Debbie:
Michael’s post about the Moby Dick miniseries brought Gillian Anderson to my attention once again. The first thing I did was go to IMDb and look to see if she’s actually been in anything since The X-Files (yeah, not really, but she’s been trying). That got me thinking about The X-Files and just how much fun that show was. It reminds me of one of my favorites right now, Supernatural. A strong story arc, but with one-off episodes that are so much fun that you never even miss the story arc.
One of my fondest — probably an extremely inappropriate use of that word — memories of The X-Files and its crazy fun is the episode when Mulder is stuck in the house with about a gazillion cockroaches. Ew! Then for the intrigue, I loved the whole is-Mulder-crazy-or-was-his-sister-abducted storyline. There are so many memories over nine seasons, but for some reason, those jumped to mind first.
How about you? What are some of your fondest X-Files memories?
Bob:
Oh, I definitely remember that cockroach episode, specifically the fact that at one point during the episode a cockroach crawled right across the camera so that it looked like there was a roach on your TV. Brilliant.
I think my fondest memories of the show are around some of the individual episodes, not any of the overarching plots. While the alien plotlines were fun at the time, I feel like the mythology just got convoluted and really confusing. I loved how the show occasionally played for laughs. I always enjoyed those episodes. One that comes to mind is when there was a TV show being made about Mulder and Scully and Gary Shandling was playing Mulder.
Mainly, I just remember it being a great show for community. I can remember having viewing parties with friends and generally geeking out after every new episode.
Debbie:
Yeah, it was definitely a cult show, and those tend to be group-watchable and geek-outable. How do you feel about the end of the series — does it ruin any of the fond memories for you? I agree that the mythology got convoluted and the one-offs less inspired as the series went on. And how about Duchovny‘s exit?
Bob:
I watched for a bit after Duchovny left, but I have to admit that I, like many fans, did not survive through the entire run of the show. I remember watching some of the episodes with Annabeth Gish and Robert Patrick, and they weren’t bad, but they weren’t Mulder and Scully, either. Still, though, the ending doesn’t spoil the show for me at all. I still look back fondly.
In fact, I should literally take a look back, I don’t think I’ve seen an episode in years!
Debbie:
Perhaps there’s an X-Files week in CliqueClack’s future. …
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Aug 04, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
funny timing to bring this up. my 15 year old niece just started watching the x-files, at my insistence, about two weeks ago. its been a non-stop netflix marathon of episodes, she is now up to season 7. i have been watching some of them along with her and i forgot how much i enjoyed the show and how much time, and kids, have changed. things that i thought were gross and bothered me don’t seem to bother her, its fun and weird seeing it through her eyes.
i did not finish out the series, save for the last episode with Mulder, and while i thought the end in the hotel room with Scully was nice and a good full circle callback i found the preceding stuff, the trial etc… to be kind of ridiculous, corny and half-hearted.
i think the show shined when it focused on the core mythology, as confusing as it might have been to some, even the writers, it was that which kept the show moving like it had a purpose, something to fight for. also, the personal episodes where it shone a light on the struggles of the characters, the trauma or just pushed them forward, episodes like Paper Hearts, Beyond the Sea, All Souls, All Things etc…
My favorite “episode” of the show was actually the 98/99 movie.
My biggest disappointment was the recent 08′ movie.
I’m biased, but I loved the eighth season. I’m a Robert Patrick fan, and it’s his casting that brought me to the show. I loved seeing him every week and thought Doggett was a fantastic character – still one of my favorites. (I loathed season nine for the most part, though.)
One of the things I really liked about the show was that they cast some fantastic people – either actors I was introduced to through the show (like Adam Baldwin scaring the hell out of me as Knowle Rohrer) or ones that I had seen in something else and could be like, “Hey, it’s that guy!” (like Bradley Whitford, Mark Sheppard, Neal McDonough, and Xander Berkeley).