"Founder's Mutation"

"I blacked out after Goldman's eyes popped out of their sockets."
Aired 1/25/16

While "My Struggle" was definitely a struggle to watch at times, I actually found "Founder's Mutation" a lot harder to watch initially; sorry for the wacky puns. The previous episode re-introduced the characters of Mulder and Scully and we saw them as very different characters than what we remember from the series and movies. Mulder is a recluse, and I can only assume is living off inheritance from his parents and remaining funds from his FBI career. I can't see being offered a severance package after black helicopters wanted you dead in the 2002 finale. Scully is still working at the same hospital she was at during the 2008 film. In the premiere Mulder was depressed over being away from his work and quickly accepted a wild conspiracy theory, and this episode Scully seems to be the depressed one, as she's still grieving over her son William.

But instead of conveying the sadness Scully felt over her son, it felt more like she was acting like Mulder's nagging mom. I just didn't get a sense of the chemistry the actors used to have; perhaps they're still trying to get into the groove of their characters. I've read that Gillian was slower to become "Scully" than David was at being "Mulder", and it's obvious here. (Although this episode was supposedly filmed fifth in the production order.)

Even the case itself didn't feel like The X-Files should, as I got more of a Fringe vibe, with all of the experiments and gruesome mutations. I realized it also doesn't have that old atmosphere and cinematography, because several crew members are now working for Castle on ABC. Then it dawned on me later while writing this review. Many of the episodes from the original run featured a villain on the loose and the agents playing catch-up, other times Mulder would throw out some wild (but correct) theory within the first few minutes. Here, writer/director James Wong created a mystery that actually wasn't obvious from the start, while also touching on conspiracy elements and their son William, much like his work during the series' early seasons. Plus, this hour was chock full of those famous visuals, including a pregant woman slicing her belly and a hand emerging. That visual has stuck with me and only improved since the initial viewing.

Those moments when "Founder's Mutation" weaved William into the story were the highlights. Scully seemed to dream of a life with William as a young kid in grade school, which then turned into a nightmare when he showed signs of genetic mutations like the children in her investigation. William did show brief signs of powers as an infant, and it's still unknown whether he has abilities or lives a normal teenage life. This scene felt like the Scully of old for the first time in this mini series. Mulder's dream life with William also showed signs of that old, quirky Mulder we know and love, as he was watching 2001 and shooting rockets. His dream also turned into a nightmare, one in which long-time fans will recall mimicked the way his sister was abducted as a child.

I dismissed baby William as a dumb storyline in the past and was still unsure if I wanted to see any mention of him in this brief mini-series. Now, after having watched these first two episodes, I feel like that is the only direction this mini-series can go, is to bring William back into the fold. There has to be some crux to get Mulder and Scully back as FBI Agents, since she clearly has built a new life outside of the Bureau, and it is William. Now that the dust has settled and I've had some time to absorb both episodes, I feel maybe it was my own expectations that were hindering my enjoyment, and not the series itself. "Founder's Mutation" was a great return to form for the series, making this mini-series worthwhile.

"My Struggle"

Aired 1/24/16

When I first became a fan of the series in 2007, never did I imagine that one day I would get to watch an X-Files movie on the big screen. I assumed those days were long gone. Not even half-way through the year, rumblings and rumors spread over the internet about the possibility of a brand new movie with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, frequent co-star Mitch Pileggi, as well as the writing duo of creator Chris Carter and long-time right-hand man, Frank Spotnitz. It was officially announced for the following summer in 2008, titled I Want To Believe, and also a big box set hit stores shelves that housed the series' 9 seasons and the first film packaged together for the first time. Even a few volumes of the series' score were soon released for the first time in their original form. I was riding high on X-Files fever, as well as the long-time fans that I became friends with over the interwebs.

Maybe my expectations for an X-Files movie were far too high, as you recall even Indiana Jones returned to the big screen that year for a sequel that was 20 odd years in the making. I was too young for that fandom the first time around too, though I was able to see Indiana Jones once it hit HBO. Both didn't live up to my personal expectations, though neither should be dismissed as "terrible." That didn't deter my interest in The X-Files since later that year I would begin a 9-year journey where I began to watch and review each episode in order. I figured if I couldn't watch The X-Files live like my other fan friends, I'd make my own version.

That old X-Files fever hit once again, as FOX announced in the spring of 2015 that they would soon begin production on brand new episodes with David and Gillian returning, along with Mitch Pileggi, creator Chris Carter, and also returning writers Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan, and James Wong. I was skeptical of Chris' ability to create something new and exciting, remembering the misfire movie of 2008. The news of the Morgan brothers and James Wong excited me, since they left the series in the middle of it's run, and they're responsible for many of my absolute favorite episodes.

"My Struggle", immediately began with Chris Carter's wacky, overly wordy, monologue style, but David Duchovny seemed up for the challenge. The montage of edited clips was a fantastic piece, so it was easy to look past Carter's style. The episode then flashes back to an outstanding bit of special effects work of a UFO crash in New Mexico with an unfamiliar group of men investigating the wreckage. The production crew is no doubt making full use of the advancement of technology, and the crash ranks right along with the classic visual effects of the original series.

However, I can't say the same for the plot of the episode. It felt like a rehash of past stories, all combined into one fast-paced hour of television that tried to fit in as many Chris Carter tropes as possible. First was the monologue of Mulder's history, then later was a mega monologue about the military-industral complex. Mulder now has a new informant, only known as "Hat Man", following a long lineage of characters like "Grey-Haired Man", "Well-Manicured Man", "Stone-Faced Man", "Toothpick Man", and the villainous original, the "Cigarette-Smoking Man". There's also a person whom Mulder believes is the key to everything, which fans have heard multiple times before from the paranoid FBI Agent. Perhaps this was the best way to go about introducing the series to new eyes, as well as getting the long-time viewers caught up on the lives of their favorite FBI agents. FOX was wise to schedule it following an important post-season NFL Division Championship game, a night when more people are likely to be watching television compared to some random Sunday in the middle of March. This also puts the series in line with February Sweeps, if that even means anything in this modern day and age of DVRs and binge-watching on Netflix.

I can overlook the many tropes of Chris Carter, but the thing that still bugs me is just how the Cigarette Smoking Man can be present in these episodes set in 2016. He was shot by a sniper sent by his own Syndicate, even thrown down a flight of stairs, and then to top it off, shot by a missile. He's a senior citizen for cripes sake, not Wile E. Coyote! How can this guy still be alive? At least he was seen smoking through his neck hole again, which still ranks as one of the coolest Cigarette Smoking Man moments.

For as many moments as I disliked, this did have plenty to like about it, and I'm interested to see where it goes and just how past characters like Agent Reyes, the Lone Gunmen, and Scully's mom fit into this new batch of episodes. My only hope is that this doesn't end on some wild cliffhanger at the end of episode 6, with FOX canceling it forever.

"Badlaa"

"This whole thing didn't make any sense."
Originally Aired 1/21/01

Just when I thought the series' well had run dry for quips and one-liners, Agent Doggett saved the day in the nick of time, just at the very end of the episode. Doggett told Scully, "This whole thing didn't make any sense." I'm not too sure what to make of this week's episode either. Why couldn't the show have done something else on my birthday, anything but the episode called "Badlaa". Actually, had the episodes aired in the order in which they were filmed, then the 10th episode produced would've been last week's "Salvage." Instead it was shuffled around, likely so that David's first appearance back would coincide with February sweeps. Season 8 had nearly every episode filmed out of order, possibly to accommodate for David Duchovny's limited schedule as well.

As it is, "Badlaa" aired on my birthday in 2001, which is an episode known for it's "villain" that travels on a creaky, wheelie cart. He also has another mode of transportation, which is the ability to crawl inside of men's buttholes, so fans have affectionately referred to him as "the butt genie." I liked that term, it makes me giggle, but it's such a strange concept even for The X-Files. Judging it solely on "the butt genie" is doing it a disservice, though, and you'd be overlooking it's creepy moments and visuals.

However, the little guy possibly crawled into his last butthole, and wasn't able to make it out in time before his human vessel was taken to the local morgue. Scully was set to perform an "unofficial operation", when she saw a hand emerge! Oh man, that certainly is a classic X-Files visual, even better than the uber-creepy creature she had in her body in "Roadrunners" at the start of this season. X-Files + body horror = a winning combination. Not only does the butt genie have an interesting mode of transportation, he also has mystical powers that allow him to create illusions. That ability tricks people into seeing someone else rather than the actual small man on his wheelie cart, which he chooses to disguise himself as a janitor at a junior high school. The origin of the wheelie cart man also brings back a very underutilized guest star, which is Bill Dow as "Chuck Burks." Normally Mulder visits Chuck when a case involves something of a religious nature. I think Mulder called him in on the "Biogenesis" alien spacecraft artifact case, then recently in "Hollywood A.D." with the Lazarus Bowl mystery. Chuck actually gets three separate scenes this time around, which is nice that he's utilized more, yet I really liked how Doggett shot him down in typical "Dick Doggett"-style. Chuck calls them 'siddhi mystics', and since this one used buttholes to travel, so rather than a "butt genie" I decided to call him a "shitty mystic." Butt...shit... oh man, I'm so juvenile. I doubt that will carry over to fandom, though.

Something that I almost overlooked was Scully's storyline within the episode. In each standalone case this season she's had a moment or two where she talks to Doggett in an attempt to open his mind to the paranormal and freaky X-Files occurrences. I think it was starting to weigh on her, dealing with the loss of Mulder and still trying to solve these cases while pregnant, and here she suffers a mini-crisis. I think "Badlaa" does a better job of summing up her struggle with being a "believer" than the previous 8 episodes. Job well done for writer John Shiban, whose work is usually overshadowed by Vince Gilligan, Howard Gordon, and Chris Carter. Also job well done for Gillian Anderson, who is reminding me once again why she earned her Best Actress Emmy and Golden Globes awards for the early seasons.

Essential Guide to The X-Files

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files movie.

For anyone unaware of The X-Files beyond alien conspiracies, UFOs, and evil government agents, you're in for a treat. I was just like you once. My favorite pastimes were professional wrestling, cartoons, and the NBA, while The X-Files was the furthest thing from my radar. It wasn't until the series was at it's end that I came aboard, which was in 2002, after watching an episode about a gigantic, worm-like creature that haunted the sewer systems in New Jersey. I was still a little slow to start, but a couple of years of reruns on the Sci Fi Channel, and even an old girlfriend at the time, got me to where I stand today. Consider this my best sales pitch...

Essential Episode Number One

"X-Files Pilot" (Season One)

This episode premiered in the Fall of 1993 and introduced television audiences to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who would be partners for the better part of a decade, as well as two feature films. The Pilot does a fine job of laying the ground work for the series- Mulder has been assigned to an office in the basement where he researches cases through magazines, classified ads, and also video tapes. Dana Scully has been assigned to work with him as a counter balance to his far-out theories, she keeps him grounded as the skeptic and must report back her findings. There's also a shadowy government conspiracy that steals their evidence, keeping Mulder in the dark and looking like a fool.

Why does he have such crazy theories and a job investigating the paranormal? I feel like each episode is similar to The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, in that each week there's a different tale of a supernatural happening or science fiction creature on the loose, and Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate. Coming into this series as a fan of The Twilight Zone, I liked that each episode offered a different self-contained story; there's something from every genre.
 

Mulder was a brilliant criminal profiler, yet his younger sister's disappearance as a child still haunts him, which led to his pursuit of her through these X-Files investigations. The arc of the series is mostly his, with viewers entering the story just as Scully does, and it's a good way to explore these themes and watch the conspiracy unfold; which she also becomes wrapped up in. Along with Mulder and Scully, another important character is introduced here as well, the shadowy Cigarette Smoking Man.

Essential Episode Number Two

"Sleepless" (Season Two)

On the surface "Sleepless" appears to be your basic case-of-the-week, but in actuality it could be one of the most important of the series, not just Season Two. Mulder is joined by a new partner, Alex Krycek, who sticks around the series for the entire run. Mulder's boss Assitant Director Walter Skinner is also present, as well as a new wrinkle in the series- a man by the name of X. While Season One was mostly conspiracy-free, mostly focusing on the paranormal investigations, this second season showed just how deep and deadly this conspiracy is. X acts a bridge for Mulder, giving him brief clues and leading him down this path to discovery. All that Mulder had to worry about in Season One was his evidence getting taken away, but this season he has to worry about losing his life...or even Scully's.

Essential Episode Number Three

"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (Season Three)

One of the finest episodes of the series, which earned Emmy Awards for it's writer Darin Morgan and also guest star Peter Boyle. I believe at one time it even ranked among Entertainment Weekly's 100 Essential TV Episodes. One of the earliest examples of the series stretching beyond monsters and conspiracies, "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is about a reluctant psychic played by Peter Boyle. The episode had me hooked from the early moments where he's confused about the pronunciation of Lollapalooza while the cashier he's talking to is equally baffled as to who Buddy Holly is; it's a prime example of the off-the-wall humor that Darin Morgan brought to the series. 

Bruckman joins Mulder and Scully as a psychic on their murder investigation, which is all about psychics being killed. I think the episode was written to highlight Mulder's quirky traits, giving him an equally quirky character to interact with in Clyde Bruckman.

Darin Morgan's brief tenure with the series saw him write two more this season, as well as one in the previous season, and also a guest starring role in Season 4's "Small Potatoes". He returned to the series as part of the upcoming 2016 mini-series, and his episode is the most-anticipated of the brief, 6-episode run.

Essential Episode Number Four

"Home" (Season Four)

While "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" was a famous episode, winning awards and critical acclaim, "Home" is the opposite. It is a notoriously grim episode that was even banned from airing in reruns on the FOX Network, though it gained enough fan votes to air during a Thanksgiving marathon on FOX's sister network, FX.

Mulder and Scully are called to investigate murders in a small town, seemingly out of their element, and find themselves up against an odd family of genetic freaks. It may seem tame now to TV audiences following cable shows like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and even NBC's Hannibal. However The X-Files excelled at creating atmosphere in these early seasons filmed in Vancouver and this fact still sets it apart from it's TV peers.

Essential Episode Number Five

"Folie A Deux" (Season Five)

In some instances, these cases can bring out the craziness in Mulder. He's gone too far at times to link little girls to the disappearance of his own sister, personalizing investigations. He's disobeyed orders, putting his own job into jeopardy as well. Here in "Folie A Deux" Mulder ends up putting himself into the line of fire in a hostage scenario. It's a prime example of how far Mulder will go on a case, which is usually used in sound bites from various characters on the series' run- "'HOW FAR WILL MULDER GO!?' Tune in Sunday on FOX to find out."

Long-time series writer Vince Gilligan wrote this script, whose name is familiar to TV audiences through his creation of Breaking Bad. Gilligan was an essential writer on the series, mixing both comedic and thriller episodes into every season he worked on, and also had a knack for furthering the series' continuity. Much like that old hair commercial for men with the line "I'm not just the owner, I'm also a client", Vince wasn't just a writer, he was also a fan. Likely the biggest fan of the series.

Essential Episode Number Six

"Monday" (Season Six)

Some die-hard fans will likely dispute these choices of only one essential episode per season, especially these middle years, but I stand firm in my choices as I feel they best highlight the evolution of the series. The X-Files began as a spooky conspiracy drama in 1993, yet by it's 5th year in 1998, it had begun a clear departure from mixing the two. "Sleepless" (from Season Two) was an example of that style at it's finest, with it beginning like a standalone episode but ending with it's roots in the government conspiracy. As the series progressed, those conspiracy episodes were featured as "event" two-part episodes only twice per season, typically book-ending each season.

In "Monday" Mulder finds himself caught in a time-loop, much like the repeating day scenario in Groundhog's Day. The writers also cited The Twilight Zone, which featured an episode where a man was doomed to being executed at the end of each day. The episode, also co-written by Vince Gilligan, blends comedic moments along with the serious ones.

Essential Episode Number Seven

"X-COPS" (Season Seven)

I chose seven episodes to highlight the seven seasons where David Duchovny was featured star, though he does make select appearances in the final two seasons. Just like the previous episodes, this is also written by Vince Gilligan, which blends his favorite show COPS with The X-Files.

On paper that sounds like one of the worst episodes you could ever see and its no surprise that the series producers nixed the idea at first. I was just as skeptical as Scully, yet for years every time I mentioned the series to my grandma, she always brought up "the one when they were on COPS." It created an aura surrounding "X-COPS", which may have set my expectations a little too high. My expectations aside, it does create a unique feel for the episode as it was filmed entirely by the COPS production crew. It's also ahead of it's time, maybe not intentionally, but in the years since it's aired, so many movies and television shows have used the "found-footage" handheld style.

As The X-Files return to the small screen is just days away, a week to be exact, if you want an introduction into the series, hopefully this is it.

"Salvage"

"Certainly for any ordinary man."
Originally Aired 1/14/01

I think the worst part of David Duchovny's absence from the series has been the lack of humorous quotes to highlight each episode in these reviews. Instead, I've tried to select a line of dialogue that could best sum up each episode's investigation, but these last two have been exceptionally difficult.

While the series' humor has been lacking, I do like the return to these darker "X-File" cases. Season 6 was riding on a creative high, with Vince Gilligan contributing to 7 scripts, as many as series' creator Chris Carter. All of their episodes pushed the series to it's limits and beyond, and one such episode has quickly become an all-time favorite of mine, that featured Mulder swapping bodies with a Man in Black from Area 51. Even David Duchovny joined the fun and wrote an episode about baseball that was set in the 1940's. However that creative high seemed short-lived. The 7th season suffered from a lack of direction, with one episode being slap-stick comedy, and next week's featuring a snake-charming cult. Revisiting Season 8 for the first time since 2008, I appreciate the focus on this style of storytelling.

"Salvage" feels somewhat familiar though, reminding me of the 'villain on a path of destruction' scenario that occurred in Season 6's "Trevor." This time Ray Pearce is a victim of circumstance- he somehow was exposed to a metallic substance, died from that exposure, then was resurrected as a man with metallic blood, which is now consuming his entire body. Some scenes depicting this transformation remind me of sci-fi movies from the 1980's, the original Terminator and David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly. Ray looking in the mirror and plucking metal shards from his skin is eerily similar to when The Terminator is looking in the mirror at his exposed skeleton. Also Seth Brundle in The Fly had brittle hairs poking through his skin during the early phase of his transformation as well. New series director Rod Hary, whose first appearance was this season's "Roadrunners", is a fine choice to direct this installment. I feel like he could have been paying homage to those movies, creating a unique atmosphere for the episode, showing that he's a fine addition to this season, and the series overall. The Fly and The Terminator rank among my favorite movies, so I'm aware that skews my enjoyment of this episode compared to the casual X-Files fan.

Doggett and Scully enter the story just after Ray's resurrection, although I think this episode may have benefited more from showing the end of Ray's life as man. It could have built more sympathy for Ray, instead he's just like a Terminator actually, bulldozing through his former coworkers. Perhaps the episode could have began with his actual resurrection and the teaser ends with his body leaving the morgue. Although that's likely too similar to "Leonard Betts", which I just remembered is an earlier example of this style of villain.

While the story is familiar, I do like the visual effects of the metal consuming Ray's body and taking him over, both inside and out. There's even a glimmer of Ray's humanity that shines through at the climax, with "Salvage" ending in classic X-Files style. I do like a good tragic story.

"Surekill"

"It's time to be your own man Randall, it's time to think for yourself."
Originally Aired 1/7/01

My first X-Files episode was "The Host" in my senior year high school English class. It was odd because that sums up my entire experience of high school English right there- we watched tv shows and movies more than we actually read important works of fiction like most kids do. One time a teacher even read to us, a chapter from Of Mice and Men, followed by watching the movie. So forgive me if my knowledge of Of Mice and Men mostly comes from Looney Tunes, and the big lug who asked, "which way did he go, George?"

I mention Of Mice and Men because that's what this episode reminded me of, with it's triangle of characters formed between two men and a woman. One man is the brains, while the other is larger, stronger, and acts like more of a lackey. The woman comes between them and ruins their plans, schemes, dreams, whichever you should call it. However, this episode seems to flip that scenario slightly. It appears that this episode "Surekill" wants the female to be the one with the plan of running away to a better life and standing in her way are the brothers. Although this episode is a bit muddled and I'm not sure who is actually the sympathetic character here- the female, Tammy, who is stealing money which was originally stolen from drug dealers; or the brother, Randall, who's manipulated by by his brother Dwight into doing his dirty work. It;s hard to tell because I don't think the writer knew either. The female, Tammy, who works for Dwight and Randall, and is embezzling money, might almost be like a Jackie Brown-type character, in that she's justified in taking it since it was blood money from drugs. Maybe I'm just reading too much into the Jackie Brown reference since Dwight is played Michael Bowen, who was an FBI Agent in that movie as well.

The aspect of this episode that I do like is the X-Files element, which has one brother with seemingly x-ray vision that allows him to see through walls. That heightened ability meant that his twin brother's sight was negatively effected, rendering him "legally blind." Shooting through walls is pretty cool, and led to a few neat set pieces where a man's head splatters blood all over the inside of a jail cell, and another where a wall looked like swiss cheese from several bullet holes. Yet the other brother's disability seems to come and go. If he needs to use a lighter to see Tammy's eyes, then how could he see the answering machine blinking from across the room? Oh well. The X-Files never lets logic get in the way of a good visual.

While Season 8 has been a return to form and a focus more on the supernatural and horror movie-styled plots of the early seasons, I'm at a point now where I want some humor. Those early episodes had dark subject matter while the mood was somewhat lightened by a few choice one-liners from Agent Mulder. I do appreciate the growing team-work between Doggett and Scully but some humor would be welcome. I feel like that humor creeps back into the series eventually with the return of David Duchovny. For now, the team of Doggett and Scully is coming along nicely and their scene together when Scully suggests x-ray vision is another step on Doggett's path- he doesn't deny her theory and shoot it down as rudely as he did in their initial case. A good scene or two can't save this episode though and I doubt I'd revisit it until the next time I'm running through the series in order.