The X-Files - First Time Watching

[tomalak301]

Patient X/The Red and the Black

Got to love a nice Alien War. In terms of mythology episodes, this one felt as good as some of the earlier ones and not really bogged down as I've observed with some of the Mytharc recently. Maybe I get the feeling because it deals more personally with Mulder and Scully, with Mulder being the skeptic after the events of Redux and Scully actually starting to believe in Extraterrestrials. I also liked the introduction of Cassandra Spender here, and I hope we see more of her later on. These episodes are almost ruined because Netflix doesn't have subtitles for foreign languages anymore (which sucks) but I was able to get through it.

I get the feeling these two episodes were trying to set up the movie, because while it's been a long while, I do remember the Black ink playing a major role in the movie. So the syndicate was successful in creating a vaccine on the black ink, and I think that leads us into the events of the movie. I actually rented the movie on Itunes so I'm actually looking forward to giving it a rewatch, only this time, in context of the series.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I'm getting close to the end, watched Jumped the Shark last night... so I won't spoil anything.

One question though. Has anyone seen the Lone Gunmen spin-off? Half of me wants to get it just out of completion's sake, but the other half of me expects it to be wholly dire. Caught the first ten minutes of the Pilot on Youtube last night, and Frohike's best Tom Cruise Mission Impossible pose put me right off.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

I'm getting close to the end, watched Jumped the Shark last night... so I won't spoil anything.

One question though. Has anyone seen the Lone Gunmen spin-off? Half of me wants to get it just out of completion's sake, but the other half of me expects it to be wholly dire. Caught the first ten minutes of the Pilot on Youtube last night, and Frohike's best Tom Cruise Mission Impossible pose put me right off.

Watch the entire pilot (and remember they it aired in March of 2001) and you'll find it eerily prophetic. Watch the final episode for its ties to the Dreamland two-parter of X-Files. All of the episodes in between? Pretty mediocre stuff with bland stabs at humor: Watch only if you are a completist.

Definitely check out the first and last episodes though.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Would you say the series is worth £8, or $14, which is how much I can get it for at the moment?

 

[tomalak301]

The End

Much better finale than Season 4, but not as good as the first three seasons. Again, X-Files is at it's best with the character moments, so that final scene of the X-Files office burned down was a really chilling scene. I'm not as shocked about the closing of the X-Files now as I was back when it happened in the first season, maybe because the show felt still really new and now it's what does it all mean. Does it mean that the last 5 years doesn't matter? Are they again sending this mytharc into a different direction (It really is one misdirection over another)? I also loved the scenes with Scully and Gibson, and for the first time in a long time, Cigarette Smoking Man was the best part of the episode.

I did watch 3 others tonight, and the one where Mulder goes undercover and where Mulder is held hostage because a guy at a telemarketing firm thinks his boss was a monster were pretty good. I didn't really care for All Souls, mainly because I think the MOTW episodes dealing with religion and cultests are some of X-Files worst (And maybe they are just too repetitive.

Now I'm at the movie and I rented it from Itunes yesterday. I have seen the movie but it has been 16 years. Now I get to see it with context and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[tomalak301]

Two things I forgot to say when talking about the season 5 finale last night:

1) Was the shooter the same guy who played the Lawyer in Jurassic Park?

2) Fox must of loved this episode at the time. The kid watched The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and I don't know what the other show was. Fox always does the whole self promotion thing pretty well.

 

[tomalak301]

X Files: Fight the Future

I remember watching this film back in 1998, but then I didn't know anything about the series. Now, that I'm watching the series, I appreciate it a lot more mainly because I understand the context of it. They did good work expanding the mythology of the Bees, the black oil, and the Virus and incubation. Really loved the final scene in the arctic with Mulder rescuing Scully. There was a ton of good action and still those great character moments from the series.

The Beginning

This is where the series starts pissing me off and it's happened time and again. We get some big events that happen, and then the next episode things feel like the status quo. Yeah this one you have Fawley and Spender taking over the X Files and that's an interesting development, but then you had Scully going from "I can't quit now, you need me..." back to her skeptic self. It felt like this was a wrap up of Season 5, instead of really following up the events of the movie. Also, it was so dark I couldn't see much of anything.

Also, based on this episode is The X Files saying that we evolved from Aliens because of that dorment DNA that Gibson found a way to turn on? Gee, great.

I like this show, and I do understand why it was so popular, but man this Mytharc is not the show's best quality.

 

[SPCTRE]

^ As far as I can tell from the opinions of people who are very into the X-Files and have seen all or most of it, post-movie (post-Fight the Future) was where things turned bad, or at least started to decline.

 

[Ometiklan]

I just wanted to add that I am a big X-Files fan. I would be interested in doing my own rewatch if I wasn't already, again (slowly) crawling through Next Gen, DS9, and The Wire.

As for the Lone Gunman. I really liked the show. I thought the light-hearted and funny approach really played well. While not amazing, I was disappointed it wasn't continued.

Here's to hoping a third X-Files movie exists someday!

 

[Forbin]

My wife and I WERE doing an X-File rewatch - I think we got almost up to season 4 - but them we discovered Supernatural and that took over our X-Files night.

 

[tomalak301]

My wife and I WERE doing an X-File rewatch - I think we got almost up to season 4 - but them we discovered Supernatural and that took over our X-Files night.

I think my issue with X Files is what a lot of people's issue currently with Orphan Black. The mythology is a big part of the series but it's coming across as confusing. There are so many elements to this mythology that in a show in the 6th season out of 9, it's hard to keep everything straight. You have alien rebels, black oil, viruses, secret organizations with multiple agendas, and through it all Mulder and Scully take a step back every time they take a step forward. The series would be better with some streamlining, like Orphan Black hopefully in the third season.

 

[gblews]

Bad Blood

I've criticized X-Files for not doing comedy really well, and there was someone upthread who said keep watching, there is better comedy later in the series. I wonder if this was the episode he talked about because this one was great.

Yes, it was. One of them, at least.

Bad Blood
Kill Switch
The Post Modern Prometheus

These are 3 of my favorites too, with Kill Switch being my all time favorite of the standalones. You know that episode was written by the sci-fi writer, William Gibson. I'm also pretty fond of The Natural.

 

[Random_Spock]

Bad Blood

I've criticized X-Files for not doing comedy really well, and there was someone upthread who said keep watching, there is better comedy later in the series. I wonder if this was the episode he talked about because this one was great.

Yes, it was. One of them, at least.

Bad Blood
Kill Switch
The Post Modern Prometheus

These are 3 of my favorites too, with Kill Switch being my all time favorite of the standalones. You know that episode was written by the sci-fi writer, William Gibson. I'm also pretty fond of The Natural.

Yea those ones are pretty cool, loved Arcadia, The Unnatural, X-Cops (the gay couple had me in stitches the most though ).

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

I watched the pilot for the first time a few months ago. I found it interesting but was too scared to continue.

 

[wulfio]

I watched the pilot for the first time a few months ago. I found it interesting but was too scared to continue.

the show loses that creepy feel after a a couple seasons.

 

[tomalak301]

I watched the pilot for the first time a few months ago. I found it interesting but was too scared to continue.

the show loses that creepy feel after a a couple seasons.

More than a couple. Home, from Season 4, is still the creepiest episode I've seen of this series.

 

[wulfio]

I watched the pilot for the first time a few months ago. I found it interesting but was too scared to continue.

the show loses that creepy feel after a a couple seasons.

More than a couple. Home, from Season 4, is still the creepiest episode I've seen of this series.

Not to say there aren't exceptions. I just found that the first 2 or 3 seasons generally had more of a horror thriller tone to them(as far as tv goes). And then the show changed gears in to political/spy thriller later on. And the final 2 seasons(especially the last season) they were running on fumes. That's just my opinion though.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

Maybe I'll give it another try one day...

 

[tomalak301]

Dreamland

Is it just me or does X Files feel really different to start Season 6. It doesn't have the tense creepiness to it last in previous seasons, instead relying on drama, tension (from an action point of view), and a little comedy. I got that sense watching this two parter, which made me wonder if I was even watching The X Files. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed these two episodes, but it doesn't feel like the same show as before. Also, I was a little perturbed at the reset button ending. The solution seemed to come out of thin air (they were running out of time) and there was no consequence.

As for the previous episodes in this season, my favorite so far is Drive. Maybe after I'm done with X Files I should watch Breaking Bad because seeing Cransten in this episode and knowing that Vince Gilligan is a supervising producer, this episode felt like the type of thing I might expect in Breaking Bad. Also, BB is on netflix too, so maybe that might be my next series.

 

[tomalak301]

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

Best. Christmas. Episode. Ever

Ok, maybe there have been some better christmas episodes of various series I have seen, but I really enjoyed this one. It put a spin on the Haunted House theme with Christmas loneliness which, that theme I appreciated. It seems like most christmas episodes are supposed to be happy and cheery, but here it really is about the loneliness of the season. When Mulder and Scully are in the apartment opening each others' gift, I found that moment really nice. Also loved Maurice and Lyda.