Monday, September 5, 2022

Final Case: The X-Files and Me



CW: References to suicide and parental death

When I finished my last review, I promised myself I'd talk a little about the series as a whole. But I'd been working on this piece for a few weeks already, and I kept stopping and starting over. I dunno how to talk about this show as a whole, because there's just too much to actually address, too much to try and put together into a coherent thesis. So instead, I want to talk about The X-Files and me.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Case 11, File 10: My Struggle IV

 AKA: The End. No, For Real This Time

The end of Season 10 and the beginning of Season 11 were marked by the series giving us a huge, life changing cliffhanger, which it then had to take back rapidly. And I don't want to speak too broadly, but my impression is that everyone hated it. If I was the creator of The X-Files, that would leave me with one major goal for what is the ultimate series finale; Don't go out on an incredibly unsatisfying cliffhanger you'll have to walk back if you get another season.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Case 11, File 09: Nothing Lasts Forever

AKA: Jenna Maroney Starts A Cult

One of the things that happens as a series runs towards the end is they start to get melancholic and a wee bit meta. If it seems like I've said this before, it's because this would be the third time The X-Files has done this (because this is the third time it's come to an end). I will say that however that this time around the plot they landed on, about a pair of people desperate to extend their lifespans at all costs, is a little on the nose for a show that's nearly 30 years old and feels more than a little past its sell by date.

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Case 11, File 08: Familiar

AKA: I Can't AKA This Episode, I'm Too Busy Watching For THAT FUCKING FACE


One of the advantages
The X-Files has over, say, a horror movie, is that a lot of the basic stuff it needs is already squared away. We know who our leads are, why they're involved, what their goals are, etc. so a lot of the busy work of writing a script is already squared away, and audience investment is guaranteed. What that means in this case is that, when you get down to brass tacks, you can probably get away with just a mediocre script and a damn fine monster.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Case 11, File 07: Rm9sbG93ZXJz

AKA: Apparently The Title Means "Followers" In Base 64 Code. Yes Wikipedia Told Me That

One of the most maligned episodes of the early X-Files was Ghost in the Machine, and rightly so. While it had the germ of a good idea (a haunted house where the house is an alive computer) the execution and style left a LOT to be desired. But honestly, in the nearly 30 years since that episode first aired, it's only felt more and more prescient, as elements of the internet and AI infect every single aspect of our lives. So maybe it might be worst idea to take another swing at the Evil AI concept.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Case 11, File 06: Kitten

AKA: Not One Cat In This Episode, Come On


What are we to make of Walter Skinner? He is, unquestionably, the most important heroic character outside of the core duo (sorry Reyes and Doggett) but he's also a very thinly sketched character. His backstory, his broader motivations, his inner world, for a character who first appeared in Season 1, they're all pretty opaque. With the series moving towards it final ending, doesn't it seem like a good opportunity to fill in those gaps?

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Case 11, File 05: Ghouli

AKA: This Is Probably The Best Slenderman Movie I Guess


What to do with William at this point? While I don't think he's the character who got the most jerked around by the whims of the plot, he's probably the one who spent the greatest percentage of his time in the show getting jerked around by the whims of the plot. And why not, for the first chunk of his time on the show, he was a literal baby, with no agency or personality. But that was back in 2001 and now that we're rounding towards the end of the show the 2nd time, it might be time to turn him into an actual character.