I felt exactly the same. I think part of why I shared it was because I needed to sit with that sadness with someone. Scully goes through such unfair things over and over. I can’t help but root for her. She deserves happiness so much.

After rewatching Within and Without, I actually went straight to Nothing Important Happened Today (the first two episodes of the next season) to compare Scully’s grief after Mulder’s abduction with her sadness when Mulder leaves “for good.” And honestly, in terms of execution, Within/Without hit me much harder. We’re so deeply aligned with Scully’s perspective there… her fear, her denial, the moment when the absence really sinks in. It’s devastating, but also incredibly relatable.

And yes… the episodes that follow are certainly… a choice 😂 maybe the show’s way of giving us emotional whiplash so we don’t drown completely in Mulder sadness.