Season 1: The FBI's Most Unwanted

[JanetMacklin]

Lost time may occur. First season chatter goes here!

Edited April 9, 2014 by JanetMacklin

[Bastet]

I have a never-ending affection for season one in all its fashion disaster, weak characterization and every paranormal storyline but the possessed kitchen sink glory.  And I absolutely love Season One Scully's snarky humor.

Thank heavens Morgan and Wong looked at each other and asked, "Um, we're pretty well wasting a good actor here; shouldn't Scully have something to do beyond autopsies and counter-arguments?"  The resulting Beyond the Sea is just wonderful.

This season has some of the worst clunkers and not a ton of episodes I truly love, but it has a whole lot that I really like.

[Taryn74]

I have a never-ending affection for season one in all its fashion disaster, weak characterization and every paranormal storyline but the possessed kitchen sink glory.

 

Hee!  Also, yes.  So much yes.

It literally always shocks me to remember that Beyond the Sea is in Season 1.  It could easily stand up against an episode from any other season and the quality be just as good, IMO.

[JanetMacklin]

I still get chills when Scully tells Boggs that if he's responsible for Mulder's injuries, that she'll be there just to throw the switch (and send Boggs to his death). I've watched it several times since my first viewing because it was such a surprise. I mean, it's coming from concern for Mulder but also real grief for her father and defense against Boggs' manipulation. I'd never seen GA in anything so I was impressed to say the least. She's pretty incredible when she's got that guy at gunpoint, en route to rescue Mulder in Deep Throat, too.

Born Again was the absolute worst. I had to convince myself that the show could do better, because I'd already seen it do better. Space and Shapes and Ghost in the Machine were no prizes either. Miracle Man was instantly predictable and just left me feeling a bit sad. I loved Conduit because I saw real remorse in our agents for putting that family under such scrutiny. And the supposed abductee's little brother writing out binary code - which tied back later, I think, to s2's Little Green Men.

I got this real sense in s1 that Mulder was sort of vulnerable. He wanted to think that he was ready to hear and see the real truth, but it shocked him and he sort of wrestled with it. It wasn't quite a quest yet  (although that was clearly building). Maybe it was just where Duchovny was so young, but I really sympathized.

Edited April 9, 2014 by JanetMacklin

[Bastet]

Ghost in the Machine is awful, but I have an odd affinity for it.  Honestly, a big part of it is that memories of the elevator "blooper" make me laugh, but I also like Scully crawling through the duct work and making an impossible shot to save the day.

Miracle Man and Born Again are just benignly boring to me, but Space and Shapes actively annoy me with how bad they are.  I didn't start watching until season two, so an internet friend sent me a tape of the season one episodes I hadn't managed to find in reruns.  It arrived right before I got on a plane to visit a friend who was also a fan needing to get caught up, and it was fairly late at night by the time we popped it into the VCR.  It took us at least two tries, if not three, to get through Shapes without falling asleep. 

And between the stock footage, Mulder explaining the control room happenings to Scully like she's a small child, and paramedics acquiesing to Mulder's override of (medical) doctor Scully's instructions, Space manages to bore me and piss me off at the same time. I do love Scully's mocking of Mulder's fanboy fawning, though (even though I, too, spent much of my childhood wanting to be an astronaut). 

Edited April 9, 2014 by Bastet

[ElleryAnne]

Oh, Mark Sheppard.  I was a kid the first time I saw Fire, and I think even then I knew he was someone to watch.  Years later, when I'd see him show up in Firefly or Leverage or Supernatural, I'd be like, 'oh, that's the guy from Fire!'  That episode stayed with me.  Very creepy.

Some of the standalones did a pretty good job of balancing humor and creepy elements - Ice, Darkness Falls, Eve, even The Jersey Devil.  Yeah, there were some awful ones (I never liked Miracle Man or Roland), but I think I like the season much more than not.  

[Taryn74]

Yeah, there were some awful ones (I never liked Miracle Man or Roland)

 

Aw, I discovered when I recapped Roland that I actually liked it quite a bit.  Not for the "rocket scientists" (who were really a bunch of whiny babies) but for Roland himself, and his relationship with Tracy, and the house mother who watched over them.  I thought they all genuinely cared for each other and they were sweet to watch.

[Bastet]

I still get chills when Scully tells Boggs that if he's responsible for Mulder's injuries, that she'll be there just to throw the switch (and send Boggs to his death).

On my "Mulder, It's Me" mix tape that I made in, I think, season four, that dialogue - "I came here to tell you that if he dies because of what you've done, four days from now nobody will stop me from being the one that'll throw the switch and gas you out of this life for good, you son of a bitch!" - led into Luscious Jackson's Daughters of the Kaos.  To this day, when I hear that song, I immediately get my Scully on and say that line ... and usually not just in my head.

I find Roland okay, but think its suffers from TV's usual patronization of those with developmental disabilities.  I also find it irrationally annoying they have Scully in a blouse she would never otherwise wear - and we all know season one Scully wasn't too picky about her clothing, so that's saying something - just so Roland can have something to count.

[IndependentMind]

Scully looked so young and sounded so young. I am re watching the whole series. Almost done with season 1.

[SnideAsides]

Oh, Mark Sheppard.  I was a kid the first time I saw Fire, and I think even then I knew he was someone to watch.  Years later, when I'd see him show up in Firefly or Leverage or Supernatural, I'd be like, 'oh, that's the guy from Fire!'  That episode stayed with me.  Very creepy.

Some of the standalones did a pretty good job of balancing humor and creepy elements - Ice, Darkness Falls, Eve, even The Jersey Devil.  Yeah, there were some awful ones (I never liked Miracle Man or Roland), but I think I like the season much more than not.  

Seriously. Back when the TWoP forum decided to recap all of the episodes the site didn't, I took Fire as my first recap. I can't look at him the same way ever again.

 

I don't mind Miracle Man - it's not one I'd go out of my way to watch, and there are better religion-themed episodes, but it's not actively painful like Shapes or Space were. Plus, Scott Bairstow, who later went on to Harsh Realm. On the other hand, Scott Bairstow, who went on to play God on Touched by an Angel a few months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a twelve-year-old, so.

[supposebly]

 

Oh, Mark Sheppard.  I was a kid the first time I saw Fire, and I think even then I knew he was someone to watch.  Years later, when I'd see him show up in Firefly or Leverage or Supernatural, I'd be like, 'oh, that's the guy from Fire!'  That episode stayed with me.  Very creepy.

 

Same here. I was so happy when I saw him again, on Firefly or Burn Notice, I think. The episode has its problems but he really stood out for me at the time. I rewatch that episode only for Scully scaring the crap out of Mulder at the end, and Mark Sheppard being supremely creepy, especially with the kids.

[Bastet]

I rewatch that episode only for Scully scaring the crap out of Mulder at the end,

That's one of my favorite moments from the entire season.  Mostly for the pure joy with which she does it; she really enjoys freaking him out, and I very much enjoy her enjoyment.  It's one of the reasons I wax rhapsodic about season one Scully's humor.

[queequeg]

Rewatching Season 1, and wow this was the season of the "Dana."  All of the "Dana"s in Beyond the Sea, and even a Dana in Lazarus. 

[Bastet]

At least there was no "Dearest."

[mstaken]

My people!!! Over the past few months, I devoured the whole series for the first time (well...the whole series minus the vast majority of the mythology episodes, which I have vague plans to watch another time, but let's pretend that I'm now qualified to comment on the series anyway, okay?!) Anyway, I'd been warned that the show doesn't get good until S2, so imagine my surprise to find that s1 turned out to be one of my very favorites and maybe even the one I can see myself rewatching the most often. I loved the zillion different paranormal phenomena they threw our way, everything felt fresh and energetic and not bogged down by the convoluted, achingly self-serious mythology, and Mulder and Scully were just so lovable to me in S1. Mulder was still a slightly giddy, more than slightly adorkable eccentric (in contrast to the more world-weary, angst-ridden Mulder we got as the series wore on) and, as others have pointed out, Scully had this deliciously sharp snark to balance out her seriousness and intensity. And while I get that they hadn't been through nearly as much together back then, I thought the Mulder-Scully chemistry was phenomenal this season. Perhaps most importantly, the show just seemed so FUN in S1. Fun is a seriously underrated commodity in TV these days :) And now I need to go watch S1...again!  

Edited August 7, 2014 by mstaken

[ElleryAnne]

* waves "hi!" at @mstaken *   

 

Mulder was still a slightly giddy, more than slightly adorkable eccentric (in contrast to the more world-weary, angst-ridden Mulder we got as the series wore on)

the show just seemed so FUN in S1. Fun is a seriously underrated commodity in TV these days :) And now I need to go watch S1...again!

 

 

Yeah, sometimes I have to go back to the early seasons and remind myself why I like Mulder.   And why I like the show. Because I really do.  

[smrou]

My people!!! Over the past few months, I devoured the whole series for the first time

I can't tell you how much I love that people are still finding XF for the first time and liking it. Yay!

I think season 3 or 4 of XF is actually my favorite, but season 1 definitely has a lot to recommend it. There's something so charming and, as you said, FUN about the series at that point. I think it's fun to watch the really early episodes partly because I don't think DD or GA had really settled into their characters yet so there are moments (particularly with Mulder) when I find them a bit goofy. Plus they hadn't really done the whole separation of MotW and Mytharc.

I do think the season has a bunch of duds, but so does every season. There's definitely some really great stuff. Some of my absolute favorite episodes of the entire season come from season one. "Ice" is probably the biggest standout for me, but it's not alone among season one episodes I love.

And while I get that they hadn't been through nearly as much together back then, I thought the Mulder-Scully chemistry was phenomenal this season.

One thing I think is pretty remarkable about the series is how instant that chemistry was. From the word "go" Mulder and Scully had something special between them. Some sort of intensity and not necessarily trust at first, but a "we're in this together" vibe.

[mstaken]

One thing I think is pretty remarkable about the series is how instant that chemistry was. From the word "go" Mulder and Scully had something special between them. Some sort of intensity and not necessarily trust at first, but a "we're in this together" vibe.

 

Exactly! I just rewatched Squeeze (did you guys know X-Files airs on some network called ElRay that I didn't even know existed?!), and I love how Scully instinctively stands by Mulder over her frat boy-ish 'friends' from the academy. I also love how Mulder was kind of vulnerable in this and other S1 episodes. he's always emotional and stubborn and all that, but in later seasons there's this smugness and arrogance that was mercifully toned down in those early seasons. (IMO, of course!)

 

I'd love to hear people's thoughts on how you think Mulder and Scully's characters were different in S1. My girlcrush on S1 Scully knows no bounds. I always like Scully, but, as I already rambled about, I felt like there was a sharpness and snarkiness to her S1 character that faded in subsequent seasons. She just seemed to have more personality in S1, for lack of a better way of putting it! 

 

Yeah, sometimes I have to go back to the early seasons and remind myself why I like Mulder.   And why I like the show. Because I really do.

 

Hee---I know exactly what you mean! 

 

Ice" is probably the biggest standout for me, but it's not alone among season one episodes I love.

 

I absolutely love Ice as well. What would people say are there five favorite and least favorite episodes of S1?! 

[ElleryAnne]

What would people say are there five favorite and least favorite episodes of S1?!

 

 

Okay, I'll play! :)

 

Favorites (in no particular order):

 

Darkness Falls

Ice

Fire  -  and I actually like Phoebe Green, but I'm probably her only fan

Eve

E.B.E.

(Honorable mentions to The Jersey Devil and The Erlenmeyer Flask.  I like episodes with spooky elements.)

 

Least favorites:

 

Roland

Miracle Man

Lazarus

Born Again

Young At Heart

 

(I think there's probably a pattern there.)

[smrou]

I absolutely love Ice as well. What would people say are there five favorite and least favorite episodes of S1?!

Fun challenge. I haven't watched the whole season in a very very long time, and haven't watched any episodes in a number of years (listening to Kumail's The X-Files Files has me really wanting to do a complete rewatch, but I just don't have the time!), so these lists are probably kind of sketchy, but here goes...

Five favorite:

Pilot

Ice

Darkness Falls

Eve

Squeeze

Five least favorite:

Space

Ghost in the Machine

Shapes

Fire

Shadows

I feel more confident in my favorites list than my least favorites, since it's the episodes I love that I watch over and over. The ones that are less memorable or, more rarely, just crappy tend to get passed over when I pick up my DVDs, for obvious reasons. And there are a bunch in season one that just sort of blend together for me.

Edited August 7, 2014 by smrou

[janestclair]

Favorites:
Ice -- There was one summer way back when the episodes were sold on VHS that I literally watched Ice every single day.  

Beyond the Sea -- after this episode, and that one scene with Boggs, I wanted to BE Scully. Chills. 

Darkness Falls -- it was basically Ice set in the forest but who cares.  Still entertaining. 

Eve -- I still wish this would've gotten the sequel treatment.

Squeeze/Tooms - I'm counting them as 1. Sue me. 

 

Least favorites:
Space...dear God, the boredom...that is the X-Files answer to a cure for insomnia. 

Shapes

Born Again

Ghost in the Machine

And the one with the guy with the salamander hand that I'm blanking on the name.  Young at Heart? It was so terrible I can't remember what it was called.

Edited August 7, 2014 by janestclair

[smrou]

I forgot about "Beyond the Sea"! Oh, that should totally be on my favorites list! But what would I sacrifice? I suppose the pilot, since I don't think that's as strong an episode, but it's just so special.

Darkness Falls -- it was basically Ice set in the forest but who cares. Still entertaining.

The fact that it's basically "Ice" set in the woods is exactly why I love it so much.

[ElleryAnne]

I like seeing the love for Darkness Falls. :)  I always thought I was alone in liking that one.

[Bastet]

I only get five?  :-)

 

Favorites:

 

Beyond the Sea

Ice

Darkness Falls

Squeeze

Tooms

 

Least Favorites:

 

Space

Space

Space

Space

Space

 

Okay, really:

 

Space

Shapes

Miracle Man

Born Again

Young at Heart

[mstaken]

So even as a relative new fan, I'm getting the unmistakable impression that Space is an all-time fan favorite. I'm super perceptive like that. 

 

I'm finding it impossible to pick fewer than seven (or eight...or nine...) S1 favorites. What sadist suggested we pick just five? *glances in mirror* Oh. Right. 

 

I actually kind of like Miracle Man, but then I'm an admitted sucker for episodes that take on those sort of themes. I'm endlessly fascinated by the idea of faith healing, the way that  religion can be both a beautiful solace and a destructive weapon, etc. I'm also a fan of Born Again, though heaven knows why.

 

My five favorites:

 

Pilot 

Squeeze/Tooms (Yeah, I'm totally on board with the idea that we cheat and list these as one two-part episode!)

Ice 

Eve 

Darkness Falls 

 

I LOVE Beyond the Sea and think that objectively it may be the 'best' episode of the season, but it's too emotionally draining for me to want to rewatch it as frequently as the five I just listed. (That's a warped sort of compliment!)  

 

Least Favorite: 

 

Jersey Devil

Shapes

Space 

Ghost in the Machine 

Young at Heart (I may actually like this one even less than Space!) 

 

Should I even ask about favorite Mulder/Scully/general character moments of S1, or is that too steep a challenge?! 

Edited August 7, 2014 by mstaken

[queequeg]

Hi mstaken! Glad to see another person here! :) I actually just finished my first ever full rewatch (every episode in order, including movies) a few weeks ago.

Favorites:

Pilot

Ice

Fallen Angel

E.B.E.

Darkness Falls

Least Favorites:

Conduit

Space

Miracle Man

Born Again

Roland

[Taryn74]

I only get five?  :-)

 

 

HA!  "I remembered your birthday this year, didn't I, Scully?"

 

Five favorites:

 

Pilot (because it's just so endearing)

 

Beyond the Sea (phenomenal episode, I always forget it's from S1 because it's so solid)

 

Ice (I don't love it as much as some people, but it is a good solid ep)

 

Deep Throat (I appreciate this one more every time I rewatch the series, Scully is so naively determined to do a good job and see justice prevail)

 

Roland (I developed an odd love for this one while recapping it)

 

 

Five least favorites:

 

Space (the boredom, good golly the boredom!)

 

Ghost in the Machine

 

Genderbender

 

Lazarus

 

Shapes

[queequeg]

You know, I have mixed feelings about Beyond the Sea. Quality-wise it's probably the best episode of Season 1, but I find it so heavy that I rarely want to watch it if I'm just popping in an ep. So even though I think it's one of the best, if not the best, it never makes my list. Cognitive dissonance, man!

[mstaken]

You know, I have mixed feelings about Beyond the Sea. Quality-wise it's probably the best episode of Season 1, but I find it so heavy that I rarely want to watch it if I'm just popping in an ep. So even though I think it's one of the best, if not the best, it never makes my list. Cognitive dissonance, man!

 

Hee---as you can see from the above post, I'm experiencing that exact same identical cognitive dissonance! It must be a newbie, 'we came to the show 15 freaking years later than the rest of the planet' thing ;) 

 

 

 

Deep Throat (I appreciate this one more every time I rewatch the series, Scully is so naively determined to do a good job and see justice prevail)

 

If we could have listed eight or nine, this would definitely have made my list! 

 

 

 

Genderbender[

 

For some totally bizarre reason, I remember actually enjoying this one, though I need to rewatch it in order to remember why. (Or to realize I'm totally wrong in thinking I like it at all!)

 

And in addition to all the other reasons we've chatted about, including that I love most of the 12 zillion paranormal phenomena they threw our way, can I just be pathetically shallow and mention how adorable and jaw-dropping gorgeous Mulder and Scully both are in this first season? That's the kind of profound analysis I bring to the table! 

Edited August 7, 2014 by mstaken

[Bastet]

Beyond the Sea is my favorite episode of the season, and I love it just as much for its impetus as its execution (heh, pun unintended) -- Morgan and Wong were the ones who actually stood up and said that to have Scully do little more than conduct autopsies and object to Mulder's theories was a hideous waste of some obvious yet unexploited acting talent and purposely set out to write an episode in which Gillian got something to do.

 

Ghost in the Machine is terrible, but as I've said before, I just can't hate it.  First, for the elevator blow job from the gag reel, but also for little flannel-clad Scully crawling through the duct work and making an impossible shot to save the day.

 

If I was making a list of ten instead of five, I'd add Deep Throat, The Pilot, Eve, The Jersey Devil and Lazarus.  But then that leaves out The Erlenmeyer Flask and EBE.  I'm going with an even dozen.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Bastet

[queequeg]

Hah, mstaken! I saw after posting that we said the same thing about Beyond the Sea. I was thinking, crap! I could have just quoted that. Lol

[AltLivia]

Favorites: 

 

Ice - really felt the sense of isolation, and the virus panic. I loved the discussion at the end, with Mulder pushing for scientific study and Scully responding "just leave it where it is," in essence.  And the first time our agents turned their guns on each other, and had to trust one another. And the confinement neck check.

 

The Erlenmeyer Flask - watching this for the first time I gasped "Oh my gosh, what in the world is happening right now?"

 

Beyond the Sea - Gillian Anderson, acting the hell out of every moment.

 

EBE - I loved the secrecy I felt in this episode. Mulder and Scully just meeting up in that airport shop, Lone Gumen, "I think it's remotely plausible that they would think you're hot."

 

EVE - I loved Mulder figuring out the drinks were spiked with poison. Also I love every episode wherein Mulder tries to make it about aliens, but it's just not. Which is why I give honorable mention to Conduit.

 

Least favorites: 

 

Shapes - I have seen this episode once. So awful.

 

Space - Ya'll have covered it. Besides, I'll never get Mulder's supposed boyhood fascination with space. Respect for it, sure. Curiosity, sure. The fact that you think the aliens took your sister, go on. But astronauts are  so, so so cool for young Mulder? Nah.

 

Young At Heart - I liked the peek into Mulder's professional past, and the fact that he was sort of on security detail for Scully. But seriously, salamander arm? I hate anything that involves attachment of a limb that isn't yours (or in this case, isn't human!). This is a huge part of why IWTB is kind of terrible for me. 

 

Fire - this episode is just,why? Although it did feature one of my favorite exchanges. "I was extending her a professional courtesy." "Oh, is that what you were extending?"

 

Born Again - I felt like the show wanted me to care, and just, nope. Besides, it's one whose "villain" I called in the first five minutes. Even the Samantha bit seemed half-hearted.

[smrou]

If I was making a list of ten instead of five, I'd add Deep Throat, The Pilot, Eve, The Jersey Devil and Lazarus. But then that leaves out The Erlenmeyer Flask and EBE. I'm going with an even dozen.

If I expand my list I would definitely add Deep Throat, Beyond the Sea, and EBE. Oh, and I really like Fallen Angel and The Erlenmeyer Flask. That makes ten, so I guess I can say there are ten episodes in season one that I consider really great. Ooh, I'm a fan of Conduit, too. So eleven?

But I think I only need six slots to make my list of real standouts. The five I named before plus Beyond the Sea (which I really did somehow just overlook). Those would be the episodes that I go back to more than any others from the season. And "Ice" is probably actually one of my most watched episodes of the whole series.

[Bastet]

"I was extending her a professional courtesy." "Oh, is that what you were extending?"

 

It is stuff like that and "anti-gravity is right" that make me love Season One Scully so much.  Scully growing more somber and reserved as the years went on makes sense given all the shit they put her through, but they didn't have to ditch the dry humor. 

 

Or the casual clothes.  Better casual clothes in later seasons would have been nice, sure, but I'll take the Scully sitting with her sister at the kitchen table in a giant denim shirt and sweats over the Scully who doesn't even unbutton her suit or take off her shoes to slog through hours of videotapes in her hotel room.

[smrou]

Or the casual clothes.

Yes! Some of the clothes in season one are awful, but at least it's not non-stop black suits!

[queequeg]

It is stuff like that and "anti-gravity is right" that make me love Season One Scully so much. Scully growing more somber and reserved as the years went on makes sense given all the shit they put her through, but they didn't have to ditch the dry humor.

This.

Season 1 is such a breath of fresh air, especially if you watch it right after season 9 or IWTB. They both seemed so beat down by the end. I feel the same way about season 1 as I do eps like Detour after the cancer arc.

[mstaken]

I couldn't agree more. S1 Scully is serious and an introvert from the outset (and that's why I love and relate to her!), but she has such a droll, clever sense of humor and a lot of spirit and vitality lurking just beneath the surface. It's a million percent understandable that she'd become more somber and sometimes flat as the series progressed, but early Scully is just such a pleasure to spend time with. 

 

Does anyone here other than Ellery Anne (and hi right back, my friend!) also watch Supernatural? I'm asking because my reasons for feeling oddly fond of that first season of Supernatural despite thinking it's not objectively the 'best', highest quality season are awfully similar to my reasons for feeling so attached to (and most inclined to rewatch!) the first season of X-files: the characters and their connection with each other are just so likable, vibrant and not bogged down by angst; the show itself is fun, sometimes to the point of silliness---which, for me, is far preferable to grim self-seriousness; there's a more seamless blending of cases of the week and overarching plot elements (e.g., stuff re. Samantha comes to the surface due to a case they're investigating rather than having such a distinct separation between mythology and case of the week episodes); there are tons of varied, imagination-stimulating paranormal phenomena touched upon rather than repeating the same convoluted, vague mytharc stuff to the point where it loses its power to entertain and engage me; even the inevitably clunky elements of a series first establishing itself somehow feel endearing and amusing in retrospect.  

 

And thanks to this discussion, I'm totally rewatching S1 (and then S2 and S3) again, starting tonight. I'm sure you guys will forgive me for skipping the ever popular Space!  

[queequeg]

In all fairness to Space, at least I didn't fall asleep during the episode. That distinction goes to Fearful Symmetry in season 2. ;)

[Bastet]

Scully climbing in and out of an elephant's body via ladder to do the necropsy will forever be my favorite part of that episode.

 

While Space is awful, I do love Scully's teasing Mulder about his fanboy ways.  "Didn't you want to get his autograph?" and her line about getting a pony and learning to braid her own hair are just about the only things the episode has going for it.

[janestclair]

I also loved her dry sense of humor back in season 1. What was that line in Jersey Devil, "I'll hurt you like that beast woman." Something like that - it's been ages since I rewatched season 1.  I might need to rectify that.  And "Care to take me to lunch?" along with the "Is that what you were extending?" bit in Fire help save it from being one of my least favorite episodes of the season. And she even smiled sometimes! 

 

She did need help in the wardrobe department. All that oversized shapeless flannel was just a crime against fashion.  And that outfit she wore on her one date - that was atrocious.  The 90s were not a good look for anybody.  At least her approximately 300 black pants suits in the later seasons were tailored and she didn't look like she was playing dress up in her mother's clothes. 

[queequeg]

Now I'm trying to figure out top and bottom 5 for other seasons. Lol. Totally a good use of my time!

[Bastet]

What was that line in Jersey Devil, "I'll hurt you like that beast woman."

 

"Keep it up, Mulder, and I'll hurt you like that beast woman."  It's in response to his teasing her by throwing her "Unlike you, Mulder, I would like to have a life" remark back at her when she decides to accompany him to the Smithsonian.

 

I also love when she springs him from the drunk tank, saying it's easy to see how they mistook him for a vagrant, and he asks if she's going to rag on him or take him to get some food.  "Am I buying, or did you manage to panhandle some spare change while you were at it?"

[janestclair]

Now I'm trying to figure out top and bottom 5 for other seasons. Lol. Totally a good use of my time!

 

Any time spent on talking about or watching the X-Files is a good use of time!  Even Space has a function in that it is insomnia curing. I don't think I've ever heard that line about getting a pony and braiding her hair because I must just be asleep by then.  I don't think I've made it past the teaser more than twice. 

[mstaken]

Now I'm trying to figure out top and bottom 5 for other seasons. Lol. Totally a good use of my time!

 

If you check out the threads for Seasons 2, 3 and 4, you'll see that I agree with you wholeheartedly :) 

[ElleryAnne]

I'm there with @mstaken and @queequeg about Beyond the Sea.  I think it's objectively one of the best episodes of the season, and I love it on that level, but it's not one I rewatch because it gets a bit angsty for me.  I like M&S best when they're investigating scary stuff and joking with each other.  (And yeah, mstaken - substitute the names, and nearly everything I ever say about early Sam and Dean applies to Mulder and Scully.)

 

 

can I just be pathetically shallow and mention how adorable and jaw-dropping gorgeous Mulder and Scully both are in this first season?

 

 

They really are.  And I'm especially susceptible to how good Mulder looks with glasses.  He's gorgeous in the early seasons.  Scully, too, but I think I Scully looks even better in the later seasons.  Gillian Anderson is one of those people who seems to get even more gorgeous as she gets older.  

 

 

One other thing I liked about them in the first season is that they both had lives outside work.  Much as they have great chemistry together, I appreciated the occasional reference to Scully having contact with family/friends/dates, and even Mulder had a connection or two outside the bureau.  (I like to think that once in a while Mulder went to a basketball game with someone.)

The later seasons become a bit claustrophobic in how closed-in they are with the lack of connections to people outside the bureau or conspiracy or their cases.

 

Edited August 7, 2014 by ElleryAnne

[smrou]

And that outfit she wore on her one date - that was atrocious.

Good God, yes.

 

At least her approximately 300 black pants suits in the later seasons were tailored and she didn't look like she was playing dress up in her mother's clothes.

Yeah, the clothes in the later seasons fit her better, which was a major plus.

You know what Scully outfit I particularly like? This one from Small Potatoes. It's casual and she looks so very pretty.  

Edited August 7, 2014 by smrou

[janestclair]

That's the line! I was wracking my brain but couldn't remember the rest.  I've only seen Jersey Devil a couple times just because I'm from Jersey, and that was so not the Jersey Devil.  I should know, I did a report in the 4th grade, so that makes me an expert. Clearly.  Meanwhile, I think that the fact that I did a report on the Jersey Devil when the topic was NJ history  says something about me. 

 

"Keep it up, Mulder, and I'll hurt you like that beast woman."  It's in response to his teasing her by throwing her "Unlike you, Mulder, I would like to have a life" remark back at her when she decides to accompany him to the Smithsonian.

 

I also love when she springs him from the drunk tank, saying it's easy to see how they mistook him for a vagrant, and he asks if she's going to rag on him or take him to get some food.  "Am I buying, or did you manage to panhandle some spare change while you were at it?"

[queequeg]

If you check out the threads for Seasons 2, 3 and 4, you'll see that I agree with you wholeheartedly :)

Hoo boy!!! :D

[queequeg]

Oddly enough, one of the more memorable lines for me from season 1 is Mulder saying: "'The Last Detail' starring Dana Scully" from Fallen Angel as they're arriving back at the motel after Scully springs Mulder from the clink. Duchovney's delivery of the line kills me.

[mstaken]

So here's a fun weekend time-waster: Just post pictures of your favorite S1 scenes. The rest of us can guess which episode they come from...or at least gush about the scenes and snark on the outfits :)