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March 28, 2024, 06:46:55 PM

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Notably terrible X-Files Episodes

Started by Sebastian Cobb, March 19, 2021, 03:02:06 PM

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madhair60

Quote from: Deanjam on April 18, 2021, 01:13:06 PM
It does? I have no memory of that. I'll have to rewatch it.

He's wearing a certain baseball cap and when Mulder and Scully leave there's a lingering shot of the janitor behind them who is wearing the same cap, implying shenanigans

BlodwynPig

Quote from: JamesTC on April 16, 2021, 12:35:34 PM
Since people seem to be unaware of much of later X Files, it would be remiss of me not to point out how wonderful the short lived spin-off show The Lone Gunmen was. Any fan of The X Files should give that a watch if they haven't already.

I think I am the only CaB poster who has ever watched and loved Millennium. It is far superior to X-files (which I enjoy greatly). You guys just don't get it. Too obsessed by the water cooler shit and popular shows like Breaking Bad to appreciate the ecstasy at the heart of darkness.

madhair60

I want to see Millennium. I saw that famous "Horses" sequence and thought it was remarkable. One day I'll make time.

Deanjam

Quote from: madhair60 on April 18, 2021, 03:50:52 PM
He's wearing a certain baseball cap and when Mulder and Scully leave there's a lingering shot of the janitor behind them who is wearing the same cap, implying shenanigans

Ah. Too subtle for me to notice.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: madhair60 on April 18, 2021, 04:02:16 PM
I want to see Millennium. I saw that famous "Horses" sequence and thought it was remarkable. One day I'll make time.

Only 3 seasons plus a cameo in an X-files episode. Get on it. It's remarkably noir and then goes bananas with the Marburg virus episodes.

surreal

Quote from: BlodwynPig on April 18, 2021, 04:45:08 PM
Only 3 seasons plus a cameo in an X-files episode. Get on it. It's remarkably noir and then goes bananas with the Marburg virus episodes.

It does go off the rails a bit but it's still my favourite - if I recall it went wrong when they let Morgan and Wong run season 2 and it lost it's edge then when Carter took it back it was just too late.

Still for me it goes Millennium > Fringe > X-Files but i realise I'm probably in the minority there

chveik

Quote from: BlodwynPig on April 18, 2021, 03:56:11 PM
I think I am the only CaB poster who has ever watched and loved Millennium. It is far superior to X-files (which I enjoy greatly). You guys just don't get it. Too obsessed by the water cooler shit and popular shows like Breaking Bad to appreciate the ecstasy at the heart of darkness.

i've watched (and mostly enjoyed) the first series! i have the rest in my hard drive, i'll get around to it at some point.

Osmium

Quote from: madhair60 on April 18, 2021, 03:50:52 PM
He's wearing a certain baseball cap and when Mulder and Scully leave there's a lingering shot of the janitor behind them who is wearing the same cap, implying shenanigans

He says his therapist makes him wear the hat and the other prisoners beat him up and take it but the therapist keeps bringing a new one every week

Jerzy Bondov

There's one where Scully is in a bit of silly mood and she says 'bye' to a corpse in a cheeky way; it's one of the sexiest things I've seen in my life.

madhair60

Quote from: Osmium on April 18, 2021, 05:54:37 PM
He says his therapist makes him wear the hat and the other prisoners beat him up and take it but the therapist keeps bringing a new one every week

I don't see that it's anything other than a fakeout, tho

Mister Six

First season of Millennium is the only one I've seen, but it's mostly good fun, if rather repetitive. There's a bit towards the end that shows the destruction of Chernobyl which has some of the least special special effects I've ever seen in a TV show. IIRC the explosion of a building in the background appears over the top of a chain-link fence in the foreground (it's clearly been pasted on) and a building falls over like it's a cardboard cutout on a hinge. I howled with laughter when I saw it, but sadly it's not on YouTube as far as I can see.

Quote from: Osmium on April 18, 2021, 05:54:37 PM
He says his therapist makes him wear the hat and the other prisoners beat him up and take it but the therapist keeps bringing a new one every week

That's an odd one - an acknowledgement by the public-facing authorities and the "real world" that supernatural shit actually happens.

Mister Six


BlodwynPig

They did an episode filmed in Bremerhaven (where I lived) and featured CCH Pounder, a favourite actress of mine. Sublime and thus I can forego crappy special effects. But I do enjoy the Marburg virus psychedelic trip scene in Season 2 (feels like it was Season 3).

Bad Ambassador

I picked up the boxset a few years ago, having only watched about half the first season when ITV aired it (making a big song and dance about it at the time, then dropping it after about three weeks and letting the regions show it in the middle of the night).

The second season leans into the mythology of the Millennium Group more and has an actual story arc, when the first was just Hannibal Lector/John Doe serial killer of the week. It actually ends with the world apparently ending, with a virus rampaging across the world and Frank and his daughter holing up in a cabin while the power goes off. Jump to the unexpected third season and actually it's fine, Frank's wife died and the outbreak was confined to the Pacific Northwest. The third season was a mix of the first two in tone, but didn't really have anywhere to go after that daft fucking retcon. It looked like they expected a fourth season, but it ends with Frank and his daughter driving off somewhere. The X Files episode that picked up after it at least gave some closure, albeit in the cheapest possible way, where the end of the world in the year 2000 turns out to be less than half a dozen zombies in a cellar on a farm. Frank gets a happy ending, which was nice.

I picked up The Lone Gunmen around the same time, and I think it was never shown in the UK at all. It's fine, in that early-2000s lighthearted spy show sort of way, but very unmemorable and not really worth anyone's time except for the sake of completion. I got rid of both series sets after watching them, but I kept the X Files one and am keeping my eye out for a complete series Blu-ray.

Consignia

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on April 19, 2021, 09:05:15 AM
I picked up The Lone Gunmen around the same time, and I think it was never shown in the UK at all.

It was on the Sci Fi channel, but I don't think they showed the first episode due it airing around 9/11 and the episode featuring an exploding plane or something. I definitely watched at least a couple of episodes because I remember there being a character introduced in the Lone Gunman[nb]Jimmy Bond, but I had to google that[/nb], and recognising him when he appeared in the last appearance in the X-Files.

The two Millennium episodes written and directed by Darin Morgan are well worth checking out - one is a sequel to 'Jose Chung's "From Outer Space".'

madhair60

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on April 19, 2021, 09:05:15 AMI kept the X Files one and am keeping my eye out for a complete series Blu-ray.

Advise sticking to the DVDs for correct aspect/original location tags

JamesTC

Quote from: Consignia on April 19, 2021, 09:19:47 AM
It was on the Sci Fi channel, but I don't think they showed the first episode due it airing around 9/11 and the episode featuring an exploding plane or something.

Bit more specific than that. The pilot of The Lone Gunmen is about a plane being hijacked by a rogue US agent (who wanted to frame foreign terrorists) and then being flown into the World Trade Centre inclusive of a shot of a plane just avoiding it. It aired 6 months before 9/11.

Bad Ambassador

Quote from: madhair60 on April 19, 2021, 10:37:12 AM
Advise sticking to the DVDs for correct aspect/original location tags

I'm not fussed about location tags if they broadly match the originals, but wasn't the series deliberately shot future-proof to be presented in 16:9?

madhair60

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on April 19, 2021, 11:03:20 AM
I'm not fussed about location tags if they broadly match the originals, but wasn't the series deliberately shot future-proof to be presented in 16:9?

Yes but stock and SFX shots are cropped and look poor

Also frankly the grain improves the mood of the show

Osmium

Quote from: madhair60 on April 18, 2021, 09:26:29 PM
I don't see that it's anything other than a fakeout, tho

According to this (last point), Vince Gilligan said otherwise.

oy vey

The Springfield Files was a great episode. Went to shit after season 8 though. The Simpsons I mean. And the X-Files.

up_the_hampipe

One of the biggest laughs I had rewatching the show last year was in Requiem (season 7 finale). When someone crosses through the invisible forcefield where the UFO sits, they start shaking about like idiots. Looks so funny, especially when Scully gets caught in it. The super dramatic music tips it over the edge. A top 5 moment for sure. It's about 23:35 here https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x61t0lh

JamesTC

Quote from: oy vey on April 19, 2021, 09:36:39 PM
The Springfield Files was a great episode. Went to shit after season 8 though. The Simpsons I mean. And the X-Files.

Season 9 of both are good. But I guess I'm in a minority there. I can't help loving the T-1000 and having a crush on Reyes.

And Season 11 of The X Files is great aside from the absolute dogshite opening episode.

madhair60

Quote from: Osmium on April 19, 2021, 05:23:06 PM
According to this (last point), Vince Gilligan said otherwise.

Well, that's me telt.