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The X-Files Rewatch Thread

Starbreaker

Starbreaker

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Ahh, so I just finished up Supernatural, and I thought my next choice would be to go through all of The X-Files again. I've probably seen 75 episodes or though, but I think I could really reap the benefits from watching the show beginning to end. So, stick with me as I delve into the world of Black Oil, Super Soldiers, the Syndicate, and crazy psychics... and Aliens.

1x01 Pilot

Well, it's not perfect, but that's only because I know they immediately started stepping up their game after this episode. But, they certainly waste no time setting up an underlying alien mythology, government conspiracies, talking about Samantha's abduction, introducing the mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man, and most importantly - getting Scully in her underwear.

Duchovny and Anderson have perfect chemistry. I don't think there are any better TV pairings that manage to play off of each other the way these two do.

And there's just something not right about not hearing the X-Files theme song during an episode. :(

1x02 Deep Throat

I really like this episode. More government conspiracies, some more elusive aliens, young hippies with fried brains, and more good looking Scully - sans glasses and her hair in a ponytail. I like the way the episode ends just slightly vaguely. Is it experimental aircraft, aliens, Bigfoot? (kidding)

The beginning of Scully's voiceovers is nice. No need to leave the viewer confused after every episode. Mark Snow's music is also a definite upgrade from the terrible music in the pilot. The only thing that I didn't like were the terrible special effects; Carter states that these are the worst of the series.
 
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I've been rewatching The X-Files over the last month or so, and I'm already in Season 9. I skipped a lot of the non-mythology episodes, but it's still been an awesome time. Season 8 (and so far Season 9) are nowhere near as bad as I remember. I'm actually enjoying them quite a bit, even though the story has taken a bit of a different turn.

Enjoy the rewatch!
 
About a month ago I finished going through the entire series without skipping an episode. I also watched both movies which could have been better but weren't horrible either.

I loved the series even more so than back when it was airing. Overall it's excellent. For the first six or seven seasons I'd say the quality was generally consistent and even when off pace never bad. I'd say there are about one or two mediocre episodes per season.

The last two or three seasons were more uneven with the final season having more than its share dull episodes, but again not outright bad, but rather uninspired.

The Mulder/Scully chemistry was indeed awesome. :techman:
 
I keep meaning to start on this. I was actually told to skip the mythology episodes because they don't really go anywhere but I think I will just watch all of them.
 
RoJoHen said:
NuFan said:
I keep meaning to start on this. I was actually told to skip the mythology episodes because they don't really go anywhere but I think I will just watch all of them.
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Told by whom? That is an absurd idea.
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Yeah you gotta watch them! The X-Files' mythology has been denigrated by myth: it does go somewhere and it does make sense. The main problem is that the need to extend the series to nine seasons led to a lot of absurd padding for what, in the end, was a fairly simple core story.
 
Temis the Vorta said:
The main problem is that the need to extend the series to nine seasons led to a lot of absurd padding for what, in the end, was a fairly simple core story.
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Having just rewatched the series this is easy to see. The last two or three seasons could have been condensed into a solid final season and the series would have been served better for it. But then I suppose if that had happened then everyone would have been crying over how could they terminate a series that was still so consistently good. Nothing's perfect.
 
1x03 Squeeze

Eugene Tooms is probably the creepiest villain the show has ever done. This quiet, scrawny guy who looks like pure evil. The ending - which just again - leaves a little doubt as to whether we will see him again, is great. This is probably the point where Scully actually begins to believe that there might be unexplained things out there.

Also, Donal Logue is great. I always like him seeing him pop up in things. It's funny how much older he looks now while Duchovny looks practically the same.

This is the only episode on disc one that doesn't involve aliens - and it's probably the best.
 
1x04 Conduit

This is the first X-Files episode I ever watched. I rented a VHS about 15 years ago. :lol:

I was reading up on this episode, and was shocked to learn that someone drew the entire binary mural by hand. That's dedication. I'm kind of shocked they went back to alien abductions so quickly, but the episode works. Mulder obsessing over his sister and Scully feeling sorry for him, listening to his hypnotheraphy tapes. I liked this scene a lot. They're bonding very early. There's never really been any tension between them other than professional a few episodes in. She respects him a lot.

1x05 Jersey Devil

I forgot how many of these early episodes (except for maybe Conduit) have some kind of basis in science. This is a pretty good creature of the week episode, but what I find really fascinating is that it shows Scully seemingly terrified of getting married and having kids. The life she has chosen is definitely that of being solely an FBI agent at this point.

1x06 Shadows

Just don't care for this one. I find the script very weak. Apparently, FOX wanted a "down to earth" episode. What we got was a dumbed down supernatural story.

1x07 Ghost in the Machine

Not really a fan of this one either. There were a few good scenes, but it just really wasn't enough to hold my attention this time around either. I know that Ice is coming up though. :)
 
Warped9 said:
Temis the Vorta said:
The main problem is that the need to extend the series to nine seasons led to a lot of absurd padding for what, in the end, was a fairly simple core story.
Click to expand...
Having just rewatched the series this is easy to see. The last two or three seasons could have been condensed into a solid final season and the series would have been served better for it. But then I suppose if that had happened then everyone would have been crying over how could they terminate a series that was still so consistently good. Nothing's perfect.
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The mythology in the final seasons still makes a great deal of sense and fits in with the rest of the story, but I agree there is way too much filler. With my own little rewatch, where I skipped all the filler, I realized just how consistent all the mythology actually was in every season.
 
The only thing I ever found not consistent was what happened with Samantha. That was the most confusing thing on television ever.
 
It was confusing because they never explained what happened to any of the dead girls in that episode. Samantha was taken and experimented on and cloned and whatnot. Okay, fine. What didn't make sense was how she died. In that episode people have visions of dead people, but the bodies just go missing, and for some reason Mulder was okay with that.
 
1x08 Ice

Paranoia at its best. Even though it is very similar to the movie The Thing, I actually like this episode better. Gotta love the evil bureaucracy that is after them in every single episode, torching the primordial worm infested station at the end of this one. It must be very frustrating that another agency (or mostly their own) is one step ahead of making them look like fools.
 
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Starbreaker said:
1x07 Ice

Paranoia at its best. Even though it is very similar to the movie The Thing, I actually like this episode better. Gotta love the evil bureaucracy that is after them in every single episode, torching the primordial worm infested station at the end of this one. It must be very frustrating that another agency (or mostly their own) is one step ahead of making them look like fools.
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Interesting. Believe or not I had never actually seen The Thing until a recently a couple of weeks ago after I'd begun revisiting Season 1 of X-Files. And while I liked it I couldn't help but feel that The X-Files' "Ice" did this idea better.
 
1x09 Space

This episode, with its NASA stock footage, cheesy scenes, and lack of actually showing anything going on in the space shuttle leads me to think this is the worst episode so far. I actually hadn't seen this one before, but I guess I wasn't missing anything. The fact that an alien has been wrecking our space program is a pretty good idea, but I don't think it was executed very well.
 
nteresting. Believe or not I had never actually seen The Thing until a recently a couple of weeks ago after I'd begun revisiting Season 1 of X-Files. And while I liked it I couldn't help but feel that The X-Files' "Ice" did this idea better.
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Damn right. I love this episode and that movie didn't do much for me.
 
I hadn't seen the Thing until last October. I'm not very easy to scare, but jumped right out of my seat when they were testing the blood.
 
The Samantha arc does make sense, you just have to pay close attention. We can talk more about it when we get there.
 
I think her arc made sense, but the episode which concluded her arc (I believe it was called "Closure") did not. I mean, it sort of did, but they completely ignored what actually happened to her in the end. Girls bodies just disappear, apparently, and we're supposed to accept that because their souls are at peace.

Meanwhile, I just watched the final episode of the show, "The Truth," and I am upset because I know there will probably not be a movie to tell us what happens in 2012 when the aliens invade.
 
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