The 23 Best Mulder and Scully Moments

“The X-Files, episode: “Rain King” screengrab via Fox.

#20: The Rain King

This episode opens on Valentine’s Day, so it’s bound to be romantic. And it is, sort of. Just not necessarily in the way we’d expect.

It’s a fairly tame case for Mulder and Scully this week, as they’re called to a town in the throes of a drought, where a nearby man claims to be able to control the weather for a not-so-minimal fee. It doesn’t take them long to discover that the guy’s a fraud, but in a Mulder-friendly bizarre turn of events, the agents find that a lovesick local man is to blame for the extreme weather.

Mulder befriends the Romeo, and Scully is tasked with looking after the object of his affections, who herself is inadvertently controlling the weather by influencing the moods of her suitor. It’s a big, stormy love triangle that becomes even more complicated when she sets her sights on Mulder.

But the most endearing part of this episode isn’t the love story between the two townspeople. Rather, it’s the agents’ frequent denial and refusal to discuss their feelings for each other with the lovelorn couple, who spot Mulder and Scully’s tension from miles away.

And still, even after waiting so long and knowing they’re right for each other, there’s a special kind of charm in watching the agents squirm as they fight against their feelings.

Next: #19: How the Ghosts Stole Christmas