Summary
The X-Filesis one of the most iconic television procedurals of all time, thanks in no small part to the dialogue of Dr. Dana Katherine Scully. Running for a cumulative 11 seasons,The X-Files' unbelievable storylinesand palpable will-they-won’t-they chemistry between its leads contributed to it becoming such a lauded name in TV history. Actress Gillian Anderson held up her end as Dana Scully, an F.B.I. agent, scientist, and skeptic who balanced out the paranoia of her partner, Mulder.
There are many reasons why Scully is so quotable inThe X-Files.From Anderson’s brilliant delivery of simple lines to her ability to translate clever dialogue from several of the show’s distinguished writers, many of Scully’s witticisms and remarks have stood the test of time. There’s a reason that her absence from theupcoming Ryan Coogler TheX-Filesrebootwould be so sorely felt.
20 Best The X-Files Episodes, Ranked
The X-Files remains an iconic sci-fi TV show with over 200 episodes, featuring several that standout as the series' absolute best.
10“Her Name Is Bambi?!”
Season 3, Episode 12
“War of the Corprophages"is one of the most bizarre episodes of a series that had some truly strange bottle premises. True to its name,the episode seems to maintain a strange fixation on human waste,though the main supernatural occurrence that draws Mulder and Scully’s attention is essentially unrelated. When a string of people are killed by sickening roach swarms, Mulder gets the help of a bug expert with a peculiar name – Bambi.
Mulder’s casual response that Bambi’s parents were “naturalists” is a textbook example of the two’s engaging banter.
Scully’s reaction to the woman’s name is delivered so hilariously by Gillian Anderson that it elevates such a simple line to be instantly memorable.Mulder’s casual response that Bambi’s parents were “naturalists” is a textbook example of the two’s engaging banter. Considering the fact that Scully is stuck working the case from home and communicating via phone with Mulder, who is parading around with the attractive Bambi, suggests a certain level of jealously might be amplifying Scully’s adverse reaction to her unique name.
Season 4, Episode 2
By far one of the darkest episodes ofThe X-Files, season 4, episode 2’s “Home"was infamous for being the series' first and only installment to receive a TV-MA rating for the disturbing content and violence therein.Still, even an episode as dark as this one found the time to give Scully a memorable zinger.The episode begins with the corpse of a deformed infant being found buried in the town of Home, Pennsylvania, with the mysterious Peacock family being the prime suspects of the crime.
The Peacocks live in an ancient house with no electricity or running water, something Mulder seems to appreciate.Scully is quick to remind him of his own reliance on technology, hitting him with the above barb.What makes this line so interesting is the fact that it was created before the advent of smartphones, which have only made the average person more reliant on their devices. This quote serves as both a surprisingly prescient statement on technological advances and a clever joke at Mulder’s expense.
8“‘Baby’ Me And You’ll Be Peeing Through A Catheter.”
Season 6, Episode 4
“Dreamland” was one of the most cleverly-written two-parters in the entire show, and the only one to be centered on a “monster-of-the-week” story.The episode begins with Mulder and Scully visiting Area 51, only for a flyby of an alien craft to cause Mulder to switch bodies with Fletcher, a Man in Black working at the secretive government institution. While Mulder takes the opportunity to snoop around the highly classified area, the slimy Fletcher does what he can to enjoy life in Mulder’s body free of responsibility.
Perhaps sensing Scully’s underlying attraction to Mulder, Fletcher tries to take advantage of the situation, attempting to seduce her in Mulder’s apartment by handcuffing himself to a bed and calling her “baby.“Scully is quick to mount a response, drawing a gun at lighting speed and hitting Fletcher-as-Mulder with a hilariously specific threat.This line demonstrates both Scully’s fierceness and her observational powers, quickly figuring out something is wrong based on Mulder’s sudden change in demeanor.
7“The Truth Is Out There, But So Are Lies.”
Season 1, Episode 17
“E.B.E"was an important episode for the mythology ofThe X-Files,introducingthe conspiracy nut trio, The Lone Gunmen, for the first time.Fittingly enough, their debut episode takes place amid a shadowy government conspiracy which Mulder and Scully get caught up in, deliberately misinforming them with false information.
Mulder is quick to believe his newfound sources of secret information, especially when presented with a new photograph of a U.F.O.
As always,Scully balances out Mulder with her skepticism, encouraging him to think critically.Turning Mulder’s classic line against him, she assures him that “The truth is out there, but so are lies”, warning him of the dangers of naïveté. Like some of Scully’s other more profound lines, this statement has only become more true in the years since the debut ofThe X-Files' first season, with the spread of misinformation more rampant than ever in the modern world.
6“It Wasn’t Even Real Cream Cheese, It Was Light Cream Cheese!”
Season 5, Episode 12
Not every great line Gillian Anderson gets off as Scully is quite so poignant or philosophically valuable.Nevertheless, her incredible delivery of comedic moments sells the world ofThe X-Filesas alive and breathing. One of Scully’s funniest lines isn’t technically something she actually says, being recited in a flashback told by Mulder’s unreliable narration.
In the scene, Mulder describes how he asks Scully to perform another autopsy,despite being hard at work doing so already. Mulder mocks his partner by claiming she went on a lengthy rant about how she hadn’t eaten since 6 in the morning,and even then, it was only half a bagel with light cream cheese. Anderson’s ability to channel Mulder’s fictionalized mocking of his partner is something else, and his simple follow-up narration of “Finally, you left.” is just the cherry on top.
5“Nothing Happens In Contradiction To Nature, Only In Contradiction To What We Know Of It.”
Season 4, Episode 1
“Herrenvolk” is an incredibly important episode to the overarching story ofThe X-Files.All at once, the hectic chase through Canada kills off X and provides one of the most intriguing updates onthe abduction of Mulder’s sister Samanthain several seasons. While Scully takes a backseat in the episode, she still manages to let off one of her most wise and thoughtful lines of the entire series.
But this quote sums up why Dr. Dana Scully has so much faith in science.
It’s something of a running gag amongThe X-Filesviewers as to how Scully can maintain such skepticism despite being confronted with obvious paranormal evidence time and time again.But this quote sums up why Dr. Dana Scully has so much faith in science. Scully’s beliefs don’t necessarily exclude the presence of paranormal phenomena, but it does assert that everything in the X-Files can be explained rationally with as-of-yet unobserved scientific data.
4“Please Explain To Me The Scientific Nature Of The Whammy”
Season 3, Episode 17
Scully’s dry sense of humor is one of the true anchors that keptThe X-Filesso entertaining over the years, and famous lines like those in season 3, episode 17 “Pusher” demonstrated as much. The episode revolved around a mercenary assassin named Modell, who seems to have the psychic ability to influence others, using it to escape capture time and time again. Unfortunately,Mulder has a difficult time putting this power into words for Scully, which she soon uses against him.
Mulder excitedly describes Modell’s actions, saying “Model psyched the guy out! He put the whammy on him!”In response, all Scully can do is flatly inquire as to the scientific nature of the whammy, poking fun at Mulder’s hysterical quest to prove psychic phenomena. This piece of dialogue quickly became one of the show’s most quoted one-liners, let alone among Scully’s words in particular.
3“Oh, Brother.”
Season 6, Episode 3
Mulder and Scully’s will-they-won’t-theywas one ofThe X-Files’s driving overarching mysteries that kept viewers coming back for more every season.Episodes like season 6, episode 13 “Triangle” put a rare amount of increased focus on the two’s romantic feelings for one another. The episode revolves around Mulder being stranded at sea before being picked up by the Queen Anne, a supposedly lost ship whose inhabitants still seem to be living in the throes of World War II.
Through Mulder’s fever-dream period piece journey, he meets past versions of people he knows, including Scully herself.This encounter seems to help Mulder realize his feelings towards his colleague, leading to him telling her that he loves her after being rescued. Scully’s deadpan response is a work of art, clearly as sick of being strung along as some of the show’s audiences were. Hilariously, Scully assumes Mulder’s confession to be the result of the drugs he’s on in the hospital.
2"I Want You To Do Me A Favor. It’s Not Negotiable, Either You Do It, Or I Kill You.”
“Triangle” had more than one excellent line from Scully, desperate to find her missing partner and scared for his life.This ticking-clock element of the episode upped the stakes and anxiety of every scene, leading to a few moments in which Scully doesn’t play as nice as she normally might’ve. With equal parts panic and rage, Scully bursts into the F.B.I. office’s basement, in which she finds Spendor, fiercely requesting his help while making it clear that refusal is not an option.
It’s moments like these that made Scully so endearing as a protagonist.When she needs to be, Scully is an absolute force of nature, and her willingness to pull out all the stops to find Mulder in “Triangle” alludes to her true feelings for him.Gillian Anderson is able to balance all of these emotions excellently in her performance, which sells the brute-force authority of Scully’s indomitable will.
1“Sure. Fine. Whatever.”
Season 3, Episode 5
The X-Filesmay still hold a claim as one of themost consistently good TV showsever released, but even it could have stumbling blocks with divisive episodes like season 3, episode 5 “Syzygy”.The episode features Mulder and Scully at each other’s throats in the wake of a rare astronomical event that seems to alter people’s behavior, affecting their investigation of an alleged Satanic Cult at a high school in New Hampshire.Cattier than ever, Scully finds every reason to get mad at Mulder in this episode, leading to some great lines.
There’s a reason that “Sure. Fine. Whatever.” has became such a popular meme among fans ofThe X-Files.
More than once throughout the episode, Scully relents to the insanity unfolding around her with the sarcastic line “Sure. Fine. Whatever.”, offering indifference rather than cooperation. This refrain only gets funnier as Mulder and Scully continue to butt heads throughout the episode, and it’s all thanks once again to Gillian Anderson’s wry exasperation. There’s a reason that “Sure. Fine. Whatever.” has become such a popular meme among fans ofThe X-Files.
The X-Files
Cast
The X-files takes the police procedural formula and applies it to sci-fi mysteries. Conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder and skeptic Dana Scully team up to solve cases surrounding alien invasions and other unexplained, paranormal phenomena.
