|
joepinetree posted: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). Yeah, I'd say that's a drat good list if you are just starting out and want to get a good idea of what the show is about, although I would suggest not watching the "funny" episodes to start with. I think they would be enjoyed more if you are doing a full watch-through, and have a better understanding of the characters. Clyde Bruckman might be my favorite episode of the series. If I were to make a list of my favorite MotW episodes, I would include all of those, and add Beyond the Sea, Irresistible, and Squeeze/Tooms. In the "funny" category I would add X Cops and War of the Coprophages. Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man is one of my favorites too, but that would be considered part of the mytharc. I could go on and on.
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2014 08:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 16:58 |
|
|
X-Cops is crazy good for a late season episode, man.
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2014 10:18
|
|
|
I bought two/three parter episodes on VHS back in the early 90's as they were sold as "movies" of sorts. They had 10 or so in total, made from different arcs like Tooms/Squeeze, the numbered train car/Japanese alien autopsy video arc, Emily, Duane Barry and the Max stuff etc. I even have the novelization of "Squeeze" and the Tooms/Squeeze VHS movie gave me nightmares for weeks. I still have the tapes somewhere too. (Not my picture) 
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2014 13:13
|
|
|
elgarbo posted: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. Dude, I just watched this for the first time last week. My parents always used to watch X-Files, I was too young to give it any attention, but my gently caress was that a crazyily hosed up episode. The exorcism at the end was even more nuts. Scully and Mulder have seen some poo poo, man.
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2014 15:47
|
|
|
Stare-Out posted:I bought two/three parter episodes on VHS back in the early 90's as they were sold as "movies" of sorts. They had 10 or so in total, made from different arcs like Tooms/Squeeze, the numbered train car/Japanese alien autopsy video arc, Emily, Duane Barry and the Max stuff etc. I even have the novelization of "Squeeze" and the Tooms/Squeeze VHS movie gave me nightmares for weeks. I still have the tapes somewhere too. That's awesome. I would record every episode I could on VHS, and I think I still have some of those somewhere in storage. Those, along with my Simpsons tapes were some of my prized possessions. The 90's, man.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 05:24
|
|
|
joepinetree posted: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). By my reckoning, from season four onward Gilligan was responsible for almost all of the really top-tier episodes. Others to go on that list that you didn't mention include "Paper Hearts," "Field Trip," and "Folie a Deux" (the latter is an utterly brilliant look at the two main characters and might be the most under-appreciated episode of the whole show).
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 06:23
|
|
|
Vogon Poet posted:By my reckoning, from season four onward Gilligan was responsible for almost all of the really top-tier episodes. Others to go on that list that you didn't mention include "Paper Hearts," "Field Trip," and "Folie a Deux" (the latter is an utterly brilliant look at the two main characters and might be the most under-appreciated episode of the whole show). Field Trip is probably my favorite episode, and I love Folie a Deux, too. I also like Wetwired because it has does something similar, but with the roles reversed. I loved Agua Mala, too, just because of how ridiculous it was. I thought Theef and Lord of the Flies (especially for the Jane Lynch cameo) were some other late greats in terms of MOTWs. One of my favorite "funny" episodes is Arcadia, the one where they go undercover in the gated community. Pure Mulder and Scully  ness.My best friend does freelance film work, and ever since she pointed out that the scene in Triangle where Scully runs through the FBI and has like three long conversations was one cut, it's been one of my favorites. The cinematography in that episode is gorgeous, and it's such an awesome concept. As much hate as the later seasons get, season 6 is like primo MOTW for me. So many of those episodes are just fun as poo poo. An episode that I rarely see mentioned that freaked the poo poo out of me when I saw it was Sanguinarium. It's unusually gory for an X-File and just something about getting put under anesthesia and having your doctor drill through your face with a loving laser or stabbing the poo poo out of you with a liposuction needle because they're possessed by witches is creepy as poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 10:08
|
|
`
|
Going through my first rewatch. Season 1 has a lot of great episodes: Squeeze, Ghost in the Machine, Ice, Space, Darkness Falls... Anything with Jerry Hardin too. It brings me back to my childhood dream of wanting to work for a shadowy government organisation, but I don't know how you'd even get recruited into one. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 12:02
|
|
|
Well the possible HD release is an early candidate for the best news of the year  Octy posted:Going through my first rewatch. Season 1 has a lot of great episodes: Squeeze, Ghost in the Machine, Ice, Space, Darkness Falls... Anything with Jerry Hardin too. It brings me back to my childhood dream of wanting to work for a shadowy government organisation, but I don't know how you'd even get recruited into one. I hear the NSA is hiring.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 13:46
|
|
|
Octy posted:Going through my first rewatch. Season 1 has a lot of great episodes: Squeeze, Ghost in the Machine, Ice, Space, Darkness Falls... Probably the first time I've seen someone call "Space" and "Ghost in the Machine" "great episodes."  Really, although some late season episodes were worse, I'd probably call "Space" the dullest of the show's entire run.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 16:10
|
|
|
I always liked the one with the alien that liked playing baseball, The Unnatural. That, plus Jose Chung from Outer Space were probably my 2 favorites. When I notice Venus in the sky, I still sometimes think of Jesse Ventura's line. Home was creepy, but I think the one I remember as really freaking me out was the one with the stretchy guy, Squeeze. It doesn't hurt that the monster was played by Doug Hutchinson, who is creepy as poo poo in real life as well. AFewBricksShy fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Jan 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 16:21
|
|
|
AFewBricksShy posted:
I can't think of a guy more famous for one(technically two) guest appearance on a T.V. show. Played a decent creepy hitman in 24 though. I guess he wouldn't be nearly as famous if he hadn't married that teenager.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 16:44
|
|
|
Vogon Poet posted:Probably the first time I've seen someone call "Space" and "Ghost in the Machine" "great episodes." I think "Space" was crippled by lack of budget, a rare phenomenon for the show. They had to rely on stock footage and reaction shots way too much, and the episode comes across as too static overall. That space-ghost-face thing freaked me the hell out when I first saw it, though. Season 1 is really uneven overall, but it has a lot of great episodes, including "Beyond the Sea" which might be my favorite of the show's entire run. e: Season 1 might have the highest incidence rate of 'cool stuff that is never mentioned ever again,' and that's a high bar for this show.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 17:43
|
|
|
I just started watching this in on Netflix - only having ever caught a random episode here or there as a kid. I was talking about it in the blu thread in CineD because of those caps mentioned above and it's funny to come here and see that "Home" is one of the most memorable episodes. It was the one that stuck with me since I viewed it when it first aired at my buddies since he loved X-files and we both loved aliens in general. Whenever I told my friends about X-files I would mention the mutants loving their mom and how it's pretty much the most craziest thing to air on a regular tv show. I just finished the green bugs episode though - I never watched a full season and I am marathoning the crap out of this show (about 3 to 4 episodes a night) - and this show is loving perfect. There has been some dull episodes that I fell asleep in (that Space one comes to mind) but everything else has been great. I also enjoy the MotW episodes a bit more - a nice self contained mystery. The werewolf episode seemed familiar, so I must have watched bits of it too - its' a funny feeling getting those "tingles" that I watched this once and only being vaguely familiar with it. I will say, this show had some loving BALLS - like seriously, a loving WEREWOLF? Clones that eventually take over their older clones? A fricking ghost who beats up people that wronged a secretary (and trying to expose a company)?? I know it can only get more crazy from here.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 18:40
|
|
|
Vintersorg posted:I will say, this show had some loving BALLS - like seriously, a loving WEREWOLF? Clones that eventually take over their older clones? A fricking ghost who beats up people that wronged a secretary (and trying to expose a company)?? I know it can only get more crazy from here. It's funny because the show feels way more like a cop show in season 1, so whenever Mulder goes "I think it's a ghost" it always feels NUTS.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 18:44
|
|
|
Home is probably the best known x files episode, if for no other reason than the fact that it was the one episode that Fox never rebroadcast again. At a time without online streaming and all of that, word of mouth about it made people very curious.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 18:51
|
|
|
You guys really need to knock off the whole '"Home" scared the poo poo out of me when I saw it live at age 10'. You're making me feel old. Regarding the mytharc episodes, I thought it went like this: Aliens land on Earth at Roswell ( maybe ) and make contact. Contact doesn't go well and aliens threaten to blow up the Earth/enslave mankind to make way for colonization. Earth is led to believe that the black oil will turn everyone into mindless slaves. Syndicate cuts a deal to create a human-alien hybrid to help pave the way for colonization and to act as more specialized slave labor. Thus begins the coverup and making the hybrids like CancerMan's wife. Syndicate finds out they've been played and that the black oil is actually one stage in the development cycle of the aliens. Stage 2 is the clawed killing machine seen in the first movie and the final stage is the typical Grey alien. They also find out that the aliens have been here before and it's not colonization but re-population since the black oil is already here. They've been double-crossed. Luckily, they've been working on their own double-cross in the form of a 'cure' for the black oil. It kinda works. There's a rebel faction of aliens fighting the Greys. It's never made clear if they're a separate species or if they're actual Greys. They show up and start screwing up the plans of the Syndicate in order to foil the plans of the Greys. Eventually, they hunt down and exterminate the Syndicate. At this point, the wheels come off and the show goes all supersoldier/Mulder kidnapped/Christchild. The date has been set for colonization and the show ends on a sort of half hopeful/half resigned note. Second movie ignores all of this and completely tanks at the box office and we're left with impression that everyone in the world died in December of 2012. ( Probably reading too much into a show that tried to retroactively force everything into an overarching myth but I really loved the show and can't wait for BluRays )
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 19:41
|
|
|
Yannick_B posted:It's funny because the show feels way more like a cop show in season 1, so whenever Mulder goes "I think it's a ghost" it always feels NUTS. While I am sure it happens a lot I laughed my rear end off when in the Eve episode Mulder was like, 'DE FUKKEN ALIENS ARE SUCKING THE BLOOD' immediately and it's like no... just clones idiot!
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 20:04
|
|
|
That is certainly one way to try to interpret the story. The thing is that we are shown a bunch of contradictory stuff. Compare the black oil in Piper Maru (sentient being that infects one person at a time and jumps from one person to the next), Tunguska (black oil as part of experiments to create a hybrid) and the 1st movie (black oil as something that infects people and turns them into hosts). There is no real way to make it all fit, so pretty much the basic idea is to accept that for seasons 1-7, the syndicate is essentially playing a double game of trying to pretend to collaborate with the aliens while trying to come up with a way to prevent the invasion. Even then things are not entirely coherent. It makes no sense that the syndicate feels compelled to help create a process to spread the black oil/create hybrids while also trying to covertly create a vaccine to it. Either the aliens really need the help spreading the black oil, in which case not agreeing to it would be enough to stop them, or they are so powerful that having a vaccine to the black oil wouldn't matter. This is all a longwinded way of saying none of it makes much sense one way or the other. As I said, your interpretation is as good as any, but it is really not worth thinking about it too much, as there is no satisfactory solution. And one minor correction: the rebel alien race is actually identified - they are shape shifters like the bounty hunters, except that they've sealed their eyes, nose and mouth shut to prevent infection with the black oil.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 20:15
|
|
|
Most of my favorite episodes have been mentioned already, but I'll throw in two more. I've always thought that "The Ghosts Who Stole Christmas" is a goddamn charming episode. I don't think it really falls into the "humorous" category, even though it has some funny moments. But the atmosphere is great and there's a lot of interesting discussion about Mulder and Scully's relationship. I also really like "Quagmire" in the third season. I have a soft spot for both Mulder's Ahab speech and the plight of frogs and their ecosystems, I guess. Also, RIP Queequeg.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 20:25
|
|
|
The amazing thing about the X-Files is how inconsistent it is for a show of its deserved stature. The first season was really uneven and took a long time to gel into something sustainable, the last season is more or less a total write-off, the mythology starts out a mess and becomes totally incoherent by the end, but despite all that when the show fires on all cylinders it's still electrifying. Now I just have to finish watching Twin Peaks and I'll be all set for 90s TV That Changed Everything. Basebf555 posted:I can't think of a guy more famous for one(technically two) guest appearance on a T.V. show. Before he was Dr. Venture, the only thing anyone would ever recognize James Urbaniak from was the one episode of Sex and the City where he played a shoe salesman with a foot fetish. (I know this because he brings it up frequently on his podcast.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 20:25
|
|
|
I think "Detour" is one of the better X-Files episodes that I don't hear people talk about much. My vote for worst episode goes to a tie between "Lord of the Flies" and "The Field Where I Died". Those HD screenshot comparisons are awesome. I've rewatched this show so much over the last few years and am always disappointed when there's an episode that has scenes that are too dark, there's quite a few of them. I would be so happy to watch through again and have the episodes look like that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
WarEternal posted:I think "Detour" is one of the better X-Files episodes that I don't hear people talk about much. My vote for worst episode goes to a tie between "Lord of the Flies" and "The Field Where I Died". Detour is awesome. I think my candidates for worst episodes would be "3" and "all things," although I haven't watched either of them in years. "First Pirson Shooter" is a special kind of hilariously bad. That's the one where they get trapped in the video game and there's an evil glitchy hot woman with a gun. I unironically love that episode though. Really any time there are computers as more than just a search or word processor, it's pretty hysterical; "Kill Switch" comes to mind.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:24
|
|
|
It's especially weird because even though First Person Shooter is as bad as Kill Switch is good, they were both written by the same person (who was already a legendary sci-fi author).
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:26
|
|
|
Oh man, speaking of legendary authors, Stephen King wrote "Chinga," which is a horrible episode about a little girl with a killer doll.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:34
|
|
|
Chinga was pretty bad, and was written by Stephen King. Of the underrated ones, I think Je Souhaite is pretty underrated. It frequently gets grouped up with some of the sillier season 7 episodes, but it has a fantastic premise. The idea of a genie who decides to be an rear end in a top hat to people by being extra literal with wishes is fantastic. Edit: beaten.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:37
|
|
|
QuickbreathFinisher posted:Detour is awesome. I think my candidates for worst episodes would be "3" and "all things," although I haven't watched either of them in years. "First Pirson Shooter" is a special kind of hilariously bad. That's the one where they get trapped in the video game and there's an evil glitchy hot woman with a gun. I unironically love that episode though. Really any time there are computers as more than just a search or word processor, it's pretty hysterical; "Kill Switch" comes to mind. Hahahaha, I've blocked "3" from my memory, I think I've watched it a total of once.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:39
|
|
|
Ugh. Is "3" the one where Mulder falls in love with a vampire? If so, I had repressed that one too until now. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:45
|
|
|
There was a great one, War of the Coprophages with all these cockroaches killing people in a small town... The local entomologist happens to be studying cockroaches and is also a crazy hot redhead named Bambi (I think). I don't remember specifics but Mulders interactions with her were hilarious. I also saw Home on its initial airing as like a 14 year old. That was something  E: the only one I really remember hating was when skully gets that tattoo that talks to her 
beanieson fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Jan 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:46
|
|
|
escape artist posted:Ugh. Is "3" the one where Mulder falls in love with a vampire? beanieson posted:There was a great one, War of the Coprophages with all these cockroaches killing people in a small town... The local entomologist happens to be studying cockroaches and is also a crazy hot redhead named Bambi (I think). I don't remember specifics but Mulders interactions with her were hilarious. War of the Coprophages is awesome. There's a point where a "roach" crawls across the tv screen, and I was living with a small roach infestation at the time, so that episode freaked me out a bit. Great episode.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:52
|
|
|
My first exposure to the show was the episode "Syzygy", which has as part of its plot Mulder and Scully's personalities being distorted by the supernatural whatever and making them get angry with each other over dumb reasons. I found them unpleasant without realizing they weren't normally like that and it wasn't until I saw some different episodes that I really got into it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:56
|
|
|
War of the Coprophages is also one of my (many) favorite episodes for all the weird poo poo Scully is shown to get up to in her free time whenever Mulder calls her about killer buuuuugs scully 
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:58
|
|
|
"3" is especially bizarre because it was sandwiched in between two really heavy, emotionally charged plot episodes. It was like Mulder took a one-week break from reality to guest star on True Blood. I can't remember if it ever gets brought up again, but probably not. "Hey Mulder, you didn't bang a vampire chick while I was being abducted, did you?" "Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about."
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 22:58
|
|
|
haveblue posted:My first exposure to the show was the episode "Syzygy", which has as part of its plot Mulder and Scully's personalities being distorted by the supernatural whatever and making them get angry with each other over dumb reasons. I found them unpleasant without realizing they weren't normally like that and it wasn't until I saw some different episodes that I really got into it. Yeah, "Syzygy" is a really fun episode if you already understand the characters, but it's definitely not a great one to start out on, haha. Stare-Out posted:War of the Coprophages is also one of my (many) favorite episodes for all the weird poo poo Scully is shown to get up to in her free time whenever Mulder calls her about killer buuuuugs scully What was the episode where Mulder's doing something with an X-File and the whole time, Scully is eating pizza in an abandoned house staking out what turns out to be a drag queen?
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 23:03
|
|
|
My aunt had a bunch of the 2-3 episode VHS tapes that we'd watch together. Anyone remember the trading cards that came with the tapes? There was some crazy good art on those cards (looked like oil paintings) depicting some iconic image from that particular episode. Edit: examples I just found on eBay, really cool stuff http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-X-Files-Season-1-VHS-Video-Cards-V-5-8-Fallen-Angel-Eve-Squeeze-Tooms-/261368850753 http://www.ebay.com/itm/X-FILES-VIDEO-VHS-DVD-COLLECTOR-CARDS-FROM-THE-1990S-X11-NO-DUPS-NEAR-MINT-/301073842385 beanieson fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Jan 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 23:07
|
|
|
QuickbreathFinisher posted:What was the episode where Mulder's doing something with an X-File and the whole time, Scully is eating pizza in an abandoned house staking out what turns out to be a drag queen? beanieson posted:My aunt had a bunch of the 2-3 episode VHS tapes that we'd watch together. Anyone remember the trading cards that came with the tapes? There was some crazy good art on those cards (looked like oil paintings) depicting some iconic image from that particular episode.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2014 23:36
|
|
|
Rewatching this series as an adult - maybe it is the SD of the first few seasons but I really enjoy the special effects in this show. Minimal digital nonsense. I really miss that stuff. If I ever come into millions of dollars somehow, I'm going to make my own 90s X-files-esque TV show with awesome special effects starring Michael Richards
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2014 00:11
|
|
|
joepinetree posted:And one minor correction: the rebel alien race is actually identified - they are shape shifters like the bounty hunters, except that they've sealed their eyes, nose and mouth shut to prevent infection with the black oil. I was under the impression that the any of the Grey's could shapeshift( See: The Unnatural ). The whole covering over the eyes and mouth didn't make a drat bit of sense either since we saw the black oil crawl through skin. I totally agree, though, that it's really not worth thinking about too much. It's definitely a show to sit back and enjoy the ride.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2014 00:21
|
|
|
I watched the show off and on in the first season, but The Host from the start of season 2 is what got me hooked. The ending shot was just perfectly creepy. I never cared much for the arc shows - that poo poo was confusing and never made much sense. I think they made a major mistake by making the 1st movie part of the arc, instead of a standalone monster of the week. If they had done a MotW movie, it would have been much more successful, and the X-Files would have spawned a string of movies after the TV run was done, much like Star Trek.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2014 00:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 16:58 |
|
|
I re-watched the whole series last year for the first time since I watched it as a kid/teenager and it was really cool to come back to. When I was young I thought of Mulder as the primary character and would get annoyed at Scully for holding him back. Now that I'm an adult I identify a lot more with Scully and wish Mulder would stop jumping to conclusions. One episode I love that I don't think has been mentioned yet is the one with the trailer park vampires where both Mulder and Scully recount differing versions of events.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2014 00:28
|
|
