The mystery of what happened to Samantha Mulder is the most important plotline inThe X-Files. At the tender young age of eight she vanished from her family home in Martha’s Vineyard, ostensibly abducted by aliens. The only witness was her brother, a young Fox Mulder, and experiencing such a traumatic event instigates his lifelong obsession with the paranormal, so he can discover the truth about her disappearance. When we’re introduced to his adult version in the form ofDavid Duchovny, he’s spent twenty years searching for proof of extraterrestrial life – a pursuit that had led the FBI profiling golden boy to take a job in the far less prestigious X-Files division, where he is eventually put under the watchful eye of Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).
Throughout the first seven seasons of the show, Samantha’s abduction proved to be a vital element of the overarching alien conspiracy plotline. Multiple episodes teased Mulder with the possibility that he was finally on the right path, only to pull the carpet from under him yet again. Whatever information he did find served only to raise more questions, such as when he encountered a woman claiming to be an adult Samantha who is later revealed to be just a clone (and who meets a very violent end soon after). Her disappearance even worked its way into the “Monster-of-the-Week” episodes, most notably in Season 4’s excellent “Paper Hearts,” which posits that she was never abducted but rather the victim of a child murderer instead. It’s no secret that series creatorChris Carterhadn’t planned out the show’s narrative in advance, and while that did lend itself to some excellent spontaneity based on what was proving successful and what wasn’t (Cigarette Smoking Man, Walter Skinner, and The Lone Gunmen were all originally set for just one episode appearances), it also resulted in a tangled web of a plot that contradicted itself yearly. Samantha’s storyline was no different, and while it had started as one of the show’s highlights, the subsequent years of wheel spinning had made it lose its appeal.
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Seemingly the creative team behindThe X-Filesagreed, and when it came time to make season seven, it was decided this story arc would finally conclude. A lot of this had to do with a general feeling that the show was reaching its end, resulting in the season having the air of finality to it: the episode “Millennium” brought the titularX-Filesspin-off/successor to an end, the ongoing plotline regarding the Syndicate was concluded, and the characters of Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) and even Mulder himself were written out. While the show did end up being renewed for future seasons, the seventh proved to be the last of the original nine seasons to feature the classic team of Mulder and Scully before the show soft-rebooted with the Season 8 opener “Within.” As such, it’s only fitting that the question surrounding Samantha’s disappearance be solved, and with the two-part episodes “Sein und Zeit” and “Closure,“X-Filesfans finally got the answer they’d been searching for… sort of, anyway.
What is “Closure” About?
Written by Carter and series veteranFrank Spotnitz, the episodes center around an FBI investigation into Amber Lynn LaPierre (Megan Corletto), a little girl who vanishes from her family home. However, despite being two halves of the same story, both episodes feel more like singular experiences due to the wildly different ways they approach the case. “Sein und Zeit”, for example, feels closer to a “Monster-of-the-Week” episode than a mythology one due to its heavy focus on Amber Lynn and the serial child murderer suspected of her kidnapping, with the supernatural taking as much of a backseat asThe X-Filesallows for. By contrast, “Closure” is overflowing with otherworldly phenomenon, spending its entire runtime on Mulder’s last-ditch attempt to learn what happened to his sister before the net closes once and for all. It’s impressive that Carter and Spotnitz were able to write two episodes with such distinctive identities while still telling one coherent story, and both serve as late-era highlights for a show that was edging its way toward the end.
But of the two, “Closure” is easily the standout. Not only does it boast the most impactful ending to any episode of the show, but it also serves as a mature examination of grief and the difficulties of moving forward after such an event. As that description implies, we learn that Samantha is dead. In fact, she has been for over twenty years, revealing that Mulder’s quest to find her was futile before he’d taken one step into the FBI academy. And since this isThe X-Files, even her death is far from simple. Her abduction came about from a pact between the alien Colonists and the Syndicate, and after being subjected to countless experiments, she is returned an indeterminate amount of time later. Under orders from the Cigarette Smoking Man, the Syndicate imprison her in an isolated air force base and subject her to more gruesome tests. Finally, at the age of fourteen (six years after her disappearance), she escapes to a nearby hospital, but the Syndicate is quick to ensure her freedom is only temporary. However, when they arrive at her hospital room, they find it empty. Somehow Samantha had disappeared from a locked room, and she’s never heard from again.
What is a Walk-in?
It’s here where Carter deploys the most audacious concept he ever created – the Walk-ins. As is common with his writing, he skips over the details in favor of the larger emotional beats, but in this case it works to the story’s advantage. We learn that Walk-ins are spiritual beings from beyond our physical realm whose purpose is to save the souls of innocent children who have been condemned to suffer extreme pain. By turning their bodies into pure starlight (causing them to die a painless death), they spare the children from awful fates they would otherwise have endured, granting them a kindness when they need it most. The children may be gone, but they’re also at peace, free to spend the rest of eternity with other souls the Walk-ins have saved. This was the ultimate fate of Samantha Mulder, and after a brief reunion with her brother, her spirit departs with the other children, safe from the evils of the world.
The whole concept of the Walk-ins is something only Chris Carter could pull off with a straight face. Even for a show that regularly deals with the paranormal, the idea of children being turned into starlight to spare them from pain raised eyebrows from even the most ardent of fans. But subsequent reviews have looked upon “Closure” in a more positive light, and in hindsight, there’s no better way her story could have ended. This is a character who had endured unimaginable pain for almost half her life, and learning that she has finally been allowed to live the childhood that was previously stolen from her will warm the hearts of even the coldest viewers. The basic idea of Walk-ins feels like wish-fulfillment plucked from a child’s imagination, but that’s all Samantha is – a child. It can be easy to forget that when we’re working down the list of all the terrible things that have befallen her, and her final appearance coming via a concept that reads straight from a fairy tale is entirely fitting for someone of her age.
The Relationship Between Samantha and Fox
But “Closure” is about more than just Samantha, as it also proves essential to Mulder’s character as well. Losing a loved one is hard no matter what, but losing a sister and then having no idea if she’s even still alive is a tragedy no one should have to face. Ever since she disappeared, she’s been a ghost in the back of his mind, tormenting his every waking moment with the possibility that today would be the day he’d discover what happened to her. The answer he got wasn’t the one he’d been searching for, but it does (fittingly) give him closure, and that’s better than being left in the dark forever. Knowing she’s at peace allows him to move beyond the trauma of his past, onward toward a brighter and more hopeful future. As anyone who’s lost a loved one can attest, it’s impossible to return to your previous life after such a horrific event. The scars left by the departed will be with you forever, but striving forward with the promise of leading the best life you may is the best thing you can do to honor their legacy. When the credits roll on “Closure”, that’s how Mulder feels. When Scully asks how he feels, he says “I’m fine. I’m free.” He’s found peace. It wasn’t the peace he wanted, but it’s something, and with it comes a newfound drive for his future.
The final minutes of “Closure” is a contender for the show’s greatest moment. In the middle of the night, Mulder wanders into a nearby woods and experiences a hallucinatory vision of all the children the Walk-ins have saved. Among them is Amber Lynn – the girl he was trying to save in “Sein und Zeit” – but most importantly, so is Samantha. The siblings embrace, but rather than bursting into tears, their reactions are the complete opposite. They’re happy. This is the first time they’ve seen each other in decades, and the joy of reuniting outweighs any sadness they should be feeling. Duchovny’s acting talents are at their peak here and he almost single handedly carries the moment, but it’s also a tremendously directed sequence too. The decision to shoot it in slow-motion under the soft glow of tranquil moonlight gives it the appearance of the most euphoric dream of your life, and the fantastic use ofMoby’s “My Weakness” adds to its beauty. It is a sad moment – the saddest of the show – but it’s also one brimming with positivity. Quite a mix of emotions, and one that makes it heartbreaking to watch.
Despite making so few appearances inThe X-Files, Samantha Mulder is perhaps the show’s most tragic character. She’s an innocent victim caught up in a world too big for her to understand, defenseless to stop the horrors coming her way. Her ending doesn’t come after Mulder leaps to her rescue after discovering where she’s been kept prisoner, but rather from a choice between two different forms of her death (that one of them is presented as the “happy” ending tells you everything there is to know). When it came down to it, there was no rainbow at the end of her journey, and we should be thankful her suffering was only minimal. The concept of the Walk-ins may not have been to everyone’s taste, but it gave Samantha and Mulder the closure they deserved. Life is unfair and death even more so, but knowing that our loved ones truly are in a better place is a comfort everyone deserves to know. The Walk-ins may sound like a silly idea, but they’re also a tremendously powerful one.
