SEASON 1

SEASON 2

SEASON 3

SEASON 4

SEASON 5

FIGHT THE FUTURE

SEASON 6

SEASON 7

SEASON 8

SEASON 9

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And then Mulder glances over at Scully. Well, he doesn’t just glance. He looks over at her inquisitively, wonderingly. He looks at her lips. We see her looking up at the screen, smiling, perhaps a little tired, a little wistful, maybe just innocently watching TV, as we are wont to do. And Mulder does a small double take at her, gets something in his head, and decides to just go for it. The TV version of Auld Lang Syne turns into a slow, beautiful Snow version. He leans down the three feet to her face. She turns at the right moment, and just watches him coming in close. And he kisses her. Their lips come together in a sweet, caring, 7-second kiss that holds all of our hopes and dreams in its chaste little hands. There is a moment when Scully’s eyes, already closed, close just a little bit more, like she’s just relaxed. The whole thing is gorgeous. I almost tumble off of my bed in delight and excitement every time I see it. I definitely do a little bit of cheering and perhaps a jumping jack or two to let a little of my energy out.

Scully opens her eyes as their lips part – which I do have to comment on: they just part lips. There doesn’t seem to be any closure to the kiss, like a closing of the lips that would say, “this was a kiss, not just a colliding of cartilage.” But whatever. The way they are looking at each other, it was definitely a kiss. Scully is looking happy. She smiles and turns her head a little, in a moment of “Really, Mulder? That was sweet. You are so sweet.” Mulder is looking very tender, and a little curious. He’s smiling too. Like, “did that just happen? And you really didn’t kick me in the balls?” And maybe a little like, “You really are an incredible person. I’m glad I did that.” And he says, gently, smiling, “The world didn’t end.” It sounds like it has a little question at the end of it.

But wait, really? It didn’t? Because my world did!!!! There are fireworks in the air and dancing in the street! Okay, calm yourself. Really. Deep breaths. Focus on the scene.

Scully says, “No. It didn’t.” But she gets a funny look on her face when she says it. Some might read it as dreamy, or wistful, or even regretful. I think she’s just coming back to the moment, to reality, to the world where they can’t be in the relationship (or so she believes, in her professional, goody-goody little heart), and her “the world didn’t end” kind of takes the air out of the balloon a bit. I think she’s saying, “No, the world didn’t end, so we still work together, and we can’t escape off into some romantic fantasy, Mulder.” And she sighs a little and looks away. And, as usual, they seem to communicate with very few words, because Mulder seems to have gotten some kind of message, whatever you might interpret it to be. He says in a more serious voice, with the smile kind of gone from his face, “Happy New Year, Scully.” She wishes it back at him, and she’s looking down. Pensive. That Scully brain is definitely working. I’m not exactly sure what she’s thinking, but that’s for each of us to wonder about.

Then he puts his good arm around her (and there are fireworks and dancing in the street again) and they walk out of the hallway-room, into the night, into whatever you think might occur after this episode. And there is much, much rejoicing all across the land.