I’ve been watching reruns on Sci-Fi, and my God was this show incredible. It helps that it’s only on the beginning of the 6th Season, which was probably the peak of the show. Last night’s episode was Triangle.
Seriously, what other sci-fi show has an episode-long homage to Rope?
Why can’t they make a show like this anymore? Something that’s not afraid to be playful, scary, suspenseful, or even downright silly, depending on the mood?
Post your favorite X-Files memories here. It’s time to walk down memory lane.
Recently I just started rewatching this from the beginning thanks to Netflix, and man, I forgot just how great the show was pretty much right out of the gate. Honestly, I remember liking this show a lot, but I am completely blown away by how much it has exceeded my memories of it.
“Squeeze” (the introduction of Eugene Toombs) is far and away one of my favorite episodes. It serves as an example of how taut and downright scary the show could be, while still maintaining a playfully fun attitude (primarily thanks to the interplay between Mulder and Scully, which started off strong, and just got better as the show went on).
Jesus, remember Home? I caught it when they re-aired it one Halloween, it fucked me up good.
The cold opening featured a bunch of inbred hicks birthing a child by cutting into the (limbless!) mother with forks and scissors and tearing the child out of her and burying it while it was still alive. Fucked me up real good.
Some complain about the convoluted mythology (I mostly bailed after ther first movie so never saw where it went from there) but early mytharc episodes like “The Erlenmeyer Flask” and the Scully abduction eps were what really drew me in.
But the really smart humor of the show was the best part - everything from the Stupendous Yappi to “The War of The Coprophages,” they weren’t afraid to go WAY over viewers heads with the humorous homages and nods. Great show.
I watched the entire series on DVD a few years back and had a great time. Hell, I even enjoyed the last couple seasons. “Triangle” is particularly amazing though.
I would argue that there are still shows willing to go from playful to scary to suspenseful. Supernatural and Doctor Who are two that come to mind, but I’m sure there are others that hop from genre to genre with great success.
I don’t watch Lost because I missed the first seasons and it’s too daunting to try to enter the show this late. But does it have a similar sense of humor as The X-Files? It never came across that way.
I have Fight the Future on in the background right now, and it’s not NEARLY as good as the show. Someday I’ll see I Want To Believe, but it’s not very high on my to-do list.
Originally Posted by Patrick RipollView Post Jesus, remember Home? I caught it when they re-aired it one Halloween, it fucked me up good. The cold opening featured a bunch of inbred hicks birthing a child by cutting into the (limbless!) mother with forks and scissors and tearing the child out of her and burying it while it was still alive. Fucked me up real good.
Yeah, “Home” messed me up pretty good when I first saw it. It was just one of those “I can’t believe they got away with this shit” episodes for me. So creepy. So awesome.
RE: “Lost”
You’d probably love it (if you start from the beginning). It does have a similar playful, self-referential sense of humour.
Guess, if your show has a dense mythology, you almost have to.
One of the great things about classic “X-Files” was the writing staff. A great collection of talent. Frankly, I’m shocked they haven’t gone on to make a bigger splash–especially Darren Morgon(?).
It lost it’s magic after the first film (and subsequent move from Vancouver), but the first five seasons were greatness. The MythArc episodes were pretty great until you realized that Carter didn’t have a clue where he was going with the story.
Humbug (S2), Jose Chung’s “From Outer Space” (S3), Bad Blood (S5) stick out as most memorable, probably because of the unexpected humour.
Home was one of those episodes that made you turn on the lights and check the lock on the door. They kept the ‘mother’ under the bed, right?
Originally Posted by Rob RoccoView PostHome was one of those episodes that made you turn on the lights and check the lock on the door. They kept the ‘mother’ under the bed, right?
Yeah, according to Wikipedia, it was inspired by a story from Charlie Chaplin’s Autobiography:
Quote:
This episode was inspired by a tale in Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography, about the time he stayed at a tenement home while touring in a British musical theatre. After dinner, the family took him upstairs to meet their son - and pulled him out from under a bed. The son had no arms and legs and flopped around while they sang and danced.
Patrick, I was the same way as you on Lost. I’d missed the first season and just never got started. Two weeks ago, though, I started watching Season 1 and I loved it. Every episode is available streaming from the ABC website so it’s an easy way to watch the first couple episodes and see if you want to commit. I basically power watched the whole first 4 seasons only taking breaks to work (sometimes leaving it on in the background while working).
There is definitely a sense of humor to it. Most of it comes from a subset of the characters though. With as many regulars are on the show though, that’s pretty understandable.
It’s mythology heavy but it’s amazing how well thought out everything is. If you’ve got the time I’d highly recommend it. I wouldn’t really compare it to X-Files except to say that it’s a clear example of how to have a complex mythology implemented in a show–something that BSG could learn from as well–but you’ll probably enjoy it.
Originally Posted by Patrick RipollView Post Someday I’ll see I Want To Believe, but it’s not very high on my to-do list.
Wherever it is on your to-do list, move it down a few notches. I started buying up the seasons on DVD after seeing it to remind me why I loved this show in the first place.
The Host is still one of my favourites, Flukeman is a classic.
As a kid, I was scared more by that episode and its human baddie than any amount of eldritch abominations. Pretty much every word imprinted on my brain, including, yeah, “cerulean” and also Scully’s delightful request: “Please explain to me the scientific nature of the whammy.”