r/XFiles

NOTE: this isn’t a complaint post, just something I noticed and found interesting

I’m finally doing a complete X-Files rewatch, from the beginning, and I’m up to season 6 now, and it feels way more different then I recall it feeling at the time. I guess that’s something you might notice when you watch an episode daily, instead of weekly with long gaps in between seasons.

TBH when S6 aired I had kinda bounced off of The X-Files. I was frustrated with the Myth Arc and the movie disappointed me. I only watched a dozen episodes of S6 and S7 as they aired, before returning to the shadow after Mulder left, to see how that went. So now that I’m catching up on episodes I hadn’t seen, I’m noticing a few things:

- I just finished episode 8 - The Rain King - and 5 of those 8 episodes are overtly comedic

- Episodes like Drive, Triangle, Ghosts That Stole Christmas are also overtly ‘gimmicky’ - based around a high concept premise, rather than a typical investigation plot

- Terms Of Endearment is the only episode so far that feels like an ‘old school’ X-File - but even then, Mulder’s and Scully are kept apart for a long stretch!

- Almost every episode so far has has explicit shipping bait - mostly random characters commenting on how M & S should kiss each other. The romance was once doled out in crumbs; now it’s a major tease

I know that moving filming from Vancouver to L.A was partly responsible for the changes, but I feel like the writers have kinda lost track of what a ‘typical’ X-files episode should be.

Again, not a complaint, as some of these S6 episodes are among the best of the show. But still, it’s interesting.

I'm currently on an X Files rewatch and a few days ago I reached season 8. I was actually dreading starting it because I remember the way I felt about it when I first watched it almost 10 years ago. I was very angry and sad about Mulder being gone and I remember not enjoying it at all (and don't get me started on season 9 - I'm actually on the verge of whether I should keep watching... I don't think I could handle that mess again).

The only reason why I decided to watch season 8 was because I knew its ending felt right for me at the time. I still think is kind of the right way for the show to end. But anyways, I find myself actually enjoying this season WAY MORE than I expected. John Doggett comes off as a pretty solid character now - I kind of failed to appreciate that back when I saw him for the first time. He carries his solo episodes pretty well and I'm surprised by Robert Patrick's performance (specially in Via Negativa, woah!). The character brings in a seriousness that was missing in the previous two seasons and I feel like, overall, the season's episodes are more intense/gripping (and leaning on horror - my god, Roadrunners was insane!!). I'm finding his relationship with Scully really sweet and now feel bad for not appreciating it before lol

I've seen a couple people who felt the same way about season 8. On a rewatch, it goes down easier 🙏

They say the oldest son is listed as 42, so how old do we think she is? I know some women can have babies at a later age, but it seems like she should have reached menopause long ago (also, in the picture Scully saw on the wall, she looked old *then,* and that was before the accident. Unless her appearance is just the result of rough living)

This is my first watch so no spoilers please!

I just watched S2E11 and really did not enjoy it. The plot was obviously convoluted and there were some racist stereotypes on par with the show so far, but my main issue was with the treatment of rape. I know this was made in the 90s but honestly. I really did not appreciate Mulder’s dismissive attitude, particularly as he almost always believes the victims in cases more fantastical than this. It didn’t make sense to me. I would contrast it to Shadows (S1E6) where Mulder suggests that a poltergeist is being violent to defend a woman - so why won’t he believe one is violently attacking a woman?

Obviously I’m prepared for generally mildly sexist writing but I don’t really want to watch more where Mulder behaves like that. Is this a blip, or does he start to be more skeptical of victims stories? This is my bedtime and comfort show atm so if that’s the direction they take it in that’s fine but I’m not really interested in watching.

If it is a blip in characterisation then that’s chill, I’ll keep watching and just not rewatch this episode. But even so, can anyone please warn me about any other episodes with badly treated rape plotlines? I may want to avoid them so it would be helpful to know in advance. Thanks!

14 years after Season 9. The filming and lighting style is what I call "modern slop".

One thing I've realized is that throughout the 90's up until the last ep of season 9 - the filming and lighting were excellent. The acting was nuanced and you didn't get too many "talking head scenes" where there's a long conversation segment of just the actors faces with the camera behind the shoulder.

Enter season 10 and yea everything is wore.

Darker (as in lighting is worse)

Horrible acting (side characters are trying too hard)

The filming style (mentioned before with the talking head scenes, and overall it just felt less engaging.

In previous seasons, you'd get very interesting angles. Camera movement wasn't relied on so heavily in the sense that the camera moved maybe once in a scene to establish some mood or tell the audience something. With Season 10 (or modern slop) the camera is constantly moving throughout the scene. It takes away from the mood building.

What changed? I've noticed this in so many modern film and TV shows. It's like everyone has the exact same playbook and they all changed at the same time.

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I've just started rewatching The X-Files. I watched it in the 90s when it originally aired but I was just in my teens and would have missed many episodes.

What struck me watching these now is that the stories in each episodes are so good that they could have been a mini series.

They don't make them like this anymore.

If I really like something I watch, I want a "thing" from it. I remember as a teen in the 1990s I was making hand-drawn ID badges and pasted photos or DD or GA or even... mine. When my parents bought me a printer, I was also printing episode summaries from the official website (which was so good) and episode transcripts (from the insidethex.co.uk website) and I was "creating" case files, also making the FBI X-File cover to paste on the folder. I spent so much time and ink and paper, such a nerd.

Did you do something similar?

Do you own any props or replica props? I bought years ago a replica set of Mulder's IDs, the hanging badge and the wallet badge, quite expensive. It was based on the classic version that we see during the first 9 seasons and during the opening scene of s10e01. Nowadays you can find a cheap similar looking wallet and a fake badge and you can find good quality images of the IDs online.

I was also very intrigued by the minimal-looking hanging IDs seen in the 2008 film, but I don't own any.

And I think the revival IDs were not bad but also a bit uninspired? Also I don't own any.

What do you think about case files? Sadly not in my collection.

Any other props/replica props you own or would like to own?

Not sure how everyone feels about the movie, but I thought some of you might appreciate this.