Gratuitous X Files post Part 2!

I am working my way through the X Files Season 1-9 again and so I thought it was time for a second X Files post. The show started to decline a bit at this point, but I still think they had more hits than misses in these seasons and the characters started to open up more personally to each other which was nice.

Here are my fave episodes from Seasons 4-6

Season 4

                           Unruhe

I really like Pruitt Taylor Vince who plays the villain in this one. He has a nystagmus (wobbly eyes) which give him a really unsettling nature but his performances are always blistering (he was one of the best things about season 2 of Murder One) and this is no exception. I think also Season 4 is where Gillian Anderson hit her acting straps and she was very good in this episode. It has a very unsettling (unrest....) feel about it which suits the theme. And the photo manipulation was a clever tool.

                           

                     Synchrony

I love time travel stories. And this one has a little bit of both time travel and strange science involving cryogenics. I even like the music in this one - it appears in later episodes too. I like the concept of an older man travelling back in time to the younger version of himself to stop his own experiments from happening. It's quite intriguing and innovative.

                 Memento Mori

I think this is the first time you see Mulder and Scully's growing friendship really strongly. Gillian Anderson's acting is superb in this episode, dealing with the diagnosis of her cancer, and the whole episode is just so sad and wistful. For a season that didn't have that many stand out episodes, this one was a favourite for me. 

Season 5

                          Bad Blood
This episode is friggin hilarious! The banter between Mulder and Scully is what I love about these kind of stand alone episodes. It features Luke Wilson who flits between charming sheriff and total hillbilly depending on from whose point of view the story is being told. The vampire effects are hilariously hokey and it's great when the X Files series doesn't take itself too seriously. Love it!   


                                                     Kill Switch

I'm pretty sure there is ZERO scientific accuracy with regards to 'self-aware' computers and virtual reality here but I really liked this one. The girl who plays Esther is sharp and sassy and I really liked her character. The funny scenes involving Mulder's arms being amputated and the overly porn-like 'nurses' that attend to him are really funny. And any episode in which the lone gunmen appear always makes                                              it so much better. 

  

            Post Modern Prometheus
This only became one of my favourites of the season for one reason: the final scene (*spoiler alert*) at Cher's concert when M & S dance. It is the most close you have seen them come to each other at that point and it is the most adorable scene ever. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJeziztQXrE  Plus I love the song. 

Season 6

                                                     Drive

This particular season had more hits for me than the last two seasons, especially since the mythology episodes had become very interesting in the aftermath of the first movie. The episodes were quirky, funny and more imaginative (albeit less scientifically accurate). It started off well with the first stand alone episode 'Drive' which has a very 1990s "Speed" feel to it - but without Keanu Reeves' poor acting. :) *spoiler alert* You genuinely feel sorry for Mr Crump in the end, even though he is putting Mulder at risk and I really felt for Mulder at the end, not making it in time. 


                        Monday

This 'Groundhog Day' episode was one of my favourites of all time. The concept of a poor girl living the same horrible event over and over, no matter what she does, is very sad. But there is also a lot of humour in the deja vu feeling that Mulder gets over his shitty day which culminates in a huge tragedy. I really liked the way they handled the repeated day - subtle changes but still resulting in the same things. Clever. And the acting in this episode is particularly good, especially from the girl living the nightmare over and over. 



                          Arcadia
Man, I love this one. It's so friggin' funny. Yeah, I know, a lot of shows do the whole 'pretend to be a couple' thing but this one was done so well. The monster of the week is a little ridiculous but it is worth it just for a) Abraham Benrubi b) Mulder and Scully calling each other pet names  c) Mulder's scene with the orange juice on the mailbox and digging up the front lawn to put in a 'reflecting pool'. Bahahaha! The scary thing is that there are towns just like this one in reality, some popping up in Australia. Maybe without the big mud monster, granted, but still that strict and anal, nonetheless.




Stay tuned for Seasons 7-9