Sort of along the lines of this post, âSmall Potatoesâ (s4e20) does a really good job of articulating Mulder and Scullyâs loneliness. Iâve thought a lot about the scene in âOne Breathâ (s2e8) where Mulder confronts Cigarette Smoking Man in his apartment, and it becomes abundantly clear just how empty CSMâs life is. Heâs a lonely old man who let his work become his life. He has no friends, no lovers, nothing that brings him joy except for the game. And sometimes I wonder how far off Mulder and Scully are from becoming him. They donât know how to reach out, so they bury themselves in their work. At least work gives them an excuse to be together.
But then one Friday night, Mulder shows up with a bottle of wine. No occasion, no excuses needed. He just wants to spend time with Scully. I wonder how long Mulder and Scully had been dying for a night like that. And then the real Mulder storms in, and theyâre both lonely again. It wasnât real.
That final moment, when Mulder says âIâm no Eddie Van Blundht,â makes me so fucking sad. He really believes that heâs missing something, that Eddie Van Blundht possessed some ability to bridge the gap between them that Mulder could not. He canât see that it wasnât Eddie Van Blundht that charmed Scully, but him â the four years of love built up between them. All he has to do is reach out.
