The X-Files

spronk said:

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This is going to be just as dumb as Lovecraft country. Do these people ever have an original idea? Let's copy some white show from 20 years ago but darken it up!

MusicForFish said:

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moonarchia said:

Let's make Gavinmad watch it.

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I'll kill you both first.

MusicForFish said:

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That looks like the after effects when the cigarette smoking man falls asleep and burns down the house that he's still inside of.

Bald Brah said:

This is going to be just as dumb as Lovecraft country. Do these people ever have an original idea? Let's copy some white show from 20 years ago but darken it up!

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Everyone is gay, even if they’re pretending to be happy in a straight relationship. Women must figure shit out and make decisions because men are indecisive and insecure.

I’ve been watching s1 this week and man it holds up so well in 2026.

A 30 year old show really puts modern television writing to shame.

just watched s1e8: ICE.

it absolutely has “the thing” and “the abyss” vibes to it. Love it.

In e7, Mulder made a “that’s very PC of you” joke. Based.

INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS said:

I’ve been watching s1 this week and man it holds up so well in 2026.

A 30 year old show really puts modern television writing to shame.

just watched s1e8: ICE.

it absolutely has “the thing” and “the abyss” vibes to it. Love it.

In e7, Mulder made a “that’s very PC of you” joke. Based.

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Back in the 90's television knew how to create a setting that engrossed the viewer and scripting that you had to pay attention to. Now everything is just quick shots back and forth with shit writing. The only modern television that comes close is HBO.

M Power said:

Back in the 90's television knew how to create a setting that engrossed the viewer and scripting that you had to pay attention to. Now everything is just quick shots back and forth with shit writing. The only modern television that comes close is HBO.

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Blame jar jar abrams and his mystery box bullshit.

Bald Brah said:

Blame jar jar abrams and his mystery box bullshit.

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If you can't write a good ending, you are not a good writer.

Abrams is all set-up and no substance.

INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS said:

If you can't write a good ending, you are not a good writer.

Abrams is all set-up and no substance.

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And yet this guy built an empire on it.

Hatorade said:

And yet this guy built an empire on it.

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"What if I literally just have the hand of god come down and stop the bad guy?"

No idea how he ever thought the ending of the Stand was a good idea. Albeit, Tolkein had Eru Illuvitar (Middle Earth Yhwh) resurrect Gandalf, which isn't much better. If you have an all-powerful deity, I think the only way it can really work in a compelling way is Dr Manhattan-style. Just complete indifference. Otherwise, there never is any real risk because the deity can just save the day at any point.

This is my first time watching through X Files. I just finished s1 finale

I feel such chagrin for Deep Throat. Maybe we’ll learn more about him in the future but dude was an enigma. No idea what part of the intel community or exec branch he worked for, but I think that was part of his charm. I went back and watched his clips in S1E2 as well. He was charming and cared about Mulder and the truth and it cost him dearly. Man, such a tragedy. The interdepartmental conflicts are something I did NOT expect when watching x files. I don’t know why but I didn’t expect there to be different conspiratorial groups within the intel community fighting one another.

Was that really an alien baby or body? Does it even matter if they think it is? It gave a bit of an Indiana Jones ending with the warehouse within the Pentagon as well.

Now TXF are disbanded and we’ll have to see the band get back together in S2. Wonder how that’s going to happen. Crazy that the President shut down the TXF. It’s a subtle line, but Mulder said, “word came from up top at the executive branch, they’re shutting us down.” Maybe it wasn’t POTUS but a cabinet member.

RIP deep throat.

I also did some googling, bc I ONLY name the name deep throat as a sexual act and surely it’s not referencing that, right? Yes and no. The informant for Watergate was nicknamed DEEP THROAT and TXF deep throat is a homage to that one. The original deep throat was a double entendre of “deep journalism” and a popular smut movie at the time called “deep throat.” So, not very classy but is what it is I guess.

I find myself relating with both Mulder and Scully. I am pretty skeptical at heart, which leans me more towards Scully’s passion for logic and empirical evidence. She’s a bit like Spock in that regard. And I resonate with Mulder as his open mind and hope/optimist for scientific mysteries can leave him ostracized or seem like a crazy person. He does the right thing and wears his heart on his sleeve, and has a generous heart and open mind, but that can also burn him easily. It’s a damn shame they’re putting such a brilliant mind on surveillance duty for white color crimes in S2E1.

INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS said:

I find myself relating with both Mulder and Scully.

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That was the point, and it only works with good writing. It was a pretty good fucking show for the most part. I might have to go back and watch it again at some point just because it's been so fucking long.

Rabbit_Games said:

That was the point, and it only works with good writing.

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Yes.

so far the best episodes I’ve seen are:

S1 “Ice” and “Darkness Falls”

those are great isolated one shot stories that you could pick up to rewatch.

The writing in the show is pretty top notch in the early seasons.

Its funny seeing famous people in it before they were famous. I remember Jack Black was some little skater punk.

Chanur said:

Seth Green was in one too.

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Yeah just even look at the thumbnails for the first few seasons, it is littered with up-and-coming people that would now be considered cameos. Red Foreman, Lucy Lui, David Denman (Pam's Fiance in the Office), Ton Shalhoub (Monk), Kaylee from Firefly, Giovanni Ribisi (saving in private ryan, gone in 60 seconds, boiler room, hes in everything) etc.

Arbitrary said:

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Love the actor but I think she's just not my type. I guess everyone has a crush on her but me.

mkopec said:

Women in those days were really written well and acted too. It was never anything about girl boss or any of that modern bullshit. She was smart, doctor, FBI trained, but was still vulnerable like all females are in RL.

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There's a few examples I can think of in the last 11 years, but they're few a far between. Mostly women written for HBO shows and Furiosa in Fury Road. That's about it, though. Does Sweet Dee from IASIP count? I think she's more of a legacy character from 2005. I like the Murderbot books and they have some great female characters, but even the Apple+ TV show made the great female leads insufferable girlbosses.

Scully is in the X-Files as the empirical evidence person and voice of reason, but she's proven incorrect almost every episode and admits it. There's no way Ryan Coogler is going to write a flawed educated black woman in that role. The issue with Ryan Coogler directing and writing the new show is the characters have to be deeply flawed and modern audience writers only write girlbosses and strawmen.