Case 02, File 14: Die Hand Die Verletz

AKA: The Devils of New Hampshire

So, some of you may not be aware of this, but back in the 80s, there was this thing called the Satanic Panic, where a bunch of people actually started believing there was a massive Satanic conspiracy in the USA. There were a lot of moving parts involved, but the actual accusations got really weird and really bizarre (look up the McMartin Preschool Trial for further reading, some of that shit was weird). While the whole thing was patently absurd, it inspired a lot of people's imaginations. And if any show could spin the lunacy of that particular moment in history into a good episode, it would be The X-Files.

Case 02, File 13: Irresistible

AKA: The Kinkshaming of Donnie Pfaster

I don't think it's unfair to say that The X-Files is a pretty dark show, and I'm not talking about lighting. Okay, not JUST talking about lighting. The series has always trended towards being grim, since it's typically, you know, about monsters killing people horribly, being a little dark about it is to be expected. Hence why, when I say an episode is extraordinarily dark, even by X-Files standards, you know it's not screwing around.

Case 02, File 12: Aubrey

AKA: There's No One Named Aubrey In This Episode

While The X-Files usually tends to have more fantastical subject matter (I mean our last episode was about old people using mushrooms to become spirits to attack people), a lot of the more notable episodes tended to bring things down, downplaying or even removing the supernatural elements. These episodes tend to stand out a little more, since they go against the grain of the average X-Files episode. And while I could just as easily be talking about the next episode, I have another intro in mind for that episode, so it falls to this one.

Case 02, File 11: Excelsis Dei

AKA: Respect The Elderly, Even When They're The Worst!

Trigger Warning: The inciting incident of this episode is a sexual assault, and while I will try to be respectful of the subject, it's basically impossible to review, or even talk about, this episode without it coming up. If you don't want to read about that, I recommend checking out here and tuning back in for our next episode.

The X-Files doesn't really do sexual assault. I mean, it could in theory, but it doesn't, and that's not really a bad thing. The show never takes itself THAT seriously, with even the darkest episodes featuring a fair amount of levity or humor, and that's not really something you can do with rape. As such it tended to stick to more humorous, wholesome things, like murder (you know what I mean) and leave sexual assault for Gaspar Noe. There are exceptions though, and this is both one of the more notable, and one of the more clumsy.

Case 02, File 10: Red Museum

AKA: I'll Name It When I Figure Out What The Plot Is About

The X-Files' plots are usually pretty straightforward. That is not a complaint, nowhere near it. Not everything can be Twin Peaks and even if they can be, it's good to have something easy to watch. House and Psych are both predictable that I can set my watch to them, and that's part of what I like about them. The downside of that is that the series isn't always prepared for plots that aren't straightforward. Sometimes they manage to handle the turns well. Other times...well...

Case 02, File 09: Firewalker

AKA: Volcano Walk With Me

It's finally time to get the band back together. Up until now, Mulder and Scully have been going about their business separately, with Mulder off having adventures and Scully hanging around doing nothing a 7-8 months pregnant woman couldn't do, and then of course Scully went off to get abducted, so we've been without our central relationship for over 1/4th of the season. And I'm so glad to have it back, that I wasted the entire opening paragraph on talking about it.

Case 02, File 08: One Breath

AKA: This Episode Is Hard To Joke About, Okay?

I don't think it's controversial for me to say that The X-Files is a horror show, first and foremost. It has episodes that stray into other things, from drama, to comedy and even occasionally romance, but that's never going to be its focus in the way that horror is. But, often times, when they do step fully outside the self imposed bonds of horror, they can create some of the best episodes of the series. Other times, admittedly, they create some of the worst, but that latter option is certainly not the case here.