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The X-Files

mrgreen4242

mrgreen4242

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 10, 2004
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So I've been meaning to watch the X-Files on DVD for about 6 months now and haven't had a chance to. Well to be honest I started but the earlynon-mythology episodes are... a bit painful. So I change I changed plans to watch the "best of" X-Files. I figure on watching the ~40 main story arc epsodes but also would like to catch the best stand alone shows.

I could use some help picking those episodes though. I'd like to include the Lone Gunmen episodes along with the best "monster", guest star, comedy, and "unique*" installments.

So suggest away! Episode name and season number would be most helpful. I appreciate the help compiling a list or maybe links to a similar list someone else has made aready.

*by unique I was thinking episodes like the one where Mulder is on the ghost ship and is back in the 1940s and Scully is trying to find him. The episode was shot in areally cool split screen format most of the way through showng the two of them occupying the same space in different times. The name/ season of that particular one wou be great. :)
 
I didn't dislike the "mythology" storyline, but none of my favorite episodes had anything to do with that storyline.

My favorite villain, hands-down, was Robert Modell, aka "Pusher". He appeared in two episodes, "Pusher" (Season 3) and "Kitsunegari" (Season 5). My second-favorite villain (monster) was Eugene Tooms, who also appeared in two episodes, "Squeeze" (Season 1) and "Tooms" (also Season 1).

A couple of other favorites for me are "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (Season 3), which guest-starred Peter Boyle, and "Bad Blood" (Season 5), which guest-starred Luke Wilson.
 
Awesome, exactly the sort of recommendations I was looking for! I'm hoping to get to about half the series, so should be ~40 mytharc episodes and about the 40 best standalone ones. I liked the X-Files, but there seemed to be, imo, a LOT of filler material. Especially in the beginning and the end of the series. The middle was good.

Thanks everyone! I'm still looking for more suggestions...
 
My girlfriend & I watched the complete series over the summer, having little thought about the show before hand.

I thought that it started getting really good around the 4-6 seasons, but season 7 was noticeably bad. I thought that seasons 8-9 we're pretty good. Doggett is a pretty good character. He's not really a replacement for Mulder, and I wish we could have seen more of him. Reyes not so much.

My favorite episodes were (not in order): The Host, Duane Berry / Ascension, The Post-Modern Prometheus, Roadrunners, Monday, & Redrum.
 
The X-Files was the only series I watched religiously on TV. The below recommendations are highly personal, based on moods and things I was going through at the time. I did enjoy the first movie, but didn't have the heart to see the butchering in the more recent film. Anyway, most of the above posters' suggestions ring true to me as well as:
Season 2 "Donnie Pfaster", "Humbug"
All of Season 3 , esp. "Wetwired"
Season 4 "Unruhe"
Season 5- "Post-modern Prometheus","Chinga", "Kill Switch"
Season 6 "Triangle"
 
In addition to the ones already mentioned, I liked "Folie a Deux," "Chinga," and the two Donny Pfaster episodes (Irresistible & Orison).
 
Thanks everyone. Using your suggestions, along with the GEOS episode survey scores for each episode, and the Wikipedia X-Files entry list of "official mytharc" episodes, I came up with a "Top 101" list, plus the movie(s).

I used the episode survey scores, gave a bonus to all the episodes that are part of the official mytharc, then added a bonus to episodes you folks mentioned, and made a couple of other changes (namely, I deleted the Squeeze and Toombs episodes - I've seen those and was definitely NOT a fan). Took the top 101 (exactly half the episodes) and then resorted those by air order.

Thanks for your help!! I attached the final list to this post, if anyone is interested. Now, off to Netflix to get the queue up to date...
 

Attachments

  • xfiles.txt
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I would have to say that you simply cannot miss any single episode of the first six years. Seasons seven and eight were also worth watching but you simply can't miss the first six seasons.

There are some episodes that even made me cry and that's rare for me to cry over a TV show. Scully could really make you feel her emotions sometimes.
 
I've been slowly trying to go through all the seasons. I'm on 6 right now and just finished Lone Gunmen which is good too.
 
I'll likely go back through the "bottom" hundred, eventually, filling in the blanks so to speak. But, as it is, 101 episodes at 42 minutes each is about 70 hours. As busy as I am lately (full time job, of course, going back to school, an eight month old, part time contract work when I can get it, plus other hobbies beyond watching TV) that will take me at least 6 months, probably more.

I enjoyed the X-Files (the parts of it I watched back when it was on the air), there's just to much of it to be a watch-every-episode show for me. So, I needed to cut it down to something manageable.
 
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