I am revisiting an old classic from the 1990s archive, and as we all know so well by know, a godsend to ufology fanatics (or any scifi enthusiasts, yours truly included). Blowing minds and blowing horns in the 1990s, the show opened the mind of a generation to a world other than their own, which earned the cult status it has today. Now, I was not part of the original fanbase you see. Heck, I was 4 and we barely had a television during its premiere, but I did catch the latter season re-runs on the now-defunct Studio 23 (at the time the closest thing a poor, small town can have to cable TV back then). The atmosphere every Wednesday night would change every time the theme of X-Files would play—a change of pace from my Monday Buffy/Charmed nights and Friday Digimon/Street Fighter nights. Back then it was nothing but a spectacle, but now that the world has been informed in so many ways and had began to ask the right questions, we look back at The X-Files as more than a TV show with out there ideas, including introducing technological concepts ahead of its time such as the smart home technology, de-aging, cloning, experimental eugenics, artificial intelligence, and gene therapy.
I think in an attempt not to alienate a new audience, we are initially given the perspective of Scully, played to perfection by now-Emmy Winner Gillian Anderson, on her first meeting with the enigmatic Fox Mulder and his cool name. Right off the bat, the first 2 episodes deal with the show's central universe and theme of exposing the large network of conspiracy the US government has laid out to protect its secret knowledge about extraterrestrials. The two agents are given the quintessential sci-fi roles: Mulder the believer and seeker of truth, alienated in the process by society; and Scully the scientist, the skeptical and logical, audience surrogate, and at times Mulder's voice of reason. In one special Scully-heavy episode (and a personal favorite) "Beyond the Sea", these roles were reversed and she was given the chance by the writers to grow as a character, masterfully penned by Glen Morgan and James Wong.
No government agency has jurisdiction over the truth. - MF Luder
Arguably, the biggest challenge Mulder and Scully face throughout the show is bureaucracy. It is interesting to note that with impressive credentials and vast knowledge in their field, the two agents are hopelessly ineffective in going against the authorities and are seen constantly sidestepping protocol in their investigations, and in the process, painting the US government as the villain above anything else. No wonder so many people today had been rightfully raised to despise fascism; they were raised to demand transparency, to enjoy their right to the truth and The X-Files provided the perfect push to ask questions and attain just that. With all the trouble they did to remain ahead of Mulder and Scully, it makes you wonder if it would have been easier to assassinate the two agents instead. One notable episode fulfilling this premise is the action packed "E.B.E.", where the duo agents go rogue after Deep Throat seemingly betrays them, and Scully and Mulder evolve from being investigators to full-on spies for truth.
A lie is most convincingly hidden between two truths. - Deep Throat
May it be because of 90s TV production, or simply the sheer genius of the crew of the show, the atmosphere throughout the season is astounding and on-point—from fear-evoking shadows, half-lit scenes, dark subtlety, the bleak palette—every episode transports its viewers into this immense universe of mystery and secrets, established by cinematographer Tom Del Ruth during the pilot and preserved throughout the season.
Scattered throughout the season are the key episodes serving the central mythology which makes the monster-of-the-week device appear more as filler episodes rather than technique to build anticipation at a time where without DVDs or Netflix, audiences have no choice but to tune in every week. Some of these "filler" episodes are okay, some are downright cringeworthy, but some are actually better than the "major" episodes, exploring exciting sci-fi premises and showcasing diverse cultures such as the Amish, the Native Americans and evangelicals. Perhaps one weakness of these episodes is that the supporting characters to Mulder and Scully become nothing but plot devices—expandable and one-dimensional; we don't actually see any character development other than that of the two leads, and we all love a good character development, don't we?
Notable episodes:
Ice. Clearly inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing (1978) or its source material Who Goes There?, this episode takes place in the Icy Cape in Alaska, where scientists and the two agents investigate the "creature" which led to a crew of scientists to murder each other. Special mention is Felicity Huffman is in this episode (one of the several Desperate Housewives actresses to appear this season).
Beyond the Sea. A Scully-centric episode where an interesting turn of events reverses the personas of the two main characters as the believer and the skeptic. In the end, it leads to an interesting look into Scully's psyche caught between two worlds and the unsettled ending only appeals more to us, the viewers to ask for more i.e. "so did he or did he not?". Special guest star is future Grima Wormtongue Brad Dourif who executed his role as Luther Lee Boggs flawlessly.
E.B.E. This action-packed episode is a spy movie in all its own: Mulder and Scully go rogue and make an unspoken promise to find out the truth and protect each other when every ally in the force seems to have turned against them and they have to rely on their own resources.
Roland. A monster-of-the-week episode which introduces the concept of telepathic connections between a mentally challenged man and his deceased genius twin. Although simplistic at first glance, the plot of the episode becomes endearing when we become captivated by Željko Ivanek's poignant performance and the scifi premise becomes less a priority.
The Erlenmeyer Flask. The season's critically lauded finale is unique and rightfully tense, as we get to know more characters behind the red tape, and in the process, more casualties on the "good" truth-seeking side. We also finally get to see the secret preserved in the cryogenic, the death of a good friend, and the closure of the X-Files division.
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