XFiles Rewatch Season 1

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Yeah, the series never protected the aliens as well as they needed too, in order that Scully's skepticism seemed reasonable. I think it would have also helped if Mulder, like the Lone Gunmen, believed a lot of things that clearly weren't true, like Bigfoot vs Dogman.

 

[thrasherpix]

Season 2 doesn't have my favorite eps (though maybe Little Green Men is, it's close, and perhaps the one where Scully is in a coma), it generally flows well together with a few nods to past eps (like Scully examining a crime scene who includes a look at the heating ducts as a possible means to enter or exit the scene, a nod to Tooms) and a little foreshadowing of what's to come. A few eps did feel either a little long or a little rushed, but in general it was mostly watchable, and it flowed well ep to ep.

(Offhand the only one I can think of that I didn't care for at all featured 3 pseudo-vampires. EDITED: I also greatly disliked an ep featuring a school board of Satanists, I think in part because Mulder and Scully were more observers than participants, but I can't recall the details of it.)

It starts off good with Little Green Men, and finishes well with Anasazi, though as a rule of thumb I don't like cliffhangers at the end of a season since a season may not be renewed (and it's a long wait). But as that's not a problem for me now so I can overlook it.

I need a break from the X-Files, though I'll probably see the first 2 eps of season 3 tomorrow, which end this current arc.


I will add that I'd have liked to have gotten Scully's reaction to the events in Calusari (the little boy with a malicious spirit tied to him). In the end she sees a woman practically pinned to the ceiling by spirit forces and is slung around the room herself before seeing the spirit boy race at her with a knife, only for the boy to disappear and the knife dropped. I felt cheated in getting Mulder's crime report rather than Scully's. (And just another example of begging how Scully remains such a skeptic.)

On a side note, Scully gets knocked out and/or captured so often that she might want to commiserate with Giles!

 

[NotASlayer]

It starts off good with Little Green Men, and finishes well with Anasazi, though as a rule of thumb I don't like cliffhangers at the end of a season since a season may not be renewed (and it's a long wait). But as that's not a problem for me now so I can overlook it.

I have noticed that series went through a phase of ending seasons with cliffhangers - looking back at what I've watched recently, one of the first, perhaps the first, looks to be The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 - and this wasn't a problem for a while, as things were being renewed. But looking at series that started in the 2000s and later, so many of them were ending seasons on cliffhangers and weren't renewed for one reason or another (Mutant X hit a problem in that the company doing it went bust!) that they switched to the mid-season finale in a lot of cases for the cliffhangers.

 

[Kendar]

Yeah, X-Files was big on cliffhangers. Seasons 2, 3, 4, and 6 ended on solid cliffhangers (you had to watch the first episode or two to resolve), and 5 and 7 ended on soft cliffhangers.

You can also tell during season 2 that they are doing their best to hide Gillian's pregnancy, and used her disappearance to write her out long enough for her to recover.

Interesting trivia: Goose Island Brewery does a Saison beer called Gillian. It's named after Gillian Anderson, who worked at the brewery while attending DePaul University.

 

[Btvs fan]

I have noticed that series went through a phase of ending seasons with cliffhangers - looking back at what I've watched recently, one of the first, perhaps the first, looks to be The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 - and this wasn't a problem for a while, as things were being renewed. But looking at series that started in the 2000s and later, so many of them were ending seasons on cliffhangers and weren't renewed for one reason or another (Mutant X hit a problem in that the company doing it went bust!) that they switched to the mid-season finale in a lot of cases for the cliffhangers.

So Iv finally finished Season 6 of the X-Files. I was in hospital for a bit so that's one reason for the delay but also like @thrasherpix I need a break from the X-Files.
The S6 finale was incredibly boring and felt really pretentious at the same time.
The show does not even attempt to say what Kryceck purpose is or why Skinner is helping him ???
While both Mulder and Scully themselves felt incidental to the whole mystery box.

Anyway S6 as a whole still had some good individual episodes. Drive with Bryan Cranston being the real stand out and the only time it felt like the new California setting actually worked for the episodes plot but otherwise. Moving was such a bad well move and to be frank it would've been better to kill off Mulder in S5 or the movie and then have Scully as the main focus moving foward with Agent Spender . As it was this ended up being the worst of all worlds and Duchovny was not worth it .

I know S7 is genuinely bad and if I ever did attempt it would only be a select few episodes like the one literally called Closure and nothing more. Right now though I'm not even doing that.

Looking back on the rewatch X-Files was a great show for its time but like many shows (including Buffy) it went past its sell by date and it had a tendency to be a bit repetitive and not just in its main plot but in the stand alones too. More than a few times they tried to copy Ice or Squeeze etc and it was obvious they were and despite what Carter says its clear he had no plan and was making it up as he went along for the main arc.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I disagree. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Seasons 6 & 7 were some of the best of the series, if not Trek as a whole. I would presume the lessons are, you have to take risks, you have to tell new stories with new and supporting characters, you have to earn the trust of your audience, and you have to be willing to pay some things off.

I mean, the X Files did try a lot of those things, but ultimately, I think they lost the trust of the audience.

 

[Btvs fan]

I disagree. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Seasons 6 & 7 were some of the best of the series, if not Trek as a whole. I would presume the lessons are, you have to take risks, you have to tell new stories with new and supporting characters, you have to earn the trust of your audience, and you have to be willing to pay some things off.

I mean, the X Files did try a lot of those things, but ultimately, I think they lost the trust of the audience.

I kind of agree though the path wraith stuff was uttter nonsense and what they did to Dukat and adding the Lounge Bar and Ezri Dax were all unescessary imo

I slightly disagree here. They suggested to change up things but then Carter immediately pressed the reset button. He did it so much Gillian Anderson refuses to work with him again and now Coogler is doing a remake

 

[Btvs fan]

@NotASlayer Your correct that 5 seasons is normally a good time frame for a show and its writing but in this case its also the literal sets and feel of a show.

Season 6 does have some decent episodes. I love Drive and One Son with how they kill off the Syndicate is probably the best way to resolve that arc. But on this rewatch the change is so noticeable

 

[thrasherpix]

The show does not even attempt to say what Kryceck purpose is or why Skinner is helping him ???
While both Mulder and Scully themselves felt incidental to the whole mystery box.


Looking back on the rewatch X-Files was a great show for its time but like many shows (including Buffy) it went past its sell by date and it had a tendency to be a bit repetitive and not just in its main plot but in the stand alones too. More than a few times they tried to copy Ice or Squeeze etc and it was obvious they were and despite what Carter says its clear he had no plan and was making it up as he went along for the main arc.

The X-Files had some big plot holes at time or leaned too hard into doing something that seems cool but begs questions. I expect that was the case for Skinner helping Krycek despite that Skinner already wanted him for his connection to the abduction of Scully while posing as FBI (and things like murdering Mulder's dad), and Krycek also (with 2 others) viciously beat and robbed Skinner in a hospital stairway. No way am I seeing Skinner helping Krycek.

I wonder if the writers remembered Krycek's past or just didn't care, figuring wouldn't it be cool to have Skinner helping Krycek. But without a really good explanation to explain Skinner's behavior, I don't buy it, nor am I inclined to suspend disbelief for it.



I am definitely for letting shows end with dignity rather than trying to beat out another golden egg, often by trying to copy earlier successful episodes, or bringing back characters that just didn't make sense.



Something I am curious about...I only glimpsed episodes where Scully was partnered with Doggett. Whatever I saw did not convince me to see more. But now I'm curious. I hear Scully has finally become more like Mulder while Doggett is the skeptic, and I'm curious what that's like.

I tried to find clips on YouTube, but most was music vids and shipper (!) material. I only got to see where I presume they first meet (and Scully throws water on him). Are there transcripts (like there is for Buffy)? If so, can anyone link to an episode transcript that demonstrates this dynamic between Scully and Doggett?

 

[Btvs fan]

The X-Files had some big plot holes at time or leaned too hard into doing something that seems cool but begs questions. I expect that was the case for Skinner helping Krycek despite that Skinner already wanted him for his connection to the abduction of Scully while posing as FBI (and things like murdering Mulder's dad), and Krycek also (with 2 others) viciously beat and robbed Skinner in a hospital stairway. No way am I seeing Skinner helping Krycek.

I wonder if the writers remembered Krycek's past or just didn't care, figuring wouldn't it be cool to have Skinner helping Krycek. But without a really good explanation to explain Skinner's behavior, I don't buy it, nor am I inclined to suspend disbelief for it.



I am definitely for letting shows end with dignity rather than trying to beat out another golden egg, often by trying to copy earlier successful episodes, or bringing back characters that just didn't make sense.



Something I am curious about...I only glimpsed episodes where Scully was partnered with Doggett. Whatever I saw did not convince me to see more. But now I'm curious. I hear Scully has finally become more like Mulder while Doggett is the skeptic, and I'm curious what that's like.

I tried to find clips on YouTube, but most was music vids and shipper (!) material. I only got to see where I presume they first meet (and Scully throws water on him). Are there transcripts (like there is for Buffy)? If so, can anyone link to an episode transcript that demonstrates this dynamic between Scully and Doggett?

When James Morgan and Gareth Wong did Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man in season 4 there backstory for him contradicted an earlier episode because at the time they'd been off the show and had not bothered to watch it while they were away !
It was retconned by the show saying oh its Frohicke telling the story and getting it wrong but the reality is its just work that writers never bother to do if they don't have too

 

[Btvs fan]

So I did decide to watch the Xfiles S7 Episode X-Cops where the Xfiles crosses over with the TV show Cops and its such great writing, Vince Gilligan is a real master at this stuff. It's absolutely hilarious when Mulder tells a cop he's been bitten by a Wherewolf and is most likely going to turn into one himself and the Cop and his Sargents expression 😂
The writing is fantastic. You can be laughing out loud at a hilarious moment like when a Prostitute tries to run away in high heels from them and at the same time it's utterly horrific the scene you're seeing. Perfect mix of action and comedy. I didn't want to watch S7 but I did want to watch this specific episode.
Glad I did Gilligan knocks it out the park and is a 10/10 and also shows that Carter needs someone like him under him to write the episodes for him as he can't do it himself.

 

[NotASlayer]

I disagree. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Seasons 6 & 7 were some of the best of the series, if not Trek as a whole. I would presume the lessons are, you have to take risks, you have to tell new stories with new and supporting characters, you have to earn the trust of your audience, and you have to be willing to pay some things off.

Well, I did say the vast majority, not all. 😀 And if you can only think of one series where that isn't true... it does kind of agree with the point. (There will be others naturally.)

Something I am curious about...I only glimpsed episodes where Scully was partnered with Doggett. Whatever I saw did not convince me to see more. But now I'm curious. I hear Scully has finally become more like Mulder while Doggett is the skeptic, and I'm curious what that's like.

Yes, Doggett was The Scully and Scully became The Mulder. I suspect they still needed someone to fill both roles, and perhaps Scully was the natural Mulder replacement given what she'd seen. Even if she spent most of the time denying it previously. Doggett, given his role, would have been odd in Mulder's role.

 

[Btvs fan]

Well, I did say the vast majority, not all. 😀 And if you can only think of one series where that isn't true... it does kind of agree with the point. (There will be others naturally.)



Yes, Doggett was The Scully and Scully became The Mulder. I suspect they still needed someone to fill both roles, and perhaps Scully was the natural Mulder replacement given what she'd seen. Even if she spent most of the time denying it previously. Doggett, given his role, would have been odd in Mulder's role.

Given all that Scully has seen the fact that she's still a sceptic when Mulder is around is bizarre

 

[NotASlayer]

Given all that Scully has seen the fact that she's still a sceptic when Mulder is around is bizarre

I think the way they'd set things up they felt they needed a sceptic and a believer. But this did lead to some truly odd denials of what she had seen by Scully.

 

[Btvs fan]

I think the way they'd set things up they felt they needed a sceptic and a believer. But this did lead to some truly odd denials of what she had seen by Scully.

What's your thoughts on Season 8. Any episodes both worth watching and avoiding ?

 

[NotASlayer]

What's your thoughts on Season 8. Any episodes both worth watching and avoiding ?

The season, looking back at it, seems to have been rather unmemorable. Probably avoid all the myth arc episodes. 😀 Which is quite a few of them. Redrum sticks out, though whether that's just because of associating it with The Shining, I don't know.

 

[Btvs fan]

The season, looking back at it, seems to have been rather unmemorable. Probably avoid all the myth arc episodes. 😀 Which is quite a few of them. Redrum sticks out, though whether that's just because of associating it with The Shining, I don't know.

So I just saw Redrum, out standing episode and Joe Norton is thr scene stealer in that. Shame they never used him again

 

[Kendar]

Very few shows have seasons where ALL the episodes are bad. Case in point: Season 11 episode Rm9sbG93ZXJz is one I would rate in top 10 of X-Files episodes.

 

[Btvs fan]

Very few shows have seasons where ALL the episodes are bad. Case in point: Season 11 episode Rm9sbG93ZXJz is one I would rate in top 10 of X-Files episodes.

Currently watching Via Negativa which has Holtz in it.
I will say the Cinematography has improved for Season 8 and Robert Patrick as Doggett is pretty good. Certainly better than Duchovny who was clearly bored by Season 7.

That actually brings me back to the Season 7 Finale. Pretty much WHY ??
So the Alien Bounty Hunter is going around abducting previous abductees and Mulder .... the show doesn't give a reason why ???

I mean the Aliens had let all these people go previously so why do they need them now, or had they not intended to let all these people go, in which case oopsies ...

Also intergalactic Aliens really can't land there space ships can they 😄

 

[NotASlayer]

Also intergalactic Aliens really can't land there space ships can they 😄

In some SF books I read, I think Earth had a reputation with the aliens as a navigational hazard because people kept crashlanding on it when they got close.