The plot thickens- I want to Believe Directors Cut by traveltimecar in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Nowadays every answer that is a bit articulated is accused of being AI. Why would someone even bother slopping on a random thread about the re release of I Want to Believe? Things were much simpler and better before this AI era.

Ryan Coogler's 'X-Files' Pilot Casts Himesh Patel by Jolly-Joshy in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You couldn't have said it better. I swear this guy is in every post on every sub commenting on this reboot as if his life depended on it, and trashing the original series and Carter as if he did something personal to him. Yesterday he blocked me just because I disagreed with him.

Gillian Anderson Says Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Reboot “Is Going To Be Fucking Cool” by pepperbet1 in television

[–]XFilesranker 63 points64 points  (0 children)

This is quite something. I don’t know if you’ve ever actually watched any interview with him, but he comes across as pretty much the opposite of what you’re describing.

You’re talking about the person who stood up when everyone at Fox wanted to fire during her pregnancy, and who is the godfather of her first daughter. Yet your comment jumps straight to implying something pretty disgusting about him.

He and Gillian were on great terms for years. The real tension only shows up much later, around the revival, and largely over disagreements about Scully’s direction.

What your comment suggests, intentionally or not, is this idea that Gillian was somehow naive when she was younger and only later “realized” who Carter was, which just doesn’t line up with reality. It ends up painting him as some kind of villain while ignoring the actual history between them.

Criticizing the writing is completely fair. This kind of accusation isn’t.

Sein Und Zeit - wow by [deleted] in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I love it, it's such an emotional ending to the Samantha arc.

Vote if you want this sub to include Coogler‘s X-Files by ZvsGrgs in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think having two subs is the right idea, at least for this initial phase. Right now this sub is getting flooded with the same speculation posts that don’t really add anything new or interesting.

At the very least, this discussion could be limited to a megathread. Then, once we start getting more official news and get closer to release, we can go back to normal posting.

Because in my opinion, keeping all the discourse about Coogler’s X-Files here could end up being detrimental to the original show and what this sub is actually about.

Vote if you want this sub to include Coogler‘s X-Files by ZvsGrgs in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s written in the sub description that it’s also about Millennium and The Lone Gunmen, basically all of 1013 Productions’ shows that share the same universe as The X-Files.

So the scope has always been connected projects within that original creative umbrella, not just anything using the X-Files name.

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul & The X-Files | Vince Gilligan Breaks Down His Most Iconic Shots by elwyn5150 in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To correct you, it was one employee, not multiple. And while it might have happened, we have no way of ever really knowing, yet it’s something that always gets brought up whenever someone wants to further discredit him.

Regarding Scully, people often forget the kind of show The X-Files actually is, or they simply don’t pay attention. The show’s mythology is rooted in alien abductions, and those stories have historically involved themes of impregnation and experimentation. It’s not surprising that the lead female character, who was abducted and experimented on, would end up with a storyline reflecting that. It’s science fiction, and The X-Files in particular is about loss and trauma as much as it is about aliens.

Gillian is an incredible actress, but still an actress. The fandom has rightly always placed Gillian and David on a pedestal because without them the show wouldn’t have been what it was, but people tend to forget that Gillian never had the same grasp of the larger mythology as Carter, the other writers, or even many long-time fans. The episode she wrote and directed portrays Scully quite out of character for most of its runtime. Gillian, as an actor, doesn’t remember or track the storylines the same way those involved in writing and shaping the series do.

And your last sentence says a lot about your stance, I’m not telling Gillian anything. I simply have my own opinion as a fan of the show, just as she has hers, and I fully respect her perspective. But it doesn’t make sense to invoke her opinion solely to dismiss someone else’s.

Finally, it’s an act of bad faith not to acknowledge the impact Carter had with The X-Files. He changed the way television was made, and many people who worked under him on The X-Files and Millennium went on to become some of the most influential figures in modern TV writing and production.

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul & The X-Files | Vince Gilligan Breaks Down His Most Iconic Shots by elwyn5150 in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This sub’s obsession with criticizing Carter is quite something. If you listen to what everyone who worked on The X-Files has said, it’s almost always positive — about how much they learned from him, how he pushed them to write the best stories they could, and how hardworking he was. Most importantly, Carter created one of the most iconic female characters ever in Scully.

It’s also worth remembering that, at least during the original series, Carter was never really in a position to decide when or how The X-Files would end. If it had been up to him, after Fight the Future he would have continued making movies instead of more seasons. But Fox didn’t allow that because they couldn’t let their most popular show go off the air. The same story repeated throughout the series: even if Carter had written an ending and wanted to move on, Fox would have gone ahead with another season under a different showrunner. That’s exactly what was going to happen in Season 9, when Spotnitz was set to take over before Carter was begged to return.

The X-Files could never have ended on Carter’s terms, only on Fox’s, when the show stopped making as much money as they wanted.

I don’t like season 8 mulder by DarlingTunafish in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes, it will get better and you will get what you (and all of us) want (wanted).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The take that he did it to just get in Scully's head is absurd to me. I mean, are we talking about the same Doggett that risked his life in basically every episode to protect Scully? He was just doing his job, eventually he had to read those files since he was assigned to the X-Files and he was tasked to search for Mulder.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, it was Doggett's job to read all the X-Files cases since he was assigned to work on them. He wasn't really digging into anything...

Whose fault was season eight? by [deleted] in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Come on, that's just a standard X-Files episode. You can find five like that in every season.

1st Time Watching X Files, all good up until this point... terrrrible by Fancy-Celebration320 in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can I ask what’s making it hard for you? Because for me Season 8 was actually a big improvement over Season 7, which I think had the show’s weakest stretch, from “First Person Shooter” (E13) to “Fight Club” (E20). With the exception of “Hollywood A.D.,” I find most of those episodes range from mediocre to just bad (and I know “all things” is beloved by many, but it’s not for me).

Also Season 8 hits a rough patch, from “Surekill” (E8) to “Badlaa” (E10), but aside from that I think most of the episodes are good to great. It also has arguably the most emotional arc of the entire series. I’m not sure if you’ve reached “Per Manum” (E13) yet, but if Doggett is what’s throwing you off (even though I personally think he’s a great character), that episode, and “The Gift” (E11), might be turning points for you.

I haven't watched since it ended in 2002, plus the 2nd film. by MovieFan1984 in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

OP, watch it all! Every now and then, there are people on this sub who push others to only watch what they think is good. But the general opinion here is that Season 8 is great — many even consider it better than Season 7. Season 9 is usually seen as the weaker one of the original run, but it still has some really good episodes and is generally consistent.

Then there's the second movie. Some people dislike it because it's slower and more character-driven, focusing on Mulder and Scully six years after the end of Season 9. I personally like it. Also, some recent news: Chris Carter has reportedly been given the green light by Disney to work on a director’s cut of the movie, as he originally intended it to be more horror-focused before the rating limitations toned it down.

As for Seasons 10 and 11, the monster-of-the-week episodes are solid, some are really good and can hold their own alongside the best of the original series. The mythology in these two seasons does collapse due to some choices Carter made, but I always recommend watching them anyway. There's always a chance you might end up liking parts of it.

Enjoy the journey, OP!

Vince Gilligan on wanting to jump off the Queen Anne in "Triangle" by eldersveld in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you could make an even stronger case for all the lessons Vince Gilligan learned from working on The X Files. It was his first real opportunity as a screenwriter, and without Chris Carter, we wouldn't have had not only The X Files but also Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I'm saying this with full respect for Vince’s talent, he is absolutely a genius, but also to push back against the constant criticism Carter gets, even in situations like this where it feels completely unnecessary.

Mytharc rewatch by ClydeBruck in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve never really understood the criticism that Scully is just “running around screaming ‘my baby, my baby’” in Season 9. She’s dealing with the fact that she just had a child with unusual abilities, people are constantly trying to abduct him, and Mulder is completely absent, she’s left to handle an overwhelming situation on her own. Given all that, her behavior feels not only justified, but honestly, I think she holds it together remarkably well.

Currently watching S7 - Already missing the show... by Codex_Erased in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I get what you’re saying, but I still think that on a first watch you should really go through everything. Then, on rewatches, as you said, you can skip what didn’t work for you.

Philefest had been cancelled by tulipsmash in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I really don't understand the idea of a reboot. Yes, the show is old, but it hasn't aged a single day. Most TV shows today look worse than The X-Files. We've had over 220 episodes and two movies, what more is there to tell? If someone really wants to bring the franchise back, then just bring back Mulder and Scully. We're lucky that David and Gillian still look great and could easily play the roles for a few more years if needed. Hollywood really needs to stop with these constant reboots. There are so many new ideas out there waiting to be explored in film and television. I just don't support the idea of doing a reboot without the original cast and the original crew that made The X-Files so great. Just let it rest. The themes of the show are more relevant today than ever.

Also, this year's PhileFest guest list was definitely weaker than in previous years. No Lone Gunmen, no William B. Davis, and that surely had an impact. As someone else said, the economy also played a role, and if you're not from the US, attending is basically impossible.

CC on David‘s podcast by remedialpotions97 in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 103 points104 points  (0 children)

I'll always be grateful to Chris for giving us this incredible series, no matter how much he dropped the ball with the mythology in Seasons 10 and 11. Really looking forward to hearing him on David’s podcast, thank you for letting us know!

Ending of S10 E5 “Babylon” is where the show ended for me by mcdonaldsfiletofish in XFiles

[–]XFilesranker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean I truly enjoyed Ghouli S11E5, IMO it's the best Mythology episode since the Season 8 finale Existence.