Hi Frank,
I am hoping that you could elaborate a little bit on this quote from Chris Carter from an interview in 2001:
“From the beginning Doggett has tremendous respect for Scully and I think that respect has blossomed into something else. That was always our intention, that we would have a sort of triangle.” – Chris Carter (Zap2it, November 2001)
Why was there an intention to develop a (love) triangle with Doggett, Scully, and Mulder? As much as I love the idea of a romantic relationship between Doggett and Scully, all fans of the series back during this time knew that no matter what the relationship was always going to end up being Mulder/Scully. I’ve always been very curious about this particular quote and hope that you can provide some insight from a writer’s point of view.
“I got the pretty clear sense that John Doggett was in love with Dana Scully. And of course Dana Scully was in love with Fox Mulder.” – Frank Spotnitz (“DeadAlive” commentary)
Why have John Doggett fall in love with Scully if nothing was going to happen between the two of them? I understand that it was one angle on exploring the Doggett character, but if nothing was specifically done with regards to Doggett’s feelings for her (he never told her how he feels for her, he protected her and became her friend, and someone she could trust, but he never came out and told her how he felt). The Doggett/Scully relationship has always interested me, and I would love to know what triggered the writers into creating this triangle and Doggett falling in love with Scully.
Thank you so much!
Cassie
San Antonio, TX
Doggett’s affection for Scully was moving to me precisely because we (and he) knew it would never lead to anything. He understood Scully’s heart belonged to Mulder. He would never do anything to challenge that and, in fact, would’ve risked his life to reunite her with Mulder, if for no other reason than it’s what Scully so desperately wanted. Doggett’s selflessness added a heroic and somewhat tragic dimension to his character that I found deeply appealing. (Complicating things further was the sense that Monica Reyes had an attraction to Doggett…)
