The X-Files

[Eski Boi]

Saw the new episode of the 6 mini-series that aired lastnight and it was bloody brilliant.

Anyone else watch it?

Heard also that old episodes have been remastered

 

[Stevencc]

I'm a big fan of the earlier seasons and I've only really heard bad things about this new series.

I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it a bit later though.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I didn't expect much but that was very, very, very bad. Good lord. Fan fiction edited like a fever dream. You can't go home again.

 

[SALTIRE]

Gillian Anderson is a Milf!! Woof woof!

 

[Eski Boi]

About to watch Ep.2
Love that they used the same intro as the classics

 

[Smudge]

I did that thing that was on all the fan sites building up to this, watching an episode a day for the 201 days before the new series started! Really enjoyed doing that, as some of the later episodes I had only watched once, and not enjoyed so much first time around, but I quite enjoyed season 9 this time and dont think it was quite as bad as everyone makes out. Season 8 was worse.

Didnt think much of the first episode, it seemed to have a bit too much to do and was a bit of a mess. Im led to believe the second episode is much better, so Im gonna watch that now.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Second one is a lot than the first better, yes, but so was the great influenza pandemic of 1918.

Think #3 is the call back to some of the more comedy-ish affairs, which has had the nicest things said about it.

 

[Smudge]

That was much more like it.

I hope they get it right with the comedy one. The humour was always one of the best things about the original series, though a couple of the full on comedy episodes were a bit...wrong. Yes, Im looking at the bizarre Burt Reynolds ep.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Yes, I rewatched it all last year too and was most taken by the humorous ones (or the ones with elements of humour, eg Clyde Bruckman), which I hadn't really expected beforehand.

Agree too that the Burt Reynolds was a bit of a misfire, but I admire the chutzpah of the attempt, and like that the imprimatur of the brand and the anthology format provided the license to try such things...

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Seems like the ratings have been bonnaroo anyways, so unless they fall off a cliff for the remaining episodes (unlikely - if the first one didn't put people off it's hard to imagine what would) I would guess we'll be getting some more in the not too distant future.

 

[Smudge]

Yes, I rewatched it all last year too and was most taken by the humorous ones (or the ones with elements of humour, eg Clyde Bruckman), which I hadn't really expected beforehand.

Agree too that the Burt Reynolds was a bit of a misfire, but I admire the chutzpah of the attempt, and like that the imprimatur of the brand and the anthology format provided the license to try such things...

Exactly. Some of the more bizarre of the comedy episodes seem to divide opinion, Hollywood AD being another one, but I liked that one. Bad Blood, Humbug, Szygzy and Small Potatoes are probably the best of the full on funny episodes. Clyde Bruckman is probably one of the best episodes in the whole series, has everything that made it such a good series at it's best. Paranormal elements, horror, good characters, funny moments, and loads of heart.

 

[Art Morte]

The first two episodes were disappointing, but Duchovny and Anderson saved them. Their chemistry was as good as ever, like the original show had never stopped. Both were great in their roles and together. They've also aged well. Would be harder to take them seriously as FBI agents if they had put on 20kgs and looked more suited to a desk job.

But my issues about the first two episodes:
- Too much of everything at a frantic pace. I read that the first episode at least was written by the creator Chris Carter. It looked like he couldn't believe his luck that the show was being revived and had just crammed all his ideas into one episode. Made very little sense. Just as you thought one path was starting to develop into something, they switched to something different.
- Aliens, aliens, aliens. What I really liked about the original series was that Mulder and Scully seemed to always come so close to discovering something incredible, only to fall short at the last minute and not get their proper evidence. The viewer was left guessing and excitedly waiting what or how much they will discover in the coming episodes. Here you pretty much had aliens and their technology slapped in your face. It left me confused. It was far too revealing. Didn't have any of that old X-Files atmosphere in this regard. There was zero build up. "Hey Mulder, want to see a spaceship with alien technology, like free energy and ability to turn invisible?" "Yeah, sure." "And here it is". "Oh wow, there it really is. Okay, let's move on".
- Holes in the plot that didn't really make sense. Where did the TV show guy go? Why did that spaceship just obliterate that woman in her car? Or that scene where the army guys just drove in to the spaceship place, put explosives on the vessel and drove away? Just a ton of random stuff that you cannot make anything out of.

Disappointing that they haven't felt the need or had the money to hire better writers, because the first 33% of this mini-return did the X-Files a disservice. The only thing that kept it together was that both Duchovny and Anderson were still great as Mulder and Scully. But otherwise the first two episodes left me with a feeling that Carter wants to make this one last, juicy hurrah for the X-Files and goes straight for the dramatic, climaxing aliens stuff. But it doesn't work very well when it's so revealing, hectic and random. The original X-Files worked because it was subtle and suggestive, this one seems to be the opposite.

 

[Smudge]

Agree completely about that first episode. It felt like a pilot episode of a whole new show, where they are trying to cram in as much as possible to try and impress the TV execs enough to pick it up. This didnt need it, and I appreciate that first episode needed something to persuade the FBI to reopen the X Files, but it didnt need to be this nonsensical.

Second was more like it, battling against those nasty shifty intelligence bastards!

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

It's something I watched sporadically back in the 90's but don't remember too much about. I saw it was on Amazon so it's now my morning commute show of choice. That'll keep me busy for a while.

 

[Eski Boi]

Episode 3 is bloody hilarious!

 

[spireite]

Episode 3 is bloody hilarious!

Intentionally?

 

[Eski Boi]

Yeah, very intentionally

 

[Art Morte]

Episode 3 is bloody hilarious!

It was bloody good, too! Really enjoyed it.

Also, Gillian Anderson is too hot. I don't what it is, I don't remember being this "affected" by her in the original series. She's developed some extra aura about her. Damn.

Anyway, the first episode was bad, the second was better, but I wasn't expecting this. The third episode was superb, in my honest opinion. It probably got my hopes up too high for the second half of the mini-series lol.

 

[Smudge]

Quality episode. Lots of lovely little geek touches too, like the stoner couple at the beginning who turned up in a few of the old episodes!

 

[Conker]

It's all about Gillian Anderson!

 

[johnnytodd]

It's something I watched sporadically back in the 90's but don't remember too much about. I saw it was on Amazon so it's now my morning commute show of choice. That'll keep me busy for a while.

i've punched for less.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

i've punched for less.

OK...

 

[mowgli]

Watched the first episode last night and it left me underwhelmed,i'll stick with it though and my god Scully looks hotter now than in the first series,maybe it's an age thing.

 

[Art Morte]

Watched the 4th episode. It was decent, a little simple. I thought the Trashman had more potential than what they got out of him. Basically just repeated the same thing with him four times and then that was it. I liked the "origin" of him and what he was doing, but they should have done more with him. The smiling clay face in the end was unbelievably tacky.

And I really don't know what to think of the whole Dana's mother and the William thing. I hope that was a prelude to something. If it wasn't, then it was completely unnecessary, confusing and boring. If they're going to follow up on that one way or another, fair enough, but if not, then the whole thing just disrupted this episode and made it worse.

Scully looks hotter now than in the first series,maybe it's an age thing.

I know, it's weird, but in a good way!

 

[Stevencc]

Watched the first episode last night and it left me underwhelmed,i'll stick with it though and my god Scully looks hotter now than in the first series,maybe it's an age thing.

...she looked nice enough in the earlier seasons but now she looks more plastic than woman!

 

[Smudge]

What Art Mort said. Good episode, the stuff around Scully and her mum were really well done. Especially that line about finding all the secrets of the universe but never knowing the answers to her own secrets. They need to build on it though. If this episode turns out to have been some cheesy metaphor for the writers basically saying they're not answering any of our questions, I'll be really pissed. As much as the last 3 episodes have been quite good as a standalone, it's still irking me that basically nothing at the end of season 9 has even looked like being resolved.

 

[Eski Boi]

Just finished Epsiode 4 and i have no idea what it was all about

 

[RM96]

A great comeback to the season I think!

 

[Art Morte]

Just finished Epsiode 4 and i have no idea what it was all about

It would have been a good episode if the full episode was about the Trashman. It was Scully's personal stuff in the episode that was baffling and dragged it down.

The remaining two episodes have been written by Carter, like the first one. They need to be better than the first episode or we're in for a disappointing ending, imo.

 

[Craig]

Watched the first four episodes over the last couple of nights. Doubt I'll be making too much effort to see the rest. Sometimes dead is better.