Rewind: The X-Files S1

It's sometimes easy to forget that television shows used to not have much in the way of serialization.  In the case that there was serialization, it was in the form of character development.  That is definitely the case here, although there are "mythology" episodes which don't necessarily scare away newer viewers anyway because those episodes rarely answer anything.  Thankfully, The X-Files was able to both use a formulaic structure while also making it necessary to start at the beginning.

To say I'm disappointed in The X-Files is not accurate, but it definitely didn't blow me away.  I suppose the reason is because I had relatively high expectations.  I really wasn't expecting two things that probably harmed my enjoyment 1) I knew this was basically a procedural, but I didn't know just how much it was a procedural.  Most of the episodes follow the same structure and only a few tended to deviate from that structure. 2) Somewhat related to the former, but this season has quite a few forgettable episodes at best.  That's part of the issue with procedurals - it's easier to have a long-running ongoing story than to create 25 new stories.  So it's bound to have some clunkers.

I suppose it's just really hard to believe how far TV has come in the past 20 years.  At first glance, 1993 does not seem like that long ago.  But on my list of Shows that Changed Television (coined and created by Alan Sepinwall I must add), none of them were created before 1997.  The only show that preceded this show that I absolutely need to see - if only because it's so annoying how much I read about its influence on shows I have seen - is Twin Peaks.  My point is that context is everything.  The X-Files came before it became common for good shows to have serialization.

With all that said, it's extremely unfair to call this a procedural show.  It's clearly beneficial to watch from the beginning and watch it in order.  The only difference from serialized shows is that you can probably make contact with an expert of The X-Files and ask them which episodes to skip without losing anything.  Based off this first season, I'd say there's about 10 solidly skippable episodes.  That's not to say they were bad - I really only had trouble finishing one of the episodes, and the rest, while kind of forgettable, are really enjoyable. 

The best thing about this show is clearly the relationship between Dana Scully and Fox Mulder (great names by the way).  Their burgeoning connection throughout the season as Scully grows more appreciative and less skeptical of Mulder IS the reason to watch it in order.  And so far at least, Scully consistently questioning Mulder when she's usually wrong has somehow not made her seem like an idiot.  It's a pretty tough line and the show has managed to both make her still stick to her values and make a good partner.

What's really great though about that aspect is that the relationship clearly follows a distinct, natural pattern to where by the end of the season, you see how they got to that point.  It all perfectly culminates into the last episode where Scully apologizes to Mulder for being wrong (which I don't believe she had done yet) and sneaks illegally into a government building in order to save Mulder.  If I were forming the episodes that needed to be watched, I'd pay close attention to any episodes where the dynamics of their relationship changed, and not just the obvious like the final episode and Tooms.

On that same note, Mulder's obsession with the extraterrestrial and government cover-ups has a nice arc.  People call him "Spooky" Mulder - which honestly is kind of a terrible nickname since nothing about David Duchovny is spooky.  The natural developments occur - eventually Mulder ends up embarrassing himself in "Tooms" when he tries to sell Eugene Tooms as a 100-year-old man in front of a jury.  And while I'm sure it's not the last time he tries to sell an unbelievable story to someone who won't understand, it kind of ends in "Roland" when he tries to tell the special needs caregiver that Roland was psychically overtaken, and Scully cuts him off before he can get it out.  She's looking out for him to make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself - even if Mulder seemingly has no capacity for being embarrassed or fooled. 

Duchovny is good as Mulder - I remember having a bit of an issue with him for the first few episodes, but by the end, I'd forgotten all about those issues.  And Gillian Anderson is incredible as Scully - it's a little hard to believe that the network objected to Anderson on accounts of her attractiveness (especially now).  And Jerry Hardin is solid as recurring character Deep Throat.  Anyways, I don't think I've ever written about a show with so few principal actors.  So notable guest stars that stuck out to me would have to be the always creepy Doug Hutchison as Tooms, Xander Berkley in "Ice," Harriet Sansom Harris as Eve 6 and the always fantastic Zeljko Ivanek in "Roland" singlehandedly making that episode better than it had any right to be.

Speaking of the acting, one of the things that has not aged well is that sometimes the acting is painful.  Not by any of the above, but a small, one-off character is sometimes played by someone who cannot act.  That is one of the issues with having so many episodes rely on consistently having completely new characters.  (That's one of the impressive things about the original Law & Order to me: very rarely is there bad acting.  Perhaps because they unashamedly re-use actors)  An actor needs to make an impression for you to remember them because they will soon be gone.  In the case of Ivanek, impression made.  In the case of most others, it's probably better if they didn't make an impression.  It's not a big deal, but it's a little frustrating to have the quality of an episode dictated by whoever the new actor is.

And while I'm probably overstating the badness, I look at an episode like "Ice" and I think it's more of a matter of just being unconvincing than bad.  In "Ice," I don't think that episode works near as well if the actors aren't Xander Berkley, Felicity Huffman, Steve Hytner, and Jeff Kober.  While "Fire" isn't a bad episode, it probably works a lot better if Mulder's former love interest is more convincing as an actress. (That and if Mulder's fear of fire didn't seem so random)

I'm not going to create a list of the essential and inessential X-Files, but I will mention some memorable episodes for one reason or the other.  The pilot of course is a great introduction to the series instantly setting the tone for what to expect.  My favorite episode of the season was probably "Ice", where Scully and Mulder are stuck in Alaska with a creature that spreads paranoia and violence.  Somewhat similar to that episode, "Darkness Falls" is another episode where they are stranded trying to find a way to escape that worked nearly as well.  "Beyond the Sea" is great both for Brad Dourif and for making Scully the one who believes the impossible while Mulder is the skeptic.  "Tooms" is actually a sequel to "Squeeze," but is much better than the first and "Roland" is worth watching if only for Ivanek's peformance.  Lastly, the finale works better not knowing that the second season will probably return everything back to the status quo.  It's daring, it's shocking, and it's a perfect capper to a season-worth of development between Scully and Mulder.

Episodes I would recommend wholeheartedly skipping would have to be "Ghost in the Machine," which is a computer hysteria episode that worked better when computers could do anything; "Space," improbably the most expensive episode of the season that is wholly uninteresting with bad graphics; and "Young at Heart."  The rest aren't bad, although it's surprising just how many episodes are carbon copies of previous episodes with a few details changed.

Then there are the mythology episodes, which work effectively enough.  They've mostly made more questions than answers.  That's fine with me as the questions are usually more interesting than the answers.  And from what I've read, the show ends up digging itself a hole ala Lost.  I don't have a problem with that as the journey is what matters.

I find myself in the strange position of both understanding The X-Files love and kind of understanding how the show sort of went under the radar when discussing best shows of all time.  I think this is one of those cases where having originally watched it when it first aired - I was less than one-year-old - would have made me realize its impact more.  As it stands, it's an impressive character study with some very good episodes and some serious potential for me to look towards the next few seasons.

Season Grade - B+