Relationship Analysis: The X-Files, Mulder & Scully (MSR)

The X-Files is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by Chris Carter. The program originally aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox, spanning nine seasons and 202 episodes. The series revolves around FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) andDana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigating X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena.

Fox Mulder is an Oxford Psychologist holder and became famous at the FBI when the psychological profile he wrote broke the case of Monty Props. Until he came across the X-Files, FBI cases that were designated unsolved then Scully was assigned to him as his partner. Mulder also believes in the existence of Aliens because he witnessed her younger sister, Samantha, taken from their house.

Dana Scully is an excellent Medical Pathologist and a skeptic who was recruited by the FBI. Despite her background in Science, she continues to be a Catholic. Scully was assigned to debunked Mulder’s work on the X-Files so he will return investigating normal cases again.

In fact, the terms Shippers, Snoggers, Fanfiction, X-Philes, and MSR were created because of the show.

Shippers are fans who wants characters from a book, movie, and TV series to end up together. Snoggers are X-Files fans who wants Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny to end up together. Fanfictions are fictions written by fans using characters from books, movies, and TV series. X-Philes is the name of the X-Files fans, which literally means lover of X.

So what is MSR? MSR stands for Mulder Scully Romance. Below is a summary of their relationship. MSR Defined by Erockfurnia/ Erockxf.

*Intellectual Chemistry was shown right away in the Pilot episode when Mulder told Scully that she read her thesis and he was impressed that she tried to make her own interpretation of Einstein’s Twin Paradox.

*Sexual Chemistry. Well the show is full of sexual tension from the characters ever since Scully bared to her underwear in front of Mulder when she thought she had the same marks as their victims who died of exposure also in the Pilot episode.

*Empowerment Chemistry. Well, I can’t really point out each episode of the show because it’s over 202 episodes. But in the span of nine years working together as partners at work and best friends, Mulder and Scully supported, listened, reprimanded and empowered each other to never give up. They drew strength from each other. The best part is they don’t back down from each other and they voice their opinions when one of them did something wrong and when they disagree with each other’s thoughts and beliefs. They were open to each other. They just don’t have chemistry, their personalities, upbringing and experiences as an individual are compatible because they could both learn from each other because of their different perspectives. It is a very good indication of a well-matched *lovemap. After all, lovemap is not just about having chemistry, and compatibility, it’s so much more.

You see, Mulder is unconventional in investigating the cases and also the kind of person who is desperate to find out the truth. He will stop at nothing to get there and he will accept every breadcrumb of evidence to get there without analyzing the credibility of it. Scully taught him the importance of working hard for the evidence. As I’ve mentioned above, Scully’s background in Science made her a skeptic so it was hard for her to see and believe Mulder’s line of thinking and she follows the procedures accordingly. Eventually, Mulder opened up her mind to other things and according to her he taught her to be brave in believing other things that are beyond the realm of science. Despite their differences, they respected each other.

Romantic Chemistry was palpable throughout the show and even the movies. The couple got together at all, but it already ended. In the first movie, The X-Files: Fight the Future, they had this moment outside Mulder’s apartment where they almost kissed but they didn’t because of that freaking stpid d*mn bee that stung Scully. But in the second movie, I Want To Believe, they were together, they hugged and kissed, but they broke up. Also, they’ve released the kissing scene version from the first movie, where the bee did not sting Scully. It was hot and it was the time, where we, the old X-Files fans came out of our caves and celebrated a big reunion online.

The first thing I love about the show is because they were investigating weird, mysterious, and scary phenomena. The second thing is the main characters are intellectually stimulating, entertaining, even funny and very interesting. The third thing I love in the show is how the relationship between the main characters was never planned.

They were only supposed to be a man and woman who are good friends. To be honest, the show was supposed to end in Season 5 with Millennium as the finale episode and it was also a crossover of the new series at that time, Millennium. It is in the episode where Mulder and Scully shared their first kiss, but it was originally their second kiss. Their first kiss happened in the hospital when Scully had cancer in the Season 3, Memento Mori, but it was never aired.

So the writers at first did not write with the intention of putting the characters in the will they or won’t they situation. It was just something they discovered, and tried to go with it. They are not like the scriptwriters now who are trying hard to put couples in that situation who will toy with the audiences for a long time.

I’m a big fan of NCIS but what happened to Ziva and Tony was just unacceptable. I don’t blame the fans for wanting Ziva to come back to the show, after all they invested so much of themselves in the show for seven years, so expect the fans to be bitter for maybe, another seven years before they move on. With that said, I guess the moonlighting curse is real. I am a devout Densi Shipper (Deeks & Kensi), but I stopped watching when the characters got together. I’ve wanted them to get together, but I felt that their relationships was too force and wasn’t handled the way I wanted it to happen.

Also, the backstories of the characters were not good enough for me to explain the characters’ personalities and attitudes. Deep inside, I’ve thought the writers will answer my questions, but after six years, I still got nothing from them and I also felt that they should have handled the characters issues before they got together. The resolution with Kensi’s Jack wasn’t even good enough for me because there was so much build up and emotions invested in the character before.

In six years, sure, there are changes in the characters when they met each other, but it wasn’t enough for me or maybe I just want adult characters, so maybe that’s my problem. At the same time, I’ve realized that Nallen (Nell & Callen) makes much more sense to me as a couple because of their upbringing, experiences, personality, and more. I have nothing against Densi and Neric, I still enjoy them when I’m not analyzing and when I miss the show.

I’m way more satisfied with how the writers handled the relationships on Castle, Bones, Chuck, and Nikita. Wait, of course, NCIS, NCIS LA, and the others are all great shows and I will still encourage other people to watch it. All the writers are talented and worked hard to give fans something fresh and new all the time. After all, there are other reasons to watch the show, so tune in and watch.

What I mentioned above, is just my opinion. Anyway, so sorry for this commercial, let’s go back to the X-Files. Fox Mulder has an unhealthy *lovemap. It was shown through his upbringing and also some of the women he dated in the show.

For instance, Diana Fowley (Mimi Rodgers) is a smart woman, and who is also Mulder’s first partner, but when Fowley got recognition from the higher ups, she left Mulder right away. She was kind to him, but she always has a different agenda. In fact, I don’t even understand her intentions in the show, and I refused to remember anything about her anymore.

Of course, who could resist the three piped problem, presented by Phoebe Green. Mulder dated her during his Oxford days. Phoebe thinks of Mulder as a game, she knows he’s afraid of fire, and what she did is brought a case to him about arson. On top of that, while she is seducing him, she is also busy working another man at the same time. It’s funny how Mulder refer to her as fire, considering that Mulder is an air sign, and naturally it is known to gravitate toward the fire signs all the time. At the same time, Mulder already has a fire inside him so he doesn’t need Phoebe in his life because he will get burn over and over again. Just some trivia there somewhere.

Mulder has an unhealthy *lovemap. Thank God he met Scully because she set it right. She became his friend, his family and more. Scully also became the person who calmed down the fire in him, so Scully serves as one of the best things that happened to him.

Dana Scully has a somewhat unhealthy *lovemap based from her upbringing and her relationships with her parents. While I don’t remember much Scully’s dating lists. Scully is an analytical, practical, rational and sensible person in the show. She is the voice of reason in Mulder’s head. So when she met Mulder, he somehow set her lovemap in the right direction.

Scully was supposed to be dating someone in the Pilot episode, which was also never aired, but the guy is supposed to be working for the FBI as well.

Jack Willis is Scully’s FBI instructor. She got involved with him, after dating for a year, but broke up eventually. Unfortunately, it does not say much about Jack’s character. So this does not really count as something healthy.

Dr. Daniel Waterson is Scully’s former Professor. She had an affair with him and left him after she was recruited by the FBI. I guess I don’t have to explain more why it makes her *lovemap unhealthy at somepoint. One of the questions you’ll have in your mind, what’s a sensible woman doing in a forbidden love affair. There seems to be a pattern here, the fact that she got involved with older guys, but that does not make it unhealthy.

Ed Jerse is a guy she met on the episode, Never Again. It is an episode where Gillian Anderson asked the writers to write a darker side of Scully. It is in the episode where she got her Ouroboros tattoo on the small of her back. Scully strike up a conversation at a tattoo parlor where he invited her to dinner which at first she declined, but after an irritating conversation with Mulder, she went out with Jerse and stayed at her apartment, where he kissed her.

Phillip Padgett is an author experiencing some writer’s block. He is also Mulder’s neighbor. He is someone Scully did not really get involve with, but this case affected Scully in a weird, mysterious and scary way. Well, what can you expect it’s X-Files. He appeared to Scully as an admirer, he watched her from afar, and he even sent her a Milagro pendant. Padgett lured Scully to his apartment. I can’t forget the time where Phillip told her that she came to his apartment because she was curious about him so he invited her to come in and she did. Scully was somehow in a trance while she was with him and she almost slept with him until Mulder saved Scully from him.

It is somehow hard to write about lovemap considering the mysterious factors added to the show, but you will know what I’m talking about Mulder and Scully’s relationship, once you watch a couple of episodes or so.

The relationship Mulder and Scully have is ideal for me because their relationship has a good foundation of friendship. As audiences, we witnessed how they became friends, what they’ve gone through, how they became best of friends, and how they fell in love for each other. It wasn’t forced, it happened naturally. Mulder and Scully belong together because of all the factors that affect their relationship, and not just because they are best friends. Just like Gillian Anderson quoted below:

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. – Dana Scully, Rain King

They are not like those couples who are targetting each other as lovers because they are best friends. I have nothing against those couples ending up together because they are best friends. I’m against those who are forcing themselves on their best friends, just so they could have the happy ending they’ve seen in those copped out movies. It’s like scriptwriters are thinking let’s make the characters best friends, so that audiences will root for them to end up together. It’s bad enough when you notice how forced it is when the characters are pretending to have chemistry or to be in love with each other, it’s such a turn-off.

Anyway, on top of having the characters great chemistry, it doesn’t hurt that the actors who played also have a great friendship that as fans we can’t stop watching. Before, I actually told myself that I’m going to write this analysis maybe next year or so and I only plan to write this analysis of relationships when series are complete. But since X-Files is going to have a new installment on January 2016 (Yey!), I have to write this now.

To be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to see on the episodes and I’m afraid that the show will because it’s too old, it may be irrelevant to other audiences, and last but not the least it may air episodes similarly written with shows airing these days. I also think that maybe Fox is using the show the show to gain something I’ll ignore it. And besides, I have faith on the actors, Chris Carter and the other staff who will work on X-Files again.

*Thusly marked words are defined on this LINK. For those of you who’ve never seen the show, but you’re interested in finding out the love story, click here and scroll down to Route 3: The Shipping News.