Mulder (1999) Mulder is quicksilver contained in physical form. His moods can swing from exultant to grim, but ultimately he is grounded by a passionate belief that there are answers to his questions. This simple belief is the key to understanding Mulder. He's brilliant and dedicated; capable of focusing all his energy on a problem. When his curiosity is engaged, he becomes intensely single-minded. I don't think he can understand how people can see a mystery and not want to investigate. He is not easily deflected once he gets the scent. Occasionally this intense focus results in him dashing off to pursue a lead independently. I don't think he intentionally "ditches" Scully at these times. Rather, he becomes so focused on the trail that he simply forgets about everyone else who might be able, or willing, to help him. The few times where it's clear he intentionally leaves her behind are situations where he believes he's protecting her. Mulder is a bewildering mix of chivalry and egalitarianism as far as women are concerned. He constantly tests his theories, reshaping them and adjusting them as new data comes in. He tends not to accept conventional interpretations, but doesn't dismiss them out of hand -- they are simply one more building block he uses to create a theory. While he leans heavily towards a paranormal explanation, he doesn't reject the possibility that a conventional answer might explain the situation. He's always asking 'why?' Impatient with pat answers, he tends to keep digging for the answers behind the simple explanation. This is a strength as well as a weakness since it tends to over-complicate a situation that might actually have a simple explanation. He's impulsive and takes risks no sane man would consider, but discounts personal risk in pursuit of truth. While on the surface this may appear to be self-destructive, I believe it is simply an indication of how focused he can be. I think he honestly believes in the adage - faith can move mountains. He has the faith, but so far the mountains haven't moved....much. Basically put, there is a part of Mulder that simply refuses to give up. Even on the brink of suicide, or trapped in a Russian gulag, he is capable of ditching his self-destructive course when an out appears. Instinct drives him towards survival and he doesn't have to think to react. Mulder is internally driven. He's accepted the costs to his career and his personal relationships involved in his quest. While he'd like acknowledgment of his accomplishments, he isn't compelled to seek out public acclaim or the approval of his superiors. He trusts very few administrators, with Skinner being the sole exception -- possibly because Skinner has never tried to manipulate him. Skinner deals with him in a direct manner, even confrontational, but rarely resorts to mind games. Mulder enjoys his work. He seems happiest when he's allowed to pursue the mysteries that intrigue him. He's stubborn and passionate and tends to forget that other people may not be quite as focused as he is. Because he assumes that Scully is as committed as he is, he feels free to call with new and fascinating leads at odd and inconvenient times. When balked of intellectual stimulation, i.e. consigned to doing clerical work as punishment, he expends the least amount of energy necessary to do the job and is prone to playing hooky. Even enduring extreme frustration, he refuses to knuckle under and completely give up. He apparently is capable of tolerating a high level of professional disciplinary action rather than give his superiors what they want -- (1) an obedient, compliant "good" agent, or (2) his resignation. Mulder is determined, tenacious, even downright stubborn at times. He simply refuses to go along for the sake of not making waves. He has a sharp sense of humor which he uses as defense and offense. Because he cares deeply about the people he comes into contact with on cases, he tries to maintain an objective distance through humor. This is a standard law enforcement tactic and illustrates his well-developed ability to protect himself. I suspect that he is empathetic to a high degree, but realizes that he has to tread a thin line between caring and maintaining an objective POV. However, if push comes to shove, he'll put caring over objectivity. This is both a strength and a weakness. Despite his caustic exterior, Mulder is a very sensitive individual. He cares what people think about him; he just refuses to allow it to interfere with what he believes is right. The people he trusts have a devastating power to hurt him. He accepts responsibility for his actions, sometimes beyond the limits of what actually is his responsibility. Still, despite the risks, he's unable not to care about people. He simply accepts the risks. Losing Samantha was a traumatic event in his life. It led to the divorce of his parents and emotional rejection by his father. I have seen no evidence of physical abuse by his father, although the emotional abuse is clearly apparent. I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that relations with his mother were strained until recent years when Mulder came too close to secrets she wanted buried. Whether her determination to hide the truth is to protect herself or her son remains unknown. As far as I can tell, until memories of Samantha's abduction were revealed through hypnotic regression, Mulder simply suppressed most of them. He grieved for his sister and felt an aching sense of responsibility (fostered by his father), but the memories lacked the driving force which compelled him to dig the "truth" when he opened the X-Files years later. In other words, he adjusted to the tragedy and for nearly twenty years led a normal life. Relations with his parents appear to have been quite normal until just before Samantha's abduction. After that, Mulder's relations with his father disintegrated. He sought approval, if not absolution, and gained at least the former just before his father was murdered. There is even some justification for believing that in his near-death experience, Mulder also gained absolution. His initial career with the FBI showed great promise. He was regarded as a crack profiler and investigator. Although Patterson certainly did a number on him, Mulder walked away before he was consumed. His tendency to over-focus may have triggered internal warning signals as well as a wariness of the psychological manipulation employed by Patterson. Mulder is idealistic. He talks the talk of a cynic, but he doesn't walk the walk. He extends trust to many people on faith and then holds tenaciously to that trust. He believes in people, not organizations. This distrust of social organizations extends to professional religious bodies (and their paid representatives) and to the government. Mulder can be devastatingly caustic with fools and people who think they have all the answers. To those willing to look at the facts with an open mind, he is patient. He can be charming, but prefers a blunt approach to brown-nosing. This abrasiveness often works against him. He wields it almost as a weapon in situations where he knows the prevailing opinion is against him. He will throw the "truth" in the faces of his opponents and tell them to like it or lump it. Bull-headed could be one way to describe him. Mulder is obsessive, but not reclusive, by nature. He has chosen to live like a recluse, but he remains passionately connected to people. Ultimately, he will choose to save people over his work, or even his dream of finding Samantha. The search for his sister is a guiding star. She is never forgotten, but she isn't the entire focus of his life. He has an easy relationship with women, despite at least one bad experience (Phoebe). From all indications, he had a normal, professional/sexual relationship with Diana until they parted amicably. He shows no interest in resuming the sexual side of their relationship, but has no overwhelming evidence to support Scully's attacks. I see a man trying to walk a minefield, hesitant to believe ill of an old friend/lover, yet aware that Scully's jealousy and suspicions might be valid. Mulder treats women as equals, capable of pulling their own weight. Scully gets no special treatment because she's a woman. She has her job to do, he has his on every investigation. He refuses to stand over her and hold her hand and sees no reason why she should demand he account to her for his every movement. I believe Mulder is very well aware of his sexual impact on women and enjoyys flirting with them (sexual innuendoes), but chooses not to pursue an intimate relationship (one-night stands do not count <g>) which could distract him or endanger her. Mulder is now fully aware of how dangerous his quest is to the people around him. Pornography serves as a physical release but is hardly an obsession. It's now obvious that he loves Scully, but it's also apparently clear that he accepts that she isn't in any hurry to let him know if she reciprocates. Patience is obviously one of his hidden virtues -- one he's willing to pull out for those few special friends. <g> In many ways Mulder is a strange combination of Don Quixote and a Grail Knight. He is a visionary, who is not content living his life within safe borders clearly defined by science or the government. He's an explorer, a trailblazer who constantly sees new horizons to cross. There is a restlessness to his spirit. He is happiest when he can focus all of his spirit and energy into following a dream. Questors are difficult people to live with. Their passion for the unknown makes them disinclined to play by the rules of people content to live safely within walls.

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