3

There are a lot of shippers who like to stick their fingers in their ears and pretend that this episode isn't canon and never happened.

I'm one of them :)

But the bookends on this one are worth mentioning; they are even kind of touching.

Mulder returns to work after several months off (he pulls plastic coverings from the furniture and changes his calendar from May to November). What he did with his time invites all kind of interpretation; did he try to find Scully? Did he take a vacation/ stay with his Mom? Has he been on a self-loathing drinking binge, crying himself to sleep every night? A combination of all of the above seems reasonable.

He may or may not actually be ready to go back to work. He looks so sad in this scene, it's kind of killing me.



His first order of business; stare sadly at Scully's case file and accompanying artifacts; her badge, her glasses and her crucifix.



Which he ends up wearing. Which is so touching.