The X Files is an American sci-fi crime drama that first began airing in 1993. Understandably, then, this review comes a little late but I didn’t exist then so you’ll have to forgive me for the delay. The series follows FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigate unexplainable incidents, with Mulder being the believer in and champion of the supernatural and Scully the sceptic who keeps the investigations grounded with an insistence on evidence before superstition. Together they make a dynamic duo who develop the foundations of an ever developing, intriguing story.
Though by all accounts the show creates the impression that the characters are of equal importance it does feel over the first season we are given a lot more development of Mulder than we are Scully – this is understandable as Mulder has more motivation to take an interest in the X Files because of his personal history of being witness to his sister Samantha’s alien abduction while Scully was simply assigned to be his partner to shut down the wilder theories, but it would be nice to see more of her development in following seasons as it’s clear she isn’t a total denier of the unexplainable having basis in the fantastical, just very selective in what she puts her faith in.
Going into the show I knew very little, what I did know can be summed up in three points: ‘do doo do doo doodoooo,’ ‘I want to believe,’ and Sculder. The opening theme is very pleasant while still being spooky and feels necessary viewing for each episode in spite of what Disney+’s “skip intro” button might indicate. Likewise the phrase as marked on a poster in Mulder’s office sets a good tone for the series – hope for the amazing but accept the facts as they come, however begrudgingly.
From what I’m aware Sculder is considered one of the earlier ships when it comes to fandom. Given the lack of supporting characters through the season as most others rotate episode by episode I can see why it would be tempting to pair the two together. Some of the camerawork frames them very close together such that it seems the creatives behind The X Files want us to ship it. Throughout the season I wasn’t sure whether I did or not, and it took a while to consolidate my answer. That answer being no, I don’t ship it, but I can see why others do. Mulder gives off a very innocent air, almost puppy-dog like at times. He shares this personality with most everyone he interacts with but the difference is most give some form of emotional response (negative or positive) while Scully is able to maintain a more neutral no-nonsense atmosphere.
As the two have a good dynamic there is the want to see their working relationship develop further, to see Scully become more comfortable around Mulder and perhaps allow some of the workplace walls she builds to become a little more relaxed and establish a closer friendship. Usually in television the strengthening of a bond between man and woman leads to romance so it’s understandable this would be the desired outcome for some, and I wouldn’t be against Sculder if it does happen, but I am just as equally content with them being good friends and perhaps finding other romantic partners as the show progresses should the supporting cast ever expand such as to allow that.
Given the show’s Monster-Of-The-Week nature it’s slightly more difficult to speak with substance on the story overall. There is definitely some interesting threads being woven in the background such as Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) and his mysterious connections, but for the moment this all seems more gearing towards coming to fruition in future seasons than revealing too much for the time being. As such rather than try and waffle on about the larger arc when it’s veiled somewhat in mystery for now, it seems more productive to simply discuss episodes that stood out.
Highlights
Episode 1: Pilot
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start… “Pilot” isn’t an episode that particularly stands out to me for its self-encapsulated merits but for its broader scope in laying the groundwork for future episodes. The truth is out there but it’s hard to grasp a hold of, especially when shady dealings may be happening to keep the truth from being known beyond a select few people.
Episode 3: Squeeze
From the shot in the opening scene of glowing eyes in a storm drain – very Pennywise-esque – it became clear this episode was going to be a bit freaky. It certainly delivered on that angle and created some good tension as we knew what the killer was able to do and were left to hopelessly watch on as he pursued his targets. A solid story.
Episode 4: Conduit
The story of the episode left some to be desired as it felt a little too open-ended, constructed too much around Mulder’s development to stand strong on its own. In terms of Mulder’s development though it was great – though as an audience we already knew of Samantha’s disappearance by this point “Conduit” really helps to show how much her abduction has affected and continues to affect him.
Episode 8: Ice
I love John Carpenter’s The Thing and all The Thing related media (except the 2011 prequel – we don’t talk about the prequel). This episode was therefore very indulgent for me and I revelled in every second of it. Perfect episode, if there are any flaws I refuse to see them. You cannot make me perceive faults. You just can’t.
Episode 13: Beyond the Sea
This episode I believe to have been the most significant to Scully’s development, which would be the obvious point given the focus it has around her. It’s where we first start to get an idea of her relationship with belief in unknowns, and gives context to her life and significant persons to her. In addition to all that the episode has a great song at its centre so a win on many fronts.
Nadirs
Episode 21: Tooms
Following on from Episode 3. Though it was definitely valid to follow up on “Squeeze” and this episode makes a good point surrounding how the nature of many X Files lacking proper evidence to allow for long-term justice at points it was unrefined. Mulder’s testimony is over-the-top and though in character with how we’ve seen him act in court in other episodes (i.e. Episode 16 “Young at Heart”), the fact that an FBI Agent would conduct themselves in such a way on the stand is to me the most unbelievable thing about this series. Beyond that it just felt a bit repetitive to watch them go through the motions again of catching the stretchy man without adding much new to his story.
Episodes 6/15/16/22/23
Given there’s 24 episodes in the season and this covers only five this is more of a petty complaint but there was a noticeable overrepresentation of reincarnation or returned-soul stories which although separately were all fine, together just felt like a lot of the same given this is more of a basic supernatural trope and through other episodes The X Files has shown a real flair for creativity. The way they went about each episode was different but they all still boil down to a soul coming back in some way or another without doing much to build on the concept for each successive episode.
Final Thoughts
Thusfar The X Files has been a fun and intriguing show to begin on. The only problem I foresee in the future is working out when to put the movies in the watch order without inadvertently spoiling myself by Googling such a thing. Overall it was a good season and I’m looking forward to more.
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