see Scully attempting to maintain a normal life outside of work. If we hadn’t, we might have -- as an audience -- wondered about her or have been concerned for her. Mulder was wholly devoted to his work from the start, for many, many reasons. He’d given up the pretense of a life outside of it. Scully, however, had to choose to join him on his quest. And join him she did – to the detriment of most of the relationships in her life.

There’s a moment in the season one episode "Jersey Devil" where Scully turns down a date to join Mulder in an investigation. He teases her about having a life, but it’s clear from that instance early on that Scully is choosing to make Mulder her life. She’s not choosing the quest, but him. She’s following him.

(Now read that line three times and tell me you don’t ship them.)

At the end of season one, after time spent fighting against the system all by themselves, our heroes are put in the stereotypical season-finale cliffhanger of being separated from one another. The X-Files are terminated, and Mulder and Scully must go their own ways. And I promise you that if you somehow made it through an X-Files initial watch (or re-watch) without somehow shipping Mulder and Scully, the premiere of season two is the moment you would start.

Because Mulder is depressed in that premiere. He has no evidence to back any of his claims. And, look, that doesn’t seem like a big deal. But understand this – HE’S NEVER HAD EVIDENCE. That has never really bothered him before. He was that lonely guy screaming at the sky before Scully. Now he’s better. He’s grown. He might not have all the answers, but at least now, thanks to the woman The Powers that Be assigned to debunk him, he’s asking the right questions.

And Scully’s grown, too. She’s the one to encourage Mulder not to give up. He’s expanded her world, just as she provided a foundation for his.

(Crying? Nah, I’m not crying. I just have a little something in my eye.)

And to think I've written this entire article and haven’t even gone into Scully’s abduction, Mulder’s rage, Mulder wearing her cross necklace for the entirety of that horrible episode where she was missing, Mulder’s rage again, when she returned, Scully’s family being all like: "we know you’re in love with her, dude," and that little moment when Mulder decides being with Scully is more important than revenge. We haven’t even talked about any of that yet, you guys.

And we won’t, mostly because we need to talk about something even more important that’s not often discussed. Mulder’s entire reason for – well, for everything, is his sister, Samantha. Samantha was abducted when he was 12 years old, and he not only blames himself for it, but dedicates his life to figuring out what happened. To finding her.

... ONLY TO TRADE HER LIFE FOR SCULLY’S WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.

(And, yes, fine, that wasn’t the real Samantha, just clone Samantha. But he didn’t know that. Mulder really thought he was giving up his long-lost sister. Remember when you asked me, like a thousand words ago, why I shipped them? THIS IS EVIDENCE OF WHY.)

As an aside, just for those uninitiated into The X-Files, I’m not even up to the end of season three here.

There’s more of this throughout the series -- more of the same, and more of different ways to show love. I’m not here to do a play-by-play of all the Mulder/Scully moments for you, though. (For the record, I totally would be, but this has already taken many more words than I planned). I’m merely here to give you a glimpse into what made these two idiots the couple to ship back in the 90’s. I'm here to explain to you what made people who never watched the show when it originally aired be as invested in their relationship as I was when I was a teenager.

I'm here to explain to you what made Mulder/Scully the jump-off point for this crazy, beautiful, wonderful phenomenon called shipping. (And I hope I managed to do that.)

Because they were the starting point, there’s no doubt about it. Do you love a couple on TV today? Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character’s love story? Do you enjoy fanfiction, the GIF sets, even the debates and meta commentary? Then take a moment to thank Mulder and Scully. Or, better yet, go watch them and THEN thank them.

The original ship always has room for one more member.

The X-Files returns with six new episodes beginning January 24th, 2016 on FOX.

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#TheXFilesRewatch 1x08 “Ice” (We’re Not Who We Are) [Contributor: Lizzie]

“Ice”

Original Airdate: November 5, 1993

We’ve finally skipped ahead. Aren’t you thrilled? Well, you’ll be even happier next week, then. For now, though, let’s focus on this wonderful episode that has no overreaching impact on the mythology of the show, but still manages to be one of the most important season one episodes when it comes to furthering the partnership of our two leads.

We open in what looks to be a very, very cold place. The block letters insist it is Icy Cape, Alaska, but since all we can see is snow, that doesn’t really matter. What matters, however, is this realization: Cold and creepy places are twice as bad as warm and creepy places. If it’s warm at least you can, I don’t know… try to run away? Chances are you’ll still get caught and killed, but the illusion of maybe, perhaps getting a chance to escape is what’s important here.

So, we’re in some sort of research facility in a very, very cold place, and strange things are happening. (When are they not?) People are coming out of nowhere. There's a shirtless guy running around (I’ll just assume that it’s really hot inside to compensate or something) and he tries to send a message to -- what I suppose -- is some sort of base. But if I were the person hearing this message, I wouldn’t pick up either, because "we’re not who we are" is hardly a comforting message that begs rescue.

Predictably, no one answers. And did I mention there are dead bodies all around? Well, there are dead bodies all around. And a not-so-dead dog. This actually looks like the final scene of a dystopian movie, not the opening of a television show. I mean, it looks like that until the other guy appears, and then it just sort of turns into The Walking Dead.

At least until the guys decide that, instead of turning their guns (WHO BRINGS A GUN TO ICY CAPE, ALASKA?) on each other, they’re going to, you know, kill themselves.

Cue the credits.

(On an unrelated note, is this the ONLY show ever in the history of TV to keep the same credits with the same TWO actors for like seven seasons? I can’t think of another)

We join our favorite crime-fighting duo in the next scene, as Mulder explains what happened at the scene to Scully. I have no idea where they are, because there’s so much light that I’m going blind. Where’s the basement? This place lacks the appropriate level of creepiness. Mulder, of course, has more than the explanation of what they’re doing (studying the structure of the Earth’s climate back to the dawn of man sounds really cool) -- he has the tape of the message from Dead Guy #1, and Scully is quick to point out that the communication is spookier from their side. Well, she doesn’t say it like that, but we’ve seen both sides, so we know.

What we don’t know is why Mulder and Scully would get assigned this case in the first place. I mean, it’s weird, yes, but it’s not THAT weird (yet). Unless the Powers-That-Be controlling the FBI knew something they didn’t. At some point, Mulder and Scully are going to HAVE to catch on to the whole "if we’re getting assigned this, it really means something bigger is going on" thing.

But that’s a realization for another time. For now, we’re going to Icy Cape, Alaska! With a bunch of other scientists, because the investigation means little -- the only thing that matters is what’s up there! (What’s with the head shake? You should all know better by now.) The first of the scientists that Mulder and Scully run into when they make it to the airfield, a geologist, is actually listening to a tape of his favorite NFL plays, and you might think that’s weird, but I think it’s genius. I need one exactly like that to tune out people when I’m writing. That’s the quirky guy. The other two scientists are your typical tropes: the smart and clearly mistrusting guy who’s obviously the foil; and the blonde, pretty lady scientist that looks sort of like Scully would have looked if FOX had gotten the casting they wanted. Smart Scientist asks for ID within the first ten seconds of conversation, and really, as I said, he is obviously smart. And in real life, asking for ID is an intelligent move, but this a TV show, so the writers know that and are clearly going somewhere with this.

(Worth noting is that we get one of the cutest scenes ever after everyone pulls out an ID. Mulder says, “This is me” while waving his badge around, then turns to Scully, looks at her badge over her shoulder and says: “And that’s you.” This has been Shipping Mulder and Scully 101: "A Lesson in How to Find Significance in Even the Smallest of Things.")

After their pilot arrives, the next scene is the requisite plane shot, and am I the only one who had definite flashbacks to the movie Alive while watching the plane fly through those mountains? Yes? Hmmm… maybe I’m have issues, then. They land safely, thankfully, only to find the generator is not working and oh, yeah, everyone is dead. Though no one looks particularly shocked about that, they do have an absolutely idiotic conversation about what to do, in which Smart Scientist proves to be not so smart when he suggests they remove the bodies without even documenting the crime scene. Look, completely irrelevant character, even I you have to document everything first, and I know that only because I watch too many procedurals.

Scully continues this strange conversation about what to do by asking Mulder where to start. How should he know? You’re the one with the medical knowledge, Scully! Thankfully, she remembers this a couple of seconds after asking, because she starts taking pictures of the bodies. Mulder, meanwhile, is snooping around, and on a fancy looking refrigerator (fancy for 1993, I mean) finds samples of whatever it is these people were studying, and the ominous close-up of the ice is enough of a clue that weird stuff is about to go down.

Although, to be fair, this is The X-Files, so if you weren’t expecting the weird, then… uh… you should have been expecting the weird.

They continue looking around, and OH LOOK, there’s the dog! I’d almost forgotten about him. Of course, the dog is not dead, because killing five people is cool, but killing a dog on a TV show... that’s just cruel. The nameless dog is relatively okay, I assume, but he also has a bad case of the rabies or something, because he attacks Mulder and then Bear (the pilot) when the pilot tries to help. Mulder is unhurt; Bear, who you’ll notice I only just mentioned for the first time, is clearly injured, and if you’re not worried about that… well, you should be worried about that, because of logic: without Bear who’s going to fly them out of there?

(Don’t worry, this is why I’m here: to ask the important questions for you. ... at my television.)

But we’re still with the dog for a little while, as they manage to sedate him and then take turns examining the poor animal. The dog has issues -- black nodules, skin irritation, and oh, yes, a CRAZY FAST PREHISTORIC BUG THING moving inside of him.

Meanwhile, Bear is in the bathroom where he finds the same black nodules on himself as the dog had. That, of course, means they’re all screwed. Not that Bear is going to share this information anytime soon (because we wouldn't have much of an episode if he did, and the actor has to milk his screentime, after all).

A while later, Scully has finished the autopsies, and because she always gets to be Captain Obvious, says out loud what we all knew: The crew killed each other. Bear, only worried about himself (as you would be), inquires about the black nodules, but none of the bodies Scully autopsied had them. Bear is clearly relieved at this information, and his happiness lasts about 5 seconds until Smart Scientist appears to dash all his hopes by telling him that the nodules seemed to have disappeared from the dog, which means they could be the symptom of early stage infection only.

Mulder finds a disturbing but not altogether important paper saying: "We’re not who we are." And then, instead of discussing it, or, you know, freaking out like a normal person, Mulder gets into a technical conversation with the geologist who likes to listen to old NFL tapes. Something about how the depth of the ice was twice what it was supposed to be and where they digging inside a meteor or not... I don’t know, it’s not important. All that matters is what Mulder gets out of it.

Aliens.

In the other room, Scully and Smart Scientist are having an argument. Scully has discovered ammonium dioxide in the blood she was analyzing, which makes no scientific sense to Smart Scientist at all. The geologist, however, found the same thing in the water in the ice core. Mulder doesn’t understand what this means, so he asks Scully (because she knows everything). She looks at him like she might like him... until he brings up the aliens. People are not as horrified as they usually are when he brings up stuff like this. Looking into the microscope, both Mulder and Scully can see a little bug which Scully hypothesizes is the larval stage of some larger organism. No one else is convinced, other than Mulder -- of course -- because he likes the crazy explanations, especially when he isn’t the one that came up with them.

Bear chooses this precise moment to go full-blown crazy on them, saying that the autopsy makes clear the crew killed themselves, so they should all leave. There's no point in staying. Smart Scientist agrees, but Mulder insists on proper quarantine procedures, just in case the organism they discovered is infective. Bear wants no part of this, says he’s leaving, and promptly goes pick up his things. While he’s gone, the team agrees he needs to be forced into a quarantine. Mulder brings out the gun, but holds it like he has no intention of ever using it, which is why Bear gets the drop on him.

However, Bear is clearly not very good at counting, because it’s five against one, and he loses. While the team is restraining him, they observe the same movement under the skin previously seen on the dog. Smart Scientist decides to cut the parasite out, because, he theorizes, it will attempt to kill the host now that he’s been exposed. No explanation of how the bug is smart enough to know that is given, but they open him up and thankfully don’t show us as the thing (let's just call it "thing") is extracted. The worm manages to squirt a black substance before they put it in a jar. Since their pilot is somewhat compromised, Mulder contacts the airport and requests evacuation, only to be essentially told: "So sorry for you. Bad weather. No go." When he comes back, wanting to see if Bear is maybe, perhaps in a condition to fly the plane, he finds Bear dead.

(Told you Bear was toast, didn’t I?)

Smart Scientist compares the thing they extracted to a tapeworm, but doesn’t really know what it does or how you get infected. Scully re-examines the dead bodies and what do you know! Each and every one of them had the little buggers, though she only recovered one live worm. The reason why she missed them before, though, is that they were not in the spinal cord, but in the hypothalamus (we don’t want to know how long it took her to open up all those bodies and find this). Smart Scientist thinks that where those worms were found explains the irrational behavior of the crew and Bear, and Mulder concludes that the worms made the crew turn on and kill each other, and that the last two members were trying to prevent the rest of the world from getting infected.

Later, Mulder goes to talk to Scully, who’s re-examining the bodies again, and suggests they all take a break and go to sleep. Scully is having none of that, however. She wants the little bugs killed. Mulder wants them alive, because, well, because they’re proof of… no, I’m not going to say it. You can imagine it. Scully, predictably, reacts to this information with a healthy amount of disbelief and anger. "WHY, MULDER, WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE ABOUT ALIENS WITH YOU?" (She asks this with her expression, because she never actually says those words). At this point, even if Mulder is right, I’m with Scully, because... seriously? A little creativity wouldn’t go amiss. Not everything has to be about aliens. There’s plenty of other weird stuff on this planet, dude.

The other three scientists, left alone, theorize about why our favorite agents are arguing and come to the conclusion that Mulder and Scully know more than they’re saying, because, well, they’re the government. Also, they’re really, really loud when they argue – so everyone decides to join them. A confrontation almost happens when Smart Scientist suggests Scully seems irritable, but Mulder manages to diffuse the situation and everyone agrees to be searched for the black nodules. ... Which sounds to me like Scully wanted to strip-search Mulder; but alas, the women check themselves, the men do the same. What a wasted opportunity. They’re all clean, so everyone goes to sleep. Alone. Which is just what I’d want to be if a killer worm was out there.

NOT.

Scully doesn’t look like she’ll get any sleep, but Mulder manages to rest a little bit, because next thing we know he’s waking up from a nightmare of sorts. Since this is The X-Files, he hears a noise, and -- like the good agent he is -- decides to investigate. Also, because he clearly hasn’t seen enough scary movies in his life, he opens the freezer door that’s leaking blood, only for the body of Mr. NFL-Tapes to roll on top of him just as the other three appear. Talk about awkward.

Mulder says he didn’t kill the geologist, which is exactly what he’d say if he had, and insists one of the others is the murderer. Which, again, is exactly what the murderer would say. So when Scully pulls her gun on him, he points his gun right back at her. "Scully, it’s me," he says, "and I’m dead." "You might not be who you are," she replies, and I’ve been revived just so they can kill me again with the rest of this episode. It’s meant to be reminiscent of the opening, except for the part where Mulder retreats and the others lock him in a room. Just as he’s going inside, Mulder tells Scully that he’ll be safer inside than she’ll be outside.

Prophetic words indeed.

Back in the lab, both Blondie and Smart Scientist are sleeping in a very uncomfortable position in their chairs. Scully, not so subtly, tries to check Blondie’s neck, but Smart Scientist stops her. They gang up on her, insist they don’t feel safe while she’s got a gun, so she removes the clips from both her gun and Mulder’s and throws them outside. Next, they argue about what to do. Smart Scientist wants to leave Mulder; Scully won’t hear of it. She knows he’s weird, but she’s sort of starting to like him. (My words, not hers.) The airfield isn’t picking up, so they decide that the best course of action is to try and solve the mystery at hand.

Remember, they’ve had no sleep, so Blondie messes up the samples and – voila! She finds the solution. If you put two parasites together, they will kill each other; they’re territorial like that. They try it on the dog first, because apparently their logic is "Who cares if the dog dies?" and when it seems to work, the decide to use it on Mulder. And when I say "they decide," I mean Blondie and Smart Scientist decide, for Scully doesn’t seem convinced.

You know what UST is? Mulder and Scully coined that term. You want to know how? With scenes like the one that comes next, where Scully asks to talk to Mulder first, and once in the locked room, examines him and concludes he’s fine. When she’s moving away, we see Mulder’s hands in her neck, and I’m pretty sure looking for a parasite is not supposed to look this hot. The feels, you guys.

Both are clean, so they know it’s one of the other two. Selling that idea, however, proves problematic. Blondie and Smart Scientist manage to lock Scully inside the room and they grab the last worm and try to complete the procedure on Mulder. Literally a second before this happens, Smart Scientist catches a glimpse of movement on Blondie’s neck, and stops. They free Scully and the three go after the runaway madwoman who somehow finds a LOADED GUN INSIDE AN EVIDENCE BAG, because Mulder and Scully are the WORST AGENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND, OMG.

... Okay, rant over.

Mulder overpowers the woman with the gun, because he might lack common sense, but he sure is good with his hands (*winkwink*) and between the three of them they manage to, you know, put the worm in her ear (ewwwww) and cure her. Later, back at the airfield, Blondie is in a biohazard suit, Mulder, Scully and Smart Scientist are fine, and they’re all going home. Yay! Mulder wants to go back, but he can’t, because -- listen to this, because this never ever happens on The X-Files -- they TORCHED THE PLACE to prevent infection. The worms are still there, says Mulder. And Scully has probably the smartest line in the whole episode when she tells Mulder to leave them there.

Amen. She still has enough time to throw him a look of death when he seems to hesitate, and the episode ends as Mulder finally acquiesces and walks with Scully to what we assume is the vehicle that’s going to take them far away from Icy Cape, Alaska – never to return.

Quote of the episode:

Mulder: [taking his shirt off for a physical exam] Before anyone passes judgment, may I remind you -- we are in the Arctic.

Scary moment of the episode:

Creepy worms are not exactly the stuff of nightmares, so I’ll go with the Mulder/Scully confrontation with guns drawn. It’s still early in the show, but you never want to see the two main characters in a position where they might shoot each other. Not the usual kind of scary, but there you go.

Mulder/Scully moment of the episode:

No-brainer this time. The whole "I’ll check you, you’ll check me" thing could have been done in a much more detached, clinical way. But if they had, then they wouldn’t be the gold standard for slow-burn couples. No, when they put their hands on each other, they really, really go for it. This is closer to a tantric massage than it is to a doctor’s checkup, but we’ll take it. We’ll take it.

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When Stories and Characters Develop Minds of Their Own: Of Mulder/Scully and Chris Carter [Contributor: Lizzie]

Everyone who calls themselves a writer dreams of one day getting one of those characters. You know what I’m talking about: the characters who write themselves, the stories that seem to develop without your input, and sometimes, even without your consent. As a writer, you create these characters -- these individuals, and then you turn around... and it’s like your kids grew up when you were busy with something else, and now they’re eighteen and running off with a motorcycle-riding boyfriend that you don’t approve of.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you exhibit number one: Fox Mulder and Dana Scully
Once upon a time (because that’s how every great story starts) Chris Carter had an idea. It was a revolutionary idea at the time, and he spent a lot of time developing it. He put a lot of himself into both Mulder and Scully -- his main characters. Carter created a strong woman who relied on science. He created a strong man who wanted to believe. And then he brought them together. And by "together," I mean he put them in the same space and time. He didn’t really mean for them to be together, together.

What Chris Carter really, truly wanted was to write about conspiracies. He was interested in the big picture, in the special effects, in the monsters-of-the-week. He wanted to write the weird stuff, the legends, the paranormal -- the things everyone had said again and again wouldn’t work on TV. He wanted an overarching mythology tying it all together. Mulder and Scully were his babies, yes, but in a way, they were just means to an end. He certainly wasn’t thinking about the romance.

The story has changed with the years, but the clues are everywhere. You might even say they’re unmistakable. "Chris Carter played the long-game with the Mulder/Scully romance," is the version they tell these days. And, who knows. That might be somewhat true. Or that might just be what Chris Carter wants to tell himself now that the romance is canon: people love it, and he’s basically got no other choice but to smile and say that, yes, he planned it that way all along.

Mulder and Scully have always loved each other, were always meant to be together; theirs just wasn’t a sexual kind of love, Carter’s said. (Which, if you think about it, really, really hard… no, no wait… it still doesn’t make sense). Currently, Chris Carter is saying that they are soul mates, but life has different kinds of soul mates. Soul mates, he is seemingly insinuating, don’t mean you’re going to be together forever and have babies; that’s just the mainstream ideal. Soul mates means something deeper, something ethereal, something that we can’t define. And we nod, and smile. Because he created these characters and he should know them better than us, shouldn’t he?

At this point, I’m starting to think the answer to that is no.

I was with The X-Files from the beginning. I was a little kid, sure, but I saw these characters grow from acquaintances to friends. I saw Mulder and Scully prove things to each other, time and time again. I saw them develop that trust, become partners. I was part of the journey, even if they couldn’t see me. I was the person they were selling this story to. And once they were partners, when you thought two people could not possibly get any closer without jumping in bed with one another, I saw Mulder and Scully move beyond even that. I saw them become family.

"Best friends" was always a label that somehow didn’t seem to encompass all that Mulder and Scully were to each other, and yet, for many years, it was the best phrase we could use to describe them. Sheila Larken, who plays Margaret Scully, once said “they’re [Mulder and Scully] best friends beyond what lovers could ever be.” And thoug that doesn’t really explain the depth of their relationship either, at least it goes beyond the bare facts, tries to explain that the relationship is an exception to a rule.

David Duchovny went even further, when he summed up the Mulder/Scully relationship this way: “It’s like the one friend, I guess, that he has in the world. I mean I heard a phrase once; somebody was talking about their wife. This was a person who was very inept socially, not the wife but the man. There were many things said about him that weren’t kind, and he said: 'My wife, who is lovely and social and everything like that, is my human credential.' And that makes him a human being, because people think, well if she can stand him, he must have some humanity within him. Sometimes I think about Scully as Mulder’s human credential. It’s the only thing that makes him not crazy, in many ways.”

Both quotes are right, and yet, in a way, neither one comes close to explaining all that Mulder and Scully were to each other. Not that my words will be any better. If you want to know what Mulder and Scully were all about, you have to watch the show, just like I did.

You see, this is not a second-hand story someone told me, not the legend of Mulder and Scully that was told through Tumblr posts or Facebook statuses. I was a front row witness to their journey from "You’re the only one I trust" to "I can’t live without you." It was slow, but it happened. And it didn’t happen in spite of their creator. I think Chris Carter meant it to happen.

... Okay, you're sitting there bewildered at your screen. You’re contradicting yourself, Lizzie. That is NOT what you said earlier. You said he was clueless. You said he didn’t know. Tell us... which one is it?

Bear with me and I’ll explain.

Chris Carter meant to create these wonderful characters. He was trying to meld them into partners. He wanted them to become close and depend on each other. I just think he didn’t see the romantic nature of what he was doing until it hit him right in the face. And, no, I’m actually not joking around here. So how can you create one of the most iconic romances in television without meaning to? you wonder. How can you have two people who defined the term UST (unsolved sexual tension) and not have it all be part of a grand plan?

Easy. With two very, very good actors who are excellent at seeing beyond the obvious, and a rabid fanbase who was just discovering the power of the Internet.

Welcome to Chris Carter’s personal hell.

One season in, The X-Files the questions were all about the conspiracy. Who was the Cigarette-Smoking Man? Who was Deep Throat? Were they really among us? Four years later, the questions were all about the characters: Were Mulder and Scully in love? Was Scully’s cancer incurable? Would Scully ever get to have a child? I’m not saying these were questions the writing team behind The X-Files was afraid of. I’m not even saying that they didn’t focus on these two wonderful characters, sometimes in detriment of the plot. All I’m saying is that they did not mean for the characters to overshadow the mythology. They did not mean for this to become the Mulder and Scully Show. And the certainly didn’t intend to create the gold standard for will-they-won’t-they couples.

Because for them, there was no real question. The answer was obvious: yes, Mulder and Scully loved each other. They loved each other as siblings, and they loved each other as spouses. They took care of one another. They were always there for each other, in good times or bad times. And that was much more important than whether they were actually having sex or not.

Okay, I hesitate to call them naïve, but boy, were they naïve.

Television is much easier to understand these days. Maybe it’s because actors, writers and producers get the chance to interact with fans more often on a deeper level. Perhaps it’s because of things like focus groups and test audiences. Shows today have so much more information than they did twenty years ago. Lead actors routinely go through chemistry tests before they get to actually film. They don’t often meet up randomly in the waiting room and just so happen to practice lines with each other and then, surprisingly get the roles.

Point is, in this day and age, show runners don’t have to guess what people want. They know. In fact, they so thoroughly know that, sometimes, they even delight in not giving fans what they know they want (at least not right away).

That was not what Chris Carter was doing, though (ignoring what fans wanted). At least, not at first. No, Chris Carter was just telling a story. A story about aliens, a big conspiracy, and the men behind it. An epic story. A story other shows would seek to emulate. Sometimes I see Chris Cater's interviews and can almost feel his frustration at the fact that even though he managed to create an iconic show... it really isn’t the plot we’re still talking about today, so much as the characters. I always remember this quote, and if you’re a die-hard X-Files fan like me, you probably remember it.

"Scully loves Mulder, and Mulder loves Scully. It's a wonderful romance. It's just not a sexual romance. It's not a physical romance. It is a caring, tender, respectful relationship. It's an ideal, and I would never want to do anything to threaten it, to change it."

That, from the mouth of their creator. I remember going through the five stages of grief after reading this. I’m serious; I actually went through the stages. Because this was Chris Carter acknowledging something, and yet, at the same time, not acknowledging it. This was him saying, yes, I see it, there’s love, but the rest is not there… the rest (that physical romance) is just your imagination.

(Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.)

This particular quote is probably the reason I sat down to write this article. At the time when Chris Carter said this, I was still young enough to put stock in his words. I’ve learned my lesson, of course. Never trust a show runner. They change their minds (Or, sometimes, like in this case, they have their minds changed for them). This is an important lesson, and it holds true for every fandom. But it especially holds true when it comes to Chris Carter, and I feel like I need to repeat it over and over again until it sinks in.

Never trust Chris Carter.

Ever.

In fact, let’s make that the tagline for the new episodes.

Mulder and Scully are what they are primarily because of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. From the beginning, David and Gillian were the ambassadors of MSR (Mulder/Scully romance). Back in the day, that was actually a pretty unusual thing. I don’t want to turn this into a fandom history lesson, but The X-Files was really the first big fandom to exist online at the same time as the product it derived from. Of course, that has a lot to do with timing. The X-Files was at its most popular just when the Internet was becoming something other than a cool thing you could use in the school computer lab. And, boy, were the fans loud. I would know. I was one of them.

And Chris Carter didn’t like it. Or he did. He loved it. He just didn’t love the reasoning. If nothing else, he wanted his audience to pay the same degree of passion and attention to the Mulder/Scully relationship as to the conspiracy. But love makes the world go 'round, and all that. Chris Carter was never actually going to get his way.

It’s funny how I keep thinking about all of this now that we’re so close to getting new episodes on FOX. You’re bitter, my friends say. You’ve been holding a grudge for ages. And, in a way, they’re right. I’m bitter. I’m scared. I don’t believe Chris Carter truly understands what he created, and because of that, I don’t trust him to treat these two characters with the respect they deserve.

There’s a beautiful quote from a sixth season episode called "The Rain King," that pretty much explains all these two characters are, and all that Chris Carter ended up creating:

"Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with."

If you ask me, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson flipped that switch long before Chris Carter wanted them to. They might have even flipped that switch without even recognizing what they were doing. They were these people, and when the natural progression of things felt right – they did them. And maybe after that, their creator, and the writing team in general, looked around and said: "Well, yes. Okay. That really does make sense. Let’s go for that. Let’s just do it our way."

And do it their way is precisely what they did, through nine seasons and two movies. They’ll probably continue to do it their way through the six episodes we’ll be getting next year. What "their way" means is anyone’s guess at this point. It probably means less of the explicit romance and more of the deep connection. But that’s okay. You want to know why? Because at this point, they can’t take it back. They can’t deny it. And, even if they make it hard for us, in truth, they’re not really trying. They’ve surrendered to the truth. Millions of fans and two actors saw way before they did.

Mulder/Scully is the OTP to end all OTPs. The one that started it all.

I have to end with this quote from Frank Spotniz, because if anything sums up what The X-Files ended up being, is these words: “You can’t get the truth. You can’t. There’s a larger truth, though: that you can’t harness the forces of the cosmos, but you may find somebody else. You may find another human being. That may be kind of corny and all of that, but that’s what it is: Love is the only truth we can hope to know, as human beings. That’s what Mulder and Scully found after nine years. And that’s a lot.”

Cheers to that!

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#TheXFilesRewatch 1x02 “Deep Throat” (A Certain Paranormal Bouquet) [Contributor: Lizzie]

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