The X-Files Review: Season 1
In some sort of retro-obsessive, relive-the-glory-years type of deal, I decided to watch The X-Files again. Every episode. I just finished Season 1, and here’s my review:
Season 1 is pretty weak over-all, with glimpses of genius here and there. The pilot is quite amateurish in regards to production values, but in retrospect did a good job of introducing almost all of the major characters and themes that would be consistently explored throughout the series.
“Squeeze” is the first ‘good’ episode, and “Beyond The Sea” is damn near perfect. The pacing, story, and even directing are all top notch. The ‘creature feature’ weekly format interspersed with slow progression of the overarching alien/government conspiracy is nicely established, and sets the pace for the following seasons.
The season finale of “The Erlenmeyer Flask” was a letdown for me, and felt strangely unfinished. Scully finally comes around to Mulder’s worldview after holding a frozen alien-hybrid fetus in her hands, but the anti-climactic death of Deep Throat and subsequent dissolution of the X-Files doesn’t carry much emotional punch.
Overall I was surprisingly attached to Mulder and Scully already, considering how little information was actually revealed about their personalities. The little glimpses of emotion and motivation that occasionally slipped through their steely FBI exteriors hinted at hidden complexities that I was eager to explore further.
With spotty story lines (“Ghost in the Machine” and “Space” stand out as exceptionally bad) and strange casting decisions (thought Season 2’s Alex Krycek looked familiar? Nicholas Lea also played a near-victim in Season 1’s “Gender Bender”), X-Files’ premier season stumbled out of the gate but had enough flashes of depth to keep me watching.
Overall score: 6/10
