the x-files: part five

Well, season 1 is done. I forgot that Deep Throat dies this season. This is disappointing. I always liked his character. I did, unfortunately or fortunately - your choice, remember that the X-Flies gets shut down at the end of this season. This story line is a massive pet peeve for me and EVERY sci-fi show does it. And I hate it. But, in the X-Files defense, they were first. It is the story line of "The government says they are shutting us down for no logical reason. Yes, they have given us a reason, but it is, quite honestly, a line of bullshit that makes no real, logical, tangible sense. They are really just doing it so the writers can add some friction and drama because that is what sells - friction and drama."

Stargate SG-1 did it. In their case the government wanted to shut them down because maybe then all the aliens we were at war with would suddenly leave us alone.

My reaction: ???!!!???

Fringe did it. Because, according to the government, there is this massive threat out there and we don't know anything about it or even understand it fully and the team working on it isn't giving us fast enough results because we can't even give them a starting point so we are just going to kill the whole project and apparently pretend this threat doesn't exist.

Again, my reaction: ???!!!???

So now here we are with the X-Files doing it. But, like I said, they were the first. And their reason makes slightly more sense. Because while maybe they could ignore Mulder and Scully's investigations into the strange and unknown they couldn't ignore their investigations into the aliens because that would uncover some very uncomfortable truths they didn't want uncovered. Which, in theory, the audience doesn't fully know those truths yet.

HOWEVER, as much as I hate this story line it does make sense here and it gives us Krycek. And I really liked Krycek's character. Far more then that bitch in the later seasons from Mulder's past which lead to a very unsatisfying moment where Mulder abandoned Scully to save his own skin when the aliens invaded. But I'm getting ahead of myself by quite a few seasons here.

(Note: expect a HUGE rant when that episode happens. Like an entire post or five dedicated to me bashing her, Mulder, and her and Mulder. Like they deserve.)

Anyway. Like I said, I finished season 1 tonight and before I get into which episode of these 4 was my favorite I would like to say that after this I unfortunately need to take a break from the X-Files. One, I don't want to get burned out on it. Two, I have other things I need to be working on that I've been ignoring. So I'm probably going to take a week off to catch up on some other stuff in my life.

Oh who am I kidding. It'll probably only be 24 hours.

So my favorite episode? In all honesty I really liked 3 of the 4. "Tooms" had a nice wrap up, "Roland" was very heart wrenching, and "The Erlenmeyer Flask" was shocking. "Born Again" was whatever. Not bad just not phenomenal.

But I think I have to go with "The Erlenmeyer Flask" even though the alien conspiracy theory episodes are, truthfully, my least favorite. This episode, however, I do like. It introduces us to the real story line. Yes, Deep Throat did say "Mister Mulder, they've been here for a long, long time" in a previous episode, but in this episode you realize that the picture is so much more. Not only are the aliens here, but we are doing experiments on humans to make alien/human hybrids. And willing to kill innocent people to keep that secret. And it's not just innocent people. Allies like Deep Throat who are neck deep in the conspiracy (whatever it fully is we don't know) are expendable too. And that is a hard truth to face.

The episode is marred by the shutting down of the X-Files but like I said, this means Krycek gets to come on board so I'm okay with that.

The last 4 episodes of season 1:

Tooms - Season 1, Episode 21

Synopsis - Tooms is released from the psychiatric hospital where he has been staying for assaulting Scully. Fearful that Tooms will kill a fifth victim then hibernate, Mulder becomes determined to stop him.

Themes - abnormal human, MOTW, Tooms

Born Again - Season 1, Episode 22

Synopsis - A young girl seems to be involved in a series of deaths surrounding police officers. Mulder believes she is a reincarnation of a police officer they murdered.

Themes - ghost, possession, psychokinesis, reincarnation

Roland - Season 1, Episode 23

Synopsis - A scientist dies months ago while working on a top secret project. Now he seems to be possessing his disabled twin brother in order to finish his work.

Themes - possession, twins

The Erlenmeyer Flask - Season 1, Episode 24

Synopsis - Deep Throat puts Mulder on a trail that leads to alien bacteria, alien/human hybrids, Mulder's abduction, and Deep Throat's murder.

Themes - alien bacteria, alien DNA, alien/human hybrid, CSM, Deep Throat, government conspiracy, green blood, human experimentation, Pentagon storage room