so, what do you think of the mythology heavy episodes? if you examine carefully (having full knowledge of the story after), it's actually paperthin and not as well constructed as people might imagine. meaning, the "conspiracies" weren't fleshed out (like lost, bsg, and so on) beyond these episodes.

i'm somewhere in the middle of the 6th episode (2Shy) of the 3rd season. it's fairly forward thinking since online dating scene was just beginning but the episode (and the show itself) makes it seem like it was a regular thing.

i'm already back@school again so i'm going to have a hard time catching up.

Yes I'm watching episodes now too at a slower pace.
I did watch the first 2 episodes of S3, because they were all continuing each other.

I actually like those mythology episodes, as well as the 'usual' X Files MOTW.

spoilers*

I very much liked Colony/End Game, because of story, emotions and visuals, it had everything a show or a movie needs.
And in the last episodes it had some very exiting suspense moments and I REALLY liked that surreal image of all those medical files with a train track in between, that was really nice.

*end of spoilers

many XF episodes hold those qualities of a film you described. this is why i believe it is a truly revolutionary show instead of evolutionary show. by taking filmic techniques and using them on a show, it elevated TV as a whole.

by the end of XF, the leads will have lost nearly everything. it's both personal/private and very much public at the same time because of what it would take to find "the truth". the sacrifices they've had to lay bare. it doesn't stop here =).

that's why it makes all those dialogues later on very painful as you know these characters have gone through hell.

while s1-2 had both cast and crew trying to find themselves, 3-6 were really refined becauase the technical aspect of the shows caught up. by technical i mean the techniques the lead actors used, the technical vocab. the crew used expanded greatly. the guest stars (like brad dourif, the guy for duane barry) were always high caliber. in the first few seasons the guest stars tended to overshadow both duchovny and anderson, but by s3-6, duchovny and anderson really stepped up. s1&2 had a semi-indie feel, but 3-6 had a huge, hollywood blockbuster feel. the scope generally continued to increase.

I always liked the voodoo episode where that dude comes out of scully's hand!

Also, the one with the ship missing in the bermuda triangle and "Alternate" mulder and scully was cool.

The one shot from the XF I would kill to see again was in this episode about a man with a pituitary disease and he kills peopel to take theirs. He is crawling around in the vents at the end of one episode and we just see a flash of red eyes and white skin. Was very creepy.



Fluke man will live 4ever

Mission to Mars was shot on the banks of the Fraser River and the sand was dyed not spray painted. And near Nelson there's a town called Osoyoos (sp?) which actually has a mini desert. And for those who say the X-Files changed TV are correct. The influence seen in shows today is amazing. Lost is one example, both shows had/have the same DP and Rodney Charters from Millenium is the DP on 24. I did many day calls on all of Chris Carters shows over the years, that was my film school. Why pay to learn when you can get PAID to learn.

Matthieu,

any progress updates? lol =). you might have surpassed me. haven't seen anything beyond 2shy. =(. school sux, don't you agree?

Hi Yi,

No, actually, to be honest, I haven't got the time to move on lately, the last episode I watched was DPO, with that lightening.

Are you a filmstudent?
I went to film academy last year, my first year, I was one of the 20 people selected from 100 participants to get in the first year, but I've quiet because I had the feeling I made THEIR movies, and not my own movies. And I constantly had the feeling that I wanted to try it on my own.
I don't want to slam film schools, they're great, but they're not for everyone.
How are you in that department? Or are you at high school, I don't know?

Best regards,

hi matthieu,

i guess we're both stuck on season3, lol! =). we'll have to wait til holidays to catch up. most likely... christmas =). we'll have to continue this then.

re: me. i'm not a film student. i'm 25 and i work full time in vinyl, aluminum windows manufacturing industry as a projects manager and goto classes for my undergrad fulltime. i've been doing that for the past 5 years with plans to graduate next june.

i wish i had more time to play around with DV shooting+editing... but i don't. i actually bought a XL1s once... but sold it to someone here i believe. i also parted ways with a 3x lens. i owned it for about 6 months... but played around with it once or twice for a friend's wedding. i need MORE TIME! =).

nowadays, i end up spending what little time i have doing chores or just catching up shows/movies like XF because creating takes a LONG time for me because i want it to be good. i catch good content in the hopes that some of that magic may rub off subliminally or not so subtle..ly.

my plan/goal is to work at a job that is stable and pays me well so i can pursue these hobbies on weeknights and weekends.

re: your frustration. i know exactly what you meant. in festivals like 48 hour film festivals, you have to work with many, many people. everyone wants input and wants to direct... it's a real mess.

if you want to "try it on your own", there's nothing stopping you... but time. just go and DO IT! that's the best way to learn. i'm not talking about technical aspects, because for kids like us (who grew up with technology), that aspect should come easy. i'm talking about writing techniques in dialogue, plotting or directing techniques for actors or sets and so on.

the first step if a script. try to write one yourself... if you can't but want to direct... direct someone else's script. remember to try your hand at a character/story-oriented movie and concentrate on the acting. i've found that many shorts i've seen in festivals and online (like youtube, etc.) fail in the acting dept. some works can look really well done technically... but lack a higher substance. if you compare an amatuer work vs. hollywood's crapfest, you can still see a level of professionalism. just my 2 cents =).

YEs I agree.
Sorry for responding a bit lately, but I was away for a couple of days.

I'll let you know if I catch on the X Files again :-D

Best regards,

was feeling stressed out... but felt better after catching up the entire season3. i'm on season4 now =D. s3 is pretty incredible but still not as good as season2 =). a bad season on XF is like the best seasons of any other TV series =). i love the framing/blocking of many of the episodes... especially jose chung's outer space. very theatrical. absolutely loved it.

i'm also noticing MANY, many "before-they were stars" or guest stars that have appeared on other series. off the top of my head, lucy liu, jewel strait (kaylee from Firefly/Serenity), amanda tapping and tom mcbeath (harry mayborn) both from SG-1 were all in season3 =).

tom mcbeath actually appeared a few times as different characters =).

Giovanni Ribicci (hope I spelled it right) is one an episode too.
I didn't watch season 3 any further, not because I don't like it, but I didn't have the time :-(
You're right about season 2 being supergood, though!

lol, i cheated =). but yesh, giov was in this too. actually if you watch a lot of TV shows in general lots of people bounce around. it's a job =).

anyway, i really DIDN'T have time. i just traded my sleep for it. just couldn't wait.

in the past, i think i saw more of s3 than i realized... but really almost completely missed s2. i think i missed the best season of the series lol!!! =).

PS hope you can take the millennium journey after this too, imho i think they're like companion pieces =). and of course you know about mill's final ep ending up on XF.

Actually I don't know the ending of Millenium on the X Files, still have to watch that :-)

I saw some pieces of Millenium, and I should rewatch it maybe, because initially, I thought it was weaker then the X Files, but maybe that were wrong expectations from my part.

And if you haven't seen season 2, you really should!
My favorite episodes from that season are (alot):

Little Green Men
The Host
Sleepless
Aubrey
Die Hand Die Verletzt
Fresh Bones
Colony/End Game (this double episode is just wow, a movie!)
Dod Kalm (I liked the atmosphere)
F. Emasculata
Our Town
Anasazi

sorry, i didn't clarify. i have finished every single episode from first episode through season4 opener.

i wanted to say that in the past, i thought i have seen most of XF... but i have not seen all of season 2 except for like 1 or 2 eps. either way, i have currently finished s2 and i love all those eps you listed and more.

FYI, the same guys behind season2 and 3 (Wong+Morgan) began migrating from X-Files season2 and 3 to Millennium. chris carter created both XF and Millennium. carter did season1 of Mill, then Wong+Morgan went over to Mill and left XF behind. so if you liked s2&3, then Mill will be right up yo' alley =).

well matthieu, you should be finished with your finals by now. mine are NEXT WEEK, those bastards.

if you have finished with school, you can hop back onto XF!! =).

but i did cheat a little. i sacrificed many nights of sleep to watch XF. i'm on s4's Gethsamane and once i finish it i'll be onto s5 =).

i have to say that i have seen most of s3onward. so they're all repeats to me, but s2 is still very good =). i really liked how s2 gelled together.

Hi Yi,

I actually quit with film school last March, because I felt I was making THEIR films, and not my own anymore. I didn't feel comfortable listening to teachers who told me how to make my films, so I quit and now try to make films on my own - I mean, away from film school.
I hope you fare a bit better ;-)

I loved this show, and got the complete box set for Christmas last year from my wife.

My fave' episode has to be 'Jose Chung is from Outer Space'. It just had me falling apart with laughter, and didn't spoil the overall mythology of the show.

that's the spirit matthieu =D.

james, you going through the series ep by ep like me & matthie here? i'm already on season5. from here until the end of the series i've seen every single ep during when the show first aired except maybe 1 or 2 eps.

I'm not going through it at the moment, but managed to watch the entire lot in a couple of months earlier this year. To say I was hooked would have been an understatement, as I didn't really spend my spare time watching anything else.

season2 is the best =^).

i've finished s5, the movie again. then went through s6 fairly quickly because i had seen them air when they were originally broadcast. there's been 1 or 2 eps that i've missed due to my being busy back then that i have since remedied. i've skimmed through s7-9 and they just aren't in the same caliber (in the story dept.) as s1-5. s6 was a bit uneven transition between the 2 points. having said that, the worse eps of XF is still very enjoyable. again, s2 is the best season absolutely. it's when they really hit the stride or somn.

One of the things I like about XFiles is the way they introduce stuff.

Take the episode, Leonard Betts (the guy who eats cancer). Towards the end, he traps Scully in the ambulance and reveals that she has something he wants which shocks her. The ending was classic too, when she coughs blood on her bed, we know something bad is going to happen to her :D. Its a nice way to tie in part of the mythology (in a way it is, the cancer is caused by the conspirators) with a stand alone episode.

yes, in medias res. every single episode begins right in the middle of something happening. throws you right in the middle of the story hitting the ground running.