Case 01, File 20: Darkness Falls

AKA: Not That Much Scarier Than Bed Bugs

It is a universal law of the X-Files fandom that everyone has an episode or two that they love fiercely and kind of irrationally. The wide variety of episodes and subjects means that some of them will appeal to some specific tick or preference you have, never mind the many different ways that you can first experience an episode that will make it mean something to you specifically. I am no exception, and there are a handful of episodes that are my irrational favorites. And, as you have probably guessed by now, this is one of them.

Case 01, File 19: Shapes

AKA: The Lone Ranger and Wolfman Fistfight in Heaven

The X-Files has a, shall we say, spotty history of depicting other cultures. It tries its hardest, but more often than not it fumbles. It never tips over the line into outright racism though, and given that it screws up other myths just a frequently (made the Jersey Devil into a cave person, remember?) that its occasional slip ups read as charming, rather than offensive. At least when the episode is good.