Case 01, File 18: Miracle Man

AKA: Fuckin' Faith Healers, How Do They Work?

At some point in the creation of The X-Files, someone decided that Mulder would believe in everything except religion, while Scully would be a skeptic but would be solidly religious. It's the sort of simple addition to a concept that puts me in mind of a writer grabbing an extra congratulatory muffin from the basket, but it's always worked. It's not a secret to The X-Files success or something, but it made what might be otherwise straightforward religious themed episodes a little more interesting. Not enough to, you know, save some of the bad ones, but enough to make some of them a little better.

Case 01, File 17: EBE

AKA: Spielberg Already Used ET, Okay?

I have a lot of options how to start this review. I could talk about its place in the Myth arc, and how it both does, and doesn't fit with elements that will pop up later. I could talk about how it showed a growing maturity on the part of the show, given the episode is very relaxed and acts more like a conspiracy thriller than a horror or sci-fi show. But really, the main thing I want to talk about with this episode is how happy I am that the Lone Gunmen have finally arrived.

Case 01, File 16: Young At Heart

AKA: The Curious Case of Benjamin Salamanderhand

The X-Files' desire to maintain its connection to the larger conspiracy arc occasionally leads them to try and put elements of it into their Monster of the Week episodes. That's neither a good thing nor a bad thing, it's just a thing, though it does occasionally lead to some odd results. The most notable of these odd results isn't going to come up until mid Season 2, but this one has some oddities of its own.