Differences between the dvds and the book are shown, where appropriate. This second episode furthered the overarching alien mythologies to the x files and also introduced viewers to mulders initial informant, deep throat, who opened up the notion that there was a shadow government of sorts also involved with the x files. They released a four volume collection a few years back of mythology only episodes, so this can be considered a definitive list. There is also a reference book that has a listing of the mythology episodes. Aug 09, 2017 im not a viewer of the fox television series the x files, but i do know that the show likes to switch it up between mythology episodes that advance the overarching story and standalone monster. The mythology of the xfiles, sometimes referred to as its mytharc by the shows staff and. The x files, which set a new standard for science fiction during its nine year run, alternated between two types of scripts, standalone episodes and long story arcs. The xfiles season 11 will only have 2 mythology episodes august 9, 2017 by. For every mythology related episode in each season, sitemaster derek beebe provides a rundown, an analysis, and a bulleted list of plot points.
Ignoring this, mulder takes scully on a hunt for a rampaging alien. Behind the series, the myths and the movies, but someone has changed it since then. Get the full xfiles backstory with our mythology episode. Many mythology collections of the x files episodes have been released on dvd. Last nights disappointing, muddled finale of the x files delved deeply into the shows mythology, and arguably made it even more nonsensical than it. Every xfiles season 11 episode you must watch before the.
We do the impossible and condense 206 hours of story into one easytodigest list in order to prepare you for mulder and scullys return. The only other instance of an episode of the xfiles earning a viewer discretion warning was in the season eight episode, via negativa. Mulder is a jack bauerlike action hero who can take down trained professional soldiers, unfazed by the consequences of his unlawful actions. These episodes are not necessary to watch to follow the mythology arc of the series. Episodes of the series were first broadcast on the fox television network, starting with the pilot episode on september 10, 1993. With only six in total, the pressure was on, so even decent episodes seemed to fall short after the long wait. The essential xfiles episodes, a list by travis gosselink. The x files produced some of tvs best, weirdest, scariest, and silliest episodes. Avatar was the first and the story for this episode continues on the theme from avatar, of skinner being blackmailed by the cigarette smoking man. Non mythology episodes that provide important character development or are somehow connected with the central theme. The ultimate xfiles skippable guide for those who are marathoning but only want the best the ultimate xfiles skippable guide. When the x files returned to fox for its sixepisode 10th season in. With the x files coming back to tv in the nottoodistant future, i figure people are going to start watching the series to catch up. The second volume of mythology episodes from the tv series x files.
The x files is the exception that proves the rule that season one is always a bit iffy in fact, season one is one of the strongest seasons of the show. The 10 best xfiles mythology episodes paste paste magazine. After the events of the x files 1998 movie, mulder and scullys new boss, kersh, assigns agents spender and fowley to work on the x files instead of them. Finally, there are many episodes that are considered classic x files because they simply are great standalone television, but they are standalones and even in different genres. I found the first four episodes pretty entertaining. Now that the return of the xfiles is upon us, its the perfect time to revisit all nine seasons and 202 episodes of the original series before were thrust back into the world of fox mulder. Sep 11, 2018 as is the case with many tv shows, the x files didnt immediately offer audiences the quality we would come to expect later on in the series, with a majority of the early episodes leaning into. Home was the only episode of the x files to carry a tv ma rating upon broadcast and the first to receive a viewer discretion warning for graphic content. Not all episodes advanced the mythology plot, but the ones that did were often set up by mulder or scully via an opening monologue. With that established, if you want to watch all the arc plot episodes and skip all. David duchovny appears in only about half of season eight. Only watching the mythology would actually leave you with less impression of the characters than skipping it altogether.
The sixth extinction episodes are two of the weakest mythology episodes ive seen. With the xfiles coming back to tv in the nottoodistant future, i figure people. Where can i quickly check if a given xfiles episode is a motw or arc episode. It has been years since the show went off the air.
David madden, president of fox broadcasting, told the television critics association the mythology. If i only watch mythology episodes will i get lost. The 2018 run will have 10 episodes, but only two will continue the x files mythology directly. Jan 20, 2016 9 seasons of the x files mythology explained in one infographic. Jan 19, 2016 get the full xfiles backstory with our mythology episode viewing guide.
Xfiles mythology episodes, a list by michael dayah trakt. Agent dana scully is instructed to debunk an fbi project dubbed the x files, paranormal cases that have been reopened by agent fox mulder. I have only two rules when rewatching the old x files. This leads to a straightup horror show of an episode that excels in the way only scary episodes of the xfiles. Jan 21, 2016 all 201 episodes of the xfiles, ranked. The x files was an iconic scifi drama series that always kept us on the edge of our seats. On april 20, 2017, fox officially announced the xfiles would be returning for an eleventh. It seemed like in the early seasons there were more episodes that werent totally mythology related but had a the govt is covering this up element to it. The dvds and the book differ on a few episodes, i believe it is mainly episodes that are monster of the week but have a mythologyarc character show up somewhere in the episode. However, with the struggle episodes, especially this season, carter has turned the xfiles mythology into an action flick completely different from its atmospheric roots. The third volume of the x files mythology series picks up in the fifth season, when much of the series alienconspiracy themes begin to be revealed. The x files season 11 will include 2 mythology and 8 standalone episodes tv the x files about 2 years ago by joey paur some new details have surfaced for the highly anticipated eleventh season of the x files. In october 2015, it was confirmed that the complete series would be reissued on bluray, and the full set was released on december 8, 2015. Foxs revival of the xfiles in 2016 was successful enough to warrant a second season.
There were 202 episodes of the xfiles, but for the purposes of this list, i considered. Differences between the dvds and the book were shown, where appropriate, but they are not anymore, and in any case entries have been added and removed at. We identify specific mythology conspiracy arc episodes, and related details. The xfiles mythology, volume 4 super soldiers wikipedia. Written by series creator chris carter and directed by daniel sackheim, the episode introduced several elements which would become staples of the series mythology. It is not the worst one episode cause later seasons like season 9 they were worse episodes. So for those wanting to rewatch the show but not sift through the entire series, these are the. The title colonization refers to a secret plan, traced back to roswell 1947, in which aliens will colonize the earth and obliterate normal human life through the use.
After searching online for a definitive guide to which x files episodes arent necessary in the grand scheme of rewatching, i was frustrated to mostly find top 10 lists. A good mythology episode that builds to a delicious final reveal when skinners foe emerges from the shadows. Dec 28, 2017 the xfiles is the exception that proves the rule that season one is always a bit iffy in fact, season one is one of the strongest seasons of the show. The xfiles season 11 will only have 2 mythology episodes. Skip all the mythology episodes waste of time and stop watching after season 5. Xfiles mythology episodes, a list by michael dayah. The 5 best and 5 worst episodes of the xfiles screenrant. I was wondering if you can skip any monster of the week type episodes or if anyone has some kind of guide for essential episodes main story arc. Imo the mythology wasnt what made the x files so good, it was the characters. This sets the template for the mythology episodes to follow, and features a. The episodes collected in the release form the end of the series mythology, and are centered on those that involve the alien super soldiers and dana scullys gillian anderson son, william. Hungry is written by vince gilligan, my favorite x files writer.
Dec 29, 2017 foxs the x files is back again with more cumbersome mythology from chris carter and another dazzling darin morgan standalone. The four mythology sets contain most of the story arc scripts. The first movie takes place between seasons five and six is and important. Numbered brackets indicate the mythology episode is in a multipart storyline. I think this list should give you all the episodes. It is a mystery murder episode that makes no sense to me. Sort the list by imdb rating to figure out what motw episodes to watch and what not they might be irrelevant but a lot of them are still very entertaining. The mythology episodes kind of stopped making sense after a while and some monsteroftheweek episodes were just too nonsensical to be enjoyable.
Major, liferuining spoilers are not included in these descriptions, only kernels to indicate the. Humbug is requisite x files viewing and a segment that only gets better with age. They released a four volume collection a few years back of mythologyonly episodes, so this. Mulder fights to prove that a discovery frozen in the mountains of canada is irrefutable evidence of alien life, but his quest for the truth only leads. Ones with are the best episodes of the series, but not part of the mythology. Ones with a are not essential mythology episodes, but connect to the mythology.
The 2018 run will have 10 episodes, but only two will continue the xfiles mythology directly. Christmas carol is not my favorite x files episode i dont like it. The second movie takes place after the series and may or may not be important to the new series. The x files is in fullon meta commentary mode and its rarely been better, making a poignant note about ufo conspiracies in one of its best episodes ever. Fight the future, was released, starring the main cast of the television series. Its a long series with a complicated plot, and only some of the episodes are. Foxs revival of the x files in 2016 was successful enough to warrant a second season. After all that time, even scully and mulder would probably need a refresher. The x files is an american science fiction drama television series created by chris carter.
As is the case with many tv shows, the x files didnt immediately offer audiences the quality we. The episodes collected in the release form the end of the series mythology, and are centered on those that involve the alien super soldiers. Zero sum is the second skinneroriented episode in the x files. The xfiles trolls us all to explain why we believe ufo. Daily deads guide to the essential mythology episodes of. All of the xfiles mythos that was retconned by the revival. The dvds and the book differ on a few episodes, i believe it is mainly episodes that are monster of the week but have a mythology arc. This list of mythology episodes is taken from official sources, the xfiles mythology range of dvds and. All x files mythology episodes refine see titles to watch instantly, titles you havent rated, etc. The tenth season of the american science fiction television series the xfiles commenced airing in the united states on january 24, 2016, on fox. Season one in the first season of the xfiles, creator chris carter was uncertain of the series future, so each of the episodes is a selfcontained suspense story. The xfiles season 11 will include 2 mythology and 8. Even though only a handful of episodes were dedicated to spinning this overriding mythology each year, they clearly stand out as the best of what.
Deep throat is the second episode of the first season of the american science fiction television series the x files, which premiered on the fox network on september 17, 1993. The mythology episodes in season nine are really bad. These are not the best episodes, but the ones most important for catching up with the x files mythology. Black oil, the second volume in the x files mythology series, covers one of the x files weirder concepts. The xfiles is one of the most important, influential drama series ever made, but its often written off as just another sciencefiction series that had an overly complicated mythology and fell apart toward the end of its run. With the x files revival, i figure people are going to start watching the series to catch up. Owing to that content, the network would not repeat the episode, the only time in the history of the series that this happened.
Where can i quickly check if a given xfiles episode is a. In honor, of x files coming back, here are the 18 mythology and standalone monster episodes you need to catch up on. Finally, there are many episodes that are considered classic x files because they simply are great standalone television, but they are standalones and even in. Its safe to say that the xfiles has one of, if not the, most complicated narratives told in the television format, partially a consequence of its running for nine seasons and two feature films and partially the direct result of creatorshowrunner chris carters deliberate, convoluted storytelling methodology. This list of mythology episodes is taken from official sources, the xfiles. X files was one those things that i only knew through memestheme osmosis, never watched it aside stray episodes. Its a long series with a complicated plot, and only some of the episodes are about that plot. The season consists of six episodes and concluded airing on february 22, 2016.
They released a four volume collection a few years back of mythologyonly episodes, so this can be considered a definitive list. On april 23, 2015, netflix began streaming episodes of the x files in high definition, marking the first time that the series has been made available in the high resolution format in north america. Next xfiles season will only have two mythology episodes. The x files mythology volume 4 collection is the fourth dvd release containing selected episodes from the eighth to the ninth seasons of the american science fiction television series the x files. Cody hamman im not a viewer of the fox television series the x. This list contains all the monsters of the week episodes of the x files.
Check out this great infographic that accurately lays out all 9 seasons of the hit scifi tv show. Home is a monsteroftheweek story, unconnected to the overarching mythology of the x files. Mar 04, 2016 the sixepisode 10th season of the x files has come and gone, but the debate over whether this was a welcome return for mulder and scully, or a creative bust that should have never made it to the. Where can i quickly check if a given xfiles episode is a motw or arc. The ultimate xfiles skippable guide for those who are. This list of mythology episodes was originally taken from official sources, the x files mythology range of dvds and the book the complete x files.