The X-Files
The X-Filescould be television’s most famous long-running science-fiction series.
The overarching mythology running alongsideThe X-Filesmonster-of-the-week format is notoriously convoluted.
These especially bizarre episodesmade audiences wonder what the writers were thinking.
Space is a season 1 episode that feels especially bizarre.
The story involving astronauts plagued by a mysterious extraterrestrial spirit fit the earlyX-Filestheme of the unknowable universe.
Unfortunately, Space didnt pull off its interesting premise.
Custom image by Yeider Chacon.
The attempt to combine the extra-terrestrial and the supernaturalmade for a confusing storylinein the episode.
The episode closes without explaining why this space spirit is bent on revenge.
Equally confusing is the role that Mulder and Scully play in resolving this mystery.
The X-files takes the police procedural formula and applies it to sci-fi mysteries. Conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder and skeptic Dana Scully team up to solve cases surrounding alien invasions and other unexplained, paranormal phenomena.
The agents act as bystanders to the chaos that unfolds.
The laughable early 90s special effects only make it harder to buy into the weirdness that is Space.
The episode isderided by bothX-Filesfans and people who worked on the series.
Even its stars believe"Teso Dos Bichos is the worst X-Files episodeever to air.
The X-Filesrarely fares well when it draws its monster-of-the-week from a specific culture.
This episode centered around a possessed Ecuadorian artifact is no exception.
Cultural appropriation aside, Teso Dos Bichos is just poorly written.
The villain is initially depicted as a terrifying jaguar spirit that attacks looting archeologists.
The plot descends into a farce with an attack led by feral cats.
The writers could have brought the monster for the final showdown, butinexplicably, the jaguar never appeared again.
Mulder recounts one past life in which Scully was his deceased father.
In another, she was his field sergeant during the Civil War.
It didnt really make sense for Melissa to be Mulders soulmate.
AnyX-Filesviewer would protest thatMulders true soulmate is Agent Scully.
Continuing in Redux,Mulders crisis of belief becomes harder to believe.
The agents have witnessed more than enough supernatural phenomena firsthand to verify the existence of alien lifeforms.
Redux I has several plotholes, including Mulders miraculous ability to infiltrate the Department of Defense.
The episode was praised for the clever role reversal that sees Scully become the believer and Mulder the skeptic.
Its subject matter nonetheless proved divisive, casting Christian angels as the episode’s antagonists.
Adding theology toTheX-Filesmix of supernatural and science-fiction made the episode feel out of place.
As the unofficial conclusion to the Emily saga, All Souls put Scully in the spotlight.
Andersons powerful acting carries this episode, butthe shows sudden turn to religiosity didnt make sense.
It didnt depict faith particularly well, either.
Many count it among their all-time favorites.
Its bizarre storyline certainly makes it one ofTheX-Filesmost memorable.
A coma-induced dream is indeed the gear used at the end of the episode to write off its events.
However you interpret it,Triangle is a fun watch.
The writers even threw in a kiss between Mulder and the Scully look-alike.
For viewers at the time, this was the closest the show had gotten to confirming their relationship.
Gillian Anderson reportedly loved shooting the sequences where Mulder and Scully were trapped inside the deadly virtual-reality game.
Viewers and critics didnt find the fun in this episode, though.
It is never explained how the computer program Maitreya gains self-awareness, nor how she escapes from Phoebes computer.
No plausible hypothesis is offered for how she inflicts harm on people in the real world, either.
Whether this monster is supernatural in origin or purely technological is left up to the audience to decide.
Why this occurs is never explained.
The episode suggests it may have something to do with them sharing the same biological father.
Nonsensical episodes like Fight Clubspelled what the shows future had in store.
Its no wonder many believe thatThe X-Filesshouldve ended with season 7.
It only became more confusing from here.
The overarching mythologytook a ridiculous turn with the introduction of super-soldier arc.
The show also suffered from David Duchovnys absence, and subsequent poor ratings sawThe X-Filescanceled after season 9.
As the closing episode in Scullys baby arc, William was an especially frustrating episode.
William ends with Scully making a choice that feels out of character.
Unfortunately, seasons 10 and 11 failed to meet expectations.
This lazy retcon wasnt the most ridiculous part of the episode, however.
It was a baffling writing choice.
The monster-of-the-week format enabledX-Fileswriters to get experimental.
Viewers could write off the episodes that didnt work, because these never interfered with canon mythology.
The revival was such a disappointment because it undermined loreThe X-Fileshad taken years to establish.
Still, the early seasons of the show were fantastic enough to secure its enduring popularity.
Despite its flaws,The X-Fileswill always remain one of the most beloved science-fiction series of all time.
