Mulder, Close Your Mouth!
Felix launched a re-watch of UFOPORNO "The X-Files" lately, and I've been loving it. And it gave me nightmares! I've underestimated how well this show did creepy sometimes, but I like scares, so it's great. XD
I adored the X-Files (or Akte X as it's called here) when I was little because I used to be obsessed with unexplained phenomena (and to a degree I still am, though I don't believe 99,99% of it anymore). I never really liked the Alien/UFO/Government Conspiracy stuff, but I love cryptids, myths, and urban legends. I own all those "Unexplained Phenomena" books. I wrote on this topic before, but it actually took me a while to realize that all this stuff shares an uneasy proximity to reactionary thinking, anti-science sentiment, "the gub'ment is after us" narratives and conspiracy theories that are inherently racist/xenophobic, which is NOT my bag at all, and which is why I ultimately distanced myself from it. (I was twelve back then. I merely liked it out of a sense of "wouldn't it be cool if sea monsters were real?!") But in fiction, I still adore most of it.
(I'm not saying that The X-Files was like that, because they balanced it out by having Mulder, the believer and Scully, the sceptic. But a lot of supernatural nuts certainly are like that.)
Even my twelve year old self knew that X-Files could be really crappy and hokey sometimes (and oh lol is it ever), but it also gave writers a chance to explore some crazy concepts and then spin them into these dark little tales, and it could be great. I can't even say I watched it regularly or that I've seen most episodes, but once in a while, the show would create those moments that simply stayed with you, and it was fun re-visiting them and going "Oh god, that's what that was!"
Not to mention that X-Files came out at a time where mystery wasn't mainstream at all; it was pretty much this and Buffy (which, also a show I'll always love). They broke the barrier for everything that came after. During the re-watch, I was actually surprised how many episodes reminded me of early Supernatural (which is not a knock on SPN; you should do these storylines in a mystery show!).
Though I gotta admit, one of my favorite treats re-watching it is hating on Mulder. XD I don't know why, but I never realized what a colossal boob that dude is, and David Duchovny's performance doesn't help. He's such a handsome man but he has like, two facial expressions (one being "smug douche", the other being "Durr!"). It drives me crazy whenever there's something scary/dramatic/mysterious/exciting happening, and then there's a shot back to Mulder and he makes the exact same face always. I mean, I do root for him, he's a charismatic character and all, but lol. I knew there was a reason why I remember Dana Scully pretty vividly and him not so much. But I'll be damned if Scully and Mulder weren't a great on-screen duo, and if that wasn't one of the most delicious, drawn-out ship tease of all time.
Anyway, it's a fun show to revisit, and since they're so fresh in my mind, I want to write down my personal Top 10 episodes of the first season. Because usually I would be all "You should watch every episode of a good show OMG!", but in the case of The X-Files ... yeeeah, a lot of them are skippable. XD But some are still great television.
Like I said, I always liked the Monster-Of-The-Week episodes more than the Alien mythology ones, and my list reflects that. Most of these are self-contained stories that you could watch without knowing anything about the show.
1/01 Pilot*
1/03 Squeeze
1/06 Shadows
1/08 Ice
1/11 Eve
1/13 Beyond The Sea
1/18 Miracle Man
1/20 Darkness Falls
1/21 Tooms
1/24 The Erlenmeyer Flask*
*Actually I'm not a great fan of either the pilot or the finale, but they're still worth it because you see Mulder and Scully meet for the first time in the pilot, and the last one kinda wraps up the season, so.
I adored the X-Files (or Akte X as it's called here) when I was little because I used to be obsessed with unexplained phenomena (and to a degree I still am, though I don't believe 99,99% of it anymore). I never really liked the Alien/UFO/Government Conspiracy stuff, but I love cryptids, myths, and urban legends. I own all those "Unexplained Phenomena" books. I wrote on this topic before, but it actually took me a while to realize that all this stuff shares an uneasy proximity to reactionary thinking, anti-science sentiment, "the gub'ment is after us" narratives and conspiracy theories that are inherently racist/xenophobic, which is NOT my bag at all, and which is why I ultimately distanced myself from it. (I was twelve back then. I merely liked it out of a sense of "wouldn't it be cool if sea monsters were real?!") But in fiction, I still adore most of it.
(I'm not saying that The X-Files was like that, because they balanced it out by having Mulder, the believer and Scully, the sceptic. But a lot of supernatural nuts certainly are like that.)
Even my twelve year old self knew that X-Files could be really crappy and hokey sometimes (and oh lol is it ever), but it also gave writers a chance to explore some crazy concepts and then spin them into these dark little tales, and it could be great. I can't even say I watched it regularly or that I've seen most episodes, but once in a while, the show would create those moments that simply stayed with you, and it was fun re-visiting them and going "Oh god, that's what that was!"
Not to mention that X-Files came out at a time where mystery wasn't mainstream at all; it was pretty much this and Buffy (which, also a show I'll always love). They broke the barrier for everything that came after. During the re-watch, I was actually surprised how many episodes reminded me of early Supernatural (which is not a knock on SPN; you should do these storylines in a mystery show!).
Though I gotta admit, one of my favorite treats re-watching it is hating on Mulder. XD I don't know why, but I never realized what a colossal boob that dude is, and David Duchovny's performance doesn't help. He's such a handsome man but he has like, two facial expressions (one being "smug douche", the other being "Durr!"). It drives me crazy whenever there's something scary/dramatic/mysterious/exciting happening, and then there's a shot back to Mulder and he makes the exact same face always. I mean, I do root for him, he's a charismatic character and all, but lol. I knew there was a reason why I remember Dana Scully pretty vividly and him not so much. But I'll be damned if Scully and Mulder weren't a great on-screen duo, and if that wasn't one of the most delicious, drawn-out ship tease of all time.
Anyway, it's a fun show to revisit, and since they're so fresh in my mind, I want to write down my personal Top 10 episodes of the first season. Because usually I would be all "You should watch every episode of a good show OMG!", but in the case of The X-Files ... yeeeah, a lot of them are skippable. XD But some are still great television.
Like I said, I always liked the Monster-Of-The-Week episodes more than the Alien mythology ones, and my list reflects that. Most of these are self-contained stories that you could watch without knowing anything about the show.
1/01 Pilot*
1/03 Squeeze
1/06 Shadows
1/08 Ice
1/11 Eve
1/13 Beyond The Sea
1/18 Miracle Man
1/20 Darkness Falls
1/21 Tooms
1/24 The Erlenmeyer Flask*
*Actually I'm not a great fan of either the pilot or the finale, but they're still worth it because you see Mulder and Scully meet for the first time in the pilot, and the last one kinda wraps up the season, so.