TV fans today who complain about slow burn must have lost The X-Files craze of the 1990s and early 2000s. The series was famous for teasing a romance between its two main characters – Agent Fox Moulder (David Duchovny) and Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) – without ever explaining their relationship. In fairness, the producers had other things to worry about. In fact, they were right in the middle of the show’s biggest storyline when the producers finally let them share a kiss on screen. This should have been a relief to fans, but many found it infuriating. For one thing, the kiss came without much fanfare or commentary, and for another, it happened at the end of the show’s most exciting installment so far.
Mulder and Scully’s first on-screen kiss came in Season 7, Episode 4, “Millennium,” which first aired on November 28, 1999. At the time, the status of the X-Files as an official FBI assignment was unclear, but the two were supposed to be working on other cases for the bureau. While they continued to try to find a conspiracy, this episode sent them into a crossover with the series A thousand yearswhich was recently cancelled. The result was a big TV event that felt a little out of place, and left fans scratching their heads for over two decades.
‘Millennium’ Wasn’t Where Fans Expected Mulder-Scully Kiss
The chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson made it inevitable that fans would interpret Mulder and Scully as a romantic couple, and The X-Files writers have certainly encouraged that over the years. However, by season 7 many were beginning to doubt whether the show would ever take a romantic turn and make their relationship canon. “Millennium” was the 143rd episode of the series as a whole, and it seemed too much to introduce a change at this point. The timing was also unexpected – maybe a long-awaited kiss would come in the premiere or the end of the season, or even in a movie, since the series had just gone to the big screen for the first time.
Additionally, “Millennium” was an episode where Mulder and Scully had to share their screen time with former FBI agent Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) for a crossover with the Millennium series. The X-Files and A thousand years are created and represented by an operator Chris Carterand both went on fox. Millennium was abruptly canceled in 1999, so Carter intended to use this X-Files program to complete the show after the fact.
Overall, fans of both shows considered it a failure. It didn’t do much to finish tidying up A thousand yearsand Henriksen himself later admitted that he was disappointed. He also drew The X-Files off from his serialized story arc for a monster of the week style episode, which felt like a break. To top it off, the Mulder-Scully kiss caught fans completely off guard. It happened in a hospital after their adventure, with A thousand years characters and other FBI agents around them. The story took place on New Year’s Eve, and the two were watching the ball drop on TVin silence when they leaned in for a kiss.
“The world didn’t end,” Mulder said in reference to the episode and the Y2K panic. The kiss was not chaste or unromantic in any way, but the lack of statement here angered some fans. They could no longer say that Mulder and Scully had never kissed, but this could also be dismissed as a really pointless New Year’s Eve. For those who wanted the show to resolve this relationship into a real romance on screen, this was worse than anything.
‘The X-Files’ kept her romance a secret
The fans who felt let down by this episode had a lot more grief. Later in this same season, the episode “All Things” opened on Mulder and Scully in bed, having spent the night together. Even worse – again the hook was not mentioned, indicating that this was not their first engagement. Their relationship continued this way through the rest of the series and the revival as well. The series really showed us where Mulder and Scully were now from time to time, without stopping their relationship or without stopping to talk about it a lot.
Love it or hate it, this phenomenon may have a lot to do with the behind-the-scenes drama that will affect the show in Season 7. The X-Files there was a big win at this time, and his team won a big win. Beginning in season 6, the production moved from British Columbia, Canada to Los Angeles at Duchovny’s request. The actor wanted to stay closer to his home and wife during the filming season, and he also wanted the opportunity to pursue other work when time allowed. Anderson and others on the team agreed with him, but Carter opposed the move.
It turned out that there was bad blood brewing between Duchovny and Carter in season 7. The actor sued 20th Century Fox during this time, claiming that the studio had been violating the rights The X-Filesgreatly affecting his salary. This lawsuit was settled in favor of Duchovny. According to the book Reviews: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6-9 of The X-Files with Tom Kessenichthe lawsuit revealed that Carter knew what Fox was doing all along, and chose not to warn Duchovny. Duchovny announced his intention to leave the show after season 7, though he ended up taking a recurring role and eventually returned to the series full-time.
The X-Files It was never a simple show by any means – including the romance between its main characters, which was a major draw for so many viewers. However, in the years since the original series ended, many online fandom communities have celebrated the show’s unique approach to romance and have enjoyed finding subtext and clues throughout its 200+ episodes. The X-Files flowing now Hulu in the US, and is also available on PlutoTV Free with advertising.
- Release date
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June 19, 1998
- Running time
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121 minutes
- Director
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Rob Bowman
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Mitch Pileggi
Assistant Director Walter Skinner
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William B. Davis
The Cigarette Smoking Man