5. Memento Mori (Season 4, Episode 14)
"I refuse to believe that." "For all the times I have said that to you, I am as certain of this as you have ever been." "I don't accept that." - Fox Mulder and Dana Scully
Disclaimer: In the interest of keeping spoilers to major plotlines at a minimum, the summary for "Memento Mori" will be a bit...vague. In this Season 4 episode, the cliffhanger from "Leonard Betts" is finally resolved. A tragedy strikes Scully and Mulder, and they must look backward to seek answers, revisiting places and ideas that they'd hoped never to face again...and certainly not like this. There are diagnoses and discoveries and deals with cigarette-smoking devils. "Memento Mori" raises the stakes, and its revelations resonate through
The X-Files all the way to the ninth and final season. Not only well-written and well-directed, Gillian Anderson won an Emmy for her performance in "Memento Mori," opposite a similarly elevated performance from David Duchovny. It is a mythology episode with elements of just about every nefarious consortium working against our agents. Some of the plot would no doubt confuse new viewers at certain points, but the real strength of "Memento Mori" lies in the interactions and relationship between Scully and Mulder. Whether interpreted as academic, platonic, or romantic, this episode makes it very clear that these two people truly love each.
The X-Files is Mulder and Scully, and this episode is a perfect encapsulation of why. With "Memento Mori," you can fall in love with the characters first and fill in the details later.