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Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick
:siren: The X-Files is coming back! It will be a limited run "event series" and production is set to begin this summer. The premiere will air on January 24th, 2016, after the NFC championship game on FOX. Just like the old days... :siren:


What we know so far

It will be 6 episodes, with creator Chris Carter at the helm and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson signed on to reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully.

As mentioned by Chris Carter in this Daily Beast article, the scripts haven't even been written yet, but he does imply that there will be a mix of mythology related episodes and standalone MOTW episodes. However, we don't know for sure yet.

During a Late Show appearance, Duchovny mentions that Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis will be back to reprise their roles as Walter Skinner and the Cigarette Smoking Man. No word yet on how the hell CSM managed to survive getting blown to bits.

There has been speculation about Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan, and James Wong returning with Chris Carter to the writer's room. They are also trying hard to bring back Frank Spotnitz. Mark Snow is rumored to return as composer, and it is also rumored that Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish may return as Doggett and Reyes, if their schedules allow. None of this is confirmed yet, however.



The Intro

Welcome! It has been a while since we've had an X-Files thread, so I figured it was about time we had a new one. This thread is for general discussion of everything "The X-Files". This isn't a "Let's Watch" thread, Ensign_Ricky had that covered, and he did a fantastic job at it. I am nowhere near as talented, nor do I have the time to write an episode-by-episode synopsis and review with cool pictures and graphics. Unfortunately, people lost interest in that thread and it is doomed to an eternity in archives hell, but here is the link. It's a great thread, and a great read, so I would suggest checking it out. This is not a newbie thread either, so post all of the spoilers your heart desires. I'll try to make the OP as spoiler-free as I can, but there are some minor spoilers here so be warned if you are an X-Files newbie. After that, it's all spoilers, so avoid reading this thread like the plague, and report back when you're done. I know there are a couple people in the binge thread taking the plunge, so I would be curious to read your opinions.

The Premise


The X-Files is centered around two FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and their quest for the truth about a deep-seeded government conspiracy to cover up the existence of extraterrestrial life on Earth. All episodes that involve this conspiracy are referred to as mytharc episodes. Mulder and Scully investigate other paranormal phenomenon, including monsters, spirits, telekinesis, vampires, and much more. These episodes are referred to as monster of the week episodes, and as great as the mytharc was in first few seasons, MotW episodes were this show's bread and butter.

The Players

"One more anal-probing gyro-pyro levitating ecoplasm alien anti-matter story and I'm going to take out my gun and shoot somebody."

Fox Mulder is an Oxford educated psychologist and criminal profiler who graduated with honors from the Quantico FBI Training Academy. Although known by his peers as "Spooky" Mulder for his inclination to believe in paranormal activity and espouse his views, he was the FBI's golden boy, working in the behavioral science unit and violent crimes unit. While working with the violent crimes unit, he came across the x-files, cabinets full of unexplained cases related to the paranormal relegated to a small, dark room in the basement of the FBI headquarters. Fueled by the mystery behind his sister's disappearance as a child and belief that aliens abducted her, he reopened the x-files, much to the chagrin of the FBI and other government agencies.


"Yes, it looks like a fat little white Nazi storm trooper, but that only proves my point!"

Dana Scully is a scientist. She earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Maryland, and an M.D. from Stanford. For this reason, she was recruited by the FBI, and eventually assigned to the X-Files to debunk Mulder's work with hard science. She is brilliant and strong-willed, and she is a perfect compliment to agent Mulder. Scully grew up in a Catholic household, and as she becomes more entrenched in the alien conspiracy, she is constantly struggling to reconcile her faith, her belief in scientific facts, and the truth.


"This is where you pucker up and kiss my rear end."

Walter Skinner is a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, and he kicks rear end. Skinner is Mulder and Scully's direct superior officer during a majority of the series. His motivations and alliances are often ambiguous and complicated, but for the most part, he is an ally to Mulder and Scully.


"What I don't want to see is the Buffalo Bills winning the Superbowl. As long as I'm alive, that doesn't happen."

The Cigarette Smoking Man is an enigma. We don't know much about him in the first couple seasons, but we come to learn that he is a leader, of sorts, of The Syndicate. The Syndicate is a shadow government that has a major hand in all world events, and controls and covers up the alien conspiracy.


"You know, with that long, blond hair, you'll be the first one in here that gets traded for cigarettes."

Ahh, the lovable trio of nerds who are the Lone Gunmen. My favorite tertiary characters ever. Consisting of Melvin Frohike, John Fitzgerald Byers, and Richard Langly, they are a trio of truth-seeking conspiracy theorists who publish the magazine "The Lone Gunmen." Their unlikely friendship and partnership was forged at a tech convention in 1989. Langly and Frohike were competing stolen cable television salesmen, and Byers was a public affairs officer for the FCC at the time. They proved to be an invaluable asset to many of Mulder and Scully's investigations, and often provided comedic relief. They even had their own spin-off, co-created by the great Vince Gilligan.



Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes take over the X-Files in the last two seasons. By season 8, the mytharc gets convoluted, and frankly not very good, but Doggett and Reyes had their moments in some really good MotW episodes.

Links and Resources

The X-Files Wiki- A definitive resource for the X-Files.
The last Let's Watch thread- A great episode guide for the first three seasons.
2013 X-Files Comic Con Panel- David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson together again :swoon:

Will there be a new X-Files movie?
Probably not. The last movie, I Want To Believe, didn't do very well at the box office, and it was a decent MotW episode at best. There has been some interest expressed by Chris Carter, Duchovny, and Anderson, but it's nothing but false hope at this point. It doesn't seem likely we'll ever see Mulder and Scully together again, but who knows, anything is possible.

When will the X-Files Blu-ray set come out? I live in the 21st century and I demand everything in HD!
There have been rumors and whispers about a possible HD conversion and Blu-ray release of the series. Notably, Vince Gilligan has expressed interest in it in a couple Breaking Bad insider podcasts. Well, as bull3964 first reported in this thread, it appears that there is an effort by FOX to remaster The X-Files into HD, and some of the episodes are being aired in syndication in Germany. Here are some of the screenshot comparisons, and they look great:


We have no idea when, or if these remastered episodes will be released in the States, or anywhere other than Germany for now, but suffice to say that this is a good sign. However, don't get your hopes up too high just yet, because remastering an entire series from SD to HD is an expensive, and time-consuming task. It has been reported that it takes about 6 months and 9 million dollars to remaster just one season of Star Trek:TNG, and I would wager that there is a much larger demand for Star Trek than the X-Files. But also consider that The X-Files used less CG and more practical effects than Star Trek, and a lot of the time and effort spent on remastering TNG was used on updating the CG effects.
tldr: No idea, but it's promising. I want to believe.

As of April 23rd 2015, Netflix has released the first 13 episodes of the first season in HD! No official word on when the rest of the series will be released in HD, but this is a very exciting development.

Kumail Nanjiani's Podcast

http://www.feralaudio.com/show/x-files-files/

Looking for a good companion podcast to your X-Files binge? Look no further than "The X-Files Files". Although I really want to, I have not been able to listen to it yet, but it comes highly recommended by active posters in this thread. Just check out this testimonial:

apophenium posted:

The podcast is so good holy poo poo. When I found out there weren't going to be episodes of it these last few weeks of 2014 I had a brief existential crisis. It's making going through the series for the first time a lot more enjoyable.

It is hosted by Kumail Nanjiani, the dude from Silicon Valley, and he discusses each episode with guests such as Darin Morgan (writer, seasons 2-5), Glen Morgan (writer, seasons 1-7), Mark Snow (composer), Dean Haglund (Langly) and big name fans of the show such as Dan Harmon and Paul Scheer. He is currently working his way through season 3.

Exploder fucked around with this message at 02:44 on May 13, 2015

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OldMemes
Sep 5, 2011

I have to go now. My planet needs me.
The X-Files :allears:

Probably the best show of the 90s, aside from the Simpsons. It's been copied, homaged and referenced, but never bettered. I don't think there's ever been a show quite like it since.

Is the Dark Horse comic any good? If they did do the third movie, even as a straight to DVD or TV miniseries, that'd be fine. If not, I guess the comic will eventually end the invasion plot thread, since the second movie decided to completely ignore the planned attack. (Seriously, Mulder and Sully don't seem very worried that the aliens are planning to invade the Earth pretty soon. I don't think they even mention it?>).

Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick

OldMemes posted:

Probably the best show of the 90s, aside from the Simpsons. It's been copied, homaged and referenced, but never bettered. I don't think there's ever been a show quite like it since.

Is the Dark Horse comic any good? If they did do the third movie, even as a straight to DVD or TV miniseries, that'd be fine. If not, I guess the comic will eventually end the invasion plot thread, since the second movie decided to completely ignore the planned attack. (Seriously, Mulder and Sully don't seem very worried that the aliens are planning to invade the Earth pretty soon. I don't think they even mention it?>).

It's been a while since I watched the movie, but I don't think the alien invasion was mentioned at all. It wasn't a bad movie, like I said, it was a decent MotW story at best, but to completely ignore the fact that society itself would crumble and aliens would take over the world in a mere 4 years was a huge oversight. There is a lot of potential in a possible movie, or even mini-series dedicated to wrapping up the mythology. Even a post-invasion story, if unoriginal given the myriad post-apocalyptic stuff on TV today, would be pretty cool. But I just get the feeling that Chris Carter doesn't want to do it, and all of the other original writers are doing big things. I haven't read the comics, but I took a quick glance at the Wikipedia article, and the Lone Gunmen are still alive, so that's pretty neat.

The Simpsons and The X-Files were an integral part of my childhood and teens. It didn't get better than Sunday nights on FOX in the 90's. They are the two best shows from the 90's, in my opinion, and two of the most influential. I have to wonder if shows like Lost and Fringe would have ever existed without The X-Files, and if people like Vince Gilligan, Howard Gordon, John Shiban and Alex Gansa would go on to have great careers. Hell, Michelle MacLaren got her start in Hollywood directing the excellent season 9 episode "John Doe", and look at what she has become.

elgarbo
Mar 26, 2013

Great timing for a new thread... I just started ploughing through a re-watch! The X-Files was basically my obsession through my teenage years - one of the greatest shows of all time.

Sulphuric Sundae
Feb 10, 2006

You can't go in there.
Your father is dead.
Nice OP!

Exploder posted:

Will there be a new X-Files movie?
Probably not. The last movie, Fight the Future, didn't do very well at the box office

I think you mean I Want To Believe. Fight the Future is the one that came out back in 1998.


I was really big into The X-Files from like 96 to 99. I've been meaning to do a full watch-through for a while, and I really have no excuse not to with it all on Netflix.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
I think the alien conspiracy was pretty well explained and tied up by the end of the show, its just the Mulder's missing sister part of it that muddied the waters and made things extra confusing. CSM and the Syndicate made a deal with the aliens back in the 50's that they'd help them invade in return for not being completely wiped out, but they secretly engineered the black-oil as an attempt to fight back against them. There was a second race of aliens that sought to stop/kill the original aliens, and the Syndicate gets wrapped up in all that too but in the end they gently caress up and all get killed. So that to me was relatively simple and pretty clearly explained by the end of the series. Mulder's sister on the other hand...

They really hosed up in my opinion with that 2-part episode where Mulder thinks some random child murder killed his sister. Then they had another plot later on showing that his sister lived with CSM and his son in some neighborhood. They were being protected or something so the aliens couldn't take them and experiment on them. All of this stuff was just unnecessary to me when they should have just stuck with the simple idea that she was taken by the aliens as part of the original deal(That may even be what "really happened", but with all of the flip-flopping they did on the issue I can't remember).

LesterGroans
Jun 9, 2009

It's funny...

You were so scary at night.

Basebf555 posted:

They really hosed up in my opinion with that 2-part episode where Mulder thinks some random child murder killed his sister.

Are you talking about Paper Hearts? I thought that was actually a really good MotW episode. I don't think the audience is ever supposed to really suspect that was what happened to Mulder's sister.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

LesterGroans posted:

Are you talking about Paper Hearts? I thought that was actually a really good MotW episode. I don't think the audience is ever supposed to really suspect that was what happened to Mulder's sister.

On its own its a pretty good episode, I agree. But at the time yea I felt like you were totally supposed to buy into the fact that maybe Mulder was just chasing ghosts his whole life. I did at least, maybe I'm just dumb. Anyway, that would have been fine, but then they went back on it within a few episodes, so it just ended up being confusing, especially when your trying to piece everything together in your mind later.

LesterGroans
Jun 9, 2009

It's funny...

You were so scary at night.

Basebf555 posted:

On its own its a pretty good episode, I agree. But at the time yea I felt like you were totally supposed to buy into the fact that maybe Mulder was just chasing ghosts his whole life. I did at least, maybe I'm just dumb. Anyway, that would have been fine, but then they went back on it within a few episodes, so it just ended up being confusing, especially when your trying to piece everything together in your mind later.

Fair enough. I remember thinking it was dumb the first time I watched it, because it's so obvious there's no way some rando serial killer took Mulder's sister. Every time I do a rewatch though I like it more and more.

Also, don't they explain within the episode that he wasn't related to Samantha's kidnapping in any way at all? Mulder takes him to a different house/they explain Tom Noonan's character has psychic abilities.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

LesterGroans posted:

Fair enough. I remember thinking it was dumb the first time I watched it, because it's so obvious there's no way some rando serial killer took Mulder's sister. Every time I do a rewatch though I like it more and more.

Also, don't they explain within the episode that he wasn't related to Samantha's kidnapping in any way at all? Mulder takes him to a different house/they explain Tom Noonan's character has psychic abilities.

I think I'm remembering it as a season-ending cliffhanger, which maybe made it even worse. I could be wrong about that though. I think at the very very end of the second episode you do in fact find out that its not related to Samantha but its probably one forgettable line of dialogue that came and went in 5 seconds. I just know that the end result was that for years every time I'd think about how the Mulder story wrapped up I'd say to myself "Hmmm, didn't some random guy just murder her? Oh wait, that was just a one-off episode, what really happened again?"

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Jan 9, 2014

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012

Basebf555 posted:

I think the alien conspiracy was pretty well explained and tied up by the end of the show, its just the Mulder's missing sister part of it that muddied the waters and made things extra confusing. CSM and the Syndicate made a deal with the aliens back in the 50's that they'd help them invade in return for not being completely wiped out, but they secretly engineered the black-oil as an attempt to fight back against them. There was a second race of aliens that sought to stop/kill the original aliens, and the Syndicate gets wrapped up in all that too but in the end they gently caress up and all get killed. So that to me was relatively simple and pretty clearly explained by the end of the series. Mulder's sister on the other hand...

They really hosed up in my opinion with that 2-part episode where Mulder thinks some random child murder killed his sister. Then they had another plot later on showing that his sister lived with CSM and his son in some neighborhood. They were being protected or something so the aliens couldn't take them and experiment on them. All of this stuff was just unnecessary to me when they should have just stuck with the simple idea that she was taken by the aliens as part of the original deal(That may even be what "really happened", but with all of the flip-flopping they did on the issue I can't remember).

That is not quite it. The black oil was supposed to be the aliens. The black oil "alien" had very inconsistent characteristics, but they were the original invading aliens. They would infect the "greys" (the traditional looking aliens) and the bounty hunters (the Brian Thompson clones). There were the alien rebels who essentially were Brian Thompson after permanently shutting down their own eyes and mouths. There were some inconsistencies in how it was all treated: the black oil originally would infect and then leave people. By the end of season 5/1st movie, the deal was on finding a way to spread the black oil, as humans infected with the black oil would serve as hosts for creating more greys. After that, (and sometimes before it also) the claim was that it was about creating human/alien hybrids, as opposed to humans as hosts. Still, by the end of season 7 there was a pretty clear explanation, even if sometimes heavily retconned. The problem starts with season 8, when there is no conspiracy anymore.

At that point things go off the rails completely:
- There are super soldiers who have been infiltrated as a sort of plan B by the aliens. These are indestructible, and even if killed can reconstruct themselves from a single vertebrae. They only die if exposed to a very particular mineral.
- At first, these super soldiers want to do something with the water, but the plot is dropped when Lucy Lawless' character never shows up again.
- Then comes the most pants on head part of the series: apparently the super soldiers are on earth to either kill Mulder and Scully's son, or to kill Mulder. Because there is a prophecy that William (Mulder and Scully's son) will lead the alien invasion of earth if Mulder is dead, but will fight alongside Mulder against it if Mulder is alive. So they inject William with the mistery mineral above and he may be "cured." But the supersoldiers still alternatively chase Mulder or William.

TLDR: the mythology makes some sense up to the end of season 7. After that, not so much.


As for the sister stuff, she wasn't being protected by the CSM, she was being experimented upon, ran away, and became starlight or something to avoid the experiments.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
Wasn't there a plot by the Syndicate to turn the black-oil against the aliens though? Or at least they were doing tests on it to try to find a cure weren't they? I do remember now that they didn't invent it or discover it on their own, but I thought by the time the show started they were already working with it in secret.

I never understood the black oil to be actually sentient, or an alien organism of its own, I thought it was a bio-weapon. I always assumed there was a main force of antagonistic aliens that we never actually see, at least not clearly; they would be the ones invading. The greys I suppose. I guess all of this disproves my original point though, it wasn't nearly as clear-cut as I was thinking it was.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Jan 9, 2014

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012

Basebf555 posted:

Wasn't there a plot by the Syndicate to turn the black-oil against the aliens though? Or at least they were doing tests on it to try to find a cure weren't they? I do remember now that they didn't invent it or discover it on their own, but I thought by the time the show started they were already working with it in secret.

I never understood the black oil to be actually sentient, or an alien organism of its own, I thought it was a bio-weapon. I always assumed there was a main force of antagonistic aliens that we never actually see, at least not clearly. They would be the ones invading. I guess all of this disproves my original point though, it wasn't nearly as clear-cut as I was thinking it was.

They were working on a vaccine to the black oil, which was developed by the Russians. As I said, the black oil is fairly inconsistent. It starts out as a sentient being which infects one person at a time and takes over that person. The first few times it shows up it controls a number of people until it can make its way to its spaceship. Then, around the time of the 1st movie, it becomes non-sentient genetic material used to infect people, who will then spawn aliens. Then, in seasons 6 and 7 the black oil is part of the experiments to create a human/alien hybrid, able to infect people and take over their actions. The rebels that kill the syndicate are specifically mentioned to shut down their eyes and mouth to prevent being infected and controlled by the black oil.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

joepinetree posted:

They were working on a vaccine to the black oil, which was developed by the Russians. As I said, the black oil is fairly inconsistent. It starts out as a sentient being which infects one person at a time and takes over that person. The first few times it shows up it controls a number of people until it can make its way to its spaceship. Then, around the time of the 1st movie, it becomes non-sentient genetic material used to infect people, who will then spawn aliens. Then, in seasons 6 and 7 the black oil is part of the experiments to create a human/alien hybrid, able to infect people and take over their actions. The rebels that kill the syndicate are specifically mentioned to shut down their eyes and mouth to prevent being infected and controlled by the black oil.

So what was the original deal that the Syndicate made and who did they make it with? They met with grey aliens that were infected by the black oil, so they weren't really greys anymore? I'm getting closer and closer to a re-watch here!

elgarbo
Mar 26, 2013

Yeah all of the above probably explains why I'm only watching the monster-of-the-weeks in my re-watch.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

elgarbo posted:

Yeah all of the above probably explains why I'm only watching the monster-of-the-weeks in my re-watch.

Its funny I posted about how I thought everything was pretty clear-cut and within 5 minutes was exposed as a moron. I'm used to it though so its all good.

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012

Basebf555 posted:

So what was the original deal that the Syndicate made and who did they make it with? They met with grey aliens that were infected by the black oil, so they weren't really greys anymore? I'm getting closer and closer to a re-watch here!

Originally there was no syndicate. Originally there was no colonization, just the US government hiding alien existence and their presence on earth. The syndicate as a thing only starts around late season 2/ early 3. At about that point the black oil makes its first appearance as a sentient being that jumps from people to people. But again, at this point it is mostly about hiding alien existence and experiments. It is only a little later that colonization became a thing on the series. At that point, the black oil was supposed to be a substance that transformed humans into the hosts for the "greys." This is particularly the case around the time of the first movie. At that point, the syndicate is the revealed to be playing a double game: on one hand they have a deal with unspecified aliens to on one hand develop a system to spread the black oil and transform people into hosts for the aliens while at the same time working to develop a vaccine to the black oil. A bit after that it switches again, though the double game is still prevalent: the black oil is to help create a human/alien hybrid that will be sort of the slaves in the colonization by an unseen alien race. At this point, the syndicate is on one hand trying to create a hybrid with the black oil while still trying to create a vaccine to the black oil. Then the syndicate arch wraps up when a rebel alien race that are like the bounty hunters but have cut out their eyes and mouths to be invulnerable to the black oil come and kill the syndicate.

Seasons 1-7 have quite a few inconsistencies, but they are mostly the kind of stuff that would bug you if you really cared about the details. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter for the story if the black oil IS the alien, if it creates aliens, or if it helps create hybrids. By the end of season 7, the mythology is pretty much wrapped up, most loose ends are tied, etc. But then all new fox dramas bombed, and they decided to get another season. Duchovny left and the "mythology" becomes pretty much nonsense. Same thing at the end of season 8: fox dramas bombed, they decided to extend the series again.

By that point, they had burned that poo poo to the ground. Only reason the second movie was even made was because they already had the script and the WGA strike was looming, so they produced everything that they could. The funny thing is that I loved the x files, and by coincidence later found out that Chris Carter was pretty good friends with my advisor's wife, and she said that he has always been obsessed with aliens, new agey stuff and so on.

Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick

joepinetree posted:

Seasons 1-7 have quite a few inconsistencies, but they are mostly the kind of stuff that would bug you if you really cared about the details. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter for the story if the black oil IS the alien, if it creates aliens, or if it helps create hybrids. By the end of season 7, the mythology is pretty much wrapped up, most loose ends are tied, etc. But then all new fox dramas bombed, and they decided to get another season. Duchovny left and the "mythology" becomes pretty much nonsense. Same thing at the end of season 8: fox dramas bombed, they decided to extend the series again.

By that point, they had burned that poo poo to the ground. Only reason the second movie was even made was because they already had the script and the WGA strike was looming, so they produced everything that they could. The funny thing is that I loved the x files, and by coincidence later found out that Chris Carter was pretty good friends with my advisor's wife, and she said that he has always been obsessed with aliens, new agey stuff and so on.

I think you're right on about the black oil. Like you said, if you care about every little detail, it is going to hurt your enjoyment of the show. Personally, I can let some of the inconsistencies go, and just enjoy it for what it is. It isn't until season 7 that the mythology is so inconsistent and convoluted to me that I just stop watching the mytharc episodes altogether when I do a re-watch. I look at Biogenesis as the point where the mythology starts going off the rails. It's a shame because it was so good in the first few seasons, but it stands as an example of what not to do with a sci-fi television show. And I think television is better today because of it.

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012
I generally watch the mytharc episodes until the end of season 7, and then skip them in 8 and 9 (though, to be fair, I skip most of 8 and 9). Monica Reyes is the worst character in the series, and by then they had decided to use every single Duchovny scene they had to tease shippers. Hell, there is an episode where Duchovny is simply there in flash backs retconning him and scully deciding to have a kid together.

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


Arise thread on great news!

We no longer have to believe, X-Files in HD exists and has started airing in syndication on a German channel and looks AMAZING.

http://forum.cinefacts.de/208508-akte-x-die-serie-bald-auf-blu-ray-10.html#post7966465

Looks like they took the Sienfield approach and opened up the frame on the sides and did minor cropping to the top and bottom. I guess most of the footage was protected for 16:9 from the beginning, so they decided to go this way.

I'm anxiously awaiting a Blu-ray set announcement.

Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick

bull3964 posted:

Arise thread on great news!

We no longer have to believe, X-Files in HD exists and has started airing in syndication on a German channel and looks AMAZING.

http://forum.cinefacts.de/208508-akte-x-die-serie-bald-auf-blu-ray-10.html#post7966465

Looks like they took the Sienfield approach and opened up the frame on the sides and did minor cropping to the top and bottom. I guess most of the footage was protected for 16:9 from the beginning, so they decided to go this way.

I'm anxiously awaiting a Blu-ray set announcement.

This is fantastic. The DVD's of the first few seasons haven't aged well, boxed in 4:3 and grainy, and Netflix isn't that much better. Those screenshots look a hell of a lot better, but some of them still look a bit grainy. I'm not privy on the re-mastering process, but I remember hearing, I think from Vince Gilligan on a BB podcast, that it would be a complicated and very time-consuming process to convert the entire series into HD, so I wonder why we are just hearing about this now. Is there anything more to it than simply opening the frame and cropping?

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


It's mainly costly because these 90s TV shows had video workflows. That means there doesn't exist a fully edited version of an episode on film. Everything was done on NTSC video. When they do these conversions, they go back and scan the original film elements and then re-edit the episode with a digital HD workflow.

Fox is cutting costs by not doing anything for special effects shots except upscaling. For Star trek TNG, CBS basically redid the special effects using the original film elements and and using modern digital techniques to composite the shots. However, effects shots were used sparingly throughout the X-Files so it shouldn't be too bad.

Yes, they are grainy, but that's because of the film stock used. Grainy isn't necessarily bad though. Detail is still dramatically higher and the color is light years better as is contrast. This is very important on a dark show like this as shadow detail is so important.

After being blown away by the Star Trek TNG remasters, I cannot wait to watch the X-Files in HD.

scary ghost dog
Aug 5, 2007
I hope the opening credits are still in 4:3 SD.

Gyshall
Feb 24, 2009

Had a couple of drinks.
Saw a couple of things.

scary ghost dog posted:

I hope the opening credits are still in 4:3 SD.

This. That looks pretty awesome though. Hopefully Netflix gets updated with this version.

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


:eyepop:

DVD to broadcast comparison (and this is with the broadcast downscaled to match the DVD resolution.)

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58612

X-Files was produced in widescreen after Season 4, so I would suspect they would use the same opening credits that were on the widescreen seasons.

bull3964 fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Jan 22, 2014

Gaunab
Feb 13, 2012
LUFTHANSA YOU FUCKING DICKWEASEL
The X-files used to scare the poo poo out of me when I was a kid. Just hearing the theme after the Simpsons scared me but now it's one of my favorite shows. I know I'm not alone but I'm more of a fan of the MotW stories than the actual mythos. One of my favorite episodes is Home. It was just so genuinely creepy.

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


A bunch more comparisons. The last two are incredible.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58788
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58787
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58786
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58785
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58782

Mister Kingdom
Dec 14, 2005

And the tears that fall
On the city wall
Will fade away
With the rays of morning light

Must..resist...buying on Blu-Ray...

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


Mister Kingdom posted:

Must..resist...buying on Blu-Ray...

It's not even a question for me. As soon as the box set comes out, I will be mashing BUY BUY BUY on Amazon.

Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick
Okay, I was a bit skeptical at first, but those screenshots look amazing in 1080i. I would buy a Blu-ray set in a heartbeat. Take my money, FOX!

QuickbreathFinisher
Sep 28, 2008

by reading this post you have agreed to form a gay socialist micronation.
`
I would pay an irresponsible amount of money for a BluRay that contains HD footage of early 90s David Duchovny in a red speedo.

Hemingway To Go!
Nov 10, 2008

im stupider then dog shit, i dont give a shit, and i dont give a fuck, and i will never shut the fuck up, and i'll always Respect my enemys.
- ernest hemingway
I can't really watch a lot of this anymore
Years of Truthers, Birthers, and other mainstream conspiricy accusers have made really put Mulder's rants about THE GOVERNMENT in a negative light.

take the red pill
Dec 12, 2013

by T. Finninho
I grew up watching the series in the 90s (I caught about 30% of the episodes in the original airing from about 95 to the end of the series, from a third grader to a sophmore in HS.) I ended up revisiting the series a couple of years ago and caught the most highly rated episodes from the 1st to the 5th seasons.

What I adored about the show were the atmosphere, style and brooding tone. The "X-Files" often wallowed in dark scenes and always seemed far more cinematic than anything else on TV. Watching it as a kid I might not have been sophisticated enough to be put off by the alien mythology plot and how it was always ongoing and not satisfyingly dealt with from season to season, but upon the second the viewing of notable episodes it occurred to me that that the alien stuff was always a mcguffin, a tool to generate other plots and give the characters motivation. At least the show wasn't as insistent upon its Alien Mythology as "Lost" was about its so called "mysteries." The X Files often offered significant and long lasting respite from its alien conspiracy stuff...most of the episodes are stand alone and are concerned with other mysteries, and most of the conspiracy eps are still kickass anyway in the way they evoke a certain mood and evoke an atmosphere of paranoia and anti-government suspicion.

Anyway, who among you saw "Home" in its original airing? Imagine being a 5th grader and watching that live.

:psyduck:

Exploder
Nov 15, 2005

Just a humble motherfucker with a big ass dick

take the red pill posted:

What I adored about the show were the atmosphere, style and brooding tone. The "X-Files" often wallowed in dark scenes and always seemed far more cinematic than anything else on TV. Watching it as a kid I might not have been sophisticated enough to be put off by the alien mythology plot and how it was always ongoing and not satisfyingly dealt with from season to season, but upon the second the viewing of notable episodes it occurred to me that that the alien stuff was always a mcguffin, a tool to generate other plots and give the characters motivation. At least the show wasn't as insistent upon its Alien Mythology as "Lost" was about its so called "mysteries." The X Files often offered significant and long lasting respite from its alien conspiracy stuff...most of the episodes are stand alone and are concerned with other mysteries, and most of the conspiracy eps are still kickass anyway in the way they evoke a certain mood and evoke an atmosphere of paranoia and anti-government suspicion.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about the show and the mytharc. I can overlook the inconsistencies in the story in favor of enjoying the atmosphere and the characters, like I stated previously in the thread.

take the red pill posted:

Anyway, who among you saw "Home" in its original airing? Imagine being a 5th grader and watching that live.

:psyduck:

I was 9 years old at the time, and I remember it vividly. I had watched a few episodes here and there with my mother because she loved the show, but that was one of the first episodes that really stuck with me. I think even at that point, I was a bit desensitized to horror and violence, because my mom was cool and let me watch The Shining, The Exorcist, and stuff like that. But the Peacock family haunted my dreams for weeks.

GobiasIndustries
Dec 14, 2007

Lipstick Apathy

take the red pill posted:

Anyway, who among you saw "Home" in its original airing? Imagine being a 5th grader and watching that live.

:psyduck:

Oh Christ. I watched that episode live at a friends house at age 10, having never really been a huge fan (I don't think my parents let me watch it often). I think that episode did a number on my psyche for a good while, and definitely desensitized me to a lot of future gore and horror stuff.

I should probably watch the show more, the few episodes I watched I liked.

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012
My favorite serious non-mytharc episodes are Home, Drive, Pusher, Milagro and Hungry. And my favorite "funny" non-mytharc episodes are Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Jose Chung's From Outer Space, Small Potatoes, Bad Blood, and Je Souhaite. Just thought I'd post this in case other people are looking for more stuff to get started (and in looking up the name of the episodes, I just noticed that Vince Gilligan wrote most of them).

Octy
Apr 1, 2010

Monica Reyes? Who? I remember being scared by the TV show when it was on during the 90s so I didn't watch it until 2007-8. Even so, I don't remember who Monica Reyes is and I really didn't mind the Doggett era episodes up to a point, that being season 9 which I refuse to acknowledge exists.

joepinetree
Apr 5, 2012

Octy posted:

Monica Reyes? Who? I remember being scared by the TV show when it was on during the 90s so I didn't watch it until 2007-8. Even so, I don't remember who Monica Reyes is and I really didn't mind the Doggett era episodes up to a point, that being season 9 which I refuse to acknowledge exists.

Monica Reyes is in season 8 as well. Essentially she was supposed to be the "believer" to Doggett's skeptic once Duchovny left. Except that while Mulder was all about aliens, Reyes was all about new agey crap.

elgarbo
Mar 26, 2013

The first episode I ever watched was 'The Calusari' as a ten year old. Watching the little kid get led onto the train tracks by the poltergeist balloon seriously hosed me up.

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Octy
Apr 1, 2010

joepinetree posted:

Monica Reyes is in season 8 as well. Essentially she was supposed to be the "believer" to Doggett's skeptic once Duchovny left. Except that while Mulder was all about aliens, Reyes was all about new agey crap.

It's all coming back to me. Unfortunately.

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