The X-Files

Deep Throat - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: Face-on Scully rests her elbow on the car side window frame with her wrist waving freely, while in the back shot she grabs the handle over the window (this error repeats at least three times in a row every time the shot changes). (00:20:20)

Chop Luftmysza

Pilot - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: When Mulder, Scully, and Dr Glass stop, in the first shot Mulder’s hands hang down and the doctor’s are in his pockets, while in the next shot Mulder’s hands are rested on his waist and the doctor’s hang loosely. (00:17:05)

Chop Luftmysza

Existence (2) - S8-E21

Continuity mistake: Just before Skinner shoots Alex Krycek in the head, Alex is lying weakly on the ground, having already been shot twice. However, as Skinner makes the kill shot, Alex is suddenly standing and falls to the ground upon impact of the bullet, with no time (or strength) for him to have risen. Also, the last shot of the dead Alex shows his face and his nostrils flare from breathing.

Purple_Girl

Three Words - S8-E16

Continuity mistake: When Mulder sits at the computer terminal in the census records room, we see two empty boxes on the screen, one for an ID and one for a password. The shot cuts to Mulder, then back to the screen and shows him typing the password, while the ID has already been typed in; it is very long and there wasn't time in between shots or nearly enough clicks of keys for Mulder to have entered that ID.

Purple_Girl

Hungry - S7-E3

Continuity mistake: After Rob returns to his apartment after throwing out the trash bag with the bloody shirt inside, his mouth starts bleeding and he goes to the bathroom. He removes his false teeth and a few of his real teeth start falling out; he has a small smear of blood on his bottom lip when the camera is looking at him but his mouth is clean when the shot changes to his reflection in the mirror, with no time in between for him to wipe it.

Purple_Girl

The Post-Modern Prometheus - S5-E5

Continuity mistake: Izzy unwraps a peanut butter sandwich and sets it on a bare tree stump as bait for 'the Great Mutato', then he steps away with the others. When we see the Great Mutato hurriedly put it down, a paper bag is suddenly sitting on the stump beside the bitten sandwich.

Purple_Girl

2Shy - S3-E6

Continuity mistake: When the prostitute, Holly MacClaine, is first murdered, we see her face up. The next morning, when the police are at the crime scene, we see her face down.

Vimsen

Pusher - S3-E17

Continuity mistake: Pusher loads the revolver with one bullet, leaving five chambers empty. When Mulder picks it up and points it at Pusher, the bullet can be seen in the cylinder, just to the right of the gun barrel. Later, when Mulder begins to slowly pull the trigger for the third time (aiming at Scully), we see the cylinder turn to Mulder's left. Problem is, with the bullet situated as it was when Mulder picked it up, the bullet would have moved to the barrel and been fired the first time he pulled the trigger, killing Pusher. Instead, it fires on the third pull.

johnrosa

Paper Clip (3) - S3-E2

Visible crew/equipment: When Mulder and Scully enter the abandoned mine through a doorway, the viewer can see at right in the distance a number of people sitting on a wall, and one crouching in front of the wall with what looks like a dog. They are sitting still, but there is still movement there. (00:16:00)

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Question: In a vast majority of the episodes, whenever Mulder and Scully investigate some mysterious or paranormal phenomenon, Mulder believes that some unknown force is responsible but Scully always has a rational explanation for what is happening. In other episodes, when Scully herself is caught up in something mysterious, she is the believer but Mulder is the skeptic. In those episodes, why would Mulder be skeptical about an unexplained phenomenon considering that he a was witness to his own sisters abduction and he saw many strange things that defied explanation while working for the F.B.I.?

Answer: As he stated many times throughout the series, Mulder needed Scully to be sober and skeptical. Whenever Scully's skepticism wavered and she started questioning her own rationality, Mulder would try to restore her sense of skepticism, because he needed her to be clear-thinking.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: A variety of reasons. Just because Scully saw something unusual does not mean that it was. Mulder always needs concrete proof before he'll believe there's some otherworldly explanation for unexplained phenomena. He's too experienced to take a novice's explanation as fact. It is also a plot by device by the writers to switch the tables on the characters to make it more interesting and to let viewers see another side of their relationship.

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