Season 6: Humongous Fungus Among Us

[Taryn74]

I'm probably one of the only people who rather enjoys Trevor, heh.

[SnideAsides]

I'm making a best-to-worst ranking as I go through this rewatch, and right now (with only Biogenesis left from this season) it's 12th out of 139. Which still means it's only my fifth favourite from this season LOL.

[Jac]

I am fairly early into my rewatch of s6, my last episode was Terms of Endearment but I can say one thing for sure. In my head Mulder and Scully were definitely together by Triangle.

 

Also, I am enjoying s6 way more than I remembered, I was getting hugely pissed with the mytharc by this point and that coloured my original viewing but the MotWs are so much fun!

[Taryn74]

Also, I am enjoying s6 way more than I remembered, I was getting hugely pissed with the mytharc by this point and that coloured my original viewing but the MotWs are so much fun!

 

Could not agree more.  There are single episodes in other seasons that I like more, but as a whole S6 always ends up at the top for me.  Even my least favorite eps from the season are not terrible.  About the worst you can say is that they're kind of boring.

[SnideAsides]

Terms of Endearment is one I always remember hating because that CGI is soooooo terrible in the teaser and it's the only thing that I remember, but I do rather enjoy it whenever I watch.

[Jac]

There is terrible CGI everywhere in The X-Files, I have just learnt to ignore it. :-)

[queequeg]

I kinda love the terrible CGI... it makes me all nostalgic.    lol

[M.F. Luder]

I can deal with most of the bad CGI, but the green ooze effect on Field Trip makes me cringe. It's so bad!

 

I have 2 unpopular opinions about season 6:

1) While I like the baseball scene in The Unnatural, I hate how Mulder includes the line about Scully's ticking biological clock. He knows she's infertile against her will; it's so insensitive to bring up her biological clock! Haha, it's small, but it really took me out of the moment when I first saw it and made me think that David should have done a rewrite on that line.

 

2) I liked the IDEA of Fowley, and wish she had been better utilized and that a better actor had played her. I think it would have been interesting to explore Mulder's life on the X-Files before Scully came along, and the fact that he might have had a "Scully" before. It makes sense that he would want to trust her again when she resurfaces in his life. But the Diana we got was so uncharismatic and Mulder's allegiance to her was never really explained in a satisfactory way. Also, I hate that she was killed offscreen before Mulder had a chance to make it perfectly clear to her and the audience that he chose Scully over her. If the story had been done right, I would have been really interested to learn more about Mulder's past life.

[smrou]

I have 2 unpopular opinions about season 6:

1) While I like the baseball scene in The Unnatural, I hate how Mulder includes the line about Scully's ticking biological clock.

That's not an unpopular opinion, I don't think. I have read (and perhaps made) many rants over the years about that line. And also the line, "Getting into the heart of a global conspiracy. Your obscenely overdue triple-X bill. Oh, I... I'm sorry, Scully. Those last two problems are mine, not yours." Dismissing the global conspiracy issue as being his problem and not hers? I mean...who was the one who was abducted, you dick?

Yeah, I have some issues with the writing of that scene.

[M.F. Luder]

 

That's not an unpopular opinion, I don't think. I have read (and perhaps made) many rants over the years about that line. And also the line, "Getting into the heart of a global conspiracy. Your obscenely overdue triple-X bill. Oh, I... I'm sorry, Scully. Those last two problems are mine, not yours." Dismissing the global conspiracy issue as being his problem and not hers? I mean...who was the one who was abducted, you dick?

haha! That's a good point. I somehow missed the discussions about that scene other than people swooning over "hips before hands" :)

Yeah, at that point, Scully has more reason to be invested in the conspiracy than Mulder. She was abducted, made sterile, lost a sister, unknowingly had a kid, has a mind-control chip in the back of her neck....all Mulder has is a sister that was abducted 20+ years ago! haha

 

That reminds me of the X-Files Files podcast episode with Dan Harmon where he says that he (Dan) loves his brother, but if he had been abducted when they were kids he would have just been like "okay, I guess that guy's gone now" and moved on with his life. LOL

[smrou]

I somehow missed the discussions about that scene other than people swooning over "hips before hands" :)

I do think the swooning tends to overwhelm the critical discussion. I can't say I'm guiltless on that front. I have some major issues with that episode, but it's hard not to be sucked in by the flirtiness of that scene.

[Bastet]

Heh; if you can find the TWoP thread via the Wayback Machine, you can see me rant about those Unnatural lines over and over again.  Every fan I know personally hates them, so not unpopular on that front, but general discussion does tend to focus on how cute they are in that scene. 

[Jac]

When I came home from the midnight opening of IWTB, Agua Mala was on whatever station was still airing XF in the wee hours at the time.  I realized that episode plays a lot better when watched under the euphoric influence of seeing M&S on the big screen again after many years.  Otherwise, Mulder is annoying and there isn't enough good stuff to make up for that; it's just sort of there.

 

I quite liked Agua Mala, not a favourite but not bad. That said Mulder is annoying and one thing this rewatch has taught me is that Mulder is annoying a lot of the time. Much more than I remember him been.

 

I have now finished S6 and it is a solid 4th on my favourite seasons list (currently ranked as 3, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5), it would probably have leapfrogged S2 into 3rd place if the mytharc episodes had been stronger. The mytharc really frustrated me in this season, first, The Fowl One is unnecessary and obnoxious, and so many elements were thrown at it that it was near impossible to keep track of who was allied with who and why. That said, there were a lot of superfun MotWs and some good relationship development between Mulder and Scully (who, as I have stated up thread were together by the events of Triangle in my head).

 

Favourites

 

Triangle - A great X-File done extremely well.

The Rain King - Despite the fact that I cannot stand Victoria Jackson, I find this episode to be so much fun to watch that I can't help but love it.

S.R. 819 - I like how this episode functions in relation to the greater mytharc, it is a nice, discrete story within the much larger arc. It also make me appreciate Skinner a lot more.

Monday - This confirms that Scully is immortal as far as I'm concerned (which for some reason I really like the idea of) and I am a sucker for Groundhog Day style plots.

Arcadia - This episode is easily in my top 10 episodes of the entire series, the banter between Scully and Mulder is gold and it is a good implementation of what could have been a silly MotW.

 

Least Favourites

 

​The Beginning - Fowley.

Alpha - What was this episode? It made no sense to me.

Trevor  - I dont dislike this ep at all but so many are better.

Milagro - So close to being great but the purple prose and the somewhat heavy-handed use of the writer as plot device are fails.

Biogenesis  - Confusing.

[M.F. Luder]

 

Alpha - What was this episode? It made no sense to me.

This youtube video is a hilarious take on this episode that makes more sense than the actual episode and is 100x more entertaining

[joelene]

Aaahahahaha, I'm never watching Alpha again, I'm just gonna pretend that's what actually happens in the episode.

[Goshengir1]

I was a huge X-Files fan back in the day and started re-watching the show when it became available on Netflix.  I ran out of steam in season 3, but thanks to the exciting news of the new episodes I picked it back up and am now at the end of season 6.  Most of these episodes I haven't seen in a really long time, and had forgotten what they were about. I am loving revisiting this show! I am a Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul fan, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover Brian Cranston in Drive, and at the beginning of Tithonus Mulder is on the phone asking about a Mrs. Ehrmantrout for a background check (Mike Ehrmantrout is a big character in both BB and BCS) which gave me a chuckle. Vince Gilligan is awesome.

 

At the end of season 5 the episodes all became HD on Netflix, and oh my, are Mulder and Scully gorgeous.  I don't think I appreciated back in the day how beautiful these two people are...maybe because I'm watching on a 55 inch LED flat screen instead of a 27 inch old tube TV.  Scully is simply stunning and Mulder...sigh, Mulder. I have always been a shipper and how these two didn't end up in bed together a lot sooner than they did (whenever they did) I just don't know.  Seasons 4,5 and 6 were a lot of fun and I can't wait to start season 7.  I think I removed a lot of seasons 8 and 9 from my mind because I really only remember being frustrated, so I'm curious to see what I think of those eps now.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Goshengir1

[AntiBeeSpray]

Slightly OT:

 

All this talk about HD tbh makes no sense imo. I don't see much difference in the episodes whether it's SD or not. *shrug* I don't see what the big deal is with it. Mulder and Scully are the same no matter what to me. Only difference I see is in sound quality. It seems as if networks make shows bad sound wise just to drive people to 'upgrade' to HD. Not gonna happen you guys! Some of us can't do it at this time and/or might not be interested.

 

Glad you're having fun rewatching though! :) I still have to do the same. Darn it real life :(.

[M.F. Luder]

I definitely see a difference, the images are sharper and the color is better. But, the main reason why I like that they've upgraded to HD is that now the image fills my whole TV screen, instead of just a square with black bars on either side. Mulder and Scully do look even more gorgeous in HD :)

[Bastet]

But, the main reason why I like that they've upgraded to HD is that now the image fills my whole TV screen, instead of just a square with black bars on either side.

 

All the different aspect ratios can really be aggravating.  You probably know this, but just in case -- you could get rid of those black bars by changing your TV settings so that SD programming fills the screen despite not being designed to do so, but the stretched-out image always looks worse to me than the bars.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Bastet

[AntiBeeSpray]

I definitely see a difference, the images are sharper and the color is better. But, the main reason why I like that they've upgraded to HD is that now the image fills my whole TV screen, instead of just a square with black bars on either side. Mulder and Scully do look even more gorgeous in HD :)

 

They want it to seem that way imo. *shrug*

 

Yea it would look more crisp on older shows, but that's mainly due to how it was shot and filmed. They'd make it look more sharp and crisp.

 

An example of it NOT working would be in Beauty and the Beast. That was made into HD for Blu-Ray and it was terrible. The colors were way off and washed out. They ruined a perfectly good movie.

 

It's great that they were able to preserve M & S in the transition though.

 

All the different aspect ratios can really be aggravating.  You probably know this, but just in case -- you could get rid of those black bars by changing your TV settings so that SD programming fills the screen despite no being designed to do so, but the stretched-out image always looks worse to me than the bars.

 

Only time the bars bug me is when it changes the perspective of the shot and/or the screen too much. I hate when things get cut off.

[Goshengir1]

I definitely didn't mind watching the episodes in SD and the black bars on the sides didn't bother me, but when they all of a sudden became HD it was pretty amazing.  I didn't notice a difference in sound quality (for some reason when I go to Netflix I have to turn the volume way up), just picture and color - though Mulder and Scully are still stunningly beautiful in SD. I think The End was the first episode I watched in HD, and at first I kept thinking, wow, what's different? LOL. I'm impressed that they can do that with shows from the 90's!  The kiss in Triangle, however, is still too dark to see :-(

 

The 'give a little, take it back' game that Chris Carter played with the MSR back in the day frustrated me to no end, but now being able to binge watch the seasons I can see the slow, forward movement of their relationship and it's fun. Season 6 has more overt 'shippy' moments than previous seasons - the kiss and "I love you" in Triangle,  Scully's speech in The Rain King about suddenly realizing that your friend is the only person you can imagine yourself with, her alpha dog protectiveness about Mulder in Alpha, Padgett stating that Agent Scully is already in love in Milagro, the flirting in The Unnatural (though Mulder mentioning her biological clock ticking also really annoys me)...so much good stuff.  I can ignore Agent Fowley...Mulder seemed kinda bored when she kissed him in One Son.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I definitely didn't mind watching the episodes in SD and the black bars on the sides didn't bother me, but when they all of a sudden became HD it was pretty amazing.  I didn't notice a difference in sound quality (for some reason when I go to Netflix I have to turn the volume way up), just picture and color - though Mulder and Scully are still stunningly beautiful in SD. I think The End was the first episode I watched in HD, and at first I kept thinking, wow, what's different? LOL. I'm impressed that they can do that with shows from the 90's!  The kiss in Triangle, however, is still too dark to see :-(

 

The 'give a little, take it back' game that Chris Carter played with the MSR back in the day frustrated me to no end, but now being able to binge watch the seasons I can see the slow, forward movement of their relationship and it's fun. Season 6 has more overt 'shippy' moments than previous seasons - the kiss and "I love you" in Triangle,  Scully's speech in The Rain King about suddenly realizing that your friend is the only person you can imagine yourself with, her alpha dog protectiveness about Mulder in Alpha, Padgett stating that Agent Scully is already in love in Milagro, the flirting in The Unnatural (though Mulder mentioning her biological clock ticking also really annoys me)...so much good stuff.  I can ignore Agent Fowley...Mulder seemed kinda bored when she kissed him in One Son.

 

That's great!

 

I meant in regards to content on tv normally. It sometimes sounds like someone put the speakers underwater O_O. It's good that the sounds sound nice on the HD eps though.

 

I don't think spending money on Netflix is all that worth it imo. It would be around $120 a year, so unless I got rid of cable it wouldn't be worth the investment. *shrug* But that's just me. I'll end up upgrading to a HD tv, but it doesn't mean I'll ever really like it. It's just a gimmick to me, nothing more.

 

Dang. Here's a light version of it, found it via Youtube. It's better than nothing :P.

 

Cool. I still view it as rather annoying sadly. I think it's mainly due to Chris being so damn stubborn. That just rankled me back then and still does a bit now. Can't watch Milagro again tbh, because it creeps me out. Glad Mulder looks bored with the Fowl One though!

[joelene]

For what it's worth, AntiBeeSpray, I never really got HD either. I haven't watched The X-Files in it or anything but when I see something old in HD I usually don't notice the difference, and frankly when I do it's not always a good thing. I don't know, "bad" quality in old movies/TV-shows is sometimes part of it's charm for me, I guess. But usually I just don't see the difference. I'm sure there are exceptions, though, and maybe I'm just a bit HD blind.

[AntiBeeSpray]

For what it's worth, AntiBeeSpray, I never really got HD either. I haven't watched The X-Files in it or anything but when I see something old in HD I usually don't notice the difference, and frankly when I do it's not always a good thing. I don't know, "bad" quality in old movies/TV-shows is sometimes part of it's charm for me, I guess. But usually I just don't see the difference. I'm sure there are exceptions, though, and maybe I'm just a bit HD blind.

Nah just old school lol. They want to condition people to get used to it and buy it. But tbh, I don't really care. I wish that tv's were better made. I'll take that over HD any day. Might watch some s6 episodes this weekend if I get a chance to.

[festivus]

I'm starting Season Six even though my FTF Blu-ray still hasn't arrived. Even though I've seen that movie many times it's still making me twitchy. I don't like being out of order. Anyway...

 

Triangle: Why is this episode so dark? Trolling. I like that sock in the face Vintage Scully gives Mulder more than the kiss anyway.

 

Dreamland 1&2: I remember these episodes well. I always love it when a Not Mulder shows up at his apartment and criticizes his life. "This guy hasn't been laid in 10 years."

 

Christmas ep: I laughed way too long over left cheek sneak. Yes, I think farts are funny. What? Scully's monologue on ghosts. How did Mulder not lay one on her right then and there? I'm sure there was much discussion on what gifts they gave each other. I think Mulder gave Scully a 'Hang in There' cat poster and she gave him Porn Stars of the 80's on VHS.

 

Terms of Endearment: Where does this episode fall in rankings for this season? In the middle? I do like it but I loves me some Bruce Campbell. 

 

The Rain King: "That cow had my name on it". I want that on a T-shirt. "I'm 1/64 Cherokee." Mulder's face when he saw that cow. "Holman, it's me" This episode is pretty damn shippy isn't it? I love it so much. I want to hug it. But why oh why didn't those two dorks just dance? You know they wanted to.

 

SR 819: So what's up with that cute Rick Springfield doctor? Hello there. *shallow*

 

 

[Baby Button Eyes]

 I'm sure there was much discussion on what gifts they gave each other. I think Mulder gave Scully a 'Hang in There' cat poster and she gave him Porn Stars of the 80's on VHS.

 

I haven't listened to any commentary on this episode or imagined what they got but I heard about the behind the scenes info about what literally the gifts were.  Anyone can actually verify?

 

Mulder to Scully - a dildo

Scully to Mulder - octopus porn  (no idea what that consists of)

 

Forgive me if this is an urban legend.

[madam magpie]

I haven't listened to any commentary on this episode or imagined what they got but I heard about the behind the scenes info about what literally the gifts were. Anyone can actually verify?

Mulder to Scully - a dildo

Scully to Mulder - octopus porn (no idea what that consists of)

Forgive me if this is an urban legend.

Gillian and David said this on a panel...at the Paley Center, maybe? I don't remember the octopus part of the porn, but it was awhile ago that I watched it. They were just kidding. My understanding is that no one's ever said for real what Mulder and Scully gave each other, but I've not read everything...

Edited March 4, 2016 by madam magpie

[Bastet]

Yeah, it's just a joke that Gillian and David, her especially, have made on more than one occasion over the years when asked (specifying it as octopus porn is her new addition).  I like the time she did the rabbit ears impression as her answer (meaning a Rabbit vibrator).

Edited March 5, 2016 by Bastet

[AntiBeeSpray]

Yeah, it's just a joke that Gillian and David, her especially, have made on more than one occasion over the years when asked (specifying it as octopus porn is her new addition).  I like the time she did the rabbit ears impression as her answer (meaning a Rabbit vibrator).

 

Yep.

 

And here's the link to the later addition, via her Twitter feed.

[spaulding]

Yep.

 

And here's the link to the later addition, via her Twitter feed.

 

I'm not a hardcore Mulder/Scully shipper anymore, but if I knew that a few years ago, it would totally be proof that they were doing it.  And my shipper self would be dying. 

 

Christmas ep: I laughed way too long over left cheek sneak. Yes, I think farts are funny. What? Scully's monologue on ghosts. How did Mulder not lay one on her right then and there? I'm sure there was much discussion on what gifts they gave each other. I think Mulder gave Scully a 'Hang in There' cat poster and she gave him Porn Stars of the 80's on VHS.

 

I re-watched this episode.  I love that no matter how much Scully was egged on, she didn't shoot Mulder.  She really does have that much faith in him. 

 

In the end, they spend Christmas together and get the appropriate gift.  And Scully accepts Mulder as he is--porn and all.

[festivus]

Tithonus: Yeah, uh, I empathize with Fellig even though he's a creeper. Being immortal would be horrible.

 

Two Fathers One Son: What is this? I almost understand what is going on here. I thought I had lost the plot by now. Must be later. Did mobster sounding guy just bite it? Yes, yes he did. Awesome. Also, Mulder you're an ass.

 

Monday: I always love a Groundhog's Day ep. Hmm wonder what Ed from Northern Exposure has been up to. *What? Are you kidding me? IMDB is down right now!

 

Arcadia: Mulder is just having way too much fun.

 

Milagro: My notes for this one are all over the place. I guess the main thing I take away is how a writer can lose control of his creation. From the many CC interviews I read back in the day, I took him at his word that he did not want a M/S romance. This is him acknowledging that it got away from him. These characters took on a life of their own.

 

The Unnatural: I'm a sucker for a baseball story. Jesse L. Martin has a great laugh. (Which he still pulls out quite regularly on The Flash.) Okay, I'm going to be that person. That Debbie Downer. I'm sorry but I just can't believe Scully has never hit a baseball. I'm not buying it!

 

Three of a kind: Hi cute drugged Scully. I wish I could see more of you.

 

Field Trip: It took me forever to watch this episode. I kept falling asleep. I swear it was some kind of contact high.

 

Biogenesis: And just like that I lost the plot again. Welcome back confusion, my old friend. FTF finally came but I still have to wait to watch because I gotta go watch the conclusion in S7. *twitch*

[Taryn74]

Milagro: My notes for this one are all over the place. I guess the main thing I take away is how a writer can lose control of his creation. From the many CC interviews I read back in the day, I took him at his word that he did not want a M/S romance. This is him acknowledging that it got away from him. These characters took on a life of their own.

 

 

Oh that's a really great way of looking at this one!  I kind of have a love/hate with Milagro, myself.  After seeing what a great actor the guy playing Padgett can be in other things, I have to believe that the way he played Padgett was intentional (rather than just a poor actor who wasn't quite sure who his character was supposed to be) and everything about him is just so......odd.  It's hard to get a good read on the character.

 

"Agent Scully is already in love."  I might swoon at that line.  Just a little.

 

The Unnatural: I'm a sucker for a baseball story. Jesse L. Martin has a great laugh.

 

 

He really does.  We haven't been watching The Flash this season (we watch everything online - which means that you have to stay on top of a show or you lose the eps - and we just couldn't keep up with it) but every time he would laugh it would just make me grin.

 

Tithonus and Monday are my two favorite "serious" eps of this season.  And S6 into S7 is really my favorite overall (which is a pretty unpopular opinion, heh).

 

G-d I love this show.

[festivus]

Oh that's a really great way of looking at this one!  I kind of have a love/hate with Milagro, myself.  After seeing what a great actor the guy playing Padgett can be in other things, I have to believe that the way he played Padgett was intentional (rather than just a poor actor who wasn't quite sure who his character was supposed to be) and everything about him is just so......odd.  It's hard to get a good read on the character.

 

 

I checked out some recaps online after I watched it because I'm oddly fascinated with this episode and there are some deep thoughts on it. Some people questioned that Scully would be talking to this creeper and basically arguing Mulder's usual side. When I was watching I just thought that this is the way he is writing her. Anyway, sorry, I don't really do writing deep thoughts well, I'm a 4 lines or less type of poster. I think I need to watch this one again. I was still thinking about it during Biogenesis. (Maybe that's why I lost the plot on that one. Nah.) This is one time I really wish I was better at getting my thoughts out. This episode is really interesting.

[GreenScreenFX]

What are some good recap websites?

[eleanorofaquitaine]

AV Club, Musings of an XPhile - I've also been listening to Kumail Nanjiani's podcast, The X-Files Files, and he's very good.

[madam magpie]

Tonight I finished Milagro. Liked it fine, though it felt a bit slow. Mostly I spent the entire episode thinking, "Holy smokes. That's Teardrop from Winter's Bone, and he is young!"

And then I watched The Unnatural, which I thought was a lot of fun. Scully and her tofutti cone, grabbing life by the testes, and Jesse L. Martin are all I need in my life.

Edited March 13, 2016 by madam magpie

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I have made it to season 6 (last night was Triangle and Dreamland I).  I watched season 6 and I think part of season 7 (I'm getting the sense that I never made it all the way through season 7 - I don't think I saw Requiem, for instance), but I wasn't on message boards at the time, so I didn't realize that season 6 was so "controversial." I mean, I was aware of the behind-the-scenes drama with the move and with David Duchovney's contract, etc., but I don't think I realized that so many people hated the more lighthearted episodes. That's too bad because in my view, even the more humorous episodes have a core of intelligent storytelling.  And what can I say, as a shipper, I like that they leaned in to the ship.

Also, my rewatch is really making me reassess Chris Carter (in a good way).  I mean, yes, his ideas don't always come together as nicely as some of the other writers, but I love the fact that he took big chances and made some really interesting episodes of television that conspicuously draw upon American culture.  Triangle, as an homage to the Wizard of Oz, is a great example of it. And I love how the episode distills the essence of The X-Files down into a few elements - the moral questions the show asks all of us ("how many lives are you willing to sacrifice for what you perceive is a greater good"?) and the relationship at its center. Mulder loves Scully. He loves her in every way. Scully saves Mulder. She will always do so. That's the show. If you don't like Triangle, how can you like the show?

As for Dreamland, I was surprised at how often I was laughing out loud during it. I vaguely remember it from the first time but as I've been going through my rewatch, I have been reminded of it.  David Duchovney's scenes with Nora Dunn are comic gold.

Edited May 10, 2016 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Taryn74]

20 minutes ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

As for Dreamland, I was surprised at how often I was laughing out loud during it. I vaguely remember it from the first time but as I've been going through my rewatch, I have been reminded of it.  David Duchovney's scenes with Nora Dunn are comic gold.

They really are.  It's even funnier IMO because from Joanne's POV she's just dealing with her exasperating husband.  We only get a glimpse of his real personality, I think.  He must be a real piece of work LOL.

Mulder kind of breaks my heart a little bit, too, how earnestly he's trying to actually be a good "husband" and "father" and it's still just one big fail.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

20 minutes ago, Taryn74 said:

They really are.  It's even funnier IMO because from Joanne's POV she's just dealing with her exasperating husband.  We only get a glimpse of his real personality, I think.  He must be a real piece of work LOL.

Mulder kind of breaks my heart a little bit, too, how earnestly he's trying to actually be a good "husband" and "father" and it's still just one big fail.

I mean, the funny thing is that Mulder really isn't trying to blow up Morris Fletcher's life, while Fletcher is totally trying to implode Mulder's. It's another demonstration of how deeply empathetic Mulder is under his cynicism and sarcastic blunder.

I do think it is interesting/funny that Scully seems to have no jealous reaction whatsoever to the fact that she catches Kersh's secretary coming out of Mulder's apartment.  I mean, beyond just saying that Mulder must have had traumatic brain injury.  Because basically Scully thinks that the only reason Mulder has sex with anyone is because something is deeply wrong.  (FWIW, she's not wrong).

Also, can I tell you how funny I think it is that Scully thinks that anyone could have gotten the yogurt/bee pollen information about her? Like, Scully, I love you but the whole world does not care that much about what you eat for lunch. There is literally only one other person on the planet that would care about that, and you're looking at him.  It shows how wrapped in their own little world Mulder and Scully really are.

Edited May 3, 2016 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Taryn74]

3 hours ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

Because basically Scully thinks that the only reason Mulder has sex with anyone is because something is deeply wrong.  (FWIW, she's not wrong).

Also, can I tell you how funny I think it is that Scully thinks that anyone could have gotten the yogurt/bee pollen information about her? Like, Scully, I love you but the whole world does not care that much about what you eat for lunch. There is literally only one other person on the planet that would care about that, and you're looking at him.  It shows how wrapped in their own little world Mulder and Scully really are.

 

Ha!  And ha!

[baileythedog]

7 hours ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

Because basically Scully thinks that the only reason Mulder has sex with anyone is because something is deeply wrong.  (FWIW, she's not wrong).

And you haven't even gotten to "The Rain King" yet. 

[Bastet]

Quote

And you haven't even gotten to "The Rain King" yet.

"The blind leading the blind."

Quote

If you don't like Triangle, how can you like the show?

I manage just fine. 

But, truthfully, I don't dislike it, I just don't get excited by it.  I think it's pretty much all hat and no horse, more a gimmick than a properly-developed episode.  It's beautifully directed, and a good concept, but the writing leaves something to be desired.  So CC in a nutshell, I guess.  I mostly remember nodding along with Jessica's TWoP recap like a bobblehead.  I say this every time, because it's the other thing I clearly remember -- the four arched eyebrows as the two Scullys pass each other is a work of art.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Bastet

[eleanorofaquitaine]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

"The blind leading the blind."

I manage just fine. 

But, truthfully, I don't dislike it, I just don't get excited by it.  I think it's pretty much all hat and no horse, more a gimmick than a properly-developed episode.  It's beautifully directed, and a good concept, but the writing leaves something to be desired.  So CC in a nutshell, I guess.  I mostly remember nodding along with Jessica's TWoP recap like a bobblehead.  I say this every time, because it's the other thing I clearly remember -- the four arched eyebrows as the two Scullys pass each other is a work of art.

IMO, it's one thing to say it isn't the greatest thing ever. It's another to not like it.  But I would argue that the writing as a whole isn't bad - like I said, I think that Carter captures some essence of what the show is about, conceptually.  Carter isn't great with dialogue (obviously), that's where his biggest weakness is, IMO.  But when it comes to the big picture or coming up with interesting ideas that can be translated visually, he is actually pretty good.  And while I still think he isn't naturally a shipper, I think he does understand the pure romance at the core of Mulder and Scully's relationship.

Funnily enough, I have been thinking lately that inadvertently, Carter made some choices with regard to Mulder and Scully that actually made the relationship seem more romantic than he intended.  Going back to the scene in the Pilot, apparently the scene in the motel room was to forestall talk of a romance because they didn't have sex. But all it really ended up doing is showing these two characters who were respectful of each other and each other's boundaries, which set up this great relationship.  And so by the time we get to Triangle, he's highlighting their relationship with all of this platonic ideal of romance history.

Anyway, that doesn't mean I agree with all of his choices or that he is above criticism. Just that he appreciate what he did with them at this point a little bit more than I did the first time around.

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 hours ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

IMO, it's one thing to say it isn't the greatest thing ever. It's another to not like it.  But I would argue that the writing as a whole isn't bad - like I said, I think that Carter captures some essence of what the show is about, conceptually.  Carter isn't great with dialogue (obviously), that's where his biggest weakness is, IMO.  But when it comes to the big picture or coming up with interesting ideas that can be translated visually, he is actually pretty good.  And while I still think he isn't naturally a shipper, I think he does understand the pure romance at the core of Mulder and Scully's relationship.

Funnily enough, I have been thinking lately that inadvertently, Carter made some choices with regard to Mulder and Scully that actually made the relationship seem more romantic than he intended.  Going back to the scene in the Pilot, apparently the scene in the motel room was to forestall talk of a romance because they didn't have sex. But all it really ended up doing is showing these two characters who were respectful of each other and each other's boundaries, which set up this great relationship.  And so by the time we get to Triangle, he's highlighting their relationship with all of this platonic ideal of romance history.

Anyway, that doesn't mean I agree with all of his choices or that he is above criticism. Just that he appreciate what he did with them at this point a little bit more than I did the first time around.

Yea, back then. Now... not any more. I'm not sure what happened, but he seems to have lost whatever he had back then.

Back on season 6, agreed XD. It is really ironic to see that in hindsight. 

Yup.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

We watched Arcadia and Alpha last night, and man, is Alpha just terrible.  I mean, in my view, it is so bad that I think I may rate it the worst episode of The X-Files ever.  (Granted, I haven't yet gotten to First Person Shooter or Fight Club, but I also don't hate Kathy Griffin the way many people do, so I am not sure if I will have the visceral reaction that others do. I don't remember seeing them the first time around).

This is in part because I am not an animal person, so the kind of self-righteous dog lover that Karin is really doesn't appeal to me.  But beyond that, the main plot doesn't make any sense and the sub plot - Scully is suspicious of Karin's designs on Mulder - makes even less sense.  I mean, Agua Mala wasn't great but at least the plot was easy enough to follow.

Meanwhile, the boyfriend did not love Monday because he was sad that Pam died, but I still think it is great.  In general, I really do love season 6 because I think it hits some really high notes.

Edited May 9, 2016 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Taryn74]

Monday is one of my favorite eps of the entire series.  It hit ALL the right notes, IMO.

[Bastet]

I love Monday, too.

Alpha I really can't remember.  I know I watched it; I was already watching only semi-regularly by this point in the series, so there are some I missed, but I remember rolling my eyes at this one - just no clear memories of what I was rolling my eyes about.  And now when I think of it, I just think of the video posted up thread:

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I was still watching regularly during season 6 but it was also my first year of graduate school, so it's possible I missed some of these episodes.  For instance, I couldn't for the life of me remember seeing S.R. 819 either (and ahem, nerdy policy wonky nitpick - Senate bills are designated with just an S, not SR. House bills are HR).  I know I started skipping season 7 episodes.

Anyway, give me a memorable failure of an episode than a boring one. Though, Alpha isn't so much boring as it is ENTIRELY nonsensical, and everyone in it awful - including Mulder and Scully.  I mean, DD and GA do their best but both characters are pretty unlikeable in this one, and I rarely say that about them.  Mulder comes off as totally clueless, without the depth of empathy he usually displays, and Scully comes off as rigid and just mean, without the sense of groundedness or discovery that she usually displays. Just no good.

[festivus]

I don't hate Kathy Griffin either but Fight Club is bad. Just really horribly bad. I doubt I'll ever watch it again. OTOH I don't mind Alpha and I will watch it again someday.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, festivus said:

I don't hate Kathy Griffin either but Fight Club is bad. Just really horribly bad. I doubt I'll ever watch it again. OTOH I don't mind Alpha and I will watch it again someday.

I didn't mind that episode. Found it better than FPS. That's one ep I'll never watch again.