**NEWS** THE X-FILES Seasons 1-11
Added 2021-01-08 17:40:54 +0000 UTC๐ฅ Here's the BIG One for 2021๐ฅ
! I've been wanting to start this for quite some time! I only ever watched them back when they were released so Im' VERY EXCITED !! 2 Episodes Per Week! ๐๐
This has been started early from being one of my main goals on patreon..
Commences 18th January on Patreon (11th Jan for Pre-Release)
GreyWolf
Comments
A thorough ten-point guide by X-Files fan Demijan Omeragic about approaching The X-Files for newcomers... 1.) X-Files episodes are mainly classified into two categories: Mythology episodes - these are episodes dealing with the government conspiracy surrounding aliens, the abduction of Mulder's sister, and much more than that, as the series progresses. These episodes are part of the larger picture and are mostly responsible for the character development, although, plenty of standalone episodes contribute to the character development as well. Still, the mythology is the driving force behind both main characters. Mythology episodes are also called "mytharc" episodes. Some examples from season one are "Pilot", "Deep Throat", "Fallen Angel", "E.B.E", "The Erlenmeyer Flask". Standalone episodes - episodes dealing with monster-of-the-week / mystery-of-the-week (MOTW) cases, disconnected from the mythology/mytharc. Season one examples would be plenty such as "Squeeze", "Fire", Ice", and most of the season. In fact, the majority of episodes in an X-Files season are standalone episodes. Depending on the season, one season might have much more mythology than another season, but you will definitely have lots of mythology content in every single season, and it will get very creative, very interesting, and very complex. The best X-Files mythology resource on the internet is Eat-The-Corn website - http://www.eatthecorn.com/ - by huge X-Files fan Kimon Keramidas a.k.a "Orodromeus". However, be careful how you browse the site because of spoilers, and I suggest not browsing it at all until you at least get to the end of season two. These are the two main categories, although there are also episodes which can be described as "mytharc-lite", which are standalone cases with mythology elements included in them, but are neither fully standalone nor fully mythology, so to speak. Then you will also have episodes dealing with aliens in a way, such as season one's "Space" or season two's "Fearful Symmetry", but which cannot be considered mythology. So an episode dealing simply with an extraterrestrial aspect does not make it a mythology episode. Whoever is familiar with the series "Fringe", it is very similar in this regard, as there too you have mythology episodes, standalone episodes, and those that are a mixture between mythology and standalone. As The X-Files progresses you will also come across comedy episodes, many which are fan favorites. The beauty of this show is that it's got a variety of different genres to please practically everyone who enjoys high quality TV. And if, while watching it, you think about how old it is, you should be able to realize that it was a show far ahead of its time, and that plenty of things you've seen on TV since then (and still do), are taking many things from The X-Files. 2.) Which episodes are better? Mythology or standalone? Purely a matter of taste, and it's foolish to argue about it. Some like them both equally, some prefer mythology, others prefer standalones. As for myself, I absolutely love both, but the reason I became a huge fan of the series is because of its mythology. I highly enjoyed the show since the Pilot episode, but after season two episode "Colony" I became absolutely hooked and a really huge fan. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoy both mythology and standalone. It's also foolish to make definitive statements such as episode "X" is an atrocious episode, because this, too, is a matter of taste. The majority of fans might hate season five's "Travelers" for example, but there will be fans, myself included, who enjoy that episode. So again it's important not to let fans influence you in regards to what is good on the show and what isn't. Most fans might also be in awe about episode "Humbug" whereas I personally think it's nothing special. Such things are really not worth discussing, but unfortunately, you will always find it on Reddit on elsewhere, people fighting about why a particular episode is good/bad/awesome. 3.) AVOID SPOILERS LIKE THE PLAGUE! Reading the title of an episode and a very short episode description (two to three sentences) is enough. Watching a trailer of a particular episode you might find on YouTube is cool, too. But nothing beyond that. Again, avoid spoilers like the plague. Unfortunately, the "XFiles" Subreddit has tons of spoilers, where you might even just open the main page and see a picture which could spoil an episode for you. You just have to be careful, really. Some very minor spoilers are OK, but major spoilers definitely not. 4.) Episode titles are important. I've watched the series during the original airing and me among other fans have always pondered what a particular title could mean about the episode. X-Files has sometimes very interesting titles. Sometimes the titles are pretty plain and simple, sometimes very creative and interesting to think about, and other times completely ambiguous and downright confusing, hard to comprehend how it connects to the story being told. Still, fans have often pondered about X-Files episode titles and it's cool to discuss some of them. 5.) Any particular way to watch The X-Files in order to enjoy it to the fullest? The show has amazing dialogue and its very important to the stories being told, especially during mythology episodes. So always pay attention to dialogue. Also, do not skip any single episode, even if fans say that let's say "Space" is the worst episode of the series, do not skip it, do not let fan opinions influence you, but watch the episode and form your own opinion. Furthermore, the show should, in my opinion, enjoyed in high quality. I own it both on Blu-ray as well as iTunes, which are both HD remastered versions of the show. Big screen, volume turned up, plus closed captioning, that's the way I do it. 6.) When should the two movies be watched? This is extremely important. The first movie, "Fight the Future", should be watched after the season five finale titled "The End". The second movie, "I Want to Believe", should be watched after the season nine finale titled "The Truth". 7.) Are seasons eight and nine worth watching? Again, a matter of taste. If you ask me, the answer is yes, absolutely, definitely. I even enjoy season eight more than I do season seven, for reasons I won't get into because of spoilers. That being said, I consider seasons seven and nine the weakest of the series, for different reasons. But even season nine has IMO some spectacular standalone episodes. Long story short, if you started watching The X-Files, watch all of it, every single episode and every single season. Plenty of people enjoy seasons eight and nine. There's not a single rational reason to stop watching after season seven. 8.) What exactly, are seasons ten and eleven? Seasons ten and eleven are part of the X-Files revival ("limited event series") which came many years after the original series had ended. It is a highly controversial revival which has caused tons of division amongst fans. I personally despise it with a passion, and have a written a lengthy essay / thesis on why I despise it, which I do not suggest anyone to read due to spoilers in it everywhere practically about the entire series. But to reiterate what I've said earlier, even my own personal strong dislike of seasons ten and eleven should not influence a newcomer to watch those seasons and form their own opinion. Fact remains however, that they are not part of the original series. The original X-Files has ended with the season nine finale, and the second movie can be considered part of that original series as well. Seasons ten and eleven are a different entity, literally a limited event series, a revival, separate from the original series. You'll find people who love it, too. But I, among many others, am not one of those. 9.) What is the best forum for X-Files discussions? That would be "The Haven" a.k.a "Idealistshaven", found at https://community.idealistshaven.com/forums/index.php. It used to be huge back in the day, but is now basically a closed community. You'll still be able to register though. Keep in mind that there are plenty of spoilers, so be careful which threads you visit. 10.) What are "philes", "shippers", and "noromos", and "MSR"? Philes are simply huge fans of the series, like myself. Shippers are fans who are highly interested in romance between Mulder and Scully. Noromos are the opposite of shippers. There used to be many noromos ("no romance" fans) back in the day, but later on most of these noromos turned into fans who are neutral about the relationship, basically they're not bothered even if there's romance or no romance. And "MSR" simply refers to the "Mulder and Scully relationship", although some say it actually refers to the "Mulder and Scully romance". Hope this helps... so now just enjoy the series... and TRUST NO ONE! ;)
Demijan Omeragic
2021-02-09 01:36:53 +0000 UTCHey, good pick! I haven't watched it fully either. It'll be nice to watch it alongside you. Looking forward to it!
Ricardo Pomalaza
2021-01-08 19:42:31 +0000 UTCExcellent! It's funny because I am re-watching X files at the moment and was hoping you'd do reactions :)
Michelle
2021-01-08 17:51:15 +0000 UTC
