The X-Filespremiered in 1993, introducing the world to former criminal profiler Fox Mulder and medical doctor Dana Scully, as they investigate paranormal phenomena. The show had nine initial seasons, two theatrical films, and two revival seasons in 2016 and 2018.Several video gameswere also released.
WhileThe X-Filesis turning 30 years old this September, the impact of the show is still being felt today. The escapades of the FBI’s most unwanted have aged like wine. The themes and stories explored still resonate with people, capturing the zeitgeist of the world in which we live.
6Mulder And Scully Meet The Were-Monster (S10 E3)
In one of the funniest episodes ofTheX-Filesrevival, perhaps one of the funniest episodes ever, Mulder and Scully investigate a murder in the woods in Oklahoma. Mulder suspects the killer is someone named “Guy Mann,” brilliantly played by actor Rhys Darby. Guy claims that he is actually a humanoid reptile, who transformed into a human being after being bitten by a man. He is not particularly dangerous, but rather just confused about the situation in which he finds himself.
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Guy Mann’s story touches upon all the things that make human life perplexing and confusing. This includes having a job that one hates, but cannot quit, needing the money to pay for a roof over one’s head. Guy also discovers that the only way to be happy as a person is to spend all your time with non-human creatures. This is one episode fansshould not overlook.
5Blood (S2 E7)
A string of murders is occurring in the otherwise quiet farm town of Franklin, Pennsylvania. The only connections between them are a green substance on their fingers, and the video displays that the killers see just before the murder. What Mulder and Scully encounteris a conspiracyin which an experimental pesticide is being used to make the residents more fearful and paranoid, and they are then exposed to subliminal messages to trigger violent behavior.
Unfortunately, the scenario in this episode is not purely science fiction. Media is used to influence people’s thoughts and decisions all the time, specifically advertising. The violent behavior triggered by the digital screens in this episode also echoes the violent behavior individuals inflict on others because of the stereotypes they take in through news coverage of global conflicts.
42Shy (S3 E6)
In this“Monster of the Week”episode, a man who goes by the online moniker 2Shy kills a woman he meets online. She is found the next day in an acidic substance that completely dissolves her body. 2Shy is looking for more than just love; he is looking for food.
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2Shy is, unfortunately, just one of the many strangers who browse the internet with false intentions. They promise the world and their undying love, but they expect something else in return. In 2Shy’s case, it is body fat. For some others, it is money or credit card information. Either way, one still needs to be wary of whom they encounter on the internet. It isa scary scenarioto think about.
3Arcadia (S6 E15)
The most recent in a string of disappearances in a gated community prompts Mulder and Scully to go undercover as newlyweds. While outwardly friendly and neighborly, this community has a strict set of rules by which to abide. The consequences for violating them are severe.
“Arcadia” shines a spotlight on the dark underbelly of white suburbia. It shows that everyone has secrets to hide. By brutally dealing with those who violate the community rules, this episode also demonstrates how the quest for perfection and conformity can corrupt individuals and groups, and turn them into monsters.
The X-Filesrevival seasons took on some hot topics of the modern day. “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” explores the internet phenomenon known asthe Mandela Effect, in which multiple people remember an event in history that never actually happened. The phenomenon gets its name from the allegation that many remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison, when he actually became president of South Africa.
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This episode is not just referencing an internet phenomenon, but is also a meta-commentary about the fluidity of memory. Individuals may have a fond remembrance of the way something was, like the gelatin Scully had from her childhood, but it could just be nostalgia goggles coloring it. When given the opportunity to taste that gelatin again at the end of the episode, she chooses not to risk finding out that she was wrong, not wanting to ruin the memory of it. The fluidity of memory and the divide over actual facts is a concept that could be explored furtherif the series is revived again.
1The Entire Myth Arc
The major connecting thread ofThe X-Filesas a series is the Myth Arc. It follows a conspiracy in which a human organization, including X-Files nemesisthe Smoking Man, cooperates with extraterrestrials to prepare the Earth for human colonization.
In recent days, it seems the Myth Arc has been coming to life. In 2021,the Pentagon officially released a report on UFOs, which it is calling Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Recently, David Grush, a former employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office, has claimed that the U.S. Government is withholding alien crafts and alien bodies. If it’s not aliens, then something worthy of an X-File is indeed happening.
