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Well, since a minor debate seems to have started in another topic, and because I recently found cheep 1st, 2nd and 3rd season X Files DVD's that have re-fueled my facination with this series...

What is your favorite X Files episode?

Im hard pressed to choose mine, probably because I havent been able to find all of them on DVD *L*.  But I love the Flukeman, the circus freaks and the one that had Bruce Cambell in it as a demon.

Any other X Files fans out there?

Definitely the flukeman and the circus freaks for me too. I also enjoyed an early episode with little luminescent bugs that cocoon people. It was one of the first I ever saw, and it hooked me on the show.

Can't say I'm a huge fan of the X-Files, but I used to watch it weekly. In it's first couple of seasons, when it was still a Friday night show, a couple of buddies and I used to get together and watch it over beers before going to the bar. The conversation often turned to just how hot Scully was. Kind of lost interest when the overarching consipracy started to replace the monster-of-the-week format. Jumped the shark for me. I think I might be in the minority, but I think it jumped back when Robert Patrick joined the show. He brought a different style, and the show seemed to return to its roots (monster of the week). Kind of hoped Patrick and that other woman would have replaced Mulder and Scully, and taken the show in a new direction. That was probably the intention, but fans can be pretty dumb. I remember a lot of hostility toward Patrick, and a lot of comparisons, simply because he accepted a role on the show after Duchovny decided it was time to move on. It's not like they fired the guy and replaced him with somebody else. I was pretty sick of Mulder and Scully (and Krycek and Smoking Guy, and pretty much everybody but Skinner) by that time anyway. Would have liked the show to carry on with a couple of new faces.

I absolutely cannot stand the X Files.

The stories are all cheesy.
The special FX are all cheesy.
The episodes are not scary in the slightest.

The characters of Scully & Muldar are so icy cold that I fail to understand how one could even come close to warming up to them.

I always labeled this show "For Extreme Geeks Only".
Not my cup of tea at all.
Believe me, I've watched many episodes of that crappy series and I disliked every one.

Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

My vote would be: NO episode is my favorite.



Post Edited (08-17-04 09:09)

Never really watched many episodes of X Files, although I wish I had.  But one I did watch which was extremely well done [from memory: it's been a while] was the 'Cops' episode [don't know the name] where it was presented in the format of an episode of the show 'Cops'.  

It's always a tribute to a series that can pull off that sort of mixing of style, much like the musical episode of Buffy.

We also studied the subject of freaks recently in one of my cinema subjects at uni, and they showed the opening scene to the 'circusfreaks' episode.  It looked pretty funny.

The "Cops" one was my favorite as well.
-Ed

I think I saw one whole episode and parts of a few others.  It never really interested me.

My impression from before the show came out was that it was supposed to be based on real unsolved strange FBI cases.  More like "Project: Blue Book"  I thought that could be pretty interesting

All of the humorous episodes that aren't horrible are great. Love the ones where they use that classic sitcom/Rashomon plot where you see different character's versions of what happened, like vampire pizza boy and the one where Charles Nelson Riley is interviewing people for a book he's writting. Liked the cliffhangers, except maybe toward the end, particularly the one where  Scully finds that leper colony and Mulder's on the train with the garrote guy. Liked the one's where Mulder was almost convined that the aliens weren't really real, just a gov plot to discredit people who try to expose whatever the REAL conspiracy is. Liked the Samantha episodes, except for the last one, where we're supposed to believe that everything is wrapped up in such a neat little package that Mulder never mentions his sister again (?!?!). All the conspiracy episodes, up until the blackoil appears (around the time of the movie). All the episodes where Scully and Mulder make out or something, but there's an excuse so it didn't screw up the show, like one of them is possessed or it's all a dream. All the ones that tread dangerously close to being Scooby-Doo episodes, yet somehow were cool. I suppose it would help if I could remember some episode titles.

"Home"- the one with the creepy inbred people.

The one with Flukeman

The one with the Jim Rose Circus

The one with the mortuary worker/necropheliac

The one with the guy who got struck by lightning & could then strike others

Pretty much anything in season 3

The episode wherein Scully and Mulder were pursuing these David Koresh types who were hiding in an old Civil War munitions hideaway, and then the story morphed unexpectedly into a study in reincarnation, and it was revealed that Mulder was probably a Union infantryman in the distant past.
That one episode could stand alone as an excellent short film, whether you'd ever seen anything else from the series or no.
Really, the very best episodes of the series do/did have that "stand alone" quality.  My wife absolutely hated the "Cartel" episodes, wherein the conspiracy was expounded on, but I didn't really mind.
I liked the "bugs" episode too, and "Home" is one of the creepiest damn things ever shown on TV.
Here in Longmont, they show reruns at 11:30 on Saturday nights on Ch.31.  I'm happily surprised at the number out there NOT on any DVD collection.  Makes it seem more like you're finding an undiscovered gem.
I also really enjoy the one wherein the spirits from this guy's brain reveal themselves as twisted, demonic forms on regular film, always presaging someones death.
Mostly a great show.  Of course, anything that hangs around too long goes a little stale in the end . . .
peter johnson/denny crane

my faveorite was the one where there is the giant chocaroach type monster, who was turning ppl into zomies. creeped me out. 've always been a bit paranoid, and it played into my paranoid thoughts. i don't kno it's name though does ne1 here?

My favorite show would be the one with the Native American/ Werewolves episode. I also like the one about the Loch Ness type creature that ate the dog that Scully was "sitting".

I don't really have a favorite, as I enjoyed the series as a whole, and am looking forward to the next movie.

And now, I apologize in advance, but I must take exception to ashthecat's post here.

Why the Hell did you bother to post that drivel in this topic? The original poster is plainly asking for the favorite x-files episode of the many people on this forum . . . not for

"I absolutely cannot stand the X Files."

"The stories are all cheesy.
The special FX are all cheesy.
The episodes are not scary in the slightest."

Nobody asked for your opinion about the show. Save it for another topic.

And then there's this little gem of ignorance:

"I always labeled this show "For Extreme Geeks Only"."

You post on a Goddamn b-movies website BBS. You have no place to be talking about geeks. Hell, "geek" isn't even an insult anymore; ditto "nerd". Many people are now proud to be admitted geeks, myself included.

You have always come off like an incredibly loudmouthed a***ole and your post in this topic is a shining example. Lord knows why I waited until now to speak out about it.

Although I never really followed the show that much, my wife did religiously.

I think some of the better episodes that I caught were:

The one where the guy can control the lightening.  I remember that episode to be pretty entertaining.

If my memory serves me correctly, there was one episode I really like around 97 or so.  It involved a guy who could take over people's minds.  I think he was in prison but was being transported and got one of the cops to pull out in front of an 18 wheeler to escape.  If I also remember correctly, he almost made Mulder shoot himself.

I also have fond memories of the "Loch Ness" episode.  Loved the ending to that one.

Ellie mentioned an episode about Native Americans/Werewolves.  I think I remember that being one of the first episodes that I watched.  I also remember there being an early one (season 1 or 2) about twin girls who had some power.  I don't quite remember what, I just remember that they creeped the hell out of me.

I do wish I had watched the show more often.  It seems I have that regret with a lot of shows now, especially Millennium

A bit strong twsmith. Hope you're not trying to stir up trouble.

I do appreciate your point, however. IguanaGirl wasn't asking for criticism of the show, or attacks on people who like it, but rather what those who liked it liked best about it. Somebody with no interest at all would probably be better off just ignoring it. I took some offense to Ash's post as well.

That said, try to avoid calling people loudmouthed a***oles, especially people with a temper.

Oh come on!

I didn't mean to offend anybody and if you did take offense to it, then, well, sorry.
I wasn't attacking anyone.
She asked what my favorite episode was and I said "none"...then I gave a reason as to why I said "none".
As for labeling people geeks, did I call anyone here on this board that name in my post?
No I did not.
Hell, I've labeled myself a geek a few times in the past on here.
Matter of fact, I wrote 2 threads on it that got huge responses...99% of them positive.
Do a search for them if you want.

I stand by my post I wrote with as much conviction now as I had the other day when I wrote it.
I do not like the X Files and I'm not alone...other people can't stand it either.

And twsmith....click on my name and look at the number of posts I have here on this board.
Do not presume to tell me what I can and can't write here...
I've written enough here to fill volumes.

Nuff said.



Post Edited (08-19-04 15:43)

No flames please.  I wasn't offended, not everything is everybody's cup of tea.

I liked pretty much the whole series for the about the first five seasons, but Fox sensed  'cash cow' franchise and pushed the show way past  my point of interest.

I really liked the cockroach episode, especially when they had the ones running across your screen. I think that freaked  a lot of people.  Then they found the robotic one.

I also liked the one where peoples cell phones and microwaves were telling them to kill people.

A bit strong twsmith. Hope you're not trying to stir up trouble.

No, I'm just saying something that I felt was long overdue.

--

She asked what my favorite episode was and I said "none"...then I gave a reason as to why I said "none".

You said that after you ripped on the show, not the other way around. Your post is right there.

Like I said, nobody asked for your opinion on the show in this topic, nor is that the intent of this topic.

And twsmith....click on my name and look at the number of posts I have here on this board.

Quanity != quality.

Do not presume to tell me what I can and can't write here...

Don't *you* presume that I did any such thing.

Ok, um, I didnt take offence to ASHTHECATs post, he's gor every right to hate the show... Its just T.V.
And Im pretty sure I am a geek.

I just remembered another ot my favorite episodes... The Great Mutato- it was in a later season I think when lots of them started to go crap, but they made it in black and white and it was really atmospheric.
Id forgotten about the cockroach episode. That one was great. I think it was called War of the Coprophages, or something.

I forgot to mention the one where Stephen King had a hand in it.  This fisherman caught a creepy ass doll in his net & gave it to his daughter.  Not surprisingly, the doll is evil & kills things.  

I'll never listen to the hokey pokey the same way again.

War of the Coporophages was great, one of the few where I remember the title, which in turn helps me to remember what cockroaches eat. That had robo-roaches. I think the first guy mentioning a cockroach episode was talking about one of the better ones from declining period, that starts with a seige by a seemingly crazy guy who thinks his boss is zombifing people. Generally, cockroach themed episodes are winners.

The lake monster episode was pretty great, had good Mulder character development. Scully's dog was named Quiqueg. Her father used to call her Starbuck.

I mentioned the freak show episode in the previous topic, and the electrical boy episode (which I didn't think anyone else remembered) had Giovani Ribbisi and Jack Black.

What's his name, the guy that coined the term cyberspace, wrote two episodes. I liked the first one, kept missing the second, which didn't sound very good. First one featured the song Twilight Time.

William Gibson is the writer you're thinking about.  The book you're referring to is NEUROMANCER.

For the Scary ones;
Squeeze and it's Sequel Tooms- guy can stretch through small openings
Gender Bender- Amish like religous group are aliens and can change sex. One goes astray and kills people.  
Darkness Falls- Mulder/Scully trapped in a log cabin with mites that come out at night.
The Host- Flukeman! always wished they'd do a sequel to this.
Excelsis Day- Rest home has ghosts
Die Hand Die Verletzt- Satan teaches a high school biology  class.
Soft Light- Tony Shalub's shadow will kill you
Our Town- A town of long lived residents get a brain diease
Pusher - a guy can control your actions
Hell Money- Chinese immgrants get their organs harvested
Detour- Agents in Florida with Chameleon like monsters
Kitsungari- the sequel to the pusher episode
Arcadia- Mulder/Scully pose as a married couple in a strict gated community

For the Humorous ones
Small Potatoes- guy in West Virgina can change his shape
War of the Coprophages- Roaches invade a small town,
Bad Blood-  Vampire he said/she said episode
Dreamland 1 & 2- Mulder switches bodies with a MIB.
The Goldberg Variation- A Lucky man has a run in with the mob.
Hollywood A.D- A director wants to make an X-files movie.
Je Souhaite- A Genie episode

Dave,

As Tilebreaker mentioned, the guy's name is William Gibson.  As for the "electrical boy" episode, I knew that it seemed like the two leads were familiar.  Thanks for the info on that one!

Ooo, I forgot about Squeeze. That was another one of the great early episodes.

The gated community was a pretty funny epsiode too, with a fair bit of truth in it.

My mom's in real estate, and she said there was a lot of truth in "Arcadia". I think the disese in "Our Town" was mad cow or something similar, before it was in the news much. Thanks Tilebreaker, I love finally knowing the titles of those episodes.

I was an X-Phile late in the game, and I haven't broken down yet to buy the series. Perhaps overstock.com has it cheaper than the $140 price tag I have seen per season everywhere else....

I liked war of the coporphages, I also remember hearing that they had to stop re-airing it because people broke their tv sets when the roaches crawled across the screens....lol

Home - the infamous "inbred" episode which was the only X-Files episode to gain the coveted M rating when it aired.

Squeeze - superpowers aside, I liked how they showed how truly disturbing Tooms was when he was picking up dead animals and licking his fingers afterward. EUUGHH!

Pusher was a treat, along with the followup episode further in the series.
[Mulder: He put the whammy on him!
Scully: Please explain to me the scientific nature of the whammy.]

Freaks - I could say that the Enigma is the example of what happens when you get addicted to tattoos - full body tattoo of puzzle pieces. Nice!

But my favorite was the one where the teenage kids got the power to move at superspeed. Being a comic book geek myself, and having always liked the Flash, it was interesting to see how they described the cons on the body's muscles due to moving at superspeed.

That's about it for now - and I wear my geek badge proudly 8^)

>What is your favorite X Files episode?

Shadows - A ghost seems to be protecting a woman.
Eve - Twin girls turn out to psychotic clones.
Oubliette - A young girl is kidnapped, similar to a previous case.
Syzygy - Two teen girls seem to cause supernatural trouble.
Jose Chung's From Outer Space - An author writes about a fake alien abduction.
Unusual Suspects - Shows how the Lone Gunmen met each other.
How The Ghosts Stole Christmas - Ghosts try to get Mulder and Scully to kill themselves.
Three of a Kind - The Lone Gunmen finally find the woman who brought them together.

>my faveorite was the one where there is the giant chocaroach type monster, who
>was turning ppl into zomies. creeped me out. 've always been a bit paranoid,
>and it played into my paranoid thoughts. i don't kno it's name though does ne1
>here?

Folie a Deux

For anyone who wants to look up episode titles, the following site is great;

The X-Files at TV Tome (http://www.tvtome.com/XFiles/)

Eve Six the band was named after the grown up Eve, she's Frasiers agent (or manager, I can never tell the difference).

Jose Chung's From Outer Space is in my all time top five episodes. I'm so glad I know the title now! "This is not happening, this is NOT happening!" Hoodoo Voodoo from Lidsville, SCARY.

The Christmas ghosts weren't Ed Asner and some other weird famous person, were they?  I recall that being one of the horrible episodes, but I've only seen it once, so it's possible I'll reevaluate it.

AAUGH! Last night I saw the begining of one I don't remember (I missed a lot from the last two seasons). An entomologist-type-guy was in the woods and he found this thing that looked kind of like a dead monster, he gets all excited and starts examining it. There's this pulsating red thing on it that pops and gets all over his face and in his mouth, he wipes off and starts to take a sample. Then the station went off the air!

>The Christmas ghosts weren't Ed Asner and some other weird famous person,
>were they?

Yes, Ed Asner and Lilly Tomlin.

>AAUGH! Last night I saw the begining of one I don't remember (I missed a lot
>from the last two seasons).

I'd look up the title for you, but I'm practically falling asleep. I seem to recall that the infection somehow finds its way into a prison and that a couple infected prisoners manage to escape.

They did a Sequel of sorts to Jose Chung's from outer space over on "Millenium" He  teamed up with Frank to help solve a serial killer case. The gimick was the killer was a former member of a scientolgist type church so they poked fun at sceintology a lot in that episode.  I accidently taped it one night and was  suprised.

And the Episode I think you saw was F.Masculata.  opens with a doctor in the jungle looking at a corpse. He gets sprayed in the face by some puss. Then it cuts to a jail cell where a prisoner is opening up a package.

Chinga is probably the best.The one with the killer doll.

I've never been a huge fan of the show, but I caught an AMAZING episode recently  about a brain-eating alien disguised as a fast food clerk, who goes to Overeater's Anonymous meetings to try to quit. I have a feeling it's not a fan favorite-- Mulder & Scully were barely in it, and my experience with hardcore sci-fi fans says that they don't like their creepiness mixed with goofiness-- but it had me in hysterics; If someone told me to write an episode for a mystery TV series, it'd probably turn out something like that.