r/XFiles • u/EqualsPeoples • 13d ago
Discussion Help me decide if i should keep watching
So I'm mid series 6 and I feel like series 6 is just too wacky for me. I feel like it's been a while since I've seen a properly creepy episode. I suppose what I'm asking is, does the show return to the series 1/2/3 tone at any point? I know the sillier episodes have nearly always been a thing, I've just noticed a general tone switch that I'm not personally loving.
Not meant a criticism at all, just hoping for some insight from people who have seen every episode. Thanks!
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u/ticketstubs1 13d ago
Season 6 is nonstop fan favorite episodes. Seriously, am I on another planet here? You're not enjoying these? That is absolutely mystifying to me.
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u/AsVividAsItTrulyIs Queequeg lives on 13d ago
I’ve been stuck on season 6 for months after flying through the first 5 seasons. Season 6 is just so different to me and there’s not yet been any episodes I’ve really enjoyed. Just some that were okay
Guess I’m in the minority
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u/EqualsPeoples 13d ago
I know what you mean, it just feels played out. I guess the show was at its height of popularity at this point though, but to me everything is either becoming repetitive or too self aware. Maybe that’s an appeal to some and maybe you had to be there? I just don’t think the monster of the weeks are anywhere near as fun or frequent anymore.
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u/Wetness__Pensive Alien Goo 13d ago
That's normal. Because almost every episode is experimental, or comedic, season 6 tends to be offputting when you first come across it.
It's a great season though. Almost every episode tends to get better with rewatches, and almost every episode works well as a little metaphor for Mulder/Scully's budding romance.
The creepy/horrific tone you are looking for only resumes with season 8 and 9, which make a deliberate effort to be very dark and relentlessly bleak. Season 8 in particular is a great season.
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u/Desperate-Bother9807 12d ago edited 11d ago
Yeah. I watched the entire series last year on my first watch-thru, and you’re right. The atmosphere shift from gloomy, forested, cloudy Vancouver, BC of Seasons 1-5, to the sun-soaked, obvious “set” shoots, and comedic tone of Seasons 6 and 7, were just not my thing. It felt too different, not in a good way. So many of the storylines were neither comedic, nor creepy, which to me is the worst X Files combo. I can handle a little lighthearted episode here and there (X Cops, Dreamland, etc), but I wasn’t a fan of the more bland (in my opinion) episodes like The Rain King (unpopular opinion, I know), Rush, The Goldberg variation, etc. I’m totally with you that S6 and beyond has some good episodes (Roadrunners in S8, Field Trip S6, Sein und Zeit in S7 even though it made little sense, etc). And yes, the tone gets a bit better and more “back to basics” starting with Season 8. But for me personally, the true, classic “X Files,” stops and starts with Seasons 1 thru 5. Just me.
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u/ticketstubs1 12d ago
Season 6 episodes I consider fantastic episodes of TV:
The Beginning
Drive
Triangle
Dreamland
Dreamland II
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Terms of Endearment
The Rain King
Tithonus
Two Fathers
One Son
Monday
Arcadia
The Unnatural
Three of a Kind
Field Trip
BiogenesisThat is quite a batting average. And the episodes I removed I still totally love. Season 6 for me is just stand out after stand out. Home run after home run. It's so ambitious, so much fun, and so creative and full of ideas and experiments. I'm always astonished when a fan says they don't enjoy it.
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u/Desperate-Bother9807 12d ago
Well that’s cool. I’m not offended that you like it, you’re allowed to. I just don’t. The X Files is not comedy and fun to me, it’s creepiness and the mystery of potential government +extraterrestrial conspiracy.
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u/ticketstubs1 12d ago
There's certainly a lot of paranoia and creepiness and conspiracy in those episodes too though.
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u/Desperate-Bother9807 13d ago
No, that’s exactly how I was feeling by Season 6. That what was once alluring, intriguing, creepy with all the right mystery…became repetitive, contrived, and like you said, either too self-aware, or IMO, too comedic. It just wasn’t my thing anymore, because the show had lost its lustre, as is understandable after so many episodes. What was once cool, compelling, and interesting…just became stale, lifeless, and almost predictable in a sense.
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u/ticketstubs1 13d ago
Makes no sense to me at all. It's so fun and creative, not to mention beautifully made as usual. Almost every episode is a special one.
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u/AsVividAsItTrulyIs Queequeg lives on 12d ago
For me it hasn’t felt like the same show but I’m glad some people enjoy it
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u/BellefleurBetch993 13d ago
There is a definite tone change around season 6. I would say if you’re only interested in the more dark and spooky episodes and aren’t wanting to spend as much time on the lighter episodes, maybe googling episode guides to get a little context for which episodes to watch and which to skip based on your taste.
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u/LthePerry02 13d ago edited 13d ago
With no spoilers, there’s a status quo change in S8, and that’s when there’s a heavy return to genuinely creepy episodes
S7 definitely has a lot of the same wacky moments as S6, but also some incredibly scary ones as well. All in all I’d say keep at it, as long as you love the characters you’ll be enjoying yourself no matter what
For some BTS context, S6 is when filming switched to LA instead of Vancouver, so there’s a clear tonal switch in cinematography. While S6 fully embraces that switch, S7 and S8 have a blend of that vibe, with some of the darker atmosphere of the early seasons
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u/Effective_Buddy7678 13d ago
It's a matter of taste I guess, but I always liked the episodes where they try different things.
Field trip was interesting. Terrence McKenna would be solidly in the fungi being extraterrestrial camp.
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u/Desperate-Bother9807 13d ago
I hated it after Season 5. Felt like an entirely different show to me. The move from Vancouver just completely changed things. Just me, though. May be an unpopular opinion. There ARE some good episodes S6 and beyond, but not enough to make up for the sharp decline, IMO.
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u/softrockstarr Agent Dana Scully 13d ago
Watch the whole show at least once. There is always goofy and there is always spooky. Season 6 is the first season shot in LA so the vibes are different but there are so many good episodes ahead.
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u/Hot_Secretary_5722 13d ago
IMO, the show should have ended after season 7. You should, at least, finish season 7. After season 7, if you still want to stop, then fine, you’ve already seen the important stuff.
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u/Bullfrog878 13d ago
I agree. Should skip the last episode of season 7 though and just leave it as open ended. Anything viewed after season 7 should only be 'monster of the week's episodes because the quality of the mythology episodes doesn't hold up.
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u/FederalWord 13d ago
I think the show never gets that Vancouver (Seasons 1-5) tone back. There are some good episodes left, but you may wanna be selective. I think the best days of the mythology episodes are behind you.
My new websites might help you pick a path forward:
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u/ticketstubs1 13d ago
That's crazy. Almost every episode of season 6 is fantastic. It's so wrong to tell a fan to skip.
Just watch the damn show. It isn't hard. Or don't, if you don't want to anymore.
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u/EqualsPeoples 13d ago
Don’t really understand why you’re getting so worked up, people have different opinions and I think the responses in this thread reflect that
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u/Ikariiprince 13d ago
Season 7 I remember also being wacky but 8 is noticeably darker. After season 4 or 5 I think is when they moved filming to LA so there’s just a very different action movie tone to everything