The X-Files Seasons 1-9 Review

The X-Files [The X Files] (1993-2002)

Season 1 - 24 episodes (1993-94)
Season 2 - 25 episodes (1994-95)
Season 3 - 24 episodes (1995-96)
Season 4 - 24 episodes (1996-97)
Season 5 - 20 episodes (1997-98)
Season 6 - 22 episodes (1998-99)
Season 7 - 22 episodes (1999-2000)
Season 8 - 21 episodes (2000-01)
Season 9 - 20 episodes (2001-02)
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Created by: Chris Carter
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis 
Rated: TV-14
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Plot
Two FBI Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.

Verdict
This is one of my favorite shows. It examines what's just outside of the possible with weekly cases that are interspersed with an overarching story about aliens and government cover ups. The dynamic of a skeptic and believer works very well, and it's difficult not to become enamored with Mulder and Scully. Cases range from scary to humorous in middling seasons, and this show does an excellent job of being unnerving. Just like Mulder we want to believe in these cases despite Scully's well reasons scientific arguments. The first five seasons are the peak. While the mythology eventually loses the thread and the show is significantly different after Duchovny left following season seven, that creates a small reset that begins to refocus on the weekly cases. Unfortunately the new agents can't match Mulder and Scully's dynamic.
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Review
I love The X-files, from the creativity and the conspiracies to the dynamic between Mulder and Sculler or Mulder and the government. No show managed to be so creepy and do it consistently. This frequently made me look over my shoulder to see what might be lurking. This wasn't scary and it wasn't cheap; it was very creepy. It also did a great job of mixing episodic and serial content with monster of the week episodes embedded in an overarching mythology about aliens. While the conspiracy eventually spiraled out of control, I still have an affinity for the first seven seasons, and upon rewatch the reboot with Doggett and Reyes isn't bad. It's just not the classic show that became so endearing.
I watched it originally as it aired from season two through eight. I later watched the entire series on DVD a few years after the series concluded and then watched it through several years later.

Season 1
FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is paired with Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). He's a great analyst obsessed with conspiracies and the unknown while she's a medical doctor assigned to debunk his theories. It's the believer and the skeptic. In the first episode we see two sides of an alien abduction investigation. Scully can't help but admit she can't explain everything she's seen. The episode implies a lot. While proof is lacking at the end, what remains is relegated to a Pentagon storage room.

S1E2: Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny play Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

The show wonders what if conspiracies were real. That's what this show bought into: aliens, shadow governments with secret plots, and the unexplained. Some of those ideas almost seem quaint now. The show makes us wonder, 'What if?' The second episode invokes Roswell, New Mexico.

Squeeze is such a fun episode, emblematic of how creepy the show can be while also not afraid to slow down and show characters doing research. Very few episodes ever fully resolve. There's always some kind of stinger at the end indicating it's not really over and there's more to every case.

I can't help but like Mulder. He's dedicated to his work of finding the truth. While he's unorthodox, he's allowed to pursue his interests in the department. I've seen these episodes many times, and it's difficult not to like them all. Ice is such a great episode. It's The Thing compacted into forty minutes, and the episode does a great job.

Many episodes feel like The Twilight Zone.  This show grounds many of the cases in science, making it seem legitimate. Several cases are people on the fringe or just outside of normal and thus within the realm of believability. Every episode makes you wonder what's possible.

S1E3: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson play Fox Mulder, Dana Scully

With more than twenty episodes in a season, we're going to have some duds. Space is one of those.

Beyond the Sea features Scully as the believer and Mulder doubting. A character speaking but making no sound is effectively creepy, more so than I expected.

The Lone Gunman make their first appearance in episode seventeen, friends of Mulder.

The final episode is a big mytharc episode that ends on a cliffhanger which is commons for the show. Mulder is chasing proof of aliens.

My favorite episodes would be Squeeze, Ice, and Beyond the Sea. My least favorites are Space and Shapes.

I really enjoyed the first season. The concept alone is so much fun, and this approaches it with a believer and a skeptic that look at both sides, lending it credence. This didn't have to find its footing. It's great from the start.

Season 2
To begin the season, Mulder and Scully have been removed from the X-files, though Mulder still searches for proof.

I like episode 2's Flukeman more than he probably deserves. It's such a strange creature that's a result of radiation and evolution. 

Episode 3 Blood seems more relevant today than it did when it aired. Electronics relay dangerous messages. I love the simplicity of this episode. It ends up being subliminal messages.

This season also introduces Alex Krychek (Nicholas Lea), though he appeared in season one's Gender Bender as a different character. He's Mulder's new partner and a plant intended to spy on Mulder.

Scully is abducted in episode 6. In reality, Gillian Anderson was pregnant and that story line allowed her time to leave the show.

S2E8: Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, David Duchovny play 
Melvin Frohike, Richard Langly,  John Fitzgerald Byers, Fox Mulder

I really enjoy this show and these strange cases. The dynamic between Mulder and Scully, this push and pull is engaging. That's interspersed with this larger arc about Mulder's quest to prove aliens exist and find evidence.

Later in the season, episode sixteen is the first appearance of the alien bounty hunter while episode seventeen reveals alien-human hybrids and a shape shifting alien seeking to stop the experiments.

This season also contains one of the weakest episodes of the entire series, 3. Part of it is the lack of push back against Mulder's theories as he's solo. The other episode I don't like is One Breath, though it's not outright bad like 3.

The best episodes are Duane Barry/Ascension where Scully is abducted, End Game which is a big leap forward in the mythology, and then there's Irresistible which is such a creepy episode portraying a death fetishist.

Season 3
The first episode reveals that Mulder did survive last season's cliff hanger, not that I had much doubt. Scully's sister is shot in episode two, mistaken for her sister. This season expands on the alien conspiracy and introduces the black oil.

Episode 4, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose might be my favorite episode of the series. It injects subtle comedy into the show. Written by Darin Morgan, his debut episode was season two's Humbug and he also played Fluke Man. This episode has a wry sense of humor, playing with expectations and subverting them. There's even a callback to Under the Sea and Knicks shorts. The entire episode is built on these tiny moments of chance, and somehow these moments build to a conclusion with all the pieces fitting together.

S3E20

2shy isn't a great episode, but the perils of internet dating where quite new at the time.

Scully encounters a group of abductees that recognize her in episode nine. In the next episode Mulder thinks he finally has proof while Scully thinks it's illegal human experiments. Which is it? While I side with Mulder, this show is always murky.

I could tell from the humor in the first scene that War of the Coprophages was a Darin Morgan episode. His episodes are noticeable, but I love the humor in them. Morgan didn't write more episodes due to a a combination of creative differences, anxiety over the quality of his scripts, and a desire to only work enough to cover rent.

Episode 15 is the first appearance of the black oil. It floating through people's eyes is so creepy.

Episode 17 Pusher is so good. A suspect can control others with his mind, and he has  particular interest in Mulder as he invokes a cat and mouse game.

I didn't like episode nineteen, and it's not even an X-file. It's about a Chinese community raffling off their organs for money.

Episode 20, Jose Chung's From Outer Space is memorable because it's so different. An outsider that happens to be an author looks at abductions as he interviews various people, including our favorite agents. It's very comedic, almost too much for this show, but that's also what makes it stand out. I always laugh when Mulder screams upon seeing an alien. It works best as a one off, and that's possible with over twenty episodes in a season.

Quagmire seemed a lot like a Darin Morgan episode, especially with Queequeg the dog. While Kim Newton is the credited writer, Morgan revised it as story editor, making it a collaborative episode. I always have remembered the stinger at the end.

S3E23: Mitch Pileggi plays Walter Skinner

Episode 23 questions whether television makes you violent. Or could there be a government conspiracy experimenting on people through their television? It's one of the more intense episodes as whatever is happening seems to increase everyone's paranoia.

This is a show where even the innocuous can be dangerous. The myths and stories we share may have a shred of truth to them. Our government has grown so expansive, and then there's the technology as currency. Leaks have revealed concerns about the government to be founded. This show clings to that, exploits it. That results in a thoroughly engrossing series.

My top episodes are Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, my favorite episode of the series, War of the Coprophages, and Pusher. I didn't care for Teso Dos Bichos or Hell Money.

Season 4
With the beginning of this season, we wonder if Mulder will get the answers he craves. Of course not, this show is about the chase.

Episode 2 Home was banned from network television after the premiere which I did see. I get why it was banned, portraying an inbred family that kills to maintain their way of life. It's not paranormal.

I liked episode 7 Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man as it provided background on the Cigarette Smoking Man. He's always been this unknown character smoking in the background and pulling strings. We see his start in the government as a generator of conspiracies. He's involved in several major conspiracies, and the irony is that he writes a 'fiction' book based on his experiences and it's criticized as too unbelievable. We see a man that pulls all the strings, from political maneuvering to influencing sports and entertainment. Despite that, he's just a hopeful author hoping to get published. He also regrets some of the things he's done. This episode humanizes a shady villain we've seen throughout the series who shifted from serving his country to serving his own interests.

S4E20

What happened to Mulder's sister has been a driving force. Was it aliens or the government? In episode 10 Paper Hearts a serial killer Mulder helped put away tries to claim he abducted Mulder's sister.

Leonard Betts is a trip of an episode. He has a unique gift, using it in his job as an EMT. He's also how Scully finds out she has cancer that's a result of her abduction.

If the tattoo's voice in episode thirteen sounds familiar, it's Jodie Foster. 

In Small Potatoes, shape shifter Eddie impersonates Mulder and woos Scully. When she discovers the truth, that's got to be difficult for her. The relationship develops past professional to personal as they share childhood stories. It was real for her, right up until she found out it wasn't Mulder. Eddie states he was born a loser and Mulder choose to be one.

Mulder always gets so close, but that's this show. He gets near the truth and then another government agent tells Mulder it's all misdirection and a ploy. Episode twenty-four ends on a cliff hanger. While that's annoying, I can forgive the show in part that's how show's operated and there was no question whether this show would be back and this show has aired all the episodes.

The best episodes are Musing of a Cigarette Smoking Man, Paper Hearts, Leonard Betts, and Small Potatoes for comic relief. The worst episodes are The Field Where I Died where Mulder has past lives and El Mundo Gira which kind of touches on the Chupacabra myth.

This season certainly vies for the title of best season. I don't know how to rank seasons. You can look at the best episodes, the worst episodes, or use the mytharc as a tie breaker. I still have a difficult time separating the first four seasons. If I had to rank them: 3, 1, 2, 4, but they're all good.

Season 5
This has the wildest start to a season yet with Mulder's subterfuge of pretending to be dead. At the same time, Scully is near death due to her cancer, and the government regime pulling the strings is being cleared out. This season introduces alien rebels and the Spender family. It also features several guest writers and more comedic elements than we've seen before.

S5E12

Episode 3 Unusual Suspects features the origin of The Lone Gunmen with a Homicide: Life on the Street crossover as Detective Munch interrogates them.

Episode 4 explores the fountain of youth. Ponce de León may have found it. While he lives forever, it's not exactly what he wanted. 

Stephen King writes episode 10 Chinga about a possessed doll, but it doesn't even seem like an X-file. In the next episode William Gibson is the writer, exploring AI and the power it possesses.

Episode 12 Bad Blood is fun comic relief where we see the story from both Mulder and Scully's point of view. It's a great premise and insight into how they see each other. It's quite funny, and I like that the show has enough episodes to explore concepts that upend the format.

In the Pine Bluff Variant Mulder gets to play action hero, going undercover to infiltrate a militia group.

Episode 20 marks the end of the X-files. This season was planned as the finale as the show would transition to films, but it was too popular for the Fox network to let it go.  Though the first movie, The X-Files, occurs between the fifth and sixth seasons.

The best episodes are Unusual Suspects, Bad Blood, and Folie a Deux where only Mulder and one other man can see the monster in front of them. The worst episode is Schizogeny where a woman controls trees. It's still a good season with big mytharc revelations, but this season doesn't quite bring it like the first four. Ranking: 3, 1, 2, 4, 5.

Season 6
This season marks a distinct change in the series. I thought the transition from dark to humorous was more gradual, but it's not. This season is a stark contrast with a lot more humor and lighter episodes. It's not bad at all; quite good, but the first five seasons are peak. I think part of it too, is not trying to fall into doing the same thing over and over. I liked the dark, creepy aspect of the show. The playful episodes feel more like a gimmick. The X-files are reopened to begin the season.

S6E1

Episode 2's Drive is an adrenaline packed change of pace with Mulder driving Bryan Cranston's character across the country to the West coast, unable to slow down.

Triangle takes place in the Bermuda Triangle. I'm surprised the show hadn't explore that before. Dreamland is memorable, again in a large part due to the humor as Mulder body swaps with a government agent.

The first five episodes don't include a typical monster of the week, and three of those are comedic. I enjoy the episodes, but it does mark a shift in the series. Episode 6's How the Ghosts Stole Christmas theme is tongue in check with the show riffing on itself as it makes allusions to the Mulder-Scully relationship. Why else would the two of them spend Christmas Eve together if there connection wasn't more than professional?

Episode 12 is a big mytharc episode that explains everything pretty much. I liked it better when there was more mystery, but you can't string it along forever. It's somewhat plausible, but the larger it gets the sillier it seems.

Episode 14 Monday is the show doing its own Groundhog Day with a time loop.

Arcadia, episode 15, also seems like a spoof with Mulder and Scully going undercover as a married couple. It has to be a teasing response to fans wanting them together.

Episodes 10 about a gifted photographer and 17 featuring an inmate with a unique ability feel like peak X-files, exploring strange occurrences that challenge science.

This season has a big cliff hanger as an alien artifact has a debilitating influence on Mulder. What will happen to him?

The best episodes are Dreamland, Triangle, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, and The Unnatural which focuses on a Negro League baseball player. All of these are creative episodes that are outside of the normal episodes. I didn't consider any of these episodes all that bad. While it's a fun, creative season that's very good, I like the darker themes of the first five seasons.

Season 7
This was Duchovny's last season as a lead actor, though he did have cameo appearances in season's eight and nine.

Mulder recovers from his ailments, though there are plenty of revelations along the way.

I really like episode 3's Hungry. It's the first episode where the point of view is from the 'monster.' Yes, he commits various crimes, but he's remorseful. He just cant' help it despite his efforts.

Episode 4 is the conclusion to Chris Carter's Millenium series that was canceled, with Scully and Mulder contacting Frank Black.

X-Cops, episode 12 is a fun and memorable episodes, but I'm split. It's emblematic of the more comedic and even sillier direction the show went starting partly in season five. Episode 19 is similar, with a producer wanting to create a movie based on Mulder and Scully. For five seasons this show established itself as creepy, but this season really embraces the comedic. It has to be a little bit of leaning in to the cultural cache the show has accumulated.

S7E19

The best episodes were Hungry and X-Cops, but so many of these episodes are fun diversions like The Amazing Maleeni and Hollywood A.D. The worst episodes are Signs & Wonders featuring a fundamentalist church and First Person Shooter which is a video game inspired episode that is nothing more than cheesy.

Season 8
David Duchovny did not sign a new contract after season 7, and the only reason Gillian Anderson signed a new contract was a pay raise and more time off to spend with her daughter and do other projects. That's why Scully has less screen time this season which is reduced even more in season nine.

The task force to find Mulder is led by John Doggett (Robert Patrick) who would soon be assigned to the X-files. With Mulder gone, the show gets a soft reset. Scully is the believer and Doggett is the skeptic. Narratively it's odd as the X-files have been on the verge of being shut down the entire series. This seems like the perfect time. The only reason Mulder was able to pursue the project was his immense promise as an investigator and his drive.

S8E3: Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick play Dana Scully, John Doggett

While I like the return to more grounded episodes as the show had gotten too comical, this show has always been Mulder and Scully. This seems like imitation. Doggett isn't a bad character, but it's an impossible situation. He can never live up to the hype that is Mulder.

Episode 13 is a flashback that feels like fan service. Scully can get pregnant, and she wants Mulder to provide half of the DNA. 

Episode 14 marks the first appearance of Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). She's open to the world's possibilities. Episode 19 introduces yet another agent, basically a fan that doesn't make it past this episode.

S8E21

The final episode portrays Scully's miracle birth with parallels to a savior.

The best episode is redrum where an incarcerated man experiences days in reverse order and must use that to clear his name.I liked the creepiness of Badlaa, but it falls into the worst category as it features a creatures that crawls into people's anuses.

This is a solid season if you can adjust to the lack of Mulder, but that makes this feel like a different show.

Season 9:
This season really feels like I'm watching another show. Scully appears infrequently. There's no way to replace Mulder and Scully.  You can't separate this show from them. Doggett and Reyes are the lead agents this season, but they just aren't adequate replacements. This seems like a spin-off. When Scully does appear, it's related to her son William. Every episode that features him feels like an anchor. He's heralded as the chosen one and it's too much.

S9E9: Annabeth Gish, Robert Patrick play Monica Reyes, John Doggett

This is another season without Mulder, though Scully is frequently trying to find him. It's a tease that goes nowhere.

Episode 15 Jump the Shark is the conclusion for The Lone Gunmen series that was canceled in 2001. 

I didn't mind season 8 as it was a reset, though I did miss Mulder. With this as Scully little more than a cameo, it's just not the same show. It's clear the network stretched this for seasons 8 and 9. Many shows would have folded with the main character leaving. This limped on, but it couldn't maintain the momentum. Doggett and Reyes always feel like fill ins rather than the leads.

In episode 16 William, Scully gives up William for adoption to protect him. I wasn't sad to see him go.

S9E23

In the finale Mulder reappears and is put on trial. It's a great concept that serves as a summary of the entire series. We revisit Mulder's crusade and major events through the series. The final episode wants to include all the characters, even including the Lone Gunmen as ghosts. It's forced. This even includes the Cigarette Smoking Man. We thought he died in season 7, but he's brought back for fun.

It's a competent finale, but this was the first season I started growing tired of the show. This is a show where I consider the first five seasons as good as anything.

The best episodes this season are Release which focuses on Doggett's son, Sunshine Days which focuses on the Brady Bunch, and Improbable which uses numerology to solve a case, but they're the best of what we got this season. They wouldn't even rank in previous seasons. The worst episodes are Jump the Shark and William.

This is one of my favorite shows. The first five seasons are the peak of the show, but the first seven are still really good. This was a cultural phenomenon and it's easy to see why. It came out at the right time and featured great leads as the show questioned what was possible. It deserved all the hype it got.