The X-Files started small on Fox in 1993 before ultimately running for nine seasons, two feature films, and another two revival seasons years later. While it seems likely that the journey of Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is over as of spring 2018's WTF finale, there are 218 episodes going back more than thirty years about everything from monsters to serial killers to aliens.
After looking at which ones have stood the test of time, which were important to the overall story, and which are infinitely rewatchable, let's dive into the 20 best episodes (all available streaming via Hulu subscription)!
20. Squeeze: Season 1, Episode 3
"Squeeze" delivered a memorable villain with Eugene Victor Tooms, a contortionist serial killer with the mutation requiring him to eat human livers before hibernating every three decades. This was the very first Monster of the Week episode, after the pilot kicked off the series and the second episode started the serialized mytharc. It was also the first (of many) with somebody breaking into Scully's apartment. Fun fact: if Mulder and Scully hadn't stopped his liver-eating cycle, Tooms would have been killing again in 2023.
19. Wetwired: Season 3, Episode 23
"Wetwired" combined a standalone case with the larger mytharc, with Scully succumbing to paranoid psychosis after binge-watching VHS tapes with a hidden signal. Although it's very '90s, it showed off what both agents brought to the X-files despite different approaches. Plus, this is one of many episodes with Mulder and/or Scully pulling a gun on the other, and a nice showcase of Mulder going all-out to save her. Throw in the Lone Gunmen, and what's not to love?
18. Je Souhaite: Season 7, Episode 21
While "Squeeze" was the first standalone episode, "Je Souhaite" was the last standalone of the original Mulder/Scully era. The agents found a genie who granted Mulder three wishes. He of course believed right away, and Scully got to have fun examining the body of an invisible man. Sure, Mulder made a predictable choice with his third wish, but it was a fun final standalone entry in the classic era.
17. Requiem: Season 7, Episode 22
The final mytharc episode of the original Mulder/Scully era, "Requiem" revisited the location and characters from the pilot in the hunt for a UFO. By the end, Mulder was abducted by aliens, Skinner was a believer, Scully was pregnant, and Krycek pushed the Cigarette-Smoking Man down a flight of stairs to kill him. (Spoiler alert: CSM was not dead.) While it was a pivotal episode, it's hard not to judge "Requiem" without considering how Season 8 and beyond continued the story.
16. How The Ghosts Stole Christmas: Season 6, Episode 6
If you want to see Mulder and Scully psychoanalyzed by spirits, then How the Ghosts Stole Christmas is for you. Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin guest-starred as ghosts trying to lure the agents into a murder/suicide lovers pact while trapped in a spooky mansion. Another episode with Mulder and Scully pointing their guns at each other, this takes a very X-Files look at their relationship. Is it an episode that changes the course of the mytharc or puts a monster behind bars? No, but it's a fun one.
15. Leonard Betts: Season 4, Episode 12
"Leonard Betts" was a turning point in the series. Airing after Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, Mulder and Scully investigated the case of a mutated killer (played by ER's Paul McCrane) who subsisted on cancerous tumors and could regenerate body parts, including his head. The kicker came during a showdown between Betts and Scully when he dropped this iconic line: "I'm sorry, but you've got something I need." Yes, Scully had cancer, and the course of Season 4 immediately changed.
14. Jose Chung's From Outer Space: Season 3, Episode 20
Penned by fan-favorite writer Darin Morgan, "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" told story of a supposed alien abduction through the POVs of multiple characters to author Jose Chung, played by Charles Nelson Reilly. Mulder was described in one POV as a "mandroid" and Scully as "disguised as a woman" but "not pulling it off." Throw in Scully replacing a character's F-bombs with "bleep" when she told her version, and Men in Black being played by Alec Trebek and Jesse Ventura, and this is a classic.
13. Small Potatoes: Season 4, Episode 20
Speaking of Darin Morgan, the writer guest-starred in "Small Potatoes" as self-described "loser" Eddie Van Blundht – the "h" is silent – with the ability to change his appearance. He used this ability to trick women into sleeping with him, believing he was their husband, resulting in babies born with the characteristic tails of the Van Blundht family. While David Duchovny playing Eddie impersonating Mulder was definitely funny, the episode glossed over the sexual assault of Eddie's crimes a bit too much; otherwise, it would rank higher.
12. Paper Hearts: Season 4, Episode 10
"Paper Hearts" features a truly evil villain who also happened to be entirely human, and the only supernatural element was the strange dream connection between serial killer John Lee Roche and Mulder. The episode forced Mulder to consider that his sister's abduction may have had nothing to do with aliens, and – as usual when Samantha was involved – he got way too invested, allowing Roche to escape and nearly kill again. While the episode doesn't entirely age well, it's a great showcase for David Duchovny.
11. The Post-Modern Prometheus: Season 5, Episode 5
The X-Files went black and white for "The Post-Modern Prometheus," a.k.a. the show's twisted take on Frankenstein involving mysterious pregnancies, a literal mob of townspeople, a monster who wasn't so monstrous, and Cher. The story glossed over sexual assaults, but the comic book format blurs the lines of what actually happened in the case. It's a visually beautiful episode that earned seven Emmy nominations, winning one. Plus, the man underneath the Great Mutato makeup was Chris Owens, who also played the young Cigarette-Smoking Man and Jeffrey Spender.
10. Duane Barry/Ascension: Season 2, Episodes 5/6
It's hard to consider "Duane Barry" and "Ascension" separately, and not because of the red Speedo. Mulder's hostage situation with purported abductee Duane Barry turned into Barry breaking into Scully's apartment and kidnapping her. Despite Mulder's desperate attempt to save her – including some aerial lift stunts performed by David Duchovny – she was abducted in Barry's place on a mountaintop. This two-parter was also the end of Krycek's time with the FBI. While the story was due to Gillian Anderson's real-life pregnancy, few TXF twists have as long-lasting effects as Scully's abduction.
9. Home: Season 4, Episode 2
"Home" made history as the first network TV episode to receive a TV-MA rating, and Fox never aired a rerun after the initial broadcast in 1996. The Monsters of the Week were the severely inbred Peacock family, and Mulder and Scully were brought in after a baby – born of multi-generation incest – was buried alive. The episode played a cover of the Johnny Mathis song "Wonderful! Wonderful!" over a kindly sheriff and his wife being murdered. Most of the good guys died and two Peacocks escaped, making it a very dark but unforgettable hour of television.
8. Triangle: Season 6, Episode 3
"Triangle" changed the TXF format with long one-take shots cut between two main stories. First, Scully and the Lone Gunmen searched for Mulder on a ghost ship in 1998. Then, Mulder was with a snazzy-looking Scully on a time-warped version of the ship as they evaded a Nazi version of the Cigarette-Smoking Man in 1939... or, more likely, Mulder was just concussed and/or drugged in 1998. The Wizard of Oz-esque episode is visually stunning, super fun, and doesn't really need to make sense. Plus, it even (sort of) delivered the first Mulder/Scully kiss.
7. Memento Mori: Season 4, Episode 14
Scully's cancer arc truly began in "Memento Mori" when she broke the news to Mulder and they began an investigation. The partners had parallel stories, with Scully pursuing answers within herself, while unbeknownst to her, Mulder was going all-out to try and save her, including asking Skinner to set up a meeting with CSM. Skinner refused, but then made a deal with the devil himself. It's technically a mytharc episode, but more of a showcase for Scully that won Gillian Anderson a well-deserved Emmy.
6. Ice: Season 1, Episode 8
"Ice" was set almost entirely in an isolated outpost in Alaska only reachable by helicopter, and didn't need elaborate effects for a truly scary Monster of the Week. The plot was reminiscent of The Thing as Mulder, Scully, and a small team were exposed to a deadly parasite. When bodies started dropping due to murder, everybody was a suspect. Not only did Xander Berkeley, Felicity Huffman, and Jeff Kober guest star, but "Ice" was the first (and certainly not last) episode with Mulder and Scully pointing guns at each other.
5. Redux II: Season 5, Episode 2
The X-Files had a big landing to stick with the final episode of a tangled three-parter, as Scully was dying, Mulder was facing murder charges, and the Cigarette-Smoking Man was active in the shadows. Somehow, "Redux II" pulled it off. Mulder saved himself by exposing an FBI mole. Scully's cancer went into remission. Samantha appeared (sort of). Skinner proved his loyalty (again). CSM was shot, and lost so much blood that he was surely dead. (Spoiler alert: he wasn't dead.) Where "Redux" fell short, "Redux II" succeeded.
4. The Blessing Way/Paper Clip: Season 3, Episodes 1/2
"The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip" paid off on the previous season's cliffhangers and went even further. Scully learned she had an implant in her neck and made the fateful decision to remove it. Her sister Melissa was mistakenly murdered by Krycek and an assassin, and Krycek was cut loose by the Cigarette-Smoking Man. The plot thickened for Mulder with the Syndicate, his mom, and Samantha. Instead of pointing their guns at each other, Mulder and Scully both drew on Skinner. This two-parter permanently shifted the course of the mytharc.
3. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Season 3, Episode 4
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is a classic comedic episode of The X-Files, complete with Peter Boyle in an Emmy-winning turn as the titular Clyde Bruckman. The unfortunate Bruckman could predict how people could die, which put him on the radar of a killer. Although the hour ended with Bruckman's demise, highlights of his time with Mulder and Scully included implying Mulder would die due to autoerotic asphyxiation and telling Scully that she wouldn't die at all.
2. Pusher: Season 3, Episode 17
Any list of top X-Files episodes would be incomplete without "Pusher" and Robert Patrick Modell as the villain who could impose his will on others with just his voice. He forced a man to set himself on fire, an agent to have a heart attack, and – in Mulder's case – play Russian roulette with Scully. A strong episode for both leads, "Pusher" is a rare entry to get a sequel years later, and the Russian roulette sequence is one of the most iconic scenes of TXF.
1. Bad Blood: Season 5, Episode 12
Is it blasphemous to rank a comedic episode at #1 for a show that specialized in sci-fi, supernatural, and horror? Perhaps, but "Bad Blood" is a fan favorite for a reason. Guest starring Luke Wilson and The Sandlot vet and TikTok star Patrick Renna, "Bad Blood" involved Scully and Mulder telling their versions of the same story, showing their very different perspectives on investigations... and each other. Did Scully really rant about cream cheese? Did Mulder really sing the "Shaft" theme song? We may never know, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson delivered major laughs with "Bad Blood."
Now, this ranking isn't to say that there were no excellent episodes from Seasons 8-11, but the classics (as well as the Fight the Future feature film) are from the original Mulder/Scully era, and always worth a rewatch.
