What are your thoughts on The X-Files?  Aside from a handful of episodes I saw during its syndication run, I must admit that I'm mostly lost on the series' story and mythos.  What I saw I remember liking, though, so I'm planning on picking up Seasons 1 and 2 for a test run.

Someone mentioned about "Mythology Sets," which are apparently storylines separate from the main seasons.  What exactly are these, and are they too worth picking up?

The X-Files is my favorite TV show of all time. Equally cheesy and classy, believable and supernatural, the X-Files is a show that has permanently shaped the way I see other sci-fi shows... and hardly any of them can compare to the sheer greatness of the X-Files.

There is a continual storyline dealing with aliens, the government, hoaxes and a bunch of other stuff, and that's what is considered "mythology". There are also "monster of the week" episodes that are just 44 minute stand alone episodes that deal with supernatural stuff. The stuff in those mythos DVD boxsets are just the "real story" from the X-Files in cut-and-dry form, but missing out on the MOTW episodes is an injustice.

I will say that in order to form a true opinion of the show, you need to see the first four seasons or so; that should be enough to dictate whether you'd want to pursue on and see the rest of the episodes. I say four seasons because the first season is kinda cheesy, and the series starts to really find its feet near the end of the second season. The third has some of the best mythology episodes and the fourth is a very well-rounded package of story and scares (as well as a really funny episode or two).

I have seen every X-File episode at least twice, with some being closer to the twenty count. But... yeah. Give the first couple of seasons a test run and see how you like 'em. There are some "WTF" moments in the mytharc, and some contradictions here and there, but that shit happens no matter where you look. Some fans found the later seasons to be disappointing, but I feel that the sixth season was ok, the seventh bunk, and the last two to be great... but I assure you, that's a minority's opinion. I'm curious to see what you think, Angie.

EDIT: Just to clarify, the mythology episodes are not separate from the main seasons; one out of every three episodes or so during the season deals with the mythology of the show. Those mythology DVD sets just take the "best of" episodes and put them in chronological order.

Regardless of your reasoning on the why, if you have to see close to 100 episodes to form an opinion on the show one way or another, something just isn't right.

I watched the X-Files on and off, never really sequencially. Some episodes were really enjoyable. Some were utter pants. The ones hardest for me to judge given my viewing pattern were the continuing story ones but seeing them out of order exposed a nasty pattern of 'throw out some wild hypothesis that has no basis, turn out it's right, then have any evidence vanish at end of episode'.

For example, if Mulder lost his car keys, he might suggest that flesh-eating space werewolves took them. Scully would say that's ridiculous - maybe they are in his coat pocket? But sure enough, flesh-eating space werewolves would have his keys and he'd find their lair. Then it would go up in flames and every shred of evidence would be gone. End of episode. Repeat pattern.

Saw a few great ones though. Of course they all started with Mulder throwing out some dumbass hypothesis for no reason and then being totally right. But, if you can get past that, there is much to enjoy.

I just completed a huge marathon a couple of months ago where I watched the entire series from beginning to end (I have a cheap rental store nearby), and I can honestly say this is one of the best series I've ever seen.

Granted, everything Jay is true. There is a recurring pattern to most of the episodes, and the first two seasons are kinda cheesy, but if you can get past that, there is some really great stuff waiting for you here.
The mythology episodes can be confusing and contradictory, and to be honest the final episode was a HUGE letdown, and didn't really resolve ANYTHING, but what made the series so special to me are the comedic episodes, which are really really funny, and the more experimental episodes where they just try to do something different and manage to succeed most of the time.

Mulder is probably one of my favorite TV characters of all time, he's certainly one of the funniest ones, which is why the last two seasons, when mr. Duchovny started having enough of the show and got replaced by Robert Patrick, aka John Doggett, are simply not interesting enough.

That said, the quality episodes go on until the 6th or 7th season or so, and they're definitely worth watching, but whether you'll like the last 2 seasons is up to you.

Still highly recommended.

Not necessarily. I feel that in order to really get the most out of the show, the episodes need to be watched in order. If someone just watched the first eight episodes of the first season, called it cheesy and never gave the rest of the show another chance, that would suck for them because the show has so much more to offer. I feel that I explained my reasoning in my first post, and it would be foolish to judge a whole series based on a small number of episodes; especially before the show finds its feet and really gets moving.

That's part of the show's charm for me, and seeing the development as to how Mulder is right throughout the episode is a treat. Maybe that's just me, considering how I have seen all of the episodes in sequence instead of just watching them "on and off". You'll find that the X-Files is not an "on and off" type of show, which is also why I recommended seeing a few seasons instead of just a few episodes before passing judgment.

I haven't seen an episode all the way through but while flipping channels a week ago, I caught the end of an episode and it was pretty gripping. Duchovny was in old man makeup for a good chunk of it.

I haven't seen a huge number of episodes, but I've seen enough to think that it has some good plot elements, but seems somewhat disjointed. I personally prefer Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" which is my all time favorite series! Also, I think the original "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" is very good too, and I'm certain that was one of the series that inspired The X-Files!

cheers,

-avatar!

I've watched a few episodes. One of them was really creepy and it involved a guy that had a shadow. There's nothing peculiar about shadows, but this one would give you some problems if you stepped into it. Good show. If I could manufacture time, I'd watch the whole lot.

There were a lot of great episodes that I saw and I was going to buy the whole series at Best Buy while they were $20 a piece, but out of 9 seasons the show still ended with a cliffhanger and for some reason there haven't been any follow up movies, like they mentioned there would be, to give at least a better sense of resolution.  So, I passed on it.

I watched a few episodes here and there, but it never grabbed me.  It was the kind of show I could watch with other people and not mind so much, but I never had any desire to watch it on my own.

So I watched the first three episodes on Season One this weekend, and man.... I'm hooked.  It was easy getting absorbed into the gripping stories, intrigue and fast-establishing character development.  I'd forgotten that these were hour long (or 45+ minute) episodes, and it's sure great not having to deal with commercials.  ;)  I now have spectacular expectations for the show, and I'll likely be picking up the rest of the seasons down the line.

I know there's got to be a zillion sites designated to X-Files discussion and theory speak, but I'd hate for me to stumble upon stuff that ties into later stuff -- thereby spoiling things for myself.  That said, I do want to talk about what I've seen so far, so I'm going to be delving into SPOILER TERRITORY from here on out.

---

First, I certainly see the patterned plot structure you guys mentioned.  That they were to establish Mulder and Scully's extreme contrasting views in these early episodes is to be expected, and it should be fun to see what I'm assuming will be Scully's eventual 'coming over' to Mulder's side of creeds and beliefs.  Although it's cool to see Mulder so confident in his craft and ability to deduce, I like that even his character has certain defects; him defiantly rushing back on his own to Ellens Air Base in "Deep Throat" was a rash thing to do, and even more shocking that he actually gets captured.  (If selective memory deletion is possible, I wonder if they erased more than just what he experienced at Ellens?)  Also, that he was mistaken when Tooms actually was present at the parking garage in "Squeeze" shows that even his deductive reasonings can be flawed -- while at the same time shows the importance of Scully claiming a stake at her given role.

'Squeeze" was a lot of fun; I assume that this is is the first of the monster of the week episodes?  Those shots of Tooms' eyes, just staring venomously at his intended victim gave me awesome chills.... but I was a bit surprised when he was cuffed at the end that he didn't just use his contortion ability to slip out of them.  And such a perfect way to end the episode, with him staring at at the slot in his holding cell.  Will he be back in later episodes? 

"The Pilot" probably left me hanging with the most questions.  The corpse they had exumed.... was that actually Ray Soames?  Was it an after-effect to the experiments he was exposed to?  The others that possessed the marks were victims of abduction, correct?  Which included Billy Miles..... but why was he ordered to murder the others?  And what happened to Theresa?

Ah, the first of many "Mulder ditches".

Angela, will you make comments about every single X-Files episode? =P

I hope so!

Yeah, I think it'll be interesting to read them too.  Don't forget the movie, Angela!  I think it falls in between seasons 4 and 5.

Wasn't planning to, unless a particular episode strikes my fancy.  The first three just happened to be all awesome.  ^_^

But from my impressions, I was hoping to get some in-depth discussion out of you guys as well.  For instance, does anyone want to provide their thoughts on "The Pilot"?  I'll likely have to go back and watch it over again, but I'm still a little perplexed about the details.

The movie falls in between season 5 and 6 actually.

And yes, without spoiling anything, Tooms will be back, even within this season.

Seeing as how I just finished watching the entire series a couple of months ago, I'd love to hear your impressions on more episodes too, Angela
For season 1, keep a look out for episodes 7 "Ice" and  12 "Beyond the Sea", which were my 2 favorites (outside of the Mythology episodes)

Amazingu, I thought I was wrong; thanks for the correction!

Since you've watched it all did you find the finale satisfying enough if they never release any of the rumored follow-up movies?

Ugh, no, the Finale was a HUGE letdown.  It doesn't really add or resolve ANYTHING, but perhaps that's because they were going to make another movie. As it is though, they never did, which makes the last couple episodes really disappointing.

The comments on the DVD said that they originally intended to end the show after season 7, and as far as I'm concerned, they should have.

Watched "Conduit" today, which was another superb episode.  This one felt a little more character-centric, where they seem to be just scratching the story surface of the abduction of Mulder's sister. That they played off Ruby's disappearance as a parallel to Samantha's was a great angle, and watching Mulder grasping on to this potentially-revealing link..... well, it's been an engaging watch.  My favorite scenes were when he expressed some surprisingly forced energy as he interrogated Tessa, and his walk-out in disgust when Darlene refused to let Ruby speak about what happened to her in the end.

Two things I've noticed about The X-Files up to now.  1) Eyes.  They really utilize the performance of the eyes to great effect.  Tooms' staring peepers were genuinely frightening, but young Kevin's, when Mulder first talks with him in front of the television, were equally unsettling. 

2) I absolutely love the way they end the episodes.  They always bookend themselves perfectly, leaving you with an intended emotion as the credits roll.  Like the "oh shit" feeling at the end of The Pilot, when you realize that the government really does know everything, and the tense knowing that Tooms is inevitably going to make his way out in Squeeze.  The heartfelt pain you feel for Mulder when he's crying in the church because his determination led to little to no results as to the whereabouts of his sister was a powerful choice.

I heard that "Jersey Devil" is one of the weakest episodes of The X-Files, but I liked it quite a bit.  It was interesting purely for its B-movie elements set in a modern-day setting - and in Atlantic City, of all places.  Seeing Scully having fun by playing chaperone at a children's birthday party was also a refreshing scene, as is the way she forces herself through her ho-hum date with Rob.  And a big ol' "heh" at Mulder being a weekend jail bird; this guy just waltzes into TEH TROUBLE, doesn't he?  But you know, it wasn't even Scully or Mulder or even Ms. Bigfoot that made this episode; it was the university professor who was explaining about the nature of early man, his territorial instincts, and his place in the food chain.  A keen and well-spoken character who I thought riffed off of Mulder real well.

In "Shadows," Scully's "They're heeeere...." quip amused me quite a bit, especially since they used another Poltergeist reference in Conduit; the static television.  I was a little disappointed that they decided to go with the angry spirit angle here, rather than Lauren Kyte being psychokinetic. ("You mean how Carrie got even at the prom?")  Still, bloody bathtubs and much throat crushing fun ensues..... but I still found it hokey that their cameras were actually capable of catching shots of Graves' spirit.  Also, it drove me nuts throughout the entire episode trying to figure out who was the actress who played Kyte, because I've seen her before...... and it wasn't until the very last scene did I realize she was Lisa Waltz, who played Trisha the Truth Bringer from that one episode of Frasier. 

"What are you doing, Scully? You don't believe."

For the 1st X-files season, episode 20 "Darkness Falls" is just marvelous, one of my fave over all seasons.

Just finished watching "Ghost In The Machine" and "Ice," both of which struck me at how contrasting in themes the two episodes were; Ghost dealing with technology and machinations, while Ice being biological and far more primal. 

"Ghost In The Machine" has a decent premise, but the title mislead me. I went in thinking that there would be more of a paranormal edge, like, I dunno.... a vengeful spirit taking over mass machines and killing sort of thing -- like the movie of the same title, but better executed -- instead of a HAL-esque A.I. pulling the strings of a singular building.  I dug the "humans vs machine" battle, though, with Scully and Mulder matching wits with the C.O.S. during the infiltration scene.  I wished they had more situations thrown at them at this part, actually. 

But "Ice"...... holy crap.  Yes Amazingu, this episode just completely floored me, and it's my most favorite thus far.  An obvious callback to "The Thing," the cabin-fever scenario and extreme paranoia was played up brilliantly.... revealing a shocking side of both Mulder and Scully I've yet to see: mistrust and rage, even against each other.  The acting from the supportive cast was excellent, too (Hey! That's Kenny Bania!), and each played their roles in this psychological civil war superbly.  Even the spasms looked genuine.  (I'd heard that the X-Files only gets more graphic as the seasons progress, but seeing them split open Bear's neck.... eww....)  The calculated number of remaining fightin' violent worms, when it came to "curing" Mulder, added another tense depth to the story, but my main question is, how and when did Da Silva become infected?

Seeing as how I just finished Season One, I'm thinking maybe I should wait for this bad boy before progressing any further:

http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/58/21958.php

Damn, this is going to make one incredible holiday gift for X-fans. ^_^

That price is too steep for nothing new.  I'd rather wait for another Best Buy sale with the seasons $20 a piece.

So have any of you X-philes seen the new "I Want To Believe" movie yet?  I'm still so horribly behind on the seasons (and haven't even seen the first movie) that I can likely afford to wait till it hits home releases.

Bad reviews make me so hesitant to go see it.

Most reviews indicate that it's just a glorified regular episode.  Fine with me... I haven't watched any of the show in so many years that it'll be nice just to sit down and see a (long) episode again.

Gonna wait until this one hits the five buck club at the local theater, though.

Yep, sounds about right. It's not a "movie" really - just a really long episode. It's worth seeing if you're a fan of the series, but if not I would stay away. Personally, I really liked it.