I just watched this one for the first time a week ago and my heart still hurts. "I remain forever yours, Dana". 😭 this series is trying to kill me. That's it, that's the post.

Around 7 or 8 years ago I was a member of a Facebook group for writers of X-Files fanfiction. Five or six new members joined the group. Each of them had an account and published works on ff net. They all joined within a few weeks of each other. At first there were no red flags. 

They would positively flood the comments section on other writer’s posts. They left loads of encouraging comments and lots of banter between themselves. The group had been a little bit on the quiet side, but the new members made it fairly lively when they were there, and some of the existing members seemed to get pretty friendly with them from what I observed.

One of the new accounts started drama with other people in the group. I saw some stuff go down in the comments but I can’t remember what it was all about. I’m not sure how long it went on for. Maybe a few months. 

The next thing I knew there were posts being made about one of the new people needing thoughts and prayers because something bad happened to him. It wasn’t long before we all found out it was a catfish the whole time! It was one person behind the multiple accounts. They were writing fanfic for each individual account! Insanity… with a dash of dedication. I'm pretty sure all the accounts disappeared after they were found out.

Does anyone remember this going down? Can you provide more details about what actually happened? I didn’t spend much time in the group after that. It got quiet again and eventually I got rid of Facebook. I only remember two of the account names. One was Duane Barry and one was Dash Punk. Spill the tea for me.

Oof, I don't think I've watched this again since it originally aired because I have a serious dislike of snakes.

I have the computer screen light on low and shrunk it to 1/4 screen to get through it.

What are your thoughts on the epi?

Mulder’s best line in the series from Bad Blood when Scully removes the vampire teeth from the kid Mulder staked.

I saw this post from yesterday on the show's impact on pop culture, and I've always felt it had a much bigger impact on our actual culture. I'll share my thoughts below, but would be curious to hear what others have thought about our world (or for us Americans at least, our country) post-Cigarette Smoking Man.

I'd argue that the show not only help normalize belief in aliens, but more importantly, it helped to normalize or mainstream the conspiracy theory mindset as well. Yes, such theories have existed for long before the show, but I'd argue it helped mainstream the general mindset of conspiracy by detaching the mindset from very serious events or topics like JFK's assassination, the origin of AIDS, Gulf of Tonkin, etc. and instead using alien abductions and general paranormal events as the vehicle for it.

IMO, I think you can summarize the entirety of the X-Files - from the alien mytharc to every MOTW plot - as a fear that your body is not your own. That paranormal forces or creatures or things - that we're ignorant of or disbelieve or cannot prove - in fact exist and are able to kill, harm, or invade our bodies. And that the government itself is involved in a deeper conspiracy that involves shape-shifting aliens that can literally hijack our bodies for their own use, cloning, genetic manipulation, etc.

One of the key elements of the classic alien abduction narrative is missing time and missing/false memories. That we cannot even trust our own brains and experiences to know what's actually happened to us, let alone who or what's behind it.

And again - paranoid fear of government or companies or such has also existed for a while. But I feel like so much about modern day American life centers not only on conspiracy theory thinking, but conspiracy theory thinking specifically around health and disease. Yes, there's the big one that popped up almost five years ago, but even the world of diets and nutrition that has become such a major part of modern life.

The world - and America in particular - will always have its lunatic fringe, its paranoid and conspiratorial-minded, but I'm not sure if things would have exactly played the same without a show like The X-Files to have come along to help normalize the basic mindset. And especially at the time that it did, when there was no more Cold War to fight and Americans apparently needed to look inward to find worthy enemies to fear.

I can't think of many other shows that had a similar impact. Maybe Leave It To Beaver for how it cemented (for later generations) this iconic (and false) image of how America used to be in the 1950s, possibly Roseanne or early Simpsons for normalizing extremely dysfunctional families, or Star Trek TOS for being the rare utopian vision of the future.

The X-Files reminds me a lot of grunge music - stupidly big at the time, but something that almost seems forgotten in our current world given how much TV (and music), pop culture, and whatnot have changed in the last 30 years. But I'd argue that at least some of why the current world is so different is a result of that impact back in the 90s.

I moved (as a military brat) to Spokane, WA, during the midst of the Ruby Ridge standoff in neighboring Idaho in 1992. And on a camping trip that fall, we could hear a local militia practicing with guns and explosives on a nearby mountain while we were sleeping.

That was all about a year before the show's debut, so like I said, I'm not saying the show invented paranoid anti-government types. But I do believe the show helped normalize a worldview that saturated our culture deeply and long enough to bring us to where we are in 2025.

Definitely my favorite episodes! Mulder being like oh what fresh hell is this.

When I was a kid I swear I saw an episode where a guy appears on a road dressed in old fashioned clothing and is almost hit by a car or truck. I don’t think he speaks English (could be wrong about that). He is institutionalized claiming to be from the past. I think by the end Scully ends up believing him and he ends up disappearing again, believed to have been put back in his right time. Its possible as a kid I thought this was xfiles and it was maybe a different show? I vaguely remember the guy wearing like frilly red French suit (think like Hook in Peter Pan). Maybe it is a false memory but I’d love to watch it again. Any help appreciated!

As I'm rewatching the series from S1 to S11, one thing always confuses me is, how many actual UFO abductions there was? And how many were just fake abductions with some trickery and the whole test thing with syringes, lasers etc. was done with human labour in one of those railcars?

In other words, no greys, no spaceships.

1. Was Duane Barry in a spaceship or just drugged to believe and was in a railcar all the time

2. Max Fennig is easier. Or at least once greys tried to abduct him from the flight. But his past with abductions; space ship or railcars?

I'm not going any further with name dropping, you know what I'm trying to ask

What did the guy do to have him being accused of being a murderer and getting shot?

I mean yes he could forsee when someone dies.

But how would they explain that in a court like "this guy is guilty because he predicted it" isn't actually evidence.

I am new to the series and just finished S2E9 "Firewalker". The first time I really knew I liked the series was with S1E8 "Ice" and of course I loved S1E20 "Darkness Falls".

It seems the stakes in these episodes with dangerous parasitic or killer life forms are very high for the whole world and the huis clos form of these episode creates an incredible tension. Also, the quarantine endings usually with the Army Biohazard Corps is very cool, makes me think of Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T. the Extraterrestrial.

I fell in love with the show and can't wait to discover more of it!

I'm watching the show for the first time and I'm now on season 3 episode 12, "War of the Coprophages" and wow... if it isn't a comedic tour-de-force. Combining some of the grossest, most repulsive bug moments I've ever seen with some ridiculously fun insights into the Scully/Mulder relationship.

Its interesting how the same scenes are practically replayed over and over again: someone dies, Mulder calls Scully, Scully stomps all over anything remotely science-fiction-y, but with enough comedic differences to make it incredibly entertaining.

I loved Scully's evening routine, from the casual cleaning of her gun to the washing of her dog to the reading of Breakfast at Tiffany's, at the same time as reading off tons of random factoids and information about everything under the sun.

But Gillian Anderson really begins to shine when Bambi Berenbaum appears. She really nails Scully's latent sarcasm and her almost monotonous insights into bugs. David Duchovny is equally awesome in his scenes with Bambi, who looks straight out of a soft-porn movie while also being a roach expert of course. And Mulder's "not now" over the phone is so hysterical.

I also loved Scully sleeping with her phone in her hand, anxiously waiting for Mulder to call. Her repeatedly asking "her name is Bambi?" was so fun.

tl;dr this episode is just plain awesome. And David Duchovny running around shirtless is just... 😍😍

Always wondered what happened to Strughold and the rest of the Syndicate we saw in Fight The Future. Maybe the faceless aliens killed them too? It was so hurried when they decided to start the colonization like how could even every member go to the USA at that moment before it began? Also we always only saw the "american ones" who met with the colonists at the El Rico Air Force Base and gave them the American flag as an act. Do you think the creators just messed up the mythology arc more with this? Imo the mythology arc ended with "One Son" but even at that point it became messy

I’m in season 6 on a full series rewatch. Is it just me, or do the MotW episodes get more and more absurd as the series goes on? Drive is awesome, but you have the Mulder switching bodies 2 episodes, the haunted house, getting stuck in time loop, a killer dog/human, and now Milagro where the guy is pulling out victims hearts.

I know it’s been several months since I’ve seen the early seasons, but I don’t remember them being this over the top.

To learn more about our little book club, please visit the original post for Case Review. You may see last week's cases here. And of course, there will be definite spoilers.

Good evening, agents. Man, have we got something special for your review this week. The Lone Gunmen are introduced to the series (John Fitzgerald Byers is such a babe!!) lightning bugs become the greatest threat, and native American werewolves remind Twilight to stay in its lane. I'm incredibly excited to see what you all have to say on it all. Without further ado, let's begin.

Case 017 "E.B.E.," begins with alien sightings galore! Well, alien aircraft anyway. The duo seems a bit stumped, so they go to meet the boys known as The Lone Gunmen. Their group is made up of El Lobo himself, Melvin Frohike- the eldest of the group. He immediately says Scully's hot- which he's not wrong. He's a photographer, hacker, general pervert. You know the type. Next up is Richard Langly, aka Ringo. Langly is a hacker, DND enthusiast, virgin, and the baby of the group at just 32 years old. It's honestly upsetting that by this spring, I will be older than him. Last and certainly not least, is the boyish librarian I'd be checking out more often than his books. John. FItzgerald. Byers. He formerly worked for the FCC, is named after John F Kennedy, and looks out of place in the midst of Frohike and Langly. He's the goodie-goodie, the romantic, and an absolute peach. He also delivers the line "That's why we like you Mulder, your ideas are weirder than ours." The Lone Gunmen appear to be even more paranoid than Mulder, which Scully addresses. She says "I don't know how you could think that what they say is even remotely plausible." To which Mulder says "I think it's remotely plausible that someone might think you're hot." Yeah, you mean besides you, my man!? And me?! And the person reading this?! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE thinks she's hot. Take that snark back, young man. Do NOT sass Dana "Skeptical Eyebrows" Scully.

Trust is a reoccurring theme in this series. Mulder is extremely trusting, putting his faith in untrustable sources like Deepthroat. I personally love how pained DT looks when Mulder thanks him for his continued support. Like you can tell that he has grown attached to Mulder and is beginning to regret having to manipulate him for his own needs. It's as if his eyes are saying "What have I done?" Scully, ever the skeptic, immediately calls out the farce. And poor, trusting Mulder doesn't want to see it her way. It's less about his desire to believe in aliens, but to believe in people and the bonds he feels he has created.

"Mulder, the truth is out there. But so are lies." God. Fucking. Damnit, I love this woman. Scully, babes, darlin', my sweetness, honeybunches of oats. Shug. You're perf. Mulder takes her advice and has the evidence analyzed. Attaboy, Mulderberry! Use that critical thinking! "I guess it won't end, as long as men like you decide what is truth." It honestly shakes me how true that statement is even today, some 30 years later.

Case 018 "Miracle Man," introduces highly fanatical faith healers that strike an uncanny resemblance to some of the southern Baptist pageantry I grew up with. I'm from the south, the kind of place where your nearest neighbor is ten miles away and moos. A place where giant crosses on the side of the road, and billboards declaring "Jesus Is Come," are commonplace. Seeing that kind of blind faith spouted from over excited preachers with a southern drawl made me uncomfortable. It hit too close to home. But that's where the similarities end, as unlike in my hometown, there were actual miracles happening.

"Don't discount the power of suggestion. A healer's greatest magic lies in the patient's willingness to believe. Imagine a miracle, and you're halfway there." Scully truly speaks to my pragmatic side. I identify with her so completely until she starts the autopsy. And, like Mulder, I look away. When she asks him to "take a look," we both react by saying "Do I have to?" Mood, Muldy. Mood.

"What exactly are we trying to find?"
"Clues."
"(Softly, with irony) Oh."

Possibly, the most perfect example of a Scully-Mulder interraction. And Scully sniffing a glass of water and simply declaring "Cyanide." is beyond wild.

Case 019 "Shapes," is our fabled werewolf episode, with a twist. Before Jacob, there was Joseph Goodensnake. This episode gets a lot of criticism for being predictable, and for its misuse of the term "manitou." Essentially, manitou means spirit. Not how we in the west might understand (a spirit often being the soul or ghost of a human being, or divine entity.) But rather in the spirit that exists in all things- living and nonliving. Trees, the earth, rain, you, me, cats, dogs, everything. However the series would have you believe it was analogous with werewolf, which it most certainly is not. That'd be like if the Algonquin, in an attempt to add a "mystical anglosaxon twist" on their own stories started referring to the Chenoo (a large spiritual beast, once human, cursed to eat human flesh, that lives in cold climates and can be killed by eating salt) as a Soul. Pretty silly, and does a huge disservice to a people that often aren't given a voice or chance to tell their stories. Like, how cool would it have been to have actual native folklore and storytelling?

Otherwise, the episode is pretty predictable and unsatisfying. Disappointing, even. It's a missed opportunity at best. Not to mention, werewolves are done to death and have been for the past century. This episode didn't offer anything new.I mean, the special effects for the transformation sequence at the end weren't bad. The part with the hand was well done, at least I think so. Meh. Just meh.

Case 020 "Darkness Falls," is one of many Monsters of the Week where the setup is this:
A group of people (usually scientist) are reported missing or dead. It's an X-file! Yay! Scully and Mulder go to investigate. They find the people (or the bodies, at least.) Oh no, now they're stranded by the same mysterious force that stranded/killed the people before them! Turns out it's some ancient evil that was uncovered. They can't leave (by choice or by quarantine) until they figure it out or escape. Shit gets bad- will they make it? Looks like they won'- oh wait, they do. YAY! Barely, but it counts. Everyone else is likely dead, though. Some guy usually decides he doesn't want to go along with them, it's every man for himself! He dies. And All's Well That Roswell.

Despite its predictability, I still love it. It's formulaic, repetitive, and still manages to offer something. For starters, Seymore Demonstration Forest (the location the episode was shot) is GAWGEOUS. And so is Scully in her very 90's parka. Mulder saying "barely," to "it's a male," is likely the most savage and unnecessary dig at a corpse I've witnessed in my lifetime. I ask you, though, why in the fuckleberry pie didn't they immediately call for reinforcements/leave the moment they saw a man preserved like beef jerky only a short time after he went missing? And Doug Spinney being all cryptic instead of just telling them straightforward what happened is B.S. too. Any person who had been stranded for days with no escape in a forest of death would immediately shout "Thank god! These bugs eat people alive, they come at night- we have to fuck right out of here!" and jump in your car. They wouldn't make vague statements about it, let alone stick around and give you a hard time about environmental causes. "The only crime here to investigate is the death of that tree..." Yeah, okay, buddy. People are dead, but sure. Sure, bud. M'kay. Gonna find me a tent to deal with how campy your ass is right now.

Scully and Mulder take advantage of their outfits and the location, and fight like newly weds on a disastrous honeymoon in a cabin without plumbing. Spinney leaves, but for whatever reason doesn't take them with him. And instead of heading for safety, he's just been searching for people who are most certainly dead. (Spoiler, they were.) And somehow, Spinney dies despite being in the light of the car's headlamps. Wasn't the light supposed to repel the bugs? Yep. Did it? Nope. I understand nothing, but the episode is so pretty that I'm just vibing and I do not care.

Mulder's expression of bewilderment as the episode closes sums up how I felt. But what are your opinions? What did you like? What did you not like? Did you have a favorite episode? For me, it's clearly E.B.E. because I'm a softie for the Lone Gunmen. Byers. A babe. Enough said. Stay tuned for Saturday the 8th's review, where we'll be going over 021, 022, 023, and 024! ("Tooms," "Born Again," "Roland," and "The Erlenmeyer Flask," respectively.)

Thinking it's remotely plausible someone thinks I'm,
Director of Case Review, Star.

I apologize in advance if I'm beating a dead horse here, but I just finished this two-parter and I wanted somewhere to spill my thoughts.

I should probably preface with the fact that I had already been spoiled going into this that this was the final resolution for Samantha and that she would ultimately have been dead the whole time. However, if I did not know that, I think I would have assumed that this story was yet another fake-out ending and we'd still learn more about what "really" happened.

Firstly, I think it's incredibly lame to take the most important alien abduction plot in your TV show about aliens, and retcon it to not have anything to do with aliens anymore. It felt like Chris Carter was no longer interested in aliens and just wanted to tell a new story about spirits and religion, but it completely squanders Samantha's connection to the mythology of the show.

I was also very confused by the resolution he chose. Whether or not Samantha was dead the whole time is whatever to me, I’m fine with that. But what is this stuff with walk-ins and ghosts out of nowhere? How did these children even die? Am I supposed to just be satisfied with “they returned to the stars”?? Also, if she was raised by CSM this entire time, and not actually abducted by any aliens, what were the point of the tests conducted on her? I don’t really understand her role in the greater conspiracy, besides Bill Mulder having to sacrifice a child for some reason. It also felt rather non-commital, like he wanted to leave a tiny shred of doubt as to her fate in case he suddenly changed his mind in a future episode, but that ultimately makes it feel like not much closure at all.

Idk. I was disappointed by how this very pivotal long-running plot point was handled. But I will say, I did still cry, because DD did a phenomenal job elevating this material and I care deeply about Mulder. Samantha’s diary and reading about how she remembered her brother who used to tease her really got me good.

I also liked the non-Samantha parts, with his mother’s suicide. I think it’s very effective to have Mulder grapple with an event that is truly, entirely out of his control and watch him desperately force it to be connected to some deeper meaning in his life. It felt very raw and real for the character. (I'm not really sure why his mother killed herself after being cryptic to him on the phone, but I digress. She was probably not the most mentally stable woman)

Sorry for rambling, I guess I’m curious if anyone else shared my frustrations or if anyone wants to change my mind.

Jealousy is STRONG on Scully at this point of the show. Not sure whether she can't hide it or she WANT to show it :)

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Okay so in the movie, Well Manicured Man is late to a meeting called by The Syndicate because his grandson fell and broke his leg. Why is this detail important? Is it just because of this that he ends up dying in the car explosion (which was confirmed to be his own suicide) after giving Mulder the co-ordinates to Scully? Can someone tell me what I’m missing, why that detail of him being late was important? Thanks!

Some of my favourites are:

"Ooooh... If you were that stoned WhAt?

"There's GOT to be an explanation..."

"Woman, get back in here and make my sandwich!"

Man, Lorelei does have shiny hair…

Watching Gilmore Girls ep 2 and I don‘t know the smallest thing about casting, but I feel Nick Chilund shouldn’t be allowed to play a love interest, no matter how insignificant.

C r e e p!