X-Files/ Ten Thirteen

Today is the 65th birthday of X-Files creator, (and ex-journalist) Chris Carter, hence his Ten Thirteen Productions.

I'm a huge fan of the show, so here are my favorite episodes:

1. The episode where Mulder and Michel McKean's character switch bodies is one of the funniest tv episodes I've ever seen.
2. The Luke Wilson/vampire episode is almost as funny. Written by Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan
3. The "Cops" crossover is pure genius. Written by Vince Gilligan
4. The one where Scully and Mulder have to pretend to be a married couple on an assignment in a gated community. Guest star: Kubiak from Parker Lewis.
5. "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat" from the most recent season which features an alien being who just spouts Trump gibberish

 

God, I loved this show. When it started, I wanted to watch The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., which preceded and was supposed to make Bruce Campbell a star. A buddy soon turned me on to the X-Files. As this was back in my newspaper says when I worked every Friday, I soon began video recording them both and turned on The X-Files as soon as I got home, no matter how late.

I remember Flukeman as a great episode. There was the one with the inbred family, very gross. I loved anything with Cigarette Smoking Man and the mythology, which led nowhere. The movies after the show ended and the revival just about ruined the show. They were mostly trash.

But god bless the X-Files. Turned out this was the hot show and Davis Duchovny and Gillian Anderson became stars, not Bruce Campbell.

 

It was unfortunate they never were able to quite tie the mythology into a cohesive story. It was a great idea and a great show at its best, but Carter doesn’t seem to have any idea where the show was ever supposed to end up. And despite several opportunities since Duchovny left the show, he still never came up with even a half-assed idea.

 

It took me a while to get into it, then I started enjoying a couple of seasons in the late 90s. I like the Cigarette Smoking Man's character. But after the first film, I lost interest. It got to be too convoluted for me.

 

Never cared for the mythology episodes. Loved the "monster of the week" and the funny ones.

 

Fair enough, and X-Files did those episodes as well or better than just about any show. I’ve always enjoyed serials more than episodic shows. Just personal preference.

 

Back in a different life, the X-Files were a definite staple in the late 90s.

 

A favorite. I’ve watched the entire series through at least four times. I cannot at this moment tell you what the F actually happened to Mulder’s sister

The standalone monster epps were always better. The alien in the negro leagues. The black and white gypsy circus episode. And of course Peter Boyle’s psychic episode

 

Was a huge fan of the show as well. It was something my wife and I enjoyed watching together that began right about when we were first married (there have been very few shows which meet that criteria since ...).

The bits of humor, often very subtle, was the X-Files' secret weapon. The jokes about Mulder's social life (porn) began early in the series, and of course the Lone Gunmen eventually got their own series.

Favorite episodes? Wow, I'd have to think about that ... some have already been mentioned. I liked the ones that touched on Scully's Catholic faith, and the conflict she had between religion and science. A tricky subject area that Carter and his writers handled very well.

And put me in the camp of enjoying the "freak of the week" episodes more than the alien/government conspiracy ones.

 

You really should get this life insurance policy.