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Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stupot on 26 Jan 2016, 02:17

Title: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 26 Jan 2016, 02:17: So, Mulder and Scully are back.
Let's talk about it :-)

Some thoughts about "My Struggle".
Spoilers in 'hide' tags of course.

Spoiler: Show Hide

I tried to avoid reviews but I had read some mixed opinions, mostly negative to be honest. But I mostly liked it.
I was expecting it to be sickeningly fan-servicey, which it was to some extent (the constant repetition of the phrase "want to believe" was bordering on ridiculous) but most of it was handled a bit more tastefully than I gave it credit for. For example, the 'pencils in the ceiling' shot, which I knew was an inevitability was actually handled a lot better than it was in the second movie, where it makes me cringe every time.

Some of the dialogue was sketchy, to say the least. Another wave of script editing might have done the trick. At one point, O'Malley said something like "I want to know my ass is hanging by more than just a slender thread." Sounds like they got three different people to write the beginning, middle and end of that sentence and not tell each other what they'd written.

This episode also highlighted one of the things that always kind of bothered me about The X-Files in general, especially later seasons. The fact that this is a show mostly about one man's quest to find out these deep dark secrets, but then there are just hundreds, if not thousands of scientists, doctors, soldiers and other military personnel, and god knows who else who seem to know all about it. It makes Mulder's look stupid. It was all much more dramatic when it seemed that it was all being done by a small mysterious group of men.

The new direction of the conspiracy seems interesting, although I confess I'm not 100% clear what that actually is. And another problem is that they didn't even acknowledge the the fact that aliens were supposed to have invaded on Decemmber 22nd 2012. Or was that stuff all part of the Massive Lie™ that Mulder kept referring to in this episode? I'm a bit confused about that.

I did start this by saying I liked it though, and here's why (other than the simple fact that my favourite show of all time is back on TV):

I liked the Roswell stuff. Roswell has always fascinated me. Something happened on that day and we can only ever speculate as to what that was. This episode put a nice spin on it (although the CG of the injured Alien will not age well).

I actually liked the awkward relationship between Mulder and Scully. A lot of the shippers (who think they are fans of the show but are actually just fans of Mulder ans Scully's relationship) were very pissed off about their break-up, and haven't stopped crying about it on Twitter and giving Chris Carter a hard time. But I think it made sense. In fact it follws on naturally from the 2nd movie, which was already sowing the seeds for some incompatability issues. It worked and I think it is better for the show in that it can now focus more on the pair solving paranormal cases and less about them kissing and cuddling

So overal, yes it was a flawed episode of TV, especially for a mythology episode, but it was by no means as bad as some of the original episodes could be. And I hear stirrings that episodes 2 and 3 are better, so fingers crossed.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Mandle on 26 Jan 2016, 07:28: WTF?! Has it started already?! Where can I catch it?!
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Snarky on 26 Jan 2016, 07:37: It's airing on Fox in the old-fashioned way. :-D It's also available on streaming through Fox Now (http://www.fox.com/watch/607308867569/7756658688), but you need to be in (or proxied into) the US.
In other countries, it varies.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stromvin on 26 Jan 2016, 12:23: Just seen episode One and yeah kinda liked it. Not sure if i agree with the "Aliens are not the baddies but men are" thing. But as much as i like cool Spaceships, i was always much more interested in the non main plot episodes. This whole Roswell Government Conspiracy Thing just is less cool to me than the monster of the week ones. Well at least some of them. I forgot the name, but the episode with the office worker whose chef was a creepy Insect which "droned" his employees, scared the crap out of me. So did the one with the mermaid/evil twin monster that tried to invade peoples bellys.

So yeah im excited ;)
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Snarky on 26 Jan 2016, 12:42: Quote from: Stromvin on 26 Jan 2016, 12:23
I forgot the name, but the episode with the office worker whose chef was a creepy Insect which "droned" his employees, scared the crap out of me.

"Folie à deux" (by Vince Gilligan). Yeah, that's a good'un!

Quote
So did the one with the mermaid/evil twin monster that tried to invade peoples bellys.

"Humbug". Darin Morgan's first episode: he's generally considered the show's best writer, and is writing another one for the new series (episode 3, I think).
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stromvin on 26 Jan 2016, 14:55: I really do hope you just googled that Snarky, otherwise id be impressed and intimidated ;)
Considering your last sentence i have high hopes now. Always searched for something that gives me chills like x-Files, but most series disappoint in that respect.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Snarky on 26 Jan 2016, 15:45: :-D

No (except to check that "Folie à deux" was by Gilligan), but I've been rewatching the show ahead of the new season, and those two are pretty memorable.

One series that might be as eerie as The X-Files is Hannibal, if you haven't seen that. And it has Gillian Anderson!
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Kumpel on 26 Jan 2016, 16:07: Yeah! The dream team of paranormal investigation is back on track!

Spoiler: Show Hide
My Struggle:
I couldn't make much out of the first episode, which seemed a little bit overreaching with it's paranoidical gibberish blabbering - even if the roswell scenes and the ending with the kill squad / assasination by UFO where pretty good CGI-wise. Also it threw away half of the show's mythology with a few sentences... I dont know yet if I like where the main-arc is heading now. But the M/S-chemistry is still on fire. I just love these guys interacting.

Founders Mutation:
Now that is what I am talking about! Just fantastic how bluntly but nevertheless cool the creators transfered the old-schoolness of this cult show into our modern times. I got a Fringe feeling more than once which for me is the best a mystery scifi show can achieve nowadays (Fringe is the scifi-mystery queen! Watch it if you missed it). It was pretty brutal, much more than what X-Phillies are used to. But it continued to build the new story on the side line with a clever case and great actors. Now I am completely into the new X-Files.

@Stupot+:
Spoiler: Show Hide
They did mention the 2012-plot element! I guess Mulder called it the beginning of a countdown... Which sounds for me like the authors need more time to find a solution for cutting that old story thread...
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stromvin on 26 Jan 2016, 16:46: A true believer then, guess i can live without fear now ;)
I tried with Hannibal i really did. Actually i dont even know why i stopped. Guess there were more interesting shows that time ...
I liked Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal though, really good choice of actors in general there is guess.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 26 Jan 2016, 23:10: Quote from: Kumpel on 26 Jan 2016, 16:07
@Stupot+:
Spoiler: Show Hide
They did mention the 2012-plot element! I guess Mulder called it the beginning of a countdown... Which sounds for me like the authors need more time to find a solution for cutting that old story thread...

Spoiler: Show Hide
Oh really? I must have blinked and missed it. Still, for such a major plot point to be given next to zero resolution is a bit of a cop-out. I'm not saying they have to devote a whole episode to tying up Season 9 but at the least it needs some acknowledgment.

Like Snarky, I've been rewatching the whole series, averaging 1 a day since, what? May or June? Seasons 1 to 3 were on Hulu, but after that I had to do seasons 4 - 9 entirely on DVD rentals. It got pretty intense and expensive the last couple of weeks because I fell really behind over Christmas and had to play catch-up. But it was great fun and I enjoyed interacting with other rewatchers on Twitter (even though they are all shippers)

~~Now, excuse me. I'm about to watch the second new episode.~~

Some thoughts on Episode 2:
Spoiler: Show Hide
Founder's Mutation is definitely a step in the right direction. I wasn't disappointed at all. The writing was a lot stronger and less cheesy. The case was in one sense very familiar but also quite different to anything they've done before. The episode itself was left unresolved, suggesting Kyle and Molly will be back, causing trouble at some point, and maybe even prove a major part of the season's throughline. Which is interesting because episodes 2-5 are supposed to be 'Monster-of-the-week', but this still felt very much part of the overall umbrella of conspiracies that the previous episode seemed to be trying to introduce. I wonder if that will be the case with all the MotW episodes, that they will all be linked together. Which goes back to Kumpel's Fringe comparison. With Fringe, even the strange weekly cases were related to (or a result of) the things happening in the overall mythology.

Founder's Mutation suggests to me a similar approach. But I guess we'll have to see what happens in the next few epsiodes. Next is a Darin Morgan episode, which are always quite singular and have their own weird line of continuity.

One thing I'm not enjoying is all the on-the-nose timestamp references to 2016. The idea is supposed to be to illustrate how much things have changed since the original run of the show. Google gags, YouTube celebrities, smartphones with finger-print detection, even the well-intentioned commentary about how far we are supposed to have come on homosexuality since the 90s. I mean obviously technology plays an unavoidable part of a show about solving strange crimes, and social commentary is an important factor of many good TV dramas, but the more of this stuff that gets ham-fistedly packed into these episodes, the earlier they will look riduculous when all that 2016 stuff becomes laughable 'old' stuff.

I mean, fair enough, we do look back fondly on the classic X-Files with their brick-shaped mobile phones and talking about "The Net" and "Mainframes", so I could be totally off. Maybe in 2035, we'll all be laughing fondly at the Google jokes. But I'm more inclined to think we'll be cringing.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Cassiebsg on 27 Jan 2016, 12:15: Just finished episode 1 and.... meeehh... not impressed really (story wise). Not sure what I was expecting though. Probably shouldn't had watched the little "x-files re-open" documentary first... lot of spoilers there. :-\

Spoiler: Show Hide

And smoking man is back? Really!? The only safe bet that he won't be in it, that that chapter was closed... and they just bring him back from the dead!?

Still, am sure I'll watch all remaining 5 episodes... and more if they decide to do more. But will always miss the feel season 1 to 3 gave me, that was ripped and steeped on afterwards... the "we don't give answers" at the end of the episode, "you figure it out", type of feeling. Guess that is dead and buried. :(
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 03 Feb 2016, 03:09: Spoilers for "Mulder and Scully Meet The Were Monster":
Read only if you've seen it or don't care.

Spoiler: Show Hide

This is the one a lot of fans will have been looking forward to the most. Darin Morgan's few episode are among the best of the entire run of the show. They are the 'funny' ones. They are the ones with the most in-jokes and they are also the ones which play the most games with themes, tropes and audience expectations. They are the ones which make you think (if you pay enough attention).

"M&S Meet..." disappointed me. The references and Easter-eggs were mostly fun, but a lot of it was just too damn cringeingly fan-servicey (pencils again? Oh for fuck sake). The humour was in the vein of "classic" Darin Morgan, but something felt... off. It was trying too hard to be a Darin Morgan Episode™ And didn't quite hit the mark.

The whole 2nd half of the episode was just one over-long explanation of the twist, which could have been done in a quick flashback montage. Instead the were-monster gives us an extended account of his time in human form, going on to explain how the lizard form is his actual form and he just changed into a human sometimes, and that humans are the real monsters. This is all explained in dialogue and flashback sequences leaving no room for the viewer to work anything out for themselves. In this episode, Darin Morgan does all the thinking for us and leaves nothing to chew on expect for a bunch more easter-eggs I probably missed the first time round.

A lot of other folk on Twitter etc. have used words like 'classic' and 'perfect.' Maybe extra layer of meaning went over my head but I can't agree. I mean it was fun, yeah, but I had high expectations for this one and they weren't met. I can't even see how an X-Files newbie could be able enjoy it, without the context for all the Easter-eggs.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Gurok on 03 Feb 2016, 04:18: Quote from: Stupot+ on 03 Feb 2016, 03:09
Spoilers for "Mulder and Scully Meet The Were Monster":
Read only if you've seen it or don't care.

Spoiler: Show Hide

This is the one a lot of fans will have been looking forward to the most. Darin Morgan's few episode are among the best of the entire run of the show. They are the 'funny' ones. They are the ones with the most in-jokes and they are also the ones which play the most games with themes, tropes and audience expectations. They are the ones which make you think (if you pay enough attention).

"M&S Meet..." disappointed me. The references and Easter-eggs were mostly fun, but a lot of it was just too damn cringeingly fan-servicey (pencils again? Oh for fuck sake). The humour was in the vein of "classic" Darin Morgan, but something felt... off. It was trying too hard to be a Darin Morgan Episode™ And didn't quite hit the mark.

The whole 2nd half of the episode was just one over-long explanation of the twist, which could have been done in a quick flashback montage. Instead the were-monster gives us an extended account of his time in human form, going on to explain how the lizard form is his actual form and he just changed into a human sometimes, and that humans are the real monsters. This is all explained in dialogue and flashback sequences leaving no room for the viewer to work anything out for themselves. In this episode, Darin Morgan does all the thinking for us and leaves nothing to chew on expect for a bunch more easter-eggs I probably missed the first time round.

A lot of other folk on Twitter etc. have used words like 'classic' and 'perfect.' Maybe extra layer of meaning went over my head but I can't agree. I mean it was fun, yeah, but I had high expectations for this one and they weren't met. I can't even see how an X-Files newbie could be able enjoy it, without the context for all the Easter-eggs.

Spoiler: Show Hide
For me, the bit to chew on was the plot that framed the episode. They were really echoing audience sentiments to some degree in the opening scenes, where Mulder talks about looking at old investigations with wiser eyes. The way this lack of enthusiasm was carried through to the point at the end where Mulder says he wants to believe made the whole episode a self-aware look at what motivates Mulder to investigate X-Files and what motivatation the audience has to return to it.

My favourite lines in the episode: "Not everything can be reduced to psychology." "That's what you think!"
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Mandle on 03 Jul 2016, 12:52: So...everybody just gave up talking about the series after Episode 3?

Well....I can kinda see why after having finally watched the whole series in a marathon today (They just came out on DVD here)

Spoiler: Show Hide

Episode 3 was the best of the bunch, and things steeply went downhill after that...Culminating in the horribly BOOOORRRIIINNNG "finale" of Episode 6...

So....the enite world is going to hell in what an X-Files fan should be creaming themselves over: WE FINALLY GET TO SEE THE CONSPIRACY'S PLAN HAPPENING AND DESTROYING THE WORLD!!!

Except that we mostly just get a bad episode of "House" with Scully and Einstein hurridly talking tech about DNA, and some rehashed scenes between Mulder and the CSM showing their basic conflict of ideals???

BOOOORRRIIIIINNNGGGG...

I was not even disappointed by the "cliffhanger" ending as I had honestly stopped caring by that point and just saw it as one more thing Chris Carter was pulling out of his ass...
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Danvzare on 03 Jul 2016, 13:24: Quote from: Mandle on 03 Jul 2016, 12:52
So...everybody just gave up talking about the series after Episode 3?

Well....I can kinda see why after having finally watched the whole series in a marathon today (They just came out on DVD here)

Spoiler: Show Hide

Episode 3 was the best of the bunch, and things steeply went downhill after that...Culminating in the horribly BOOOORRRIIINNNG "finale" of Episode 6...

So....the enite world is going to hell in what an X-Files fan should be creaming themselves over: WE FINALLY GET TO SEE THE CONSPIRACY'S PLAN HAPPENING AND DESTROYING THE WORLD!!!

Except that we mostly just get a bad episode of "House" with Scully and Einstein hurridly talking tech about DNA, and some rehashed scenes between Mulder and the CSM showing their basic conflict of ideals???

BOOOORRRIIIIINNNGGGG...

I was not even disappointed by the "cliffhanger" ending as I had honestly stopped caring by that point and just saw it as one more thing Chris Carter was pulling out of his ass...

Personally, I rather liked this short mini-season. Sure the beginning was a little lackluster, and the ending could've taken a much more entertaining approach. But you've got to admit, the episodes in between were pretty damn good. My favourite was with the were-human (or whatever I'm supposed to call that thing). :-D
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Mandle on 03 Jul 2016, 14:11: Quote from: Danvzare on 03 Jul 2016, 13:24
My favourite was with the were-human (or whatever I'm supposed to call that thing). :-D

Yeah, that was Episode 3....Also my favorite!
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Cassiebsg on 03 Jul 2016, 14:26: Uhm...actually I can't even remember if I watched episode 2. :-[
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Problem on 03 Jul 2016, 15:04: All in all a mixed season. The first episode was by far the worst. It felt rushed and unfocused and I got the impression that it was way too short for what it wanted to tell. The last episode was also quite poor, though slightly more thrilling than the first.
The episodes in between were much better. And yeah, episode 3 stands out, easily one of the most entertaining X-Files episodes ever. So the season wasn't all great, but it had great moments and was good enough that I'd watch another. ;)
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 03 Jul 2016, 16:27: I was expecting great things. In the end we got quite an accurate cross section of the first nine seasons, which is to say, some moments of genius and some rubbish. Founder's Mutation was my favourite. As much as I wanted to love ...Were-Monster, I wasn't feeling it.

I didn't mind the cliffhanger at the end but I thought it was quite a silly move to make when season 11 hadn't (and still hasn't) been greenlit. But then I guess it was always that way.

Spoiler: Show Hide
my biggest gripe is Reyes working for CSM... In fact I've got issues with the fact that CSM is even still alive after we literally saw him. Skeletonized in The Truth. But I have to keep reminding myself this IS the X Files. A lot stranger shit has happened than a simple bit of regular immortality.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: KyriakosCH on 03 Jul 2016, 16:28: I also gave up after ep3. I wasn't familiar with 'funny' x-files eps (apparently they had those in the old series too), and was really disappointed with the imbecility of the episode :)
That said, many fans of the series thought it was great.

Well, Scully was 'great' :)
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 05 Jan 2018, 07:58: So, who has seen the season 11 premiere yet?

Overall I quite liked it. Much better than My Struggle I and II but not without its flaws. A lot of people were really pissed off about the twist (mostly Mulder/Scully shippers). I thought it was quite a clever twist. What did you guys think? (Spoilers hidden please)
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: SilverSpook on 05 Jan 2018, 08:26: I thought the season 11 premiere was pretty good, and a smart update for 2018. The pivot from, "I want to believe" in XYZ paranormal thing or "Let's get to the bottom of this/that conspiracy" formula that was the bread and butter of the 90's incarnation into a more, "Ok, the UFO stuff, yep, there's some scheming elites, yep, that's happening, let's fight it," was a smart move, in my opinion. It's a different approach from the original, but different in a good way that makes it relevant to 2018.

The only thing I thought was a little iffy was the sections with Mulder's internal narration track that didn't really work for me in the way that the Blade Runner cut with Harrison Ford narrating the film didn't work for me. But it's not a make-or-break deal, I think. Still give it four Roswell news clippings out of five.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Danvzare on 05 Jan 2018, 13:07: Wait, they've just premiered season 11?
Thanks for the heads up! :-D
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Jack on 10 Jan 2018, 22:38: I've seen it now, and boy, is that some way to follow a difficult cliff-hanger

Spoiler: Show Hide
It was all an hallucination!

Why has no one thought of that yet? I liked season 10, but this episode was pretty bad compared to that. The voice-over didn't fit at all. Based on the ham-fisted continuity I am pretty sure the twist is just some melodrama, and that he's lying.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Jack on 18 Jan 2018, 23:23: Those last two were a lot better, as good or better than season 10, as I recall.

I only saw a few seasons of The X-Files when it was originally aired, a long time ago. I don't remember Mulder being so Hank Moody, is that new?

Did everyone take their bread pills?
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 18 Jan 2018, 23:36: I only got around to seeing “This” yesterday and just watched “Plus One” 5 minutes ago. Both pretty solid episodes, reminiscent of old X-Files and without the cheesy time stamp references to smartphones and Google that plagued season 10. Plus One is especially old-school. My only gripe was the overacting of the guy who played Chucky. I know was supposed to be mentally ill but it was quite OTT.

I’m no big shipper but I’m glad Chris Carter is addressing the relationship, if only for the fact that he has finally shut the psycho fanfic shippers up for a while.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 23 Jan 2018, 11:05: Quote from: Stupot
My only gripe was the overacting of the guy who played Chucky.
Well colour me gripeless, because it just came to my attention that not only is ‘the guy who played Chucky’ not a guy, but is in fact the same actress who played his sister Judy (who is also known among fans for playing the mother in the amazing episode ‘Home’).

I won’t retract my ‘overacting’ comment but knowing she played both parts does change it a bit. And clearly she played a dude well enough to fool me so I’m impressed.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Jack on 27 Jan 2018, 20:19: x1 x2 x4 x8

This ride never ends.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Kumpel on 31 Jan 2018, 21:36: "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat" was HILARIOUS! (laugh)(laugh)(laugh)(laugh)
There were soooo many ideas, topics, gags, easter eggs and even great flashbacks. One big fat homage to the awesomeness this show once owned and still does!

Did you guys get that huuuge USA criticism behind the career of Reggie Something? :D

Chapeau, Darin Morgan!

What did you guys think?
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Khris on 09 Mar 2018, 01:01: I just watched episode 7 and it was incredibly bad. The lowest point so far, like a café's "No WiFi, look at each other" sign in episode form.
Not sure why they keep aiming so low, it feels like they want to appeal to the casual viewer way too much.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 09 Mar 2018, 02:31: I haven’t seen 7 or 8 yet. It seems like they’re really trying to recreate the mixture of good horror/cheesy fun that the original series had. On that, I think they are succeeding. But they’re not taking into account that TV drama in general is just so much better now than it was in the 90s. The cheesy/fun episode just don’t hit the mark like they used to. There is so much more life in The X-Files, with or without David and Gillian, but if they keep making more they are going to have to start playing it straight otherwise it will become a parody of itself.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Mandle on 19 Jul 2018, 08:28: Well, I just finished watch the 2018 series and...

It was really good on the whole!

One major gripe though concerning the ending:

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!
Spoiler: Show Hide
WTF?! It ends with Mulder and Scully having a quiet hug together as the camera pulls slowly away. Okay, now, aren't they even the least bit concerned to go and see if Skinner is alright?! I mean, he's obviously NOT alright and they know it! They heard him shooting and the sounds of the cars crashing, followed by silence. Mulder even says "Skinner!" at this point so he knows he was in some kind of danger. PLUS Skinner hasn't shown up at the dock even though many shots have been fired there. Did they just have their nice, long hug and then 5 minutes after the camera panned out slap their foreheads and say "Oh, right! Skinner!" and go looking for him like a scene from The Simpsons?!

I read a few reviews of this episode and no reviewer even mentions this!

I'm very bugged by this, especially as there is a chance this might actually be the final, final end of the whole show!!!
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Stupot on 26 Jul 2018, 08:59: I finally caught the last two episodes on DVD. I’d been watching them on shitty streams during its TV run but wanted to watch the finale in slightly better definition, so I forced myself to wait until it came out on DVD.

I sooort of knew the basic gist of how it would end. But had managed to remain basically spoiler-free.

Things I liked:
Spoiler: Show Hide
I liked that we got more William. It just makes sense. Ever since Baby William’s spinning mobile trick it was always something that needed to be addressed, and we finally got a proper William episode.

I liked that Monica sooort of redeemed herself, or at least she showed some remorse towards the end and managed to give Mulder and Scully a little tip-off.

I liked that Mulder actually got to kill CSM (one assumes he’s really dead this time). It always should have been either him or Scully to finally finish him off, so I was pleased with that.

Things I didn’t like:
Spoiler: Show Hide
Oh, Scully’s pregnant again. Cheap writing. For someone who’s meant to be barren she’s doing pretty well. I made that three now.

I didn’t like Skinner’s ending. He seemed to jump in a way that made it seem like he knew what he was doing and then we just saw his legs. I concluded that he was playing dead, but then the show just forgot to address it. If he really did die then they really messed up The Skinman’s ending.

I didn’t like that Scully came jogging up behind Mulder after all the action had taken place on the dock. She should have been more an actual part of the final showdown but instead she missed everything. Again.

I didn’t like that William kept running from everybody when he could have easily turned into someone else. There’s no mention at all that using his powers makes him weak or anything, so in theory he could just walk around pretending to be some random guy the whole time. So all the chase scenes seem a bit rubbish. At one point he even does turn into a random man to lose his tail, but I don’t get how he even has a tail.

I also don’t like that a large portion of the fandom (mostly the very vocal and frankly insane shippers) responded very badly to Gillian’s announcement that she will not be returning. They said they will not watch any future episodes without both her and David. Sure enough, Fox soon said that they have no plans for a season 12. Well done to those idiots.

I consider myself a real fan of the show. Have been since I was a little boy. Gillian and David are my heroes. But there is a whole filing cabinet full of unexplained cases and a world full of conspiracies. I seriously think the X-Files could thrive with a new set of agents, but those selfish shippers may have killed it.

Mind you, it seems Disney now own The X-Files, so anything could happen.
Title: Re: The X-Files
Post by: Mandle on 26 Jul 2018, 09:54: That was a joke about Disney, right?!

I pretty much agree with everything you said except:

Spoiler: Show Hide
I thought the way Mulder "killed" CSM was pretty stupid: Shoots him 4 times in the torso and pushes him in the water?! Come on, Fox! The dude survived being blown up by a missile! He obviously has superhuman regenerative powers from some alien science (confirmed by Chris Carter and also explains why he can chain-smoke with no effect for 50 years or more now that I think of it) so why not an extra one or two in the head to be sure?! Or, better yet, dive in, retrieve the body, and friggin' burn it to ashes!

Just watch. If the series ever does continue the CSM will be back.

Also, for me, I don't think I would continue watching if either Mulder or Scully left. I stopped watching the first time around after Mulder left.

The Mulder/Scully characters and their chemistry are the main reason I watch the show: That feeling like I'm seeing old friends again. And the one-off mysteries. I must admit I don't really care anymore about the overarching main story. For me they botched that one up and made such a complete mess of it so many times that I can only think they are using it at their convenience and make up any BS they like to make the plot go where they want.

With a real mystery it should be immutable and the plot should react to that. But with X-Files it just always feels like the mystery can become whatever at a moment's notice to suit the plot. (I'm talking about the "main story" here not the one-offs: They can be as crazy as they like (within limits. See below)!)

You didn't mention my main gripe above. Didn't that bother you?!

Another thing I didn't mention that really weirded me out was:

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The A.I. gone crazy episode! While it was entertaining it did NOT feel like it belonged in The X-Files. More like a modern Twilight Zone episode. They were just stumbling around reacting to what happening. They weren't investigating anything. Out of all the people in the world this could happen to it just randomly happens to them?! Felt more like the writer had written this as an unconnected short story and recycled it into an X-Files episode.

I mean, I get that the city being deserted all night was to represent the isolation of people living in the virtual world of devices, and that's fine but the metaphor should still not take over all logic.

How are there suddenly self-driving car services in the world?! We don't see self-driving cars anywhere else in the series! And, even if they are a thing, then why are Mulder and Scully surprised when the door opens and there's no driver?!

Why did Mulder not know how to get home from the restaurant even though he had driven there in his car?! Even if he had just blindly followed the navi on the way to the restaurant he is an FBI agent FFS! Could he really be dumb enough to not have even the slightest idea how to at least get back to an area he recognized or to not realize he was being led back to the restaurant until literally the moment he arrived there!? I get that it's to show how lost we are without our tech but, please, not at the expense of turning established characters into complete idiots.

And why are they living in separate houses when we clearly saw them living together earlier in the series?! Okay, let's say they have seperate houses as well as a house together somewhere. Then why is Mulder so surprised how nice Scully's house is?! Has he never been there before even once?! Then how did he know how to get there so fast?! His GPS navi was going haywire and we already saw he was clueless without it. And how does Scully afford what looks like a multi-million-dollar house on an FBI salary?!

Why do they just pretend nothing happened the next morning?! Again I get the metaphor here that they have woken up from their tech-addiction and are seeing the real world again, but this is FOX AND DANA FFS!

This is what should be the START of an X-File for them. Not the end!

I was honestly thinking that the only way they could end the episode was the whole "it was just a dream" escape route but they already played that card once in this series...

A little bit too insane and out-of-place even for a one-off for my taste.