The X-Files: I Want to Believe

[schild]

Watching X-Files again from season 1-7 (fuck the last 2). I just ahve to say, from Our Town until halfway through season 3 is just awesome.

So how does Fringe compare to X-Files since both are fresh to you?

I can't really be bothered to watch XF anymore, though I love it.

Fringe sucks compared to X-Files. Deep Throat, the black guy, and Cancer Man are just too much for the Mad Scientist to deal with. Honestly, Chris Carter has a clearer idea of where his series are going than JJ Abrams ever will. If I had to compare something to X-Files, I'd compare Supernatural. It's _almost_ as good and _almost_ as focused. X-Files was razor sharp until Chris and Duchovny were both gone.

Edit: That's not to say I don't like Fringe, it's just not to fair to compare Abrams to Carter.

Edit: Speaking of, it seems my comparison is apt and a little more than depressing.

Kim Manners, the veteran TV producer-director who helmed dozens of episodes of The X-Files and Supermatural, died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from lung cancer. He was 59.

Hailing from a showbiz family, Manners first broke into the TV business in the 1970s as a production manager and director on Charlie's Angels. He went on to work on such series as Star Trek: The Next Generation, 21 Jump Street and Baywatch until he got the call for The X-Files.

It was on Chris Carter's hit sci-fi mystery series where Manners made his mark, scoring four Emmy nominations for his work. All told he directed 52 episodes of The X-Files.

...

After The X-Files ended, Manners helped launch Supernatural in 2005, directing many of its most memorable episodes, including the season finales.

So, uhm, yea. That's bad.

[AngryGumball]

I actually disliked this a great deal. I won't get into details since they're largely unimportant, but it just didn't click with me.

agree +1

Hated the cast reunion, the suddenly skinner is there to save the day showup.

[Baldrake]

You're not alone, Matey. I saw the movie a while back on a plane, and really liked it.

[schild]

Episode 3x13, Syzygy:

Wherein Ryan Reynolds has two blondes walk up to him and go "So, do you know who the cult is going after next? A blonde virgin." To which he replies, "Comeon, I'll give you guys a ride home." Obviously, this had a huge effect on his career.

The number of famous, young people in this show is staggering.

[schild]

Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man is a pretty amazing episode.

[stray]

Smoking Man episode, yeah.. one of my favorites..


I recall another pretty good episode with Giovanni Ribisi... (sp)

[schild]

Smoking Man episode, yeah.. one of my favorites..


I recall another pretty good episode with Giovanni Ribisi... (sp)

Most of the ones involving people that went on to be celebrities have, I suppose ironically, all been trash. Also, forgot to cap the Katherine Heigl episode.

[schild]

And Episode 8 of Season 4 begins one of the longest story arcs in the history of television. Episode title: Tunguska. Win! From here until the middle of Season 6 it's pretty much The Shit.

[stray]

Had to look it up.. Jack Black was also in the Ribisi episode. Something about Ribisi being able to direct lightning.

Reynolds episode is in the same season... and a Lucy Liu one as well. Luke Wilson's in another later on.. I remember that one being sort of funny.

[Trippy]

Had to look it up.. Jack Black was also in the Ribisi episode. Something about Ribisi being able to direct lightning.

Reynolds episode is in the same season... and a Lucy Liu one as well. Luke Wilson's in another later on.. I remember that one being sort of funny.

Yeah the Luke Wilson episode has Scully and Mulder each telling their version of the story and Scully had the hots for Luke's character and Mulder was making fun of his teeth and stuff.

[schild]

The Ribisi episode sucked. The Lucy Liu episode sucked. Katherine Heigl episode sucked.

I think Chris Carter used up and comers and filler to make an otherwise crap episode seem a little better. It is impressive.

But really, if an episode doesn't involve at least one of the deep throat types, Crichek (or whatever), Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Cancer-Man, and alien/black ooze shit. It's just poopy. Some, like Darkness Falls, Musings, and Sanguinarium are transcendant and above those rules, but for the most part, they're uneven and mediocre at best.

The other type of filler, the ones involving an actual urban myth or cryptozoology (Chupacabra, Jersey Devil, Nessie) are all decent.

Luke Wilson one comes much later in the series.

I think it'll be interesting to watch Season 7 and 8 ignoring the terminator and focusing on Adam Baldwin now that I know who he is - back then though, no clue and the seasons held no interest with me.

Edit: Also, Stray, you could've just looked at my screenshot on the page prior to see the Ribisi/Black stuff.

[stray]

The Ribisi episode sucked. The Lucy Liu episode sucked. Katherine Heigl episode sucked.

I think Chris Carter used up and comers and filler to make an otherwise crap episode seem a little better. It is impressive.

Actually, I was reading that he moved the show to Vancouver after these seasons. Could be a big reason.

But really, if an episode doesn't involve at least one of the deep throat types, Crichek (or whatever), Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Cancer-Man, and alien/black ooze shit. It's just poopy. Some, like Darkness Falls, Musings, and Sanguinarium are transcendant and above those rules, but for the most part, they're uneven and mediocre at best.

I would agree generally. What Carter calls the "mythology" episodes... I like some of self-contained stuff though, when it's funny. Or really, fucked up, like that one about the retard family.

[schild]

Or really, fucked up, like that one about the retard family.

Saw that earlier today, terrible episode. Would rather watch the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Almost did.

[UnSub]

From memory, the Bruce Campbell episode was very good.

[ahoythematey]

The one with Luke Wilson was Bad Blood, and had Mulder and Scully each narrating their version of what went down when they encountered a town full of domesticated vampires.  It was awesome.

I can't remember the name of the bruce campbell episode, but I really liked that one as well.  Classic x-files twist at the end, but it still didn't dampen my sympathy for Bruce's character even though he was essentially a demon.

[schild]

Chupacabra episode ^_^

[schild]

Season 7, Episode 12. Probably one of the last great episodes til the finale.

The Cops episode.

[stu]

I finally saw this tonight and I have to say it was a cool movie. My first exposure to X-Files was the last movie before this one, and I had no idea what was going on while in the theater. I guess seeing the actor from Californication Season 2 might have kept me tuned in since that guy is cool. More than anything, I was just glad to see this movie revolving around crazy/bizarre stuff rather than alien abductions, which was what I was expecting going in. Since that past theater viewing for the first movie I've caught the occasional episode, but I think now I'll be seeking out the show once in a while. Maybe I'll even start from the beginning of the series. Has it aged well?

Anyways, I was surprised enough that I felt this one deserved a necro, although reading past entries here, I'll probly get the ice and kidney treatment. Anyone who has had only a peripheral impression of this series but likes the genre would like this movie (How can you like this genre and not be fully knowledgeable about The X-Files?! Yes, it's possible).

[pxib]

Watch the show. Its particular brand of weirdness never really goes out of style, but beware of creeping continuity.

[Xuri]

Speaking of Californication (and X-Files) - in one of the most recent episodes, Hank dressed up in a suit, looked at himself in the mirror and then replied with "I look like a fucking FBI-agent" in response to Karen's "you look nice" (or some such). 

[Hutch]

Oh hay, check out this thread.

To riff on the two-year-old "famous x-files guest stars" topic, a not-yet-famous Seth Green was in a very early Season 1 ep. I forget what it's called, but Mulder and Scully go out west somewhere, and Mulder wants to sneak into an Air Force base, because he thinks there are UFOs inside. Green played one of the local stoners that Mulder befriended. For information.

[Khaldun]

I don't know why, but I always had the sense that this film was yet to come out.

I enjoyed the series, but something killed it for me. I don't even enjoy most of its old episodes when I see them again--Jose Chung and maybe 10-15 others are tremendously great, but there's just tons that feel cheerless or pointless now.

[UnSub]

The X-Files suffered from the problem that it needed to answer its own plot questions in order to give fans closure, but answering those questions would mean the end of the series. It just ran on too long.

TV Tropes has a page on the Chris Carter Effect (or similar) about writers who make it up as they go along, but make people think there is some overarching plan. Y'know, like Lost.

[Khaldun]

Yeah. I felt this way a bit about Babylon 5 too--such a wonderful narrative build-up and then just terrible WTF oh noes partly because of the need to compress so much in case the show got cancelled. It's hard not to have that affect how you read continuity-themed episodes earlier when you re-see them.

[Ingmar]

Funny thing is, all my favorite episodes at least were non "plot" Monster of the Week ones. I'd have been happier if that was all the show tried to be really.

[01101010]

Funny thing is, all my favorite episodes at least were non "plot" Monster of the Week ones. I'd have been happier if that was all the show tried to be really.

Precisely. Once the show started to try to string together a plot line throughout the season(s), the show, for me, seemed to lose its appeal.

[Tannhauser]

I strongly disagree.  I anxiously awaited the next appearance of CSM.  That said, many of the non-lore episodes were the best as others have said upthread. 

But I can't bring myself to watch re-runs, not sure why. I call it the "Chris Nolan Effect" (if TVTropes is interested).

The last movie was horrid and I'm an easy lay when it comes to entertainment.  The X-Files is over but I have fond memories.

[01101010]

I strongly disagree.  I anxiously awaited the next appearance of CSM.  That said, many of the non-lore episodes were the best as others have said upthread. 

But I can't bring myself to watch re-runs, not sure why. I call it the "Chris Nolan Effect" (if TVTropes is interested).

The last movie was horrid and I'm an easy lay when it comes to entertainment.  The X-Files is over but I have fond memories.

Ok. I can go along for the first season, maybe the second when they went to a static seasonal plotline, but overtime it decayed greatly to the point of making me not giving a shit if I missed an episode or three. When the show first started, my buddies and I had the Sunday ritual - it became something akin to sunday mass for us and as the first season progressed, our congregation grew to at least 10. That had a lot to do with my fond memories... in college and finding that show that brought a crowd.

The movies...meh. They were X-Files, but they did not have the draw at all... maybe due to age, losing that Sunday school group, quitting getting high while watching, etc. Still watched for the nostalgia, but the movies themselves were not the interest point.