X-Files Question

[The Evil Dead]

I suspect if you are enjoying the show you will get to the point where you start to enjoy even the bad guys simply because you like Mulder & Scully so much. Skip some in season 1, a few in season 2 and by the time you get to season 3 I bet you want to see them all.

 

[DevilEyes]

You're also going to have to watch all three seasons of Millennium before the Frank Black episode so you get a better understanding of him and his daughter.

And every single episode of Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU prior to the Munch episode.

Kestra should watch every single episode of Homicide: LOTS... just because.

Seriously - it is one of the best shows ever. (Even though season 7 mostly sucked - although there were even some great episodes to be found there, too.)

I always hated some episodes of XF and loved others... but not everyone has the same taste, so some people might love episodes I hated. I think that real suckage only started with season 6 comedy episodes, and it reached its peak in season 7, which pretty much sucked from start to finish, with maybe just one exception or two. Personally, I only liked the season finale. The rest of it didn't even look like X-Files, but some lame parody of it. I liked some comedy episodes, but I liked good ones that were really funny, like "Humbug" or "Jose Chung's From Outer Space", not crap like "Rain King"; and besides, a couple of comedy episodes per season - that works, but an entire season made of comedy and parody? The series then got better and darker - as it should be - in seasons 8 and 9 - but the mythology arc was already screwed up by that time (it was really screwed up badly in second part of season 6 and in season 7) and it couldn't be salvaged anymore, and I think people had already realized by that time that Chris Carter had no idea how to resolve the story. But in early seasons, it all seemed to be going somewhere. The mythology episodes are still good if you can pretend that you don't know the story will end up nowhere, but these days I find myself prefering the great standalones, like "Beyond the Sea", "Home", "Humbug", "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" etc.

 

[Aragorn]

I'm totally lost now! But I do know Munch from Law & Order: SVU.

Munch was on X-Files. Same actor, same character. It was before he was on SVU, so it was a crossover of sorts with Homicide.

 

[Mike Farley]

You'll also need to watch every episode of Picket Fences to prepare for a crossover that never quite happened.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I'm curious... do you experience the same revulsion from "Home", arguably The X-Files' most notorious episode (in terms of disturbing content, anyway)?

YES, I absolute DESPISE "Home", and unlike the Donnie Pfaster episodes, I don't even think it's objectively good. Actually, I guess I can admit it's well-directed, but I hate everything about it. Just a complete gross-out, terrible to watch episode, with no redeeming qualities. Incest and in-breeding is just a place I don't think any TV show should go...even one as wild and 'envelope-pushing' as "The X-Files".

I hate the characters and the story and while I'm usually against censorship and have a very high tolerance for the macabre, it was just too disgusting for me. As much as I love the season it's in, I could never buy that season on DVD just because this episode is a part of it. It is by far my least favourite "The X-Files" episode.

I know there are many others that are more stupid, boring, or poorly written in comparison, but there's no episode I found more unpleasant to watch. Obviously there's also no episode I would more strongly recommend not watching, but unfortunately my description could probably compel some people to watch it out of morbid curiosity.

 

[Ryan]

And those two episodes are an exception to the 'it's okay to skip the 'Monster of the Week episode" rule, because in their cases (and this isn't the only time in the series), a 'monster of the week' appears twice, so seeing one of his episodes without seeing their introduction first would be a little confusing.

A lot of my favorites were the MotW (Squeeze/Tooms, Darkness Falls, Beyond The Sea, Dod Kalm) and goof episodes (War of the Coprophages, Jose Chung's From Outer Space, Bad Blood).

There are a lot of good mytharc episodes but I wouldn't consider them any more essential than the rest of the series. The conspiracy's not going to make a lick of sense whether you watch them or not.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

For example, three characters from St. Elsewhere appeared in episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street. This is where the character of Baltimore Detective John Munch originated. The John Munch character then made a guest appearance in The X-Files.

As such, The X-Files must be a product of Westphall's imagination.

But an early episode of Homicide mentioned The X-Files as a fictional TV show (something about "On Friday nights, most people are at home watching the X-Files"), so the analogy does not hold.

We must be talking about two John Munches here: One exists in the H:LOTS/L&O universe and one is in the X-Files universe. (seriously. X-Files continuity allows for parallel worlds anyway, so obviously this is one of them.)

Or maybe it's simpler than that: Tommy could have dreamed about things that really happened. Happens a lot, doesn't it? There could be a real St. Elsewhere, even if the actual show was his dream...

One last thing. St. Elsewhere ended years ago. But shows like L&O are still going on today. Tommy already woke up from his dream, so if L&O is still around, it's obviously not a dream.

 

[Aragorn]

When Old Munch chased Old Luther Mahoney back in time, he created an alternate universe.

 

[Hermiod]

For example, three characters from St. Elsewhere appeared in episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street. This is where the character of Baltimore Detective John Munch originated. The John Munch character then made a guest appearance in The X-Files.

As such, The X-Files must be a product of Westphall's imagination.

But an early episode of Homicide mentioned The X-Files as a fictional TV show (something about "On Friday nights, most people are at home watching the X-Files"), so the analogy does not hold.

We must be talking about two John Munches here: One exists in the H:LOTS/L&O universe and one is in the X-Files universe. (seriously. X-Files continuity allows for parallel worlds anyway, so obviously this is one of them.)

Or maybe it's simpler than that: Tommy could have dreamed about things that really happened. Happens a lot, doesn't it? There could be a real St. Elsewhere, even if the actual show was his dream...

One last thing. St. Elsewhere ended years ago. But shows like L&O are still going on today. Tommy already woke up from his dream, so if L&O is still around, it's obviously not a dream.

At this point they've stretched it out to include Battlestar Galactica (2003) so I don't think reality fits in to this very well.

 

[Kestra]

Okay you guys are completely turning me off from the show now!

I watched "Eve" and the two surrounding eps tonight, but "Eve" was my favorite. Creepy little children! It's amazing I've not had nightmares for the past few weeks.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

At this point they've stretched it out to include Battlestar Galactica (2003) so I don't think reality fits in to this very well.

You have got to be kidding...even nuBSG has gotten tied into this Tommy Westphall crap? How, may I ask?

 

[Hermiod]

Okay you guys are completely turning me off from the show now!

We're just playing! The Tommy Westphall stuff is just a bit of a fun.

I watched "Eve" and the two surrounding eps tonight, but "Eve" was my favorite. Creepy little children! It's amazing I've not had nightmares for the past few weeks.

Wait until you get to season two.

You have got to be kidding...even nuBSG has gotten tied into this Tommy Westphall crap? How, may I ask?

Here we go...

Westphall, Craig and Auschlander from St. Elsewhere once visited Cheers bar. This links St. Elsewhere and Cheers (which also links in The Simpsons and that's a whole other can of worms).

Cheers spun off in to Fraiser.

A character called John Hemingway from John Larroquette's show called in to Fraiser's radio show.

Said character also mentioned Weyland-Yutani (which also links in the Alien and Predator films as well as Angel - they're a client of Wolfram and Hart).

Weyland-Yutani manufactured some of the weapons used by Captain Reynold's crew in Firefly. (An in-joke on the part of the prop makers)

A Firefly-class ship can be seen flying overhead in Battlestar Galactica's mini-series.

I can also link in the old Battlestar Galactica, just to make things even more crazy.

The aforementioned characters visited Cheers bar. Homer Simpson also once visited the Cheers bar.

Homer once, very briefly, encountered Bender from Futurama.

Bender from Futurama appeared at the same concert for robots as a Cylon - one half of Cylon and Garfunkel. (Strictly speaking, the design used could be an original Cylon or it could be one of the ones seen in "Razor").

 

[Nowhere Man]

I would say watch all of it, I watched it every Sunday at 9 and still didn't see every episode . I mostly skipped season 8&9 because I knew that nothing would matter until Mulder came back. My favorite interaction was with Mulder and Krychech ( not sure about the spelling) and also the lone gunmen eps. The lightheated episodes are definately worth checking into. Someone told me recently that x-files wasent relevant any more and ijust point them to fringe, which is just x-files made over

 

[Daneel]

Okay you guys are completely turning me off from the show now!

Ack! Then don't listen to all this "Tommy Westphall" craziness. It's ultimately irrelevant with regards to The X-Files, and pretty much every other show mentioned too.

You don't need to watch any other series to get the most out of The X-Files. Just keep viewing the episodes, as you've been doing -- and enjoy. Oh yeah, and to borrow a promotional tagline from when the early seasons first aired: "Don't watch it alone!"

 

[DevilEyes]

I'm curious... do you experience the same revulsion from "Home", arguably The X-Files' most notorious episode (in terms of disturbing content, anyway)?

YES, I absolute DESPISE "Home", and unlike the Donnie Pfaster episodes, I don't even think it's objectively good. Actually, I guess I can admit it's well-directed, but I hate everything about it. Just a complete gross-out, terrible to watch episode, with no redeeming qualities. Incest and in-breeding is just a place I don't think any TV show should go...even one as wild and 'envelope-pushing' as "The X-Files".

I hate the characters and the story and while I'm usually against censorship and have a very high tolerance for the macabre, it was just too disgusting for me. As much as I love the season it's in, I could never buy that season on DVD just because this episode is a part of it. It is by far my least favourite "The X-Files" episode.

I know there are many others that are more stupid, boring, or poorly written in comparison, but there's no episode I found more unpleasant to watch. Obviously there's also no episode I would more strongly recommend not watching, but unfortunately my description could probably compel some people to watch it out of morbid curiosity.

"Home" is one of the best X-Files episodes ever - brilliant writing, directing, cinematography etc. The fact that it completely creeped me out and terrified me the first time I watched, is a big part of the reason why. I would go as far as to say that it's one of the best horrors I've ever watched, on small or big screen. Many horrors just make me laugh or leave me cold or gross me out at moments, but this one managed to really give me the creeps all the way. And the amount of fear, terror, and, werll, sheer horror a film/episode invokes is a measure of success for a horror genre as much as invoking laughter is a measure of success for a comedy. In addition, it manages to interject its "message" (although I hate that expression...) with such a wonderful sick, dark, bitter irony (the highlight has to be Scully's conversation with the Mom).

 

[Winterwind]

"Home" is indeed a brilliant episode. It also has some excellent humour to off-set the creepy factor some complain about.

 

[sidious618]

I'd go with your husbands calls. You can skip some here and there. It's a great show and I'm glad ot hear you're enjoying it. It only gets better (and I've never understood the hate for seasons 8 and 9- they were different but still interesting and I liked some of the new characters).

 

[Nowhere Man]

I'd go with your husbands calls. You can skip some here and there. It's a great show and I'm glad ot hear you're enjoying it. It only gets better (and I've never understood the hate for seasons 8 and 9- they were different but still interesting and I liked some of the new characters).

I didn't "hate" seasons 8&9 , I love John Dogget , but those seasons just felt lost for the most part. With X-Files you can always find something to like in all the episodes , just like Star Trek

 

[sidious618]

I'd go with your husbands calls. You can skip some here and there. It's a great show and I'm glad ot hear you're enjoying it. It only gets better (and I've never understood the hate for seasons 8 and 9- they were different but still interesting and I liked some of the new characters).

I didn't "hate" seasons 8&9 , I love John Dogget , but those seasons just felt lost for the most part. With X-Files you can always find something to like in all the episodes , just like Star Trek

I liked Doggett, too, as well as Reyes. I thought they were an interesting team together.

 

[Too Much Fun]

In response to all the people praising "Home"...you people are sick, sick, sick.