10 Best Mulder Quotes in ‘The X-Files,’ Ranked

In 1993, creator Chris Carter‘s sci-fi passion project, The X-Files, debuted on the fledgling Fox Network. Audiences tentatively tuned in, with viewership growing exponentially, ultimately becoming one of the best series on TV. The show follows Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), a believer in unexplained phenomena, operating from a basement office at the FBI. Special Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a scientist and realist, is assigned to the X-Files to monitor Mulder and his paranormal exploits.

Throughout The X-Files’ eleven-season run, the agents navigate a barrage of unbelievable events, conspiracies, and personal growth. Mulder and Scully’s ability to bend and stretch is part of what makes the series dynamic. Additional praise is owed to the show’s creative team, who have furnished Anderson and Duchovny’s characters with unforgettable episodic dialogue. Here are a few examples of Mulder’s best lines.

10 “This might not be the best time to mention it, but someone’s wearing my favorite perfume.”

Season 3, Episode 13, “Syzygy”

Mulder and Scully roll into the small town of Comity, New Hampshire, to investigate deaths townspeople believe are ritualistic sacrifices. Upon arrival, the agents observe erratic and uncharacteristic behavior by the town’s residents, and viewers are alerted to similar divergent behavior in Mulder and Scully. A rare cosmic event directed at two teenage girls incites homicidal havoc and the excavation of one deceased “Mr. Tippy” in an unforgettable fan-favorite episode.

In previous episodes, Mulder and Scully have demonstrated overt acts of jealousy and feigned ambivalence regarding their obvious chemistry, but the willful agents leveled up in “Syzygy.” Throughout their time in the cosmically cursed town, Mulder continuously gets Scully’s goat (or “horn-ed beast”) as she observes his flirtation with the local female police officer. A police station interrogation room was absolutely the wrong time for Mulder to mention that “someone was wearing his favorite perfume.” Mulder’s one-liners on the show are endless, but his atypical antagonism toward his pint-sized partner in “Syzygy” resides among his greatest hits.

9 “I don’t think it’s live TV, Scully, she just said ‘f–BEEP’!”

Season 7, Episode 12, “X-Cops”

The Fox Network grabbed their handheld cameras and cranked up their cruisers for an epic Cops/X-Files crossover show. Mulder is beside himself with hopeful “Bigfoot” glee after receiving reports of a giant “monster” terrorizing citizens of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Scully is fully exasperated by their summons to a live TV show and wants no part in it. While Mulder has the time of his life chasing the illusive shape-shifting beast, Scully’s patience (hilariously) deteriorates.

The obstacle in “X-Cops” isn’t the case; instead, it’s the eventual global transmission of footage of the FBI investigating a werewolf. Unsurprisingly, Vince Gilligan wrote the (often hysterical) experimental episode. Anderson does some of her best non-verbal facial acting in the episode, and Duchovny’s boyish enthusiasm is contagious. When Scully pulls Mulder aside in an off-camera huddle, she implores him to temper his on-camera “monster” verbiage. With an incredulous smile, he replies, “I don’t think it’s live TV, Scully; she just said ‘f–BEEP!'” Scully sighs. Dramatic eye-roll, cut. Print. When Mulder’s having fun, we’re all having fun.

8 “Stupid a** haircut!”

Season 4, Episode 8, “Tunguska”

In the mythology episode “Tunguska,” Mulder’s favorite nemesis, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), returns. Krycek, a proven liar, murderer, and general nuisance, claims to have defected from The Cigarette Smoking Man’s inner sanctum and wants to help Mulder. Scully stands up to a Senate Select Committee and is held in contempt of Congress, and Skinner goes topless to reveal a sneakily swole physique. The agents intercept an international package containing a mysterious rock while various characters are hunted, restrained, or infected with an alien virus amid sporadic Mulder/Krycek bare-knuckle brawls.

Mulder’s ire towards Krycek hasn’t diminished over the years, and their schoolyard tussles haven’t either. Subsequently, most lines delivered in Krycek’s direction are laced with comedic disgust. When Mulder first encounters Krycek at the start of the episode, he hilariously comments that Krycek’s “moral dipstick is two drops short of bone dry.” Later, when the agents discover the parcel containing a black oil rock from Mars, Mulder snarkily quips, “What did you get for Halloween, Charlie Brown?” Krycek is a universally despised cockroach who elicits a rage response from nearly everyone, including audiences. As Mulder escorts his morally bankrupt pal from Skinner’s apartment, he slaps Krycek across the head and says, “Stupid a** haircut!” Viewers cheer, and somewhere off-screen, Scully shakes her head.

7 “…And it’s Mr. Mulder to you, you peanut-picking bastard!”

Season 2, Episode 6, “Drive”

Patrick Crump (Bryan Cranston) must move west or die in the non-stop high-speed episode “Drive.” Mulder and Scully opt for insubordination and disregard A.D. Kirsh’s instructions to “stay away from the X-Files.” Instead, they race to save Mr. Crump, a man with profound government distrust who believes that the pressure in his ear directly results from government testing near his home. As Crump and his wife attempt to run from the ticking bomb in their heads, a misunderstanding with the highway patrol underscores the urgency of Mulder’s grave mission.

While Scully looks into the source of Mr. and Mrs. Crump’s mysterious inner ear pressure, Mulder acquaints himself with the desperate man with hard government feelings. Because Mulder is a government agent, his designation as Crump’s enemy is immediate. Following a series of disparaging comments from Crump, including an antisemitic inquiry, Mulder reaches a breaking point. Countering Crump’s request to be referred to as “Mr. Crump,” Mulder replies, “It’s Mr. Mulder to you, you peanut-picking bastard.” No one paints (Mr.) Mulder with a broad brush. It is an excellent episode accented with a speeding carload of legendary Mulder quotes.

6 “Come on Scully, get those little legs moving!”

Season 5, Episode 12, “Bad Blood”

A fan-favorite episode in the series, “Bad Blood,” takes the agents to rural Texas, where they investigate a murder Mulder believes was committed by a vampire. Facts become murky through the fog of memory-erasing drugs administered by the fanged townspeople. Mulder and Scully must prepare a case report and deliver it to A.D. Skinner, but their stories vary in credibility and embellishment. In one of the funniest episodes of The X-Files, Mulder and Scully’s versions of events dare the viewer not to laugh.

Mulder and Scully regale each other with an independent recall, interrupting periodically with objections and amendments. In Scully’s memory, Sheriff Hartwell (Luke Wilson) is a smoke show. A jealous Mulder remembers him differently and strongly disagrees with Scully’s experience. “Dana? He never even knew your first name!” Mulder has been known to reference Scully’s diminutive stature and insert a familiar refrain in her retelling of events. As she dreamily locks eyes with the Sheriff, Mulder seizes the opportunity to break the spell: “Come on, Scully, get those little legs moving!” The episode is a fully stocked buffet serving iconic lines and facial expressions, but the visual conjured by Mulder’s directive to his small but mighty partner is an all-you-can-eat king crab leg moment.

5 “Dear Diary, today my heart leapt as Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion.”

Season 6, Episode 17, “Trevor”

Mulder and Scully arrive at the scene of an inexplicable prison escape to find the warden’s charred remains. A guard explains that prisoner Wilson “Pinker” Rawls (John Diehl) was sent to solitary confinement inside a crude outdoor structure, though severe weather was imminent. After examining the brittle composition of a wall inside the warden’s quarters, Mulder and Scully conclude that a lightning strike has enabled Rawls to walk through the walls. As the agents follow the trail of altered solid structures at the hands of Rawls, it becomes clear that the elusive convict is hunting something—or someone.

Supernatural or hypothetical theories regarding causes of death are Mulder’s specialty. However, in “Trevor,” Scully can’t deny the burned flesh before her, which results in a rare deduction. Upon hearing her assessment of the warden’s body, Mulder can’t believe his ears. After five seasons of counterarguments and alternate plausible hypotheses based on facts, Scully finally offered something wild. Mulder’s pride swells at her risqué findings, and he jokes, “Dear Diary, today my heart leaped as Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion.” Mulder’s validation from Scully in this way is one of the more memorable moments in an unremarkable episode and a beloved interaction in the series.

4 “Scully? Marry me.”

Season 5, Episode 10, “Chinga”

Scully dons a t-shirt and rents a convertible as she takes a rare vacation in the series. Upon arrival in Maine in the Stephen King-penned episode “Chinga,” Scully clocks back in after hearing about a little girl with a possessed doll on a rampage. Flying solo, Scully repeatedly checks in with Mulder via cell phone during her inquiry into the bizarre doll situation. The townspeople accuse the child’s mother of practicing witchcraft, and Scully proves to a surprised and delighted Mulder that she’s equipped to handle black arts or divination.

Poor Scully; she just wanted to get away from the supernatural slog. Instead, she drove her rented convertible directly to the scene of a (let’s be honest, poorly executed corn syrup) bloodbath. Duchovny makes “Chinga” worth watching. Plain-clothes Vacation Scully is a Barbie worth collecting, but Mulder’s comedic scenes as a bored, partnerless agent are solid gold. When Scully calls for Mulder’s take on the doll, her occult-savvy retort is the equivalent of a steamy love letter. In response to Scully’s clear understanding of “low magic” and “bloodstones,” Mulder says, “Scully? Marry me?” It is one of the most adorable, half-kidding exchanges in their elongated partnership and the most memorable moment in the episode. Skip the doll stuff and stay for the undeniable Mulder-Scully “shipper” content.

3 “No, I was just never sure your little feet could reach the pedals.”

Season 3, Episode 13, “Syzygy”

“Syzygy” finds its way into many X-Files conversations because it remains encapsulated in a warm amber cocoon of timeless cannon. A fated planetary alignment and a pair of powerful teenage girls thrust Mulder and Scully into a murder investigation unlike anything they’ve experienced. The cosmic conundrum mysteriously evokes disgruntled discord in anyone entering or inhabiting the town, including the agents. Mulder’s overt flirting and task dispatches turn the ordinarily nonplussed Scully into a curt, unreasonable, and jealous partner. Mulder can’t read the room to save his life and gets into the liquor cabinet.

Amid murder and angry mob mayhem, Mulder and Scully are engrossed in a private soap opera. Scully is so undone by his words and actions in the episode that it wouldn’t have surprised audiences if she and the flirtatious female cop came to blows. Scully’s terse retorts and tolerance for the situation reach a fever pitch, and she lets it rip after Mulder says, “Let me drive.” Annoyed, Scully fires back, “Why do you always have to drive? Because you’re the guy? Because you’re the big, macho man.” Mulder’s response reminds audiences how thoroughly they know each other, thus making the deepest cuts: “No, I was just never sure your little feet could reach the pedals.” Pencils down, this concludes the battle of wills.

2 “Scully, this is a classic case of ‘Demon Fetal Harvest’.”

Season 6, Episode 7, “Terms of Endearment”

The agents are summoned to a scorcher of a case involving a demon who wants a normal baby. After viewing the irregular ultrasound of his latest unborn child, Wayne Weinsider (Bruce Campbell) appears at his wife’s bedside in his proper form, surrounded by hellfire, to retrieve the demon baby. Wayne gaslights his wife when she awakens to discover her child is missing. Meanwhile, Mulder and Scully learn that Wayne has an additional pregnant wife nearby. Further investigation proves that the demon, known currently as Wayne, has been attempting to create a “normal” baby using aliases worldwide without success.

Mulder and Scully are sidelined and technically off of the X-Files, but Mulder shan’t be contained. Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens), handling Mulder’s basement desk, is on #TeamDemon: he labels the case “high priority” and then shreds it. Luckily, Mulder loves puzzles and owns Scotch tape. Mulder’s overt enthusiasm for exsanguination, telekinetic gifts, and demonic possession elevates episodes like “Terms of Endearment.” Scully’s reliable response to his exuberance is a surfactant in Mulder’s demonic adventure, adding valuable logic and support without hindering his fun. When Mulder calls Scully and declares, “It’s a classic case of fetal demon harvest,” it’s game on. Mulder is a dog with a demon bone, so Scully grabs a shovel and breaks ground on a generous containment fence. Woof!

1 “Scully, you have to believe me. Nobody else on this whole damn planet does or ever will. You’re my one in five billion.”

Season 5, Episode 19, “Folie à deux”

Gary Lambert (Brian Markinson), a telemarketer placing cold calls from an office cubicle, becomes aware of a giant upright clandestine insect scurrying around the other employees. Gary realizes that his boss and the insect are the same, and he watches in horror as it turns his coworkers into zombies. Mulder arrives on the scene, which escalates into a hostage situation with Gary at the helm. Gary isn’t the only one who can see his boss’ proper form in the tradition of a Folie à deux, a delusion of two.

The “Folie à deux” case is assigned after the previous episode, “The Pine Bluff Variant,” which punctured the veneer of Mulder’s lifelong crusade and threw him into an existential crisis. In his current state, Mulder sidelines Scully and sets off to slay the “monster” himself. Unfortunately, Mulder’s cavalier dismissal of the murdering insect results in his hospitalization in a psychiatric facility. Scully arrives (God Save the Queen), and Mulder, shackled to a hospital bed, implores her to believe this weird insect situation. In a plea delivered with earnest vulnerability, Mulder says, “Scully, you have to believe me. Nobody else on this whole damn planet does or ever will. You’re my one in five billion.” His feelings for his partner couldn’t be any clearer. Scully and Mulder ‘shippers’ around the world reach for a Kleenex.

Next: Every Season of ‘The X-Files,’ Ranked