THE X-FILES RETURNS!

Greetings internet dwellers!

A while ago, I started a series where as I re-watched The X-Files in preparation for the revival, I went through each season and talked a little bit about my favorite episodes. However, because my site redesign took a bit longer than expected, I was not able to finish. 

In other words, I "shit the bed" on that one. I did want to say a few things before the series starts tonight. I would be amiss if I didn't say anything.   

Even though I did not share my thoughts, I did finish my re-watch. Yes, all nine seasons, plus the two films. I said before I started back in November, The X-Files is still my favorite television show of all time. I owe a lot to the show, in terms of where my life was headed.

While I have seen every episode more times than I can count, I really enjoy revisiting the show from start to finish, from time-to-time.

I believe I left off my recaps at season three. Which is a shame because the meat of the show kind of starts there. Season's two through six, are really where the X-Files shined (well, parts of season six). Most would say the show really started to go downhill at season eight, when Duchovny decided to "leave" the show. 

While I agree with that to an extent, for me, the show really started to falter after the first feature film, Fight the Future. I do have to say, if you have not seen Fight the Future, you are missing out. I really, really, enjoy the film. It's a nice little tense Sci-fi thriller. Even if you know very little about the show, it's a solid watch.

In a way, the show losing its footing after the film, makes sense. Originally, Fight the Future was conceived to end the series. The season finale of season five, is aptly titled: The End. It would lead into Fight the Future. However, the show was still immensely popular, and Fox did not want to cancel it. 

Seasons four and five, have some really great episodes. One of the other things to me, that really sunk the show in the end, are the mythology episodes. Things get really, really, heavy. From the black oil, to Scully's cancer, to super soldiers, to Scully's alien Jesus baby, it all becomes too much.

There are a lot of great standalone episodes in season's four and five. Season four has: Home, Leonard Betts, & Small Potatoes. Season five has: Detour, The Post-Modern Prometheus, Chinga, and Bad Blood.

The mythology episodes are still pretty good in these two seasons too. Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, Tunguska, Gethsemane, The Usual Suspects, and The End, are all solid episodes. 

Season six has a lot of great standalone episodes as well. Drive, Dreamland I & II, Monday, Arcadia, and Field Trip, are all great. Mythology wise, this is where things start to go awry. This is where Scully starts to change her stance a little bit, on her skepticism.

While it's great to see the character evolve, it really felt a little out of place. Mulder's connection to the alien spacecraft, which messes up his head, has always felt dumb to me. And this leads us into season seven. 

Some great episodes in season seven, but again, the mythology just starts to ruin everything. Millennium, The Goldberg Variant, X-Cops, and Hollywood A.D., are pretty solid. Then, David Duchovny leaves the show.

While most fans hate the last two seasons of The X-Files, there are a few good things about them. First and foremost, is Robert Patrick. I love the character of John Doggett. He is well written, and is played with much bravado by Patrick. Annabeth Gish, is also really good.  I really love how Doggett is introduced as well.

However, season eight is mostly about finding Mulder, who has been abducted by aliens. The end of season seven, saw Mulder just casually walk under a spaceship, and be taken away. It's actually pretty comical. It also contains one of the strangest (even by X-Files standards) episodes ever: Badlaa. It also has an episode where Doggett is killed, then "reborn..." To which afterward, nothing is even brought up about that again. 

There are a few good episodes, like Redrum, Vienen, and Alone, which are solid. The Episode Salvage is also pretty good, just for the T-1000 nostalgia. Then, Scully has her alien Jesus baby. 

Seriously, season nine, is actually a pretty solid season. Except for when Mulder, Scully, the alien Jesus Baby, and the mythology are intertwined. The best episodes of season nine, are pretty much anything involving Doggett and Reyes. The mythology is just too out of control at this point.

The beauty of season nine, is IN those standalone episodes, where it is just Doggett and Reyes, investigating X-Files. Patrick and Gish, are really good together and in a way, I would have loved to see something with these two continue post X-files.

I think fans get too caught up in how messed up the mythology gets, they blame the characters of Doggett and Reyes. In actuality, their episodes are quite good. Daemonicus, 4-D, Lord of the Flies, John Doe, Hellbound, Underneath, Release, and Sunshine Days, are all really solid episodes.  

The Truth, the series finale of The X-Files, is actually really solid as well. It stumbles a bit, crushing under the weight of the messed up mythology, but all in all, is a decent end to the series. 

Which leads us to I Want to Believe. While I get why the film is generally panned, I actually kind of like it. Sure, it's nothing more than a long episode of the show. However, I think it was actually kind of ballsy to not do something involving aliens, or government conspiracies for the X-Files' second big screen outing. People would be expecting that, and they didn't do it. 

To wrap this up, tonight sees the return of The X-Files. There is a lot of buzz surrounding its return, and with the recent reveal that Carter has written a third X-Files movie, I hope we can get more. Even if some of the first episode is a little shaky, it seems like the show is back. And I can't wait. 

Anyway, that's all for now. Go forth, and search for the truth.