The X-Files has one of the greatest slow-burn romances in TV history. And, ironically, it all unfolded under creator Chris Carter, who insists Scully and Mulder were intended to stay platonic partners. If you’ve seen the pilot, or really any episode in Season 1, you’ll wonder how anyone ever thought these two people could just stay friends for the entire series. The searing eye contact and sizzling chemistry make it seem like they want to rip each other’s clothes off from the moment they shake hands. Yet, their dedication to uncovering the truth keeps a professional (yeah, let’s call it that) boundary in place for seven long years. (Seriously, no one can edge an audience like Carter.)
Come Season 7, Episode 4, “Millennium,” Scully and Mulder finally get their first kiss. The way it plays out is so perfectly them that it deserves analytical essays and peer-reviewed journals written about it. The kiss itself occurs in the empty hallways of a hospital as the clock strikes midnight and launches the world into the new millennium. Mulder watches a celebrating couple kiss on TV after the Times Square ball drop and decides to make his move. It’s brilliant, really. If Scully rejects him, he can chalk it up to a silly New Year’s tradition. If she accepts, then he gets what he’s wanted probably since Season 1, but most definitely since he uttered the big “I love you” in Season 6.
Scully, of course, reciprocates, and the result is a soft, lingering liplock sure to make shippers squeal. Not everyone was satisfied with the kiss, though. Many people expected something bigger. You know, one of those desperate, throw-you-against-the-wall makeout sessions spurred on by seven years of absolutely wild sexual tension. (See the “hallway scene” deleted kiss for a taste of that.) However, to those horn dogs, I’d argue the “Millennium” kiss is more in character, at least in this context.
Scully and Mulder’s First Kiss Is Perfectly In Character
Mulder and Scully have been nothing but careful and considerate to each other from the moment they met. Sure, Mulder can’t keep his hands to himself. And yes, Scully’s eyes frequently pull to Mulder’s lips during business hours. Still, they never crossed the line into romantic territory until now. In true friends-to-lovers fashion, they each erected a barrier to pursuing something further. Scully feared Mulder only saw her as a hindrance to his supernatural escapades, while Mulder worried Scully wanted and needed a “normal” life that he would never be able to give her. (Both issues return throughout their relationship.)
Remember, the previous season wasn’t easy for them. Diana Fowley’s arrival threw a wrench in their relationship. Scully immediately decided Fowley was the type of woman Mulder wanted, given Fowley’s supernatural inclinations and “ex-chickadee” status. In contrast, Mulder wasn’t oblivious to Scully’s dislike of Fowley but was reluctant to push the familiar face aside despite Scully’s feelings and Fowley’s sketchy reappearance.
Believe me, any time I rewatch these episodes, I’m lighting my torch and gathering my pitchfork with the rest of the angry mob. However, I also understand Mulder doesn’t make connections easily. He has a hard time writing people off because he has such a hard time letting them in in the first place. But, ultimately, Diana Fowley came and went, and Mulder acknowledged that Scully was and is the only person who tells him the truth, even when it’s hard. Basically, in X-Files language, that’s him saying “I love you” again.
Despite this, Scully took a step back. That lingering doubt that she’s just the rigid skeptic persisted. She needed him to make the first move, and in “Millennium,” he finally does. Funny enough, the best part about this entire scene isn’t so much the kiss. It’s the looks they give each other after. Scully’s little smile. Mulder’s subtle smirk of satisfaction. The way they both stare at each other’s lips like they’re reliving how the kiss felt, but also contemplating what it means for their future. Together, the whole thing screams, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”
‘The World Didn’t End’ Carries Multiple Meanings
That’s why Mulder’s “The world didn’t end” statement feels so perfect. It lets audiences read between the lines, which is where The X-Files thrives. The world didn’t literally end with the turn of the millennium like so many people feared, but the world also didn’t implode because Scully and Mulder kissed. They finally gave in to their desire, and guess what? It wasn’t as scary as they thought. In fact, it seemed pretty darn good to leave them smiling like that. In some ways, the sentiment also works as a bit of meta-commentary. I’m a firm believer Carter tossed it in as a snarky wink and nod to the shippers, a “Well, I did it. They finally kissed, and you’re right, the world didn’t end” sort of… joke? Jab? I don’t know.
Regardless, Scully’s “No, it didn’t” provides affirmation on her end that things are A-okay, too. Then, in the true Mulder and Scully fashion, there’s little fanfare. They tell each other “Happy New Year” and leave, with Mulder’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. What happens after that? I’m pretty sure God only knows—and the creative minds of fanfic writers feel called to transcribe. Carter leads us to believe the unresolved sexual tension continues for twelve more episodes until “All Things.” However, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson amp up each Mulder and Scully interaction going forward. The subtle yet overt flirtiness suggests the kiss did, in fact, push their relationship into romantic territory. There’s a reason fans dub Season 7 the “Season of Secret Sex.” Go on, watch “The Goldberg Variation” and tell me these two are just friends. I dare you.
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Still, there’s a complexity to Scully and Mulder’s relationship that somehow keeps their love ambiguous, but also the most sure thing in the world. We all know they’d die for each other, yet we don’t always know how they label each other. Perhaps Mulder says it best in “Chimera” when asked if he has a significant other. “Not in the widely understood definition of that term,” he replies. Their relationship transcends the conventional definition of a romantic relationship. They are soul mates, plain and simple. “Millennium” might have marked their first kiss, but their love for each other existed long before it.
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