The X-Files - Season One
Monday, 03 March 2008. Television.
Long before the The Sopranos, Friends and 24 there was the defining television series of the 90s. The X-Files spanned 9 seasons, 202 episodes, and made household stars out of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
I'm not usually interested in long running television series, mostly because I watch the first few episodes, miss a few and then when I return I get the uneasy feeling of someone who has lost their car keys and yet finds themselves driving to work nevertheless. I?d seen various episodes from the show, and read one or two of the novels, but not watched from day one. So on a fairly drawn out whim I bought myself The Complete Collector's Edition box-set on DVD for just over ?60. Money well spent. Hopefully.
It took me a month to get through Season One, so at this rate I will have completed the series by November, three months after the new movie is released. It would be amazing if you didn't already know the basic outline of The X-Files, even if you have never seen an episode, so ingrained is the series in popular culture, however...
The X-Files is a science fiction television series made by the FOX network in the US and stars David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, two FBI agents who investigate the "X-Files", the unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena, and otherwise spooky goings on. Mulder believes in the the existence of aliens and the paranormal, Scully is a a forensic pathologist, sceptic, and initially assigned to debunk Mulder's unconventional work. Up to speed? Right, well here we go with Season One.
Standout episode has to be Squeeze, which as it happens I read as a book many years ago. The introduction of Eugene Victor Tooms, and his second outing later in the season in Tooms, were certainly the ones I will hold with me whilst I plough on though the box-set. I think what creeped me out was that most of the episode(s), featured Scully and Mulder being stalked by Tooms in a domestic environment.
For a series 15 years old, the episodes and their special effects stand up to my 2008 eyes. Only in episode 20, Darkness Falls, where a swarm of green, flesh-eating insects attack people did the computer effects look... well naff. Otherwise it was the computers on desks, mobile phones and use of cassette tapes that really aged the episodes.
Episode 17, E.B.E., was great calling into question just who "Deep Throat" is and why is he helping Mulder. The episode payoff, which I won?t spoil, was exceptional and like many episodes you feel that Mulder is within inches of finding the evidence has has been looking for.
A lie, Mr. Mulder, is most convincingly hidden between two truths. Mulder. When a shark stops swimming, it will die. Don't stop swimming. - Deep Throat
The first series touched on reincarnation, werewolf's, pyrokinesis, ghosts, and obviously alien abduction. The relationship between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson seemed real and even though I know how close they become in later series, it was interesting to see how they first met and how they played off each others strengths.
The true success of Season One? The moment I finished the final episode The Erlenmeyer Flask, after sitting through 23 episodes of nail biting unexplained excitement, all I could think of doing was to crack open the Season Two box and start watching. Now if you?ll excuse me, as The Barenaked Ladies said, I'm "Watchin' X-Files with no lights on, were dans la maison"
← Older: Twitter Newer: Nintendo Wii →