Rodent Rates The X-Files... An Ongoing Thread

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Ok, I bought the box set the yesterday and have been working my way through it in order.


And yes, that means when it comes time for the films, they too will be fully reviewed like one of my regular reviews.


S1: Ep1: "Pilot"

Intro for our characters and how they met. Background dialogue setting up Mulder's history.
Also starting out as they meant to go on with Aliens as the basis of the story.
Doesn't feel like a pilot though. Solidly written and executed though with some experimental stuff going on in the odd scene.
It's also the first of the "Alien Mythology" of the series.


S1: Ep2: "Deep Throat"

The second in the Alien Mythology of the series.
Another solid Alien and UFO outing, and again doesn't feel like a 2nd-in-a-series episode. It's solidly written and executed and acted and has some tweaking done to the writing and photography too.


S1: Ep3: "Squeeze"

My favourite episode so far, and the first "monster of the week" episode. Full of intrigue and another solidly executed episode with an open ending.
The unfolding of discovery of what the creature is, is tops. Setting a precedent for what to expect later.


S1: Ep4: "Conduit"

Works on a similar premise to what happened to Mulder and his Sister when they were kids. Has a personal touch to proceedings.
I wasn't totally drawn in though. I think it was lacking more emotional content in Mulder's character. Some of it was there, but should have been more.
Still solidly pieced together though.


S1: Ep5: "The Jersey Devil"

Kinda hokey, with the monster of the week being a sort of cross between Big Foot and a caveman. Another one that didn't really draw me in.
Still solidly executed though, not much else wrong apart from the subject matter. I guess they were still trying to find their feet with what sort of creatures and monsters they were experimenting with in the writing.


S1: Ep6: "Shadows"

Another good episode, but more of the experimentation with what sort of creature they were going for.
Much more a fantasy episode as it features a possible ghost.
Nicely put together though, I enjoyed the whole mystery and discovery as the story went on around the character of Lauren and her Boss.


S1: Ep7: "The Ghost In The Machine"

This one has aged a lot as it used computers as the monster-of-the-week.
I wasn't transfixed, but I found it fun in a sort of humorous way. Kinda like watching The Lawnmower Man again.
Still, the unfolding of the story was another solidly pieced together episode.


S1: Ep8: "Ice"

Another favourite. Reminded me of The Thing.
The duo stuck in Icy Cape in Alaska and an Alien discovery infects everyone there and they all get paranoid at each other.
Solid episode across the board.


S1: Ep9: "Space"

Involving Alien influences on a NASA controller and a mission to Mars, but isn't tied to the Alien Mythology of the series.
Kinda felt out of place this one. Not sure what it was, but an Alien possession story just felt, well, let's say you don't really get to caring about the characters involved to care if they figure out what's going on or not.


S1: Ep10: "Fallen Angel"

The third in the Alien Mythology of the series.
A crashed ship, a mysterious figure roaming around and Mulder upsetting various military guys and his own superiors, and peeing off Scully too, trying to figure it out.
Good episode, and has some good stuff that broadens the Alien story that we get to enjoy later.



S1: Ep11: "Eve"

Full of mystery when a father is killed and it's discovered that his daughter looks exactly like the daughter of another man who was killed in exactly the same way.
Unfolds brilliantly as Mulder and Scully uncover a dark secret. Good characters too.
Solid episode. Possibly one of the best written tbh.



Will be following this Rodent . I just rewatched Season 1 a few months back and i think Ice or Eve was my favourite. The Ghost in the Machine was easily the worst, as you said that ep is horribly dated.



Thanks man! I'm just watching "Fire" now. Will be the last one today. My discs have 4 episodes per disc, so I'll be doing 4 a day from now on
Maybe 8, depending on time.



S1: Ep12: "Fire"

Another monster-of-the-week episode, with Smoulder and Skullcap tracking an apparent arsonist. Mulder receives a tape recording which brings him into the case.
Unfolding brilliantly when the history of the arsonist is revealed and a blast from the past for Mulder while he’s trying to solve the case and Scully actually seems a little jealous at times too.
Some good special-effects in this one as well.




That's all for today.
More to come tomorrow



Def in season 1 anyways. I think finding their feet and also not being that huge at the start affected the casting. They get better as they go on though.



S1: Ep13: “Beyond The Sea”

Monster of the week episode. Brad Dourif stars
Scully’s Father has died, and she has a vision of him. The role reversal between Scully and Mulder is nice to see when Luthor Lee Boggs (Dourif) appears as an apparent psychic who is helping out on a missing person’s case. Boggs is also a convicted mass murderer. Mulder believes he’s full of crap, but Boggs’ “powers” put Scully to the test.
Great episode. Possibly the best one and most revered too. Fantastic writing, unfolds brilliantly, and Dourif’s casting is a work of genius.



S1: Ep14: “Gender Bender”

Monster of the week episode.
Mulder and Scully are brought in to investigate a string of deaths in strange circumstances, possibly connected to a religious sect… and a person who can seemingly change their gender at will, to get what they want. The main problem is if they sleep with someone, that person then dies from an overdose of pheromones.
Interesting take on the “people who have lived for a long time” thing and using sexual relations and gender as a backdrop… story unfolds ok, but kind of a “generic X-Files” episode in terms of screenplay.
The cast is good though, some future famous faces in this one, and the religious sect is spooky.



S1: Ep15: “Lazarus”

Monster of the week episode.
Scully and her old partner Agent Jack Willis, are caught up in a bank robbery, Jack is shot and near dies, and the bank robber, Warren Dupre, is shot and killed by Scully.
But after Jack is revived on the operating table, he begins showing signs that his body may have been possessed by the soul of Dupre.
Great episode, with Scully having a personal connection with her old Agent partner and Mulder throwing in his usual far-out theories.
Unfolds nicely, and well pieced together with a mystery behind who Dupre is/was.



S1: Ep16: “Young At Heart”

Monster of the week episode.
A series of robberies takes place, seemingly conducted by someone called John Barnett, and Mulder and Scully are brought in to investigate.
The reason the duo is called in, is that Barnett is a criminal from a case that Mulder worked on years ago… a man with a distinctly deformed hand, but he apparently died several years ago.
Kinda weak episode. Could have been more solid using the “this guy died years ago” thing, and Mulder having his past come back to haunt him, but it’s not executed well, it was kinda boring at times. It’s interesting though to see Mulder’s chequered past and a story of genetic testing and government involvement.




That's it for today... more tomorrow



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Wow you're really not taking your time and savouring them are you? You're flying through

Anyway with the X-Files being my favourite ever show I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread. Always fancied doing write-ups for the show myself at some point actually

Season 1 was a great start for the show. It was a little rough around the edges with a few episodes that were a bit trashy and cheap but overall great stuff. It actually has an incredible start in terms of the first few episodes. I think its pilot remains one of the best I've ever seen. Deep Throat is a great episode, as is Squeeze. Doug Hutchison is really good as Tooms; so creepy. And it's fun to see a young Seth Green in Deep Throat. I like Conduit as well though I generally liked any that had a UFO/alien abduction connection. Loved the reveal of the image in amongst all of the numbers the boy was writing.

The next few episodes (Jersey Devil through Ghost in the Machine) are more examples of those rough episodes I mentioned but all enjoyable in their own way with some great moments. In fact there's barely an episode of the show I don't enjoy to some degree. Ice is a classic, my 2nd favourite of the season and one of the best of the whole show. In complete contrast Space is one of the series' weakest. Eve is excellent as is Beyond the Sea. The latter I'd say is my favourite of the season. Dourif is tremendous as Luther Lee Boggs. Gender Bender is pretty trashy and lurid but I liked the cult stuff and it's fun to see Nicholas Lea pop up before returning to the show later on as Krycek

I'm trying to remember what other gems are still to come in season 1. E.B.E. is very good, while Darkness Falls and Tooms are both favourites. Have you seen the show before Rodent or is this your first time going through it?



A little of both tbh. I watched when they were aired in the 1990s, but being a kid who never had satellite, I had to make do with the sporadic airings channel 4 would put on.
Some I've seen and some not and the ones I've seen were years ago, so it's like I'm rediscovering them


I'll be doing a write up at the end of each season as well I think to show my favourites of each season


So far it's Deep Throat, Squeeze, Ice, Eve. Will see if that changes as I get further into season 1.



I forgot to say actually, I am savouring them
I'm watching the episode, then writing up on it then watching the next one and so on.


I'm enthralled tbh. Being someone who has seen a few of them and loved them, but haven't seen all of them, this is a new experience. Especially being a TV series and the only TV series that has ever captivated me.



S1: Ep12: "Fire"

Another monster-of-the-week episode, with Smoulder and Skullcap tracking an apparent arsonist. Mulder receives a tape recording which brings him into the case.
Unfolding brilliantly when the history of the arsonist is revealed and a blast from the past for Mulder while he’s trying to solve the case and Scully actually seems a little jealous at times too.
Some good special-effects in this one as well.
This is the only episode of The X-Files that I strongly remember/know the basic plot of. I've seen others but they all kinda blur together. This one, though, kinda stayed with me for some reason.



As someone who once met him, this is nothing to be excited about.



S1: Ep14: “Gender Bender”

Monster of the week episode.
Mulder and Scully are brought in to investigate a string of deaths in strange circumstances, possibly connected to a religious sect… and a person who can seemingly change their gender at will, to get what they want.
To me, this is the ultimate superpower. This is why I love Mistique from X-Men -- what could be better than having the power to turn into anyone? This is why I'm a TransMoFo.

Originally Posted by Rodent
The main problem is if they sleep with someone, that person then dies from an overdose of pheromones.
WTF?



S1: Ep17: “E.B.E”

4th in the Alien Mythology episode.
A UFO is downed in Iraq, and a while later another one is spotted in the USA.
Mulder and Scully follow up the USA sighting, working alongside 3 UFO nutcase friends of Mulder’s who call themselves “The Lone Gunmen”.
Fantastic episode. Got everything from UFOs, classic characters being introduced, part of the Alien Mythology of the series, Mulder conducting experiments using stopwatches, pens with tracking devices in them, Mulder getting a Top Secret file from the mysterious character Deep Throat, and is well written and pieced together from the start with varying shady government types trying to halt the duo’s investigations and spy on them.
One of the most enjoyable and classic episodes.