Season 1 - The Beginning

Originally in 1993, The X-Files was predicted to be a failure, only lasting a few episodes. Even the stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, believed it. But surprisingly, the show became a huge cult hit, and remains today with a worldwide fan base. This is how it all began...

Pilot

Overall, I thought this was a good episode. Mulder explained his background pretty well, so we at least get the idea that it's going to play a big part in the series to come. And did everyone get the hint that we'll be seeing much more of that ominous, silent, smoking man? Mulder's basement office, and his opening line, reflects just how little the FBI cares for and respects him. A slight thing that bothered me: Mulder's voice kept changing pitch in his conversations with Scully. Maybe it's just because I joined X-Philesdom later on in the series, but I expect a lot of deadpanning from Mulder. Remember that Mulder mentioned that there were deaths, identical to those in Oregon, in South Dakota and Texas? Then we never hear anything about them again. Those deaths were never "explained" to us. And another thing that bugged me: Scully's face when she was holding her gun. It looked like she stepped out of one of those hokey cop shows. Maybe she just didn't have enough practice at Quantico. Whatever. There were plenty of signs that, yes, Scully is a beginner. Some of those being the gun thing just mentioned, her surprise at Mulder pulling bright orange spray paint from his car trunk, and her unsteadiness during the "turbulence" on the plane. That would never happen after Season 2! I'm glad that they added stupid small-town cops into the mix right away. They always try their hardest to not cooperate with Mulder and Scully, and they just annoy the heck out of you. I enjoy getting ticked off at them. And as we know, they are a very necessary obstacle as the show goes on.

Quotes: "Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." | "The answers are there. You just have to know where to look." | "There has got to be an explanation."

Deep Throat

I love any episode with Deep Throat in it, so of course, I really like this one. It introduces Mulder's first informant into the series well, and I think he's the best informant so far. I had a slight problem with the music just after the theme song - it isn't dark enough. :-) I did get tired of Scully complaining about her reports: getting them to make sense does take some effort, though. Both Mulder and Scully need to learn some things: Mulder can not outrun military vehicles, no matter how hard he tries; Mulder never agrees to leave a case so easily; and they MUST NOT sit by large windows while discussing cases. Whenever my phone makes weird sounds, like clicks or buzzes, I think back to this episode. It sounds really pathetic when I see it written like that, even though my family has come to accept it. My sister said that Mulder's hair was reminiscent of Elvis's, which isn't surprising, thinking of how many times the show has made references to Elvis (Entertainment Weekly reported that number of references to be seven, as of "Tunguska" and "Terma."

Squeeze

Why don't people ever turn on their lights when they come home, go in their offices, or enter a building? I know that if they did, there wouldn't be much of a show, but it has caused me to use a lot more electricity and invest in more overhead lights. And another thing I learned - it's a good idea to weld your vents shut. Mulder's whole Reticulan discussion was hilarious. The look on Colton's face was priceless! That guy is such a jerk. And we get to see Mulder with his everlasting sunflower seeds. Scully hasn't left her cop-showy stance behind, but she is beginning to get her attitude that we're so proud of later in the series. Later on, if those jokes were cracked about the X-Files, she would take those guys out. I like how Scully wanted to stick with Mulder and help him out, but she kinda hid it behind a front of wanting to solve the case. The "creepy-crawly" music has been pretty popular with this episode and other "monster-of-the-week" episodes. But one thing I had a question about: that Detective Briggs kept a piece of someone's liver in his trunk for thirty years? Okay... Scully sure did seem eager to crawl into that hole in the wall behind the mattress, but she should not have been wearing such hanging jewelry! I learned something from this too: Never say that something is "just an old ..." because it's never "just" anything.

Conduit

This episode made me never want to sleep outside again. And the kid is cute, but he's also very creepy...something a lot of the child actors on the show have in common. Since there are so many kids as witnesses, it's good that Mulder and Scully are good with kids, too. It brings to mind a certain "Potato Head" incident... This is the first time we actually see Samantha's file. This episode also opens up a different possibility for Mulder's nickname, "Spooky": his hair in the morning. The way the people came into the boy's room, took everything, wrecked his stuff, and separated him from his mom just put me even more on Mulder and Scully's side (even though I've been there for some time, and quite solidly, I might add). And we are presented with even more questions: was it the aliens that took Ruby's baby, or the evil doctors? It's bad enough that non-believers don't want to talk to Mulder and Scully, but when believers don't want anything to do with them... The tape of Mulder's hypnotic regression is another first for the series, one that the show comes to rely on quite a bit in some later episodes. And Mulder in the church is only symbolizing a sanctuary, Chris Carter says, not his religion.

Jersey Devil

B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O ...This show really knows how to make childhood songs unforgettable. More lessons: never walk more than five feet away from your car when you have a flat. No matter what. This episode is a landmark, because it's the first scene of Mulder and porn. It's also pretty shippy, with evidence of Scully calling Mulder cute and her rejection of a date so that she can be with Mulder, although Mulder's attraction to the beast woman is a bit extreme. My favorite scene from this episode is Mulder in the drunk tank. What a predicament! He has time to perfect his rugged, unkempt look. I agree with Mulder's views of evolution - what evolution? All the primal instincts are there, and a lot of people still put them to use. You can tell that those darn cops know about the Jersey Devil. One last thing: thank goodness Scully gave up plaid.