Episode 2 - Deep Throat
Sep. 17, 1993
Dir. By Daniel Sackheim
I thought it would be funny to just write that Seth Green was in this episode and only that but this episode was too good not to talk more about.
In this episode Scully and Mulder go to a town next to a military base in Idaho to investigate a reported kidnapping of a test pilot by the government. Scully realises that at it's core, this investigation has a lot to do about UFOs which she is not too excited about. The true hook and payoff of this epsiode is once again showing how much the government is working against Mulder as we get lots of great phone tapping moments, frisk downs on the highway, and obiously as the episode title says, a deep throat character is introduced. Which as a recall from other episodes in this season he remains very important to the overall plot.
The cold open for this episode is really great, it shows a group of SWAT types raiding a house only to find the person they are looking for curled up on the bathroom floor covered in some crazy rash. This is our kidnapping victim later in the episode because the goverment takes him for a long time and his wife is like, what the heck is happening. Thit plot line leads to one of my favorite parts of the episode. The wife takes Scully and Mulder over to a lady's house that had something similar happen. She trys to act like everything is great and normal and is annoyed that the wife brought FBI agents to her house. The funniest thing is that it cuts to her husband and he is making fishing flys out of his hair. Like literally pulling his hair out as he makes the fly, and the lady is all like, we are just really glad he is back and everything is fine. It was really cracking me up.
As I said at the begnning, Seth Green is in this episode. That would be funny to mention just as is but honestly he is one of the best parts of this whole episode. Him and his girlfriend are so funny and I am a huge sucker for the stoner archetype in serious stuff like this. The agents and the stoners talk over 5am diner food and it just such a fun scene. It is also cool how Mulder takes it so serious for the most part. It goes to show the lengths that people like Mulder who believe in this stuff have to go to. This whole exchange also culminates in Seth giving Mulder a cassette tape and Mulder does some really goofy air guitar to scully when he plays it. Really funny.
I think the parts that really shine in this epsidoe are just all of the espionage going on. Especially when Mulder goes missing looking for the UFOs on base and Scully gets approached by the townie who in that moment she realizes works for the goverment and works for the base. She rushes into his car and he breaks the window with a fire extinguisher and it is just a really cool reveal and moment.
Mulder really get put through the ringer in this one. He sees the UFO first hand which is a really cool moment but then goes on to get that goverment smoke. They put the forget everything goop in his eye or something. It is interesting how this show will confirm so much to the audience and not let the main characters know. Especially in this episode. Mulder does get some things confirmed to him at the end of the episode when he is jogging and gets approached by the deep throat guy who clears some things up. Really cool moment and I also love seeing Mulder in the jogging get up, he looks especially cool.
All around I really liked this episode, felt ultra high stakes and really lets us know that things are for real going on and Mulder isn't crazy. Loving the alien and ufo stuff but am also really excited to get into some more cryptid and little freak episodes. I rate this episode 3 UFOs and a Diner Cheeseburger
Episode 1 - Pilot
Sep. 10, 1993
Dir. By Robert Mandel
Alright y'all this is the beginning of a long long journey through what is known as The X-Files. Really excited to dive into this and see how it goes, to anyone that follows along on this adventure I thank you.
Okay, so this is episode one. Probably one of the best epsisodes of television to exist. As a singular piece of media, not accounting for the 11 seasons or so of content to follow it, I really think that this pilot stands tall as a pillar of entertainment excellence. If you never watch any X-files, please at least watch this pilot. There is so much I could talk about but I will just run through some of the all timer moments that I think are worth mentioning.
I wrote and drafted something for this Pilot like four times and even published something on here that I didn't end up liking. I think I was just overwhelmed and really wanted to talk about everything and it ended up being super long winded and I didn't really like it. I think for this blog in general I just need to keep things cool and casual. Not overthink things. So here we go.
To put it as simply as possible, this first episode is a basic abduction case. The story in this first episode has so much to it, it is absolutley bursting with twists and turns and really just all of the stuff you watch The X-Files for. We get the first meeting of Scully and Mulder and we get a thorough taste of their dynamic that will exist throughout the series. Mulder just always knows what is up and it is so much fun to watch him move through these scenes and give Scully just enough to keep her interested and concerned without turning her off too much with something outright ridiculous. They are both so great and I am really looking forward to see more of their relationship play out and to also see them fall in love and such. The will-they-won't-they at play here is some of the greatest to ever exist. I really love seeing mulder's office space with all the iconic posters and photos on the wall when they first meet. Peak set design.
One of my favortie moments in this episode is when they first get to oregon and are driving somewhere and have some weird radio problems. Mulder hops out of the car and marks a big red X on the ground with spray paint and then moves on like it is no big deal. Later in the episode when things are just about to boil over Scully and Mulder experience a time-loss. Their car looses power and they get out in the pouring rain and see the X that Mulder marked earlier. This is such a cool moment and really lets you know just how ahead of the curve mulder is. This also really kicks off the end of the episode as all the pieces start to fall into place after this moment. Super super cool.
Another great and super iconic moment is when the power is out at the motel and Scully finds the marks on her back as she is getting into the shower. All of the abductees and bodies that they find throughout the episode have these little dots on their back and scully thinks she has them. She rushes to mulders room and has him check for them by candle light. It is a super intimate moment but also Mulder is very concerned and professional too. This then leads to Mulder sharing more about his life and them coming closer.
I also really love when they first get to the cemetary and are moving the casket of one of the OG victims and the straps snap and the casket bursts open and there is just straight up a little freak in the casket. It is so wild, and then mulder just quips like it is nothing and then starts ordering everyone around. Such crazy sequence and always cracks me up.
There are truly a million things I could bring up about this episode. It is fantastic and such a blast. It really just perfectly lays out so much that will be prevalant in the series. Especially the whole dynamic of the world agaisnt Mulder. When the motel is on fire towards the end of the episode it just perfectly encapsulates the odds that are against Mulder that get worse and worse throughout the series. Also just the whole abduction plot in this epsiode is really peak. The device they find in the bodies, the bloody noses, everything just builds and builds to that final encounter. I must also mention that the rainy orgeon setting really is the cherry on top for this pilot.
ANYWAYS, that is really all I feel like I NEED to mention about this episode. I think this first one is espcially hard to write about becuase there are so many important things going on. I am looking forward to getting into the more formulaic epsisodes that are centered on just one thing mostly. I hope that I can get better at writing and summarizing things in these entries. I am super excited to get out of this first season as well and get into that unwatched territory. Hope you enjoyed reading and I really hope you jump in and follow along. If there are ever any questions or comments or concerns, please put them in the chatbox on the home page of my website!