Case 05, File 06: Christmas Carol

AKA: The Ghost Of Plots Past

So as you may be aware, this season ends on a cliffhanger that needed to be resolved in a big expensive movie (we'll get to it, don't worry). What that means, unfortunately, is that throughout the season there were episodes where either Gillian Anderson or David Duchovny wouldn't be available, because they'd be off shooting their movie scenes (and at least one episode where neither of them could be available). The affects the way they write the episodes, since there are multiple episodes this season which have to be centered around either Mulder or Scully, to give them time to be off set, and writing an episode to suit an actor's availability first and to tell a good story second is always a backward way to write it.

Case 05, File 05: The Post-Modern Prometheus

AKA: Ceci N'est Pas Une Frankenstein

While I like to think I have a pretty unique way of approaching The X-Files, I don't think most of my opinions would cause an uproar among fans. Yes, I have episodes I like or dislike for personal reasons, but you usually won't catch me calling Space an underappreciated masterpiece or saying that Home is overrated. There are exceptions to this rule however, and we have hit one of the big ones.

Case 05, File 04: Detour

AKA: Mulder and Scully vs. Florida Man

The X-Files was, for the first 5 years of its existence, shot in British Columbia, which is where a lot of stuff is shot (more than you might expect, frankly). And that makes sense: British Columbia already looks like (broadly speaking) a lot of different locations around the United States, and with the right shot choice and editing, it can look enough like many more. But there are limits to its powers and one of the places it absolutely cannot play is Florida.