The X-Files : Season 1

I recently blogged about my rewatching the X-Files series after a gap of almost 6 or 7 years. In the meantime I’ve only watched the second movie which came out in 2008 and which I watched in 2009. I have the copy but it wasn’t to my taste and I’ve not watched it a second time. Anyway, I started downloading the first season and watching them one episode at a time and quite enjoyed this trip down memory lane.  The first season initial aired from September 10, 1993 and concluded on May 13, 1994 lasting 24 episodes.

Funny thing, before I go ahead, is that had you asked me a few years ago which tv series I would have wanted to own my own copies of (either a box set or digital copies on hard disks) I would have answered in the following order as 1. Star Trek (all series). 2. X-Files. 3. Battlestar Galactica 4. V & 5. The Simpsons. I don’t own the Simpsons yet because of two reasons – a) it’s too long at 22 seasons and still going and b) they always show it on tv here so I don’t miss it yet. But I have the other 3 and the X-Files was put on the back burner. Anyway, that is being rectified at the moment. So on we go with season 1.

We see the debut & death of Deep Throat, played  by Jerry Hardin, who appears in 7 episodes. He appears to first warn agent Mulder of the dangers he is getting himself into and offer to help him with information & guidance. We also see the iconic Cigarette Smoking Man (William B David) & towards the last few episodes Asst. Director Skinner (Mitch Pellegi). Mulder & Scully join up as partners, one believer and one skeptic, creating of the best duos in television history. The battle Tooms, the guy who has extended his life drastically by consuming the human livers of his recently killed victims and who can squeeze himself through the narrowest gaps to get to places. We see alien abduction cases in the Pilot episode, an encounter in Space, Fallen Angel, Gender Bender, EBE and the final episode we see the iconic alien fetus stored in liquid nitrogen.

Other than these we see the two agents also investigating other kinds of strange cases – like the thief who is shot and his soul is transferred to that of a dying FBI agent who was pursuing him and was shot by the thief (Lazarus) and the case of the evangelistic  healing young man (Miracle Man). We have an encounter with The Jersey Devil, a woman who lived in the wild and fed on humans, along with her mate and a small child. We see a ghost who protects his secretary, a younger woman who he has paternal affection for and reveals his killer and also the case of an 8 year old girl who seems to be the reincarnation of a young police who was killed around the same time as the girl was conceived (Born Again). Through the girl the cop is able to get his killers and make them confess to his murder. Also we have Eve, one that creeped me out a bit  – it’s about cloning or super intelligent humans. Watch that episode – you will get the creeps too.

You also have tiny bugs that were disturbed in their natural habitat, by massive logging efforts, after centuries of lying dormant and attacks people in swarms (Darkness Falls). We also see lycans, which I felt was kind of out of character for the series, in Shapes. All in all a very good first season and forged the makings of a cult hit. To see a young Mulder and sweet young Scully (David Duchovny was 32  and Gillian Anderson was 24 when shooting started). The show made the two of them stars and household names and becoming a landmark tv series itself. Onto season 2.