The X-Files - First Time Watching

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I was happy, too, that they let Samantha, the "real" one, rest in peace. I thought the story was pretty strong, too, on it's own. I know there is a segment, probably a large one, of the audience that shunned all "supernatural" type elements in favor of "hard science/science fiction" elements, but I didn't mind this switch. I thought it was a really powerful scene in particular when Mulder realised they were standing in the field of graves and then the FBI agents doing the crime scene excavation. Also, for the whole series, anytime Skinner shows up, I like it. I also liked how they were given up on the whole thing as another of Spooky Mulder's crazy connections until Scully made the connection of the hwy sign to the evil Santa village.

That reminded me somewhat of Millenium, you said you didn't remember that one. I watched that one a lot, too. Frank Black was a little like Mulder, a brilliant criminal profiler for the FBI, but he had visions of the murders and murderers and could connect these clues for these horrible crimes to solve them. There were lots of murders, serial killers, mass murders, and other nasty things that he worked on. I didn't see the last part of Millenium to compare the X-files episode to. I'd like to check that out in the near future. I liked the X-Files episode, but it seemed like it was just there to let Frank get his daughter back and the rest was just extra. It may have made more sense if I saw the last season of that show.

Thing I didn't like about this, was after twenty years of refusing to accept the death of his sister, clinging to the alien abduction, Mulder just accepts it here without any significant physical evidence. He just gives up. It would have been fine for a final episode, but there's more X Files after this. What's Mulder's motivation now?

 

[Marsden]

I understand, but all of the actual evidence uncovered would be sufficent, I would think. His sister was the start for him, but he found so much looking for her, like the Syndicate, that I thought it was self sustaining. The "aliens" were still out there, even if the people that fed his sister to them was gone.

 

[VST]

You have to remember as well that by this point, Mulder just wanted to *know*. All those years, everything he uncovered - to have that spiritual feeling, that 'closure' indeed, was something he was looking for. Plus he knew enough to know that Samantha had been abducted, if not by aliens then the Syndicate.

The production factor comes in too, given Chris Carter knew Duchovny's contract was up at the end of S7 & they all suspected this was the show's final year.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

The production factor comes in too, given Chris Carter knew Duchovny's contract was up at the end of S7 & they all suspected this was the show's final year.

As I said, it would have been fine for a final episode.

 

[VST]

I don't know about that. The show was about more than Samantha. That was Mulder's personal motivation for his crusade, but the end game was trying to fight the future - hence why the final episode turned out to be largely so lukewarm because Carter didn't want to pull the trigger on that before the movies that (mostly) never came.

Though admittedly, had Carter planned S8/S9 with Duchovny full time, there's a chance he may have done this story later, I do concede that.

 

[tomalak301]

I was happy, too, that they let Samantha, the "real" one, rest in peace. I thought the story was pretty strong, too, on it's own. I know there is a segment, probably a large one, of the audience that shunned all "supernatural" type elements in favor of "hard science/science fiction" elements, but I didn't mind this switch. I thought it was a really powerful scene in particular when Mulder realised they were standing in the field of graves and then the FBI agents doing the crime scene excavation. Also, for the whole series, anytime Skinner shows up, I like it. I also liked how they were given up on the whole thing as another of Spooky Mulder's crazy connections until Scully made the connection of the hwy sign to the evil Santa village.

That reminded me somewhat of Millenium, you said you didn't remember that one. I watched that one a lot, too. Frank Black was a little like Mulder, a brilliant criminal profiler for the FBI, but he had visions of the murders and murderers and could connect these clues for these horrible crimes to solve them. There were lots of murders, serial killers, mass murders, and other nasty things that he worked on. I didn't see the last part of Millenium to compare the X-files episode to. I'd like to check that out in the near future. I liked the X-Files episode, but it seemed like it was just there to let Frank get his daughter back and the rest was just extra. It may have made more sense if I saw the last season of that show.

Thing I didn't like about this, was after twenty years of refusing to accept the death of his sister, clinging to the alien abduction, Mulder just accepts it here without any significant physical evidence. He just gives up. It would have been fine for a final episode, but there's more X Files after this. What's Mulder's motivation now?

Sometimes 20 years wares a person out, and I think Mulder was starting to feel that. He even said in the episode that he needed to know, and maybe his mother's suicide made him realize that digging deeper might end up being even more futile. I know if I was on this crusade for years and ended up losing everyone I care about except my Partner, I would probably be tired too.

 

[tomalak301]

First Person Shooter

I'm trying not to talk about every episode this season, but I've been reading reviews on this one and apparently people consider it the worst episode of the series. Well, I watched it last night and yeah the plot is a little sexist and Scully and Mulder are a bit out of character, but I wouldn't consider it the worst episode of the series. Heck, I don't know what I would consider the worst episode of the series, but this one I thought was just OK. I always like the episodes where the Lone Gunman appear and this was one of those episodes.

Looking back, I have seen some bad episodes of this show. There was that one with Animals from season 2, the one about the killer water in Season 6, and Hell Money from Season 3, which felt like it was all done in Chinese and I didn't have subtitles.

 

[VST]

The worst ep? Really? What are they smoking? This was loads of fun!

 

[tomalak301]

Brand X

There have been many creepy and disturbing episodes of this series, Home probably being the most memorable. Brand X might be the most disgusting episode I've seen this series do. All he beetles coming out of the mouth, the disfigured jaws, and the make up work to show how bad smoking is for you was really nasty. This episode should be used as a PSA of tobacco usage.

One thing I did find interesting was the start of the project was intended to make smoking healthier for you, yet now in 2014 we have these E Cigs. X files beig ahead of its time for this episode, which I liked better than All Things.

 

[Marsden]

I don't like to be negative, especially when someone enjoyed something. But I hated First Person Shooter. That was just about the only episode I was sorry I saw. I think there was 1 or two others I didn't like, I'd have a hard time coming up with a bottom 5. But FPS was just silly. A hologram killed people? How can a hologram cut off somebody's hands? Ugh. Maybe I just missed it somewhere.

Brand X was really creepy. It's funny that the guy who smoked the most was immune.

One of the things that impressed me is how beat up they let the main characters get at various times. They were eaten, partially digested, prematurely aged, infected, shot, given diseases, strange surgeries and experimented on, and just plain beaten up quite a bit. They always survived, but it made them seem more human than some shows where the leads never get hurt.

 

[VST]

Brand X

There have been many creepy and disturbing episodes of this series, Home probably being the most memorable. Brand X might be the most disgusting episode I've seen this series do. All he beetles coming out of the mouth, the disfigured jaws, and the make up work to show how bad smoking is for you was really nasty. This episode should be used as a PSA of tobacco usage.

One thing I did find interesting was the start of the project was intended to make smoking healthier for you, yet now in 2014 we have these E Cigs. X files beig ahead of its time for this episode, which I liked better than All Things.

Always liked this one. A very creepy Tobin Bell performance & it's got some great Mark Snow music.

 

[RoJoHen]

A hologram killed people? How can a hologram cut off somebody's hands? Ugh. Maybe I just missed it somewhere.

The safety protocols were offline. Obviously.

 

[Marsden]

I thought it was X-Files and not TNG. My mistake.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think the rules are the same for all 90s sci-fi.

 

[tomalak301]

Fight Club

Remember the other day I was struggling to come up with an episode of this series I truly hated, and tried to defend First Person Shooter? Well there is an episode I absolutely hate and it was called Fight Club.

For those not familiar, this is the episode that featured Kathy Griffen in a duel role. I haven't hidden the fact that my favorite series right now is Orphan Black and I believe Tatiana Maslany is the best Actress working today. Well, she is also setting the standard of his type of acting, the clone or identical twin motif, that seems to come up in the sci if genre. One of my favorite episodes of Voyager featured Kate Mulgrew in the identical acting against yourself role, which I also like.

Watching Fight club, all I can think was how bad it was to cast Griffen in that kind of role. She is awful and this episode was Garbage. Yeah I know at the time Maslany was 15, but I still think she would have acted circles around Griffen. As for the plot, ugh...

I did enjoy Hollywood AD (probably the funniest episode of the series) and Je Souhaite (really warm and genuine, with a great actress ast the Genie). Looking forward to Requiem, which according to the plot references the first episode quite a bit.

 

[tomalak301]

Requiem/Within/Without

Welcome to the John Doggett Era of the show everyone. As the beginning of the Enterprise theme says, "It's been a long road", but Dechovney is only on the show for half of Season 8, and we meet T-1000, aka Robert Patrick as Scully's new partner.

Going back to the season 7 finale, that was a hell of a finale. In fact, these three episodes is probably the best three episode sequence since Anazasi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip, which I think were the three best Mythology episodes of the series. Requiem goes back to the first case, dealing with the alien abductees in Oregon and ends with two bombshells, Mulder is taken and Scully is pregnant. I really hope they explain Scully's pregnancy as Season 8 goes on, because there's part of it that makes me question the whole Barren thing.

As for the start of Season 8, great introduction of Doggett. Maybe since the series has been off for so long, I'm looking at these episodes from the point of view of I knew it was coming so I kind of accepted it when I started this watch. I also really liked Scully, who really kicked a ton of ass in this episode, here. We also saw the return of Gibson Praise, the wiz kid from Season 5/6, and that was a welcome return. As for Mulder, we see him being tested on by a whole lot of the Alien Bounty Hunters. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, and to getting to know Doggett more as the season goes on.

A lot of people have said that the later seasons of the show aren't that good. Well, I'm in season 8 now and going by the first two episodes, I'd say the season is off to a strong start. I also like the new title sequence, which feels like an extension of the old title sequence.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

and Je Souhaite

For me, this was the worst episode of the X Files... ever!
The premise just didn't belong. The only, only way it could have been worse, if they'd cast Barbara Eden! They should have cast Barbara Eden. That would have truly nuked the shark, jumped the fridge!

 

[VST]

I love Je Souhaite! It's probably the last truly sweet comedy episode TXF ever really did. Bonkers, of course, but lots of fun.

As to S8, I'm very much an advocate. At the time all us Philies struggled to accept Doggett over Mulder but in retrospect, he's a really good character & S8 gets back to what TXF very much was in its early years - quite remote, dark & creepy storytelling, before then giving way to a great mythology run to the finish. It's among the show's better seasons IMO.

Shame then about S9, but still...

 

[RoJoHen]

A lot of people have said that the later seasons of the show aren't that good. Well, I'm in season 8 now and going by the first two episodes, I'd say the season is off to a strong start.

I love Season 8, especially these early episodes that you just watched.

 

[Marsden]

Fight Club was that other episode with FPS I mentioned.
Not good.



I loved the episode with the Janaya, that was great! It had everything.

I think Dogget is great. I would have like him to be able to stick around even longer, but it's hard to do when your show is cancelled.

It depends on what you want out of X-Files. Do you want a story about agents that investigate unsolved cases that involve strange elements or do you want to see the Mulder and Scully show? I think a lot of people tuned in for the first thing and loved the characters so much it turned into the second thing. That's not a bad thing, but then having a new guy come in changes things. So, I understand some complaints, but I thought the last two seasons were still very good, especially season 8. I might pick season 8 as higher than seasons 5 and 7 actually, but I'm not big on absolute rankings.