10 Best Scully Episodes in ‘The X-Files,’ Ranked

The X-Files landed on the Fox Network in 1993 and became the cult classic no one saw coming. David Duchovny played FBI special agent Fox Mulder, a maverick believer in the unbelievable. Gillian Anderson portrayed medical doctor and FBI agent Dana Scully, who offered scientific explanations for Mulder’s otherworldly beliefs…until she could no longer dispute them.

As the show evolved, so did Scully (and her wardrobe.) She became a part of Mulder’s quest, a passenger who inadvertently underwent a metamorphosis. Audiences followed as Scully was challenged spiritually, physically, and scientifically — occasionally offering her contagious smile. A multifaceted artisan, Anderson’s inspired embodiment of Scully inevitably reached iconic status and solidified her place in television history.

10 “Nisei”

Season 3, Episode 9 (1995)

Mulder takes the lead in this action-packed mythology episode as he risks life and limb in pursuit of proof to uncover a government conspiracy involving alien-human hybrids. Behind the scenes, interspersed with Mulder’s high-velocity train-jumping, Scully quietly investigates a different angle. Respective revelations unfold, but what she uncovers in this episode will reverberate through every subsequent season, forever challenging Scully’s beliefs.

In a body-swallowing trench coat, Scully follows up on a lead with MUFON (the Mutual UFO Network), discovering a group of women with a common bond: abduction. As each woman testifies with a show of their implants, Scully digests it in silent horror. Her persistent denial of her abduction was eviscerated when confronted with the reality of its consequence — incurable cancer. Scully’s interior collapse in these few moments created an impact unmatched by any train. “Nisei” is the result of three seasons worth of denial, acceptance, and confusion for Scully; she is now part of the very thing she is investigating.

9 “Je Souhaite”

Season 7, Episode 21 (2000)

In the penultimate episode of the season, writer and director Vince Gilligan orchestrated an hour of television worthy of remembrance. A Genie (Paula Sorge), exasperated by wishes made by human idiots, becomes entangled with the agents as they investigate a series of unbelievable wish-related mishaps. In a death resulting from an invisibility wish gone wrong, Scully reports to the morgue.

The condition of the (invisible) body provided scenes of genuine wonder and scientific bewilderment for the agent. Her giddiness escalated as Scully dusted the corpse with yellow science powder, slowly revealing a human male. Mulder entered the scene to find his partner with an autopsy high — the powder of visibility all over her grinning face.

8 “Never Again”

Season 4, Episode 13 (1997)

In the previous episode, “Leonard Betts,” Scully had been rattled by cancer-consumer Betts’ (Paul McCrane) statement, “You have something I need” (her undiagnosed cancer.) Visibly morose, Scully works with half-hearted detachment, uncharacteristically finding herself in the arms of a stranger. Interested in his new tattoo, Scully gets one herself. Unfortunately, the red ink used is laced with an obscure Russian hallucinogen, which turns her new man-friend Ed (Rodney Rowland) into a murderer. Classic tale!

Ed’s killer tattoo, unexpectedly voiced by Jodie Foster in a dark role, is supposed to be the story here. Scully evading death by incinerator isn’t noteworthy either. The spotlight resides on her behavior and demeanor — divergent from the rational agent that audiences know. Existential ruminations about her role in the X-Files (no autonomy or desk) haven’t previously aired. This is Scully adrift, desperately deflecting the looming certainty of her cancer diagnosis.

7 “X-Cops”

Season 7, Episode 12 (2000)

Trading nondescript government sedans for flashing lights and wailing sirens, the agents rolled into an episode of another Fox Network series, Cops, in a fun (fictional) crossover. Summoned by reports of a shape-shifting killer, Mulder relished the opportunity to capture a monster on live television — recorded proof to reach a global audience! Scully, as ever, didn’t believe there was a monster, nor did she want to be associated (on live television) with such nonsense.

Filmed in the traditional cinéma vérité style of Cops, the nonexistent fourth wall and never-ending camera roll repeatedly captured Scully’s mood: annoyed. Scully’s non-compliance juxtaposed with Mulder’s glee was a bag of comedy trail mix devoured by fans. During the investigation, her utter intolerance of the situation expressed through her body language was more fun than anything that could’ve been written. Some may have found the episode absurd or overly ambitious, but in a show about extraterrestrials, anything can happen.

6 “Per Manum”

Season 8, Episode 13 (2001)

A troubled man contacts the FBI with claims of a murdered wife and a stolen alien baby, followed shortly by an additional woman fearing the same fate. Eerily similar to Scully’s predicament, she tries to help, but she also needs assurance that her (secret miracle) baby is fully human. The problem is finding a non-government-affiliated doctor. It’s a shame Mulder isn’t around because the familiar refrain of “Trust No One” has never been so apropos.

With Mulder now missing, Scully must navigate her pregnancy with ninja-like awareness and an abundance of caution – she’s being hunted. Through deftly woven flashbacks, Mulder appears throughout the episode in a series of tender scenes. After the flashback, when she is abruptly returned to reality, his absence is painfully displayed on Scully’s face. The void where Mulder should be is bottomless and impossible to reconcile, and the audience is the only witness to the breadth of Scully’s anguish.

5 “Orison”

Season 7, Episode 7 (2000)

Creepy lady finger eater Donnie Pfaster (Nick Chinlund) reappears after being imprisoned for murder and kidnapping Scully in a previous episode from season two, “Irresistible.” Orison (Scott Wilson), a prison chaplain possessing a unique cranial anomaly, aids Pfaster’s escape. While investigating, a song from Scully’s past, “Don’t Look Any Further,” becomes a foreboding earwig (for audiences and Scully alike), ominously heard throughout the episode.

In “Irresistible,” Scully catches a glimpse of Pfaster’s proper form: a demon. This information, coupled with the unnerving cadence of the recurring song, creates palpable terror. When Pfaster finally finds and imprisons Scully, she maneuvers her bound and gagged body free like a tiny David Copperfield. Pfaster isn’t granted a second pardon. In a chill-inducing silent scene, Scully does the unexpected.

4 “Memento Mori”

Season 4, Episode 14 (1997)

An inoperable tumor confirms Scully’s fears, and the lone survivor of the abducted women of MUFON, Penny Northern (Gillian Barber), is dying of an identical cancer. Scully decides to undergo immediate treatment, but it comes to a halt when Mulder learns the same physician essentially murdered the MUFON women. Mulder omits the parts about ova theft, clones, and green ooze — a suppression of discoveries Scully won’t appreciate later.

In a pivotal mythology episode where alien hybrids multiply, tearful hospital bedside scenes with a fading Penny and terrified Scully are decidedly human. In her last moments, Penny bolsters Scully’s resolve to fight the disease. Auditioning a kaleidoscope of emotions throughout the hour, Scully chooses determination. After all, the truth is in her.

3 “Bad Blood”

Season 5, Episode 12 (1998)

In a fan-favorite comedic episode, Mulder and Scully can’t agree on a series of events while investigating a colony of modern-day vampires. A report of the incident must be submitted, so the agents offer their versions, leading to exaggerated parodies of each other and wildly disparate accounts. Scenes involving motel beds with “magic fingers,” rogue RV’s, and the sheriff’s (played by Luke Wilson) “hillbilly” teeth are the stuff of legend.

Both re-tellings are some of the funniest moments in X-Files history, but for fans of the series, Scully’s autopsy scenes have become cannon. Exhausted and exasperated by tales of exsanguination, a starving Scully must perform back-to-back autopsies under duress. The hilarious deadpan dictation and disinterest as she sloppily plops human organs onto the scale while examining the cadavers is Anderson at her best.

2 “Milagro”

Season 6, Episode 18 (1999)

Mulder’s neighbor, Phillip Padgett (John Hawkes), is a mysterious writer working on a novel about a killer performing heart extraction via psychic surgery. Mysteriously, parallel deaths begin to occur outside the walls of his apartment. Padgett approaches Scully in a church and dismantles her nervous system by delivering a detailed account of her personal life. She tells Mulder the confrontation was unsettling because of his “audacity,” but the disturbing part was that he got it right — Scully was intrigued.

As an agent living a solitary existence, Scully has captured the attention of this stranger and feels seen. The object of the writer’s unwavering affection is alluring, and she opts for curiosity over instinct, resulting in a narrow evasion of death. Anderson’s work in this episode is a masterclass in emotional restraint and fragility, providing a rare glimpse into Scully’s inner life.

1 “Beyond the Sea”

Season 1, Episode 13 (1994)

The genesis of Scully’s unwavering determination and internal fortitude can be traced back to one man: Scully’s father, Captain William Scully (Don S. Davis). Minutes before his death, he appears before Scully in a vision, mouthing an indeterminate message. Amid her grief, Scully must assist Mulder in a case involving serial killer Luther Lee Boggs (Brad Dourif), a man on death row looking for a deal. Boggs claims clairvoyance as an avenue to speak to the dead, enticing Scully to communicate with her father.

The episode is an emotional wrecking ball, repeatedly dealing body blows to the devastated and vulnerable Scully. In a surprising twist, Mulder and Scully switch roles — Scully believes in Boggs’ powers, and Mulder thinks it’s a con. Tenderized by the sustained trauma of loss and the antagonism of a desperate murderer, she unravels, quickly shuffling through the five stages of grief. As Boggs’ heart stops, Scully follows her still-beating one, believing what she already knows to be true. “Beyond the Sea” is a turning point for Scully, as she begins to understand the importance and validity of The X-Files.

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