Re: XF: I... hmmm. I think it might be okay if you went in with the full knowledge that things go completely off the rails at some point. Appropriate expectations would be key. Because there are a lot of XF episodes for which I have a huge amount of fondness, so those would be worth seeing. So I would vote yes on the watching, as long as you have the full trainwreck constantly at the forefront of your mind. :)
Hi! I hope you're fully recovered by now--I started to respond to your BSG post with sympathy and gentle (loving!) smacks upside the head, but then my response to your post grew into its own entry and I never got back to the sympathy/smacking. But I hope you're feeling better!
I am, thank you! Except for the fact that I just got off the phone, like, 10 minutes ago.
I know how badly The X-Files goes off the rails, because I have heard extensive rants on even small parts of the off-the-rails-going, but it does feel like watching the show is a little like playing with fire. Because people wouldn't be so bitter if there wasn't a whole lot to ruin, you know?
I don't know how to vote. When the show was good, it was very good and when it was bad, I wanted to stab Chris Carter repeatedly with a pitchfork and throw salt in the wounds. I think you can watch up until Season 7 without the bitterness consuming you.
Well I'm going to be watching the series from the beginning and I've never seen it before but I've heard that it's an good enough show for it to be worth watch straight through from the beginning. I've heard of the bitterness and drop off in quality too so I'm mentally prepared and I think as long as you keep it in perspective it'll be okay. I did that for Alias and finale aside, it worked for me pretty well.
I'm really glad you brought up Alias, both because it's the show I have foremost in my mind when I don't want to get burned again by a showrunner with no clue what he's actually doing and because I myself never know what to say when people ask me if they should watch it. I wouldn't be half as bitter about that show if I hadn't believed at the time that all of the little details and twists in Seasons 1 and 2 were significant and going places; the same probably applies to The X-Files.
I would tell them to watch the first season knowing that it wasn't going anywhere and if they aren't too emotionally invested to stop or else know that the show doesn't get much better after that. I'm not too bitter with Alias knowing it didn't follow through, just disappointed it DIDN'T do what I wished it would.
Yes, especially when CC and Spotnitz just said publically that they were pretty much making the mytharc up as they went along. *headdesk* As if we couldn't tell that. But do watch. Kerne is absolutely right. Even in the latter seasons there were some excellent eps. And there were some really bad ones in early seasons.
It's good to know that there were good episodes in the latter seasons; I find it marginally more encouraging that it doesn't descend into utter wretchedness.
"Babylon Squared"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *flappy hands* I had been going merrily along, rationalizing the fact that it was getting a little better, sort of, and then there was that episode. And finally I realized that everything gabolange had been telling me about how this show was going to get exceptionally cool was probably in fact true
( ... )
And finally I realized that everything gabolange had been telling me about how this show was going to get exceptionally cool was probably in fact true.
I even genuinely liked and was interested in Sinclair! It was DISTURBING. But it did seem like that episode that some shows seem to have, in their Season 1s, that define what the show is really going to be.
I do enjoy a good monster of the week, and it seems like if I watched The X-Files mostly on that level, it could be a lot of fun.
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Hi! I hope you're fully recovered by now--I started to respond to your BSG post with sympathy and gentle (loving!) smacks upside the head, but then my response to your post grew into its own entry and I never got back to the sympathy/smacking. But I hope you're feeling better!
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I am, thank you! Except for the fact that I just got off the phone, like, 10 minutes ago.
I know how badly The X-Files goes off the rails, because I have heard extensive rants on even small parts of the off-the-rails-going, but it does feel like watching the show is a little like playing with fire. Because people wouldn't be so bitter if there wasn't a whole lot to ruin, you know?
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In fact, I just got Season One on DVD, and am looking forward to it.
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I even genuinely liked and was interested in Sinclair! It was DISTURBING. But it did seem like that episode that some shows seem to have, in their Season 1s, that define what the show is really going to be.
I do enjoy a good monster of the week, and it seems like if I watched The X-Files mostly on that level, it could be a lot of fun.
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