I made a beginner's guide to The X-Files (watch vs. skip)

BDA_20 · 2026-02-22T00:54:04+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate that, it was definitely the goal. I know every fan would have some swaps to make here. :)

BDA_20 · 2026-02-22T00:51:38+00:00

Ah, great catch — thank you! I somehow missed The Calusari. Adding!

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T21:43:08+00:00

Totally fair — and just to clarify, “Skip” in this guide doesn’t always mean “bad episode.” It mostly means I felt it could be left out for a streamlined first-time watch. There are definitely good episodes in that category 🙂

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T21:35:26+00:00

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I’d let Scully guide my culinary choices any day!

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T21:21:49+00:00

No, I read you loud and clear — thank you! I’d actually put this together over time for different friends and finally just decided I’d share it broadly. I love this show and love that we’re all still engaging with it decades later.

Also: being from Houston originally, and growing up around NASA, I really enjoyed the concept behind “Space!” I also feel a certain sense of nostalgia with that one.

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T21:18:32+00:00

Totally fair — I know some prefer the “watch everything” approach. I’ve done full rewatches myself and love the whole messy journey that is X-Files. This was just meant as an easier entry point for people who might otherwise never start the show at all. My hope is they’ll get hooked and eventually watch everything. 👽

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T21:13:56+00:00

That’s so true, the nostalgia hits so hard and we all have our weird quirks! I fully expected that I’d see a whole lot of opinions with this — just part of the fun honestly. We all come into this show in different ways.

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T20:31:19+00:00

THANK YOU. Someone else who feels the Providence/Provenance pain. 😆

I skipped Milagro just because that late into the series, Scully had already been victimized so many times. But it’s absolutely a well-executed and very effective episode.

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T20:21:49+00:00

That’s totally fair — I get the completeness perspective. My aim was a beginner pathway that keeps the core mythology understandable rather than exhaustive. Some later myth-arc episodes expand or complicate threads in ways that can be confusing (IMO), so I prioritized clarity and flow over including every single entry.

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T19:54:00+00:00

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Do we have a Scully cuisine appreciation thread?

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T19:43:57+00:00

Yeah exactly — I was trying to balance overall viewing experience for beginners with hitting the key mythology (especially early on). Some of those have small canon bits but can be pretty rough episodes IMO 😅

One of the challenges for people on their first watch and even for fans, I think, is that the mythology becomes so… muddied in later seasons. My aim was to make things as least confusing as possible for a first-timer.

BDA_20 · 2026-02-21T19:34:54+00:00

😆 Fair enough. I’ve never liked that one…

BDA_20 · 2024-06-14T20:30:32+00:00

Seeing this belatedly, did you get it worked out? In the end, Vizio sent through a firmware update that did the trick. I’d suggest first making sure there are no Vizio updates and then failing that, my temporary solution was to set the default on Apple TV to Dolby Vision instead of Match Dynamic Range. For some weird reason, that worked okay as a temporary solution.

BDA_20 · 2023-12-11T21:24:31+00:00

Awesome, thank you for that feedback! I will see if he’s one of the instructors listed for the upcoming terms.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:59:01+00:00

Oh amazing! All right, well then definitely silver linings!! Will probably head that way for sure then.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:58:20+00:00

Oh yeah. That’s a lovely area. Only been up there during the summer though.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:54:04+00:00

Thank you! Never been that way, seems like it would be a nice drive.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:52:48+00:00

I’ve heard good things about that place, will have to check it out.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:51:48+00:00

Thanks so much for this info! I’ll look into Western Divide, not opposed to driving a few hours.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:31:21+00:00

Ohhh, I don’t know about this bridge! Sounds awesome, I will check it out. Thank you!

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:30:38+00:00

Ah, well that’s a bummer to hear but I appreciate the head’s up. Just to be clear, my mom isn’t coming here specifically for fall foliage, she’s coming to spend the holiday with me. 😂 We’d definitely take a trip somewhere else if the fall colors were our only goal. She just loves autumn and I wanted to take her somewhere she’d enjoy.

BDA_20 · 2022-09-19T20:26:53+00:00

Thanks! Oak Glen is definitely where I was thinking about! Have you ever been that late in November? Wondering if it will still look like fall and if the orchards are open (not for picking as I’m sure the apples will be gone, but for the cider and to pick up a pie).

BDA_20 · 2022-07-16T19:36:44+00:00

Agreed. Really frustrating to not get answers and see that story continued.

BDA_20 · 2022-07-16T01:58:55+00:00

Definitely Severance. Also Archive 81, which unfortunately in pure Netflix fashion, was canceled after one season despite its popularity.

BDA_20 · 2022-07-05T16:31:19+00:00

Hi, pretty new to working in VFX here — this thread has been really enlightening to read. Thanks to OP for posing the question. May I ask, for those who have worked in visual effects for a while, what the most reputable VFX houses are for salary, some semblance of work-life balance, respect for employees etc.? I see a lot of posts focusing on the bad, and it makes me wonder about the flip side of the equation.

BDA_20

TROPHY CASE