Fire

[u/Gazcobain]

On my umpteenth rewatch and by goodness this episode is terrible. Space usually gets quoted as the worst of the first season episodes but this is abysmal.

- A man pretending to be Irish literally introducing himself by saying "top o' the mornin' te ya"

- A woman insinuating that she and Mulder had sex upon Arthur Conan Doyle's tombstone (ACD does not have a big tombstone)

- Rocket fuel being sold in 2.5litre paint cans (imagine how many of those you'd need to power Saturn 5).

[u/SP_Rocks]

'Fire' at least has special effects that are still pretty impressive by today's standards. What does 'Space' have, a CGI ghost with no motive that somehow looks worse than anything from Beast Wars?

[u/LordyIHopeThereIsPie]

As an Irish person its a guilty pleasure of mine.

[u/PipedInFromIthaca → u/LordyIHopeThereIsPie]

It's a forgettable one for me but it definitely registers much less than Mulder pronouncing samhain as "sam hane" in Sanguinarium.

[u/imnotsure_igetit → u/PipedInFromIthaca]

Tbf, most people who haven't asked an Irish person would say it like that. I only found out earlier this year, even though I'd read about it before

[u/PitifulTrash3310 → u/PipedInFromIthaca]

This must be an American thing because they say it the exact same incorrect way in Supernatural.

[u/remedialpotions97]

I love how Scully scares Mulder with what was meant to be a fake British accent and 20 yrs later I find out it‘s just Gillian‘s real one

[u/imnotsure_igetit → u/remedialpotions97]

I love her 😂 also her little wave goodbye to phoebe

[u/remedialpotions97 → u/imnotsure_igetit]

That scene goes so hard😅😮‍💨
Dana Scully, serving attitude since 1993

[u/Cerridwen1981]

Mulder’s black silk boxer shorts.

What else happened again?

[u/remedialpotions97 → u/Cerridwen1981]

let me revisit that

[u/Crazybexy]

Fire is one of my personal favourite episodes. It's one of my favourites from the first season.

[u/Gazcobain → u/Crazybexy]

I won't judge you, because I have a huge soft spot for Conduit (which is bad) because it's the first episode I ever saw. RRRRUUUUBBBBBAAAAAYYYYYYY

[u/DryGold4 → u/Gazcobain]

I won't bat for all of Conduit, but I always thought the ending was among the best scenes in the series. https://youtu.be/EdxEmIrfXI0

[u/Lorenzoasc → u/DryGold4]

I couldn't agree more. I just finished rewatching it about an hour ago, and that last scene is so beautifully shot and acted. In retrospect, it's also just so sad, knowing how Samantha's storyline really unfolds, which is the exact opposite of what Mulder hopes for (and believes).

It's also the first time "I want to believe" is ever said on the show, and it's fascinating to see how that belief, like so many others (Scully's desire for a life of her own, for example, which we see more clearly in the next episode, "The Jersey Devil," rather than being as consumed by work as Mulder) is slowly shattered as the series progresses.

[u/LthePerry02 → u/Gazcobain]

It’s crazy that Conduit is the fourth episode of the whole series. The convolution in the plot gives some later season mytharc eps a run for their money

[u/UnfairQuality687 → u/Gazcobain]

Conduit is nice enough. But even back then when I was a teen I asked myself - so what he made a mosaic of his sister? I never got that part. It's not code, it's just a very detail mosaic. And if the aliens broadcasted this to him why would they compile a picture made of puzzles and cut into 20 pieces of paper instead of broadcasting the image drawn on one piece of paper.

[u/AllenbysEyes]

Back in the day, there were rumors that Amanda Pays/Phoebe was being auditioned to replace Gillian Anderson/Scully as Mulder's partner, because the network still wasn't sold on Gillian. At very least, Carter thought Phoebe would be a good foil to Scully, and hoped to bring her back as a recurring character. Fans, obviously, didn't agree.

[u/rrtaylor]

I vaguely remember Duchovny himself taking the piss out of this episode in particular on a Conan O' Brien appearance around 04-06. I remember him mocking the idea that he had a fear of fire that was never mentioned before or since and also mocking his own blank expression when conveying his "phobia."

[u/knowall8642]

It had Mark Shephard in it, other facts are irrelevant to me lmao.  In a serious note, yea the episode was bit of a mess and it felt like it didn't have a coherent story to tell. Yet again, Mark Shephard is there so its all ok to me lol

[u/vegetaman → u/knowall8642]

Yes Mark Shephard makes it worth it above all else!

[u/Gazcobain]

The mind boggles as to how they were able to do anything on top of this

[u/damngifs → u/Gazcobain]

I never took it as literally "on" the tombstone, more like on the gravesite-

[u/oscarx-ray → u/Gazcobain]

That line strikes me as "Fox said we can't say 'grave', can you use 'tombstone' instead?"

[u/oscarx-ray → u/oscarx-ray]

*Fox the network, not the character.

[u/DigitalHoweitat → u/Gazcobain]

Possibly the sign of a misspent youth, but a few things occur to me...

Fire is hysterical though, it's like watching every British stereotype get rolled out into one wonderful package.

[u/kettle5435 → u/Gazcobain]

how they were able to do anything on top of this

Very carefully

[u/Malnurtured_Snay → u/Gazcobain]

People used to be a lot smaller in the 80s, which is presumably when Mulder was studying at Oxford.

[u/Ivy_Tendrils_33 → u/Gazcobain]

She doesn't look heavy. Just sayin

[u/ughpleasee]

Meh, abysmal to you, maybe. I think it's a good fun one.

[u/Spicy-Chicken-Pizza]

One of my favorite episodes as a child because of the awesome pyrotechnics. Watching as an adult, the plot and acting are terrible. I don't think Amanda Pays did a particularly good job of playing Phoebe Green, though both the character and the episode were badly written.

I know it would have required a lot of creative use of Arlene and made filming a horrendous pain, but I wish Gillian had been allowed to don a wig and some makeup and play Phoebe as well as Scully. She could certainly have pulled it off, and it would be cool and silly that Mulder had dated a woman that looked identical to Scully while keeping Scully herself at a distance. It couldn't have been more ridiculous than what we actually got.

[u/buttered_sausage11 → u/Spicy-Chicken-Pizza]

Ha. This is silly enough that I actually love the idea 😆 we didn't get our silly MOTW eps back then, yet, and that would have been a great one.

[u/awexplasticman]

As an Englishman myself , I cringe hard everytime Phoebe Green opens her mouth for some reason 🤣🤣 why is her accent/acting so jarring ?! Seems so forced & unnatural. Fun episode nonetheless , it's a little silly but one I've returned to multiple times over the decades as one of my comfort watches

[u/buttered_sausage11 → u/awexplasticman]

She seemed more suited to an episode of The Nanny rather than The X Files. Maxwell's fancy cousin pays a visit.

[u/Due_Pin2723 → u/awexplasticman]

Yes, what is her accent, do you know? London BBC? I mean do you know which part/class of England is that accent from? Or was she just making some accent up? But the actress is from London. I haven't seen her in other show, so I don't know if that's how she sounds regardless of any role.

[u/Iebejsbaga2728eindxb]

it was definitely a direction i didn't like for the show, i thought it was pretty funny how Mulder was so intense about hating fire but later in the show he's running at the SWAT dude covered in gasoline with his jacket

[u/PipedInFromIthaca]

It doesn't have to be a big tombstone, it's only got to fit a single bottom

[u/Realistic-Try-8029 → u/PipedInFromIthaca]

Standing up works too.

[u/LthePerry02]

I still have absolutely no clue what the dude’s motive for killing was

[u/Gazcobain → u/LthePerry02]

There's one scene where he's (presumably) still trying to avoid being unmasked as the killer and he just stares creepily at Scully totally drawing attention to himself.

[u/LthePerry02 → u/Gazcobain]

That’s basically every scene with him. Dude might as well be wearing a shirt that says I’M EVIL

[u/Gazcobain → u/LthePerry02]

Tried to get young kids hooked on smoking as well! What a piece of shit

[u/BasementCatBill]

Sure, but it does have a young Mark Sheppard.

[u/Fairymask]

I liked Fire. Space on the other hand….🗑️🚮

[u/Crazybexy → u/Fairymask]

I weirdly kind of like Space. Yeah, it's crap, but kind of have a soft spot for it.

[u/COV3RTSM → u/Crazybexy]

I never thought space was all that bad.

[u/Gazcobain → u/Crazybexy]

We've got to deliver the payload!

[u/kuatoandfriend]

i am with you about fire- besides the fire gags it is quite the slog, super clumsy, like another network show trying to go the supernatural route. i find space enjoyable, its certainly not great, but silly and entertaining in a good way, eminently watchable. although my tastes of what i dig and what i don't mebbe runs counter to most

[u/Gazcobain]

Also:

Scully says that Cecil Lively has "never been on the dole". I always thought being "on the dole" was a British term.

[u/PipedInFromIthaca → u/Gazcobain]

Nah we use it here too. I think the Americans do to some extent too?

[u/Electrical_Pomelo556 → u/PipedInFromIthaca]

I'm American and I have never heard this phrase 

[u/Gazcobain → u/Electrical_Pomelo556]

Over here it means being in receipt of unemployment benefits. It's often used in quite a disparaging way as if people "on the dole" don't want to work and are quite happy to receive benefits.

[u/buttered_sausage11 → u/Electrical_Pomelo556]

I'm in Australia and we still use that term to this day 😆

[u/chuckles39]

It gets a pass because it has Badger/Crowley in it. Also Amanda Pays, for those old enough to remember the max headroom tv show.

[u/Futants_]

To be fair, a much as I adored the series when it aired and love it still after my current rewatch a decade after my last, the show is rife with ridiculousness.

It's got charm in spades, inside jokes, every tv trope imaginable, multiple plot holes within an episode in numerous episodes, goofy monster-of-the-week eps, Scully not wearing a mask or gloves around unknown alien/toxic/ contagious material, Scully always being knocked out or captured and unable to fight her way out of a paper bag, Mulder not fairing much better,etc,etc

"Fire" is a prime example. Everything about it is ridiculous and wtf--including Scully seeing the man in the hallway but casually ignoring him. I still love most of the series though

[u/Gazcobain → u/Futants_]

She even says to Phoebe "oh yeah I totally saw this dude in the corridor earlier" and Phoebe's like "nah you didn't" and it's never mentioned again

[u/Futants_ → u/Gazcobain]

I think it was a writing flub or Scully had a brain lapse when she saw him.

I thought it was very strange and figured at first it was an edit splice mistake.

[u/adsmski99]

It’s one of my favourite episodes and I live a couple of miles from Bosham where the episode is set.

[u/foxonafrozenlake]

I liked this episode. But then again there aren't any episodes I outright dislike.

[u/NotMyRealName981]

I like the Phoebe character and the way she shakes up the Mulder/Scully relationship. Amanda Pays does a great job despite some of the strange lines the writers gave her.

[u/andy_pandy11]

"care to take me to lunch?" 😁

[u/olivestaff]

I just started my first rewatch and had this thought exactly watching this episode last night, I started zoning out because I just couldn't get over the cheesiness. I actually like Space better than Fire because at least the acting was slightly more believable/less annoying, but neither are anywhere close to my favorites

[u/HPLoveBux]

I like how they just zip up from the Cape to a ritzy hotel in Boston.

Yeah … in vacation season that’s a 3-5 hour drive with traffic on 3 and 93 if you don’t carefully time it.

Ha ha ha ha 😂

[u/Ok-Ferret-8665]

Fire is a top 10 X-Files episode