Case 06, File 19: The Unnatural

AKA: There's No Rule That Says An Alien Can't Play Baseball

The question of whether The X-Files should tackle big issues, not just questions of loneliness or depression but big issues like racism or sexism, is one I go back and forth on. On the one hand, I like my shows having depth and the series is often at its best when its trying to be more complex. On the other, The X-Files is a sci-fi horror show about two model gorgeous FBI agents fighting monsters and aliens, it's ability to write about complex issues can be limited. So whenever it looks like it's about to dip its toe in those waters, I get excited, yet...nervous.

Case 06, File 18: Milagro

AKA: Wait, The Same Plot As The Will Ferrell Movie?

Tone, in The X-Files is a delicate thing, and honestly I'm hard pressed to explain why it works as often as it does. The show, overall, takes itself pretty seriously but it's also working with some kind of inherently silly concepts. And yet the show can be glib, make fun of itself, even be an outright comedy, without necessarily making the darkness feel cheap or easily breached. This is a tightrope walk, tonally, so we can't necessarily blame the series too much if they fall off on occasion.

Case 06, File 17: Trevor

AKA: The Gritty Shadowcat Reboot?

Calling one episode of The X-Files a ripoff of another is unfair, to say the least. The series sits at over 200 episodes, most of them Monster of the Week episodes. The series can't possible avoid repeating itself, even obliquely, on occasion, especially if you boil plots down to broad outlines. If you boil everything down to its bones, everything looks like bones. Which is why I won't say this episode is a ripoff of any others, but it does bear some strong resemblance to a lot of Revenge From Beyond the Grave episodes.

Case 06, File 16: Alpha

AKA: MRAs Ruined The Title Of This Episode

In case episodes like 3 and Shapes didn't prove it to you, The X-Files does want to do episodes about classic monsters but, as episodes like 3 and Shapes prove, they don't just want to do classic versions of those monsters. The X-Files is a weird, creative show with a lot of weird, off the wall ideas, and it doesn't ever really like to be constrained by existing boxes. So even when your idea can be theoretically summed up by the word "Dude changes into wolf" you can bet it's gonna take that idea in an odd direction.

Case 06, File 15: Arcadia

AKA: Domestic AU, Don't Like Don't Read

There are some episodes that are, shall we say, widely beloved by the fanbase, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's because the episodes are just generally really good; Intensely scary, extremely well written, fantastically acted or just unique concepts executed immaculately. But the fanbase is also human, with human tastes and human ships and sometimes widely loved episodes can be widely loved for...more base reasons.

Case 06, File 14: Monday

AKA: I Am Legally Barred From Making A Joke About That Bangles Song

There are premises, concepts, ideas, in fiction that for one reason or another become so fixed in the culture's imagination that in the end, anyone who can figure out a way to explore that concept in their premise, will feel the temptation to try it. And one of those concepts is the Groundhog Day loop, where the same day is lived over and over again. Movies and tv shows from Buffy and Angel to The Twilight Zone have used it, with some like Russian Doll and Happy Death Day using it as their central premise. As such, it's not at all surprising that a show like The X-Files would want to give it a shot.

Case 06, File 13: Agua Mala

AKA: The Most Interesting Thing To Ever Happen In Naples

If there's one thing I appreciate more and more about The X-Files as I get older is how out there they were willing to be with their premise. I watch sci-fi shows today with access to special effects that The X-Files could only dream of, and they never once take a wild swing on an idea as bizarre as "A tentacle monster made out of sea water." That doesn't mean the episode is great, or even good, it just means that even when the show wasn't at it's best, it was always willing to hog wild on some truly strange concepts.