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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).
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Jan 9, 2014 21:09
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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.
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Jan 9, 2014 21:27
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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. 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 |
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Jan 9, 2014 21:35
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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 |
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Jan 9, 2014 22:00
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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!
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Jan 9, 2014 22:23
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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.
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Jan 9, 2014 22:35
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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.
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Jan 24, 2014 16:44
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QuickbreathFinisher posted:I tried to watch Twin Peaks and it just never grabbed me. I had heard it being compared to the X-files, so obviously I was interested. After the first few episodes, I felt like it was way too melodramatic and I didn't care at all about any of what was happening. It felt like a really slow, bad soap opera. I'm going to give it another shot now, though, if only to see David Duchovny cross-dressing. A pretty big part of the appeal of Twin Peaks is the wacky characters, so if you can't get into that then it may not be for you. Its like 50% creepy mysteries and 50% wacky soap-opera. X-files is a lot more grounded(sounds crazy but its true).
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Jan 28, 2014 19:56
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Octy posted:You should give it another go. I loved it on the first watch, but I also loved most of the second season which is pretty controversial. Just don't go in for the movie. I'm glad the movie exists because even though it throws out a lot of what made the show great, it shows the side of Twin Peaks that was only really hinted at during the original run. Of course the reason it wasn't a major focus is because its extremely dark and disturbing, and just all around depressing as hell. The whole series I kept thinking to myself "Man, if only I could actually watch the last few days of Laura's life, it would be so interesting to see." Then I saw it and it is not a fun experience.
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Jan 28, 2014 23:15
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haveblue posted:It ruins the whole look of the show on some level. Vancouver has a cold dreariness that seeps into every shot, even if it's indoors and well-lit. California is just too colorful and it was never the same again. Yea I wouldn't have been able to remember the exact point when it happens, but the show changes from having a pretty unique style to looking like every other Fox show that's ever aired.
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Jan 29, 2014 15:09
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I always felt like the baby thing was kind of an in-between issue. Scully decided she wanted a baby and when she thought about who the father should be she realized Mulder was her closest friend at that point and one of the few people she trusted. Even in their retcon, wasn't all that theoretically before they were "together". I thought they were only officially together after the show ended(as shown in the recent movie).
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Feb 4, 2014 21:28
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Slate Action posted:Do people really not like the Pilot episode? I never see it recommended as an entry point to the show. Depends on what you're looking for in an entry point. If you plan on skipping the aliens storyline than you can skip it along with five or six other episodes in season 1. I think the reason why its not essential for most people is because the really solid chemistry between Mulder and Scully doesn't develop until at least mid-season, or even season 2.
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Mar 19, 2014 17:11
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I really enjoyed I Want to Believe and I thought it was pretty drat creepy. I know that's a minority opinion though.
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Apr 1, 2014 20:26
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piratepilates posted:I gotta say, the lady in Monday is pretty poo poo at dealing with the groundhog day. Bill Murray would have had it all figured out in 2 tries. Well she's got the responsibility of stopping an event from happening, Murray's just hanging out learning to play piano. Its like the scenes where Murray tried to save the homeless guy, how'd that work out for him?
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Dec 11, 2014 21:19
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haveblue posted:She resolved it by dying, she was never going to fix it to the point that the robbery didn't happen and she got a happy ending with her boyfriend. Mulder realizing the situation was just what let him and Scully escape. Yea I think the implication was that the robbery wasn't supposed to happen, but the reason she couldn't figure out how to stop it is because her death was the only thing that could stop it, and obviously that's something that didn't ever occur to her. She was probably supposed to overdose or something the night before and then her boyfriend would be too distraught to rob the bank. Or without her around he wouldn't even have a reason to do it because she's the reason he was so desperate for money. ^^^^^Edit: Mulder getting yelled at isn't what does it, its that she lays the whole thing out for him right before he dies, then when he sees that she was right he repeats "he's got a bomb" over and over to himself like a mantra. Then when he goes back the next day the mantra pops back into his head via deja vu. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Dec 11, 2014 |
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Dec 11, 2014 21:32
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I did a rewatch with my roommate this year and we're right at the end of Season 7 where Mulder is about to exit. Its a loving bummer because the chemistry between Duchovney and Anderson is so strong by this point, their banter in some of these episodes carries the whole thing. It would have been great to have another full season of them reacting to ridiculous poo poo like genies, dopplegangers and garbage monsters.
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Dec 24, 2014 15:06
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He seemed to be a primary writer for at least the first few seasons. It felt like every episode was written by Gilligan, Spotnitz, or Carter.
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Jan 20, 2015 16:53
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I said come in! posted:I am into season 5 now. Mulder and Scully have become very precious to me and I can't stop watching this show. On episode 2 and Dana's brother is a huge butt to Mulder and I can't let that stand. You begin to understand him a little bit at least as time goes on and you learn more about Scully and her family dynamic. They're a very religious family after all, and here Scully is potentially ruining her career chasing stuff that doesn't(in her brothers worldview) exist. Then she ends up in the hospital with terminal cancer and Mulder won't let up about aliens and implants and all kinds of bullshit that has nothing to do with the fact that his sister is loving dying.
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Mar 11, 2015 16:47
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Vintersorg posted:Should we really be excited for a new season? I was at first but not so much based on the past 2 seasons. Well when the show ended it really felt like everyone involved was ready for it to end and had been for some time. They(mainly Duchovney and Carter) were trying to ride off into the sunset for like 2 or 3 seasons but the network just kept throwing obscene amounts of money at them. Now though, so much time has gone by and they all seem genuinely excited to do another season. I think it probably has a lot to do with he popularity of limited run series like True Detective and Fargo, so that now its feasible to give the fans one(who knows, maybe two) season and just walk away. If their heart is in it I see no reason why a new season couldn't be great. Edit: yea 24 is another limited run success that is the model for this sort of thing
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Mar 11, 2015 19:39
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Slate Action posted:My question is: should a new season of the show try to "fix" the mythology arc and give it a better resolution, addressing the common complaint that the myth arc is unsatisfying because it doesn't really go anywhere? Or should it just kind of ignore series continuity to a degree and do its own thing? (Or should it just be a bunch of monster episodes, because gently caress it) Assuming they have at least 10-12 episodes to work with, which is no guarantee, I think they could at least touch on the mythology without it being the main focus. There could be two main arcs to the season, one that's the typical weird/wacky MoTW storyline, and the other would be slower building and climax with some sort of real development in the alien invasion storyline. You can't just totally ignore the mythology because by the timeline stated in the show the invasion should have already happened. So there has to at least be a throwaway explanation for why it didn't.
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Mar 11, 2015 20:08
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bobkatt013 posted:It really should have ended in season 6 when the rebel aliens killed off the syndicate. It should have just gone with them facing CSM and his desire to gain power and get it back on track. I feel like there was still an opportunity there with Krycek starting up his own little mini-Syndicate with the Lori Holden character. They were working with/for Smoking Man and the myth-arc could have just continued from there. So I think the real point of no return was when Krycek pushed CSM down the stairs, then at the end of that season Krycek himself is killed. After that the myth-arc had nowhere to go and was just flailing around until the finale.
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Mar 11, 2015 20:37
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bobkatt013 posted:I think you mean with the Mimi Rogers character. The Lori Holden at that point was experimented on and was with Gibson, and seemed to be on Mulder's side. The Mimi Rogers character was in on it too, but Lori Holden was saved by CSM weasel-like instincts when the rest of the Syndicate was killed. I'm pretty sure she's working with CSM and is the one who brings Krycek into the fold on his orders. I think its after CSM gets pushed down the stairs that she starts working with Mulder. Edit: Actually I just looked her up on Wikipedia and it says after Krycek pushed CSM down the stairs Holden doesn't appear again until the finale. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Mar 11, 2015 |
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Mar 11, 2015 20:43
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Wheat Loaf posted:Is there any particular reason why they replaced Krycek with Adam Baldwin's character? Did Nicholas Lea just want out or did they decide to write him out? I think its because season 8 was basically written as the final season, then at the last minute they agreed to do one more. So the death of Krycek was intended to be part of a satisfying series finale.
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Mar 11, 2015 21:07
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haveblue posted:Every member of the Syndicate except the Smoking Man was killed halfway through season 6. Yea they were all told that the time for the invasion was here and to bring their families so that they could be led to some sort of safe VIP area. It turned out they had been fooled into showing up there by the rebels and they were all killed en masse.
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Mar 11, 2015 21:25
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WarEternal posted:Does anyone give a poo poo about the X-Files "myth arc" these days? Did anyone by the time season 8&9 rolled around? I can't imagine that would be wise. Just get the dream team back together and hope Fox doesn't gently caress it up somehow. There has to be at least some throwaway acknowledgement of the myth arc because the invasion should be in full swing by now. There has to be some explanation for why the colonists cancelled their plans or postponed them.
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Mar 23, 2015 16:31
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This is all for naught of Pileggi doesn't return.
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Mar 26, 2015 17:48
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marktheando posted:Skinner was retired in the last movie right? Men like Skinner never truly retire. They just...wait.
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Mar 26, 2015 20:01
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bobkatt013 posted:That is slightly due to her getting pregnant and having to take time off and being unable to do a lot of the stuff she normally would do. I've always wondered how different the whole mythology could have ended up had she not been pregnant during that time. Its during that break where she initially gets abducted and is implanted with the alien device, leading to pretty much everything that would come later. Maybe that was always the basic plan, it was just accelerated because of the pregnancy.
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Mar 27, 2015 16:43
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Smoking Man should be a head in a jar or something equally ridiculous.
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Mar 27, 2015 18:46
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Octy posted:Dude got shot in the head. If CSM can be resurrected as many as times as he was, I don't see why Krycek couldn't be. Yea but it was that "he's deader than loving dead" bullet POV angle where you see the bullet travel directly into his skull, followed by an extended close-up of his dead eyes. In T.V. language that's about as dead as it gets.
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Mar 27, 2015 20:50
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MisterBibs posted:Realtalk: I actually dug that plot line. You think the Bad Guys of the series are just planning on selling out humanity to save their own assets, but what they were paying lip service to the invading aliens ("Status report 35244, we're really close to getting that stuff you wanted done, for sure!"), while secretly trying to invent something that would let them say "gently caress you, go home." Yea the reveal that the Syndicate has actually been working against the colonists really works well because it helps explain some of the inconsistencies in how they're presented early on. If they were all-in with the colonists or just working against them, some of their actions from the first few seasons wouldn't make much sense. The way they did it you can go back and watch those episodes and see at certain points they were sticking to the "program", and at others we're seeing their secret plans to fight back.
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Apr 1, 2015 14:36
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Krycek even had a part in the finale because Mulder was hallucinating that all the people who died looking for the Truth came back to give him advice/loom over him creepily. No reason that couldn't continue in the new season. Of course I posted a page or two ago about how in "T.V. language" Krycek is as dead as it gets so I guess this would be a middle-ground.
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Apr 8, 2015 14:32
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Payndz posted:Cancer Man should be brought back the same way the Master comes back on Doctor Who after being killed, this time for real, undeniably, no doubts in anyone's mind, honest: have him simply show up as if nothing's happened, and if anyone calls him on the fact that he was last seen dying screaming in flames, he just chuckles mockingly before swiftly moving on. This is pretty much how they handled his first two deaths.
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Apr 8, 2015 16:12
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My favorite Skinner scene was in Hollywood A.D. when all three of them are talking on the phone while taking a bubble bath. Mulder and Scully are insecure and lie about what they're doing, Skinner is just like "gently caress yea I'm taking a bubble bath, what of it?"
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Apr 22, 2015 19:10
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Goddamnit man, I just finished a complete rewatch of the series last month.
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Apr 24, 2015 15:09
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LesterGroans posted:Watching the HD episodes. He's still good in it though, if there's anything worthwhile in that episode he's it.
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Apr 24, 2015 19:09
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Stare-Out posted:I don't see why they couldn't keep it going if the response is good. Schedules permitting, anyway. The problem is the people involved are very clearly not into having X-files dominate another decade of their life. Anderson is busier than probably she's ever been in her career, and of all people there's no way Duchovny would be doing this if he thought it would be an extended commitment. If it's a monster success maybe there's a chance we get one more mini-season, but its not going to be a monster success. People will watch it, enjoy it, and then it will be forgotten not unlike Arrested Development's revival season.
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Apr 30, 2015 16:55
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esselfortium posted:I would say the opposite of that actually. Nothing of the main plot ever gets concluded satisfactorily, usually because Chris Carter got bored of a plot thread or forgot it existed, and the show has major ups and downs in quality from the beginning to the very end. There are great and terrible episodes scattered all throughout its run. I really disagree. If you watch the entire show in a short enough time that you can actually remember whats going on from season to season, the whole Syndicate/Smoking Man arc has a very definitive conclusion. Everything after that is only very loosely connected to what came before, but the Syndicate and their relationship to the Colonists is the core of the mythology up until that point and it ends very conclusively.
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May 15, 2015 15:27
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CSM alludes to the fact that he's Mulder's father multiple times before the DNA reveal in the finale, and he may have even openly claimed it at one point. We'd maybe be tempted to assume he's lying, because its CSM, but then we do see him and Mulder's mother having a heated conversation about something, so it fit. Then in the finale Spender is proven to be related to Mulder, which pretty much ends whatever debate there may have still been.
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May 21, 2015 14:02
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I really liked the one in the first season where those tiny prehistoric bugs were let loose because of logging. Mulder and Scully basically accomplished nothing and ended up trapped in a car all cocooned by the bugs, they were pretty much done for. Of course they are discovered at the last minute and when we see them next they have a rash on their face that will go away in a few weeks. Same deal with the underground fungus.
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May 22, 2015 18:34
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