For fans of The X-Files, the slow-burn romance between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully was a defining feature of the series. For six seasons, viewers watched the two FBI agents dance around their feelings, with plenty of subtext but no definitive payoff. Then, in Season 7, Episode 4, titled "Millennium," the show finally delivered a kiss—but it wasn't the triumphant moment fans had hoped for. Instead, it was a quiet, almost throwaway moment buried in an episode that was already controversial.
The kiss came at the end of a crossover with the short-lived series Millennium, which was created by The X-Files mastermind Chris Carter. The episode aired on November 28, 1999, and was intended to serve as a de facto finale for Millennium, which had been canceled abruptly. But the crossover felt forced to many, and the kiss—which happened as Mulder and Scully watched the New Year's Eve ball drop in a hospital—was so understated that it left fans scratching their heads.
A Long-Awaited Moment, Delivered Quietly
The chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson was undeniable, and the show had teased a romance for years. But by Season 7, many fans had given up hope that the relationship would ever become canonical. The kiss in "Millennium" was a surprise, but it came with no fanfare. Mulder's only comment was a wry "World didn't end," a nod to the Y2K panic. For fans who had invested years in the will-they-won't-they dynamic, this felt like a letdown—it was a kiss that could easily be dismissed as a New Year's Eve impulse rather than a declaration of love.
The episode itself was also a disappointment. It was a monster-of-the-week story that interrupted the show's larger mythology arc, and it didn't do much to wrap up Millennium's storylines. Lance Henriksen, who played Frank Black on Millennium, later admitted he was unhappy with the episode. The crossover was a bold idea, but it didn't land with audiences, and the kiss got lost in the shuffle.
The Romance That Never Quite Was
The understated kiss was just the beginning of a frustrating pattern. Later in Season 7, the episode "All Things" opened with Mulder and Scully in bed together, but again, the show treated it as no big deal. The series continued to show their relationship in a matter-of-fact way, never stopping to dwell on it. This approach was a deliberate choice, but it left many fans wanting more.
Behind the scenes, the show was dealing with turmoil. Duchovny was unhappy with the studio, and he filed a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox over profit participation. The lawsuit revealed that Carter had known about the studio's underhanded dealings and hadn't warned Duchovny, creating a rift between the two. Duchovny announced he would leave after Season 7, though he eventually returned for guest appearances and the revival.
In hindsight, the "Millennium" kiss was a microcosm of The X-Files' approach to romance: it was there, but it wasn't the focus. For some fans, that's part of the show's charm. The hunt for subtext and clues about Mulder and Scully's relationship became a beloved pastime, and the show's refusal to spell everything out has kept it alive in fan communities for decades. But for those who wanted a clear, unambiguous romance, "Millennium" was a bitter pill to swallow.
Today, The X-Files is available to stream on Hulu and PlutoTV, and the debate over the "Millennium" kiss continues. It's a moment that was both a payoff and a tease, and it remains one of the most talked-about scenes in the series' history.
