Essential 5: The X-Files

The X-Files is many things: a treatise on belief, a government conspiracy fable, a sci-fi monster of the week show, and a relationship drama. All of these elements make up one of the most important, and influential, shows of the nineties. When the show works its nothing short of compelling, yet it does sometimes feel dated and more than a bit hokey. The X-Files is strongest when the audience can most strongly identify with Agent Scully, the character that we, the audience, are most expected to identify with (not to mention Gillian Anderson's show stealing performance). Agent Mulder's beliefs are often based on evidence the audience never becomes privy to and thus, his role is put to best use as a sort of guide.

The series provides an often intelligent exploration of beliefs, knowledge, and evidence but frequently falls into the common trap of the genre, which to my mind would be an unwillingness to accept to unknown. I admire that many of the episodes end without everything being tied up, that there will always be more mysteries to solve. On the other hand, the show's tagline, "The truth is out there" implies that there are always answers, that we live in a systematic universe and that investigation will always bear fruit, and that Mulder and Scully will eventually find it.

The series goes on a brief tangent in which Mulder becomes convinced that the government has fed him every piece of evidence he has about extraterrestrials in order to cover up their dirty work. This subplot seems to imply the inherent uncertainty in all evidence, that there is always some sliver of doubt. This tact is abandoned but certainly would have made for a much more thematically compelling show, one in which not only was abstract (or "out of the box") thinking championed, but actually explored as well.

The series undeniably comes off the rails during the last two seasons without David Duchovny's Agent Mulder to keep the show focused on his quest. New characters and ridiculous bad guys (super soldiers?) certainly don't help. Though the show was never original, drawing from sources like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and most notably Twin Peaks (where David Duchovny got one of his first acting breaks and where the primary influence on the character of Agent Mulder can be found in the character of Special Agent Dale Cooper), it did raise the bar considerably for what was expected from genre television. Many episodes are carefully plotted with first rate dialogue and a human element that is often lacking from sci-fi.

The show was organized so that about a quarter of all the episodes focused on an ongoing investigation into a government conspiracy designed to hide the existence of extraterrestrials. These are generally the weakest episodes... they repeat information and are often inconsistent. The one-off, monster of the week episodes allow for much more creativity (usually for better, but sometimes for worse). The greatest strength of the series was its self-awareness and many of the best episodes reflect that. So, without further ado, the 5 essential episodes of The X-Files:

1. The Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
Few shows are lucky enough to have real chemistry between their actors, so it is practically miraculous that the characters of Mulder and Scully work so well right from the get-go. This episode jumps right in with an alien abduction story which is extremely compelling. It certainly makes me wonder why the show so rarely dealt with actual abductees, generally preferring to keep them in the abstract. A more personal look at the consequences of the shows alien visitors would have been very welcome. This episode has maybe the quintessential moment of the series when, at the end, a nameless government bureaucrat catalogs evidence of the abductions in a  huge facility, keeping the truth hidden.

2. The Host (Season 2 Episode 2)
I wouldn't classify this episode as among the best of the series but it is an important one. This episode might be the most quintessential of the "monster of the week" variety. This episode will, more than any other, give viewers an appreciation for the funnier, more self aware episodes later in the series. That isn't to say that there aren't some good moments in this episode; the development of Mulder's relationship to Skinner is well done here not to mention that there are some genuine thrills throughout the episode. Who hasn't, at some point, been afraid something would come out of the bottom of a port-o-potty?

3. Irresistible (Season 2 Episode 13)
While most of the episodes deal with the paranormal, occasionally Mulder and Scully are drawn into a more normal investigation (closer to the sort of thing you'd see on Law and Order). These episodes serve as a way to propel the character's personal lives and relationship as well as providing a foil for the monsters which normally are the focus of the show. In this particular episode the agents are brought into an investigation of a "death fetishist" who collects body parts of dead victims (the fresher the better). The investigation is spearheaded by Mulder, but most deeply affects Scully. Any episode which allows Gillian Anderson to move through as many emotional states as this one is bound to be enjoyable, few television actresses have ever had the emotional range of Anderson, and here she is particularly compelling.

4. The X-Files: Fight the Future (Set between seasons 5 and 6)
The show, by the end of the fourth season, was a huge success and in the late nineties that meant a movie. The trouble with this sort of film is how to please both those who had never seen the show and the hardcore fan-base. The movie skews toward the fan and after seeing the results of the latest movie, which was geared towards those not familiar to the series I'd have to say this was a positive decision. Although it is a feature film, if its is viewed as basically a long episode, it has some of the best visuals in the series as well as being one of the only times the central plot is actually forwarded. It's meant to be seen between seasons 5 and 6 of the show and marks what is generally considered the best portion of the show with many of the episodes in seasons 6 and 7 getting away from the tone and quality seen up to this point. Chris Carter (the show's creator) wanted to end the series and continue the story in a series of films, which to my mind would have probably been for the better.

5. X-COPS (Season 7 Episode 12)
This is perhaps the funniest episode of the series as well as an interesting self-parody. There are lots of little gags built into the episode, like when Scully tries to hide from the camera or when Mulder seriously describes a werewolf as a suspect. Although different in tone from most of the series, the few more comedic and self-aware episodes made in seasons 6 and 7 (including this one) generally add to the depth of the show. This episode, like many previous, deals with finding "proof" and Mulder can't help but see the opportunity to capture on video something truly paranormal. That they fail is a testament to the intelligence that went into the episode... where even in an episode clearly meant as a big joke, the writers are still create thematically interesting material.