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MrMojok posted:I have seen the future. And it’s full of guys that look just like this I'm not burning the duster okay so forget it
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Sep 18, 2023 19:56
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You can take my wide af ties from my cold dead neck
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Sep 18, 2023 20:16
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Just noticed for the first time ever that in a *very* brief shot in Clyde Bruckman, the poker hand Clyde is holding is aces over eights. Man, I just love me some Darin Morgan.
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Sep 19, 2023 00:54
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Imo a lot of the motws build towards the Myth Arc episodes as well and I wonder if anything showing just Myth Arc episodes properly takes that into account. Like you probably wouldn't call "The Host" or "Sleepless" Myth Arc episodes but they introduce "X" and start his arc. Skipping those motws that sprinkle a bit of myth arc in them would lessen those characters imo
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Sep 19, 2023 00:58
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There are also MOTW episodes that have aliens in them that aren't really Mytharc episodes, like the one about the invisible aliens abducting zoo animals, or the Face on Mars Ghost, or even Jose Chung.
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Sep 19, 2023 02:47
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Ginette Reno posted:Imo a lot of the motws build towards the Myth Arc episodes as well and I wonder if anything showing just Myth Arc episodes properly takes that into account. Yeah, those Krycek episodes are generally considered arc-y, I thought? I've always seen them lumped in, along with some other seemingly random one-offs (but not really) like Eve.
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Sep 19, 2023 03:20
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Despite all the attempts to categorize them, there's no real distinction between "mytharc" and "MOTW" episodes. Like, the events of the episode Blood" are implicitly revealed to be the work of Cigarette Guy in Wetwired. The villains' ability to do mind control and trigger hallucinations via TV signals very much informs our understanding of Duane Barry (where we're straight-up told that Barry is being tricked into abducting Scully) and much of the wacky poo poo in Jose Chung. Blood, Wetwired, and Jose Chung are all categorized as "MOTW". Likewise, the episode F. Emasculata is categorized as "MOTW", even though Cigarette Guy shows up and defends a corporation doing smallpox-blanket-style human testing. The episode acts as a reprise of the conflict in Season 1's Ice, where Scully argues against Mulder that the truth should be hidden in some cases if it preserves human life. And, then, the underground mind-control worms in Ice obviously prefigure the subterranean black goo from the movie. These are all variations on the same basic themes and imagery. The mythology "works" when it's this weird associative jumble of hallucinated images, and falters when the characters just not following up on what actual evidence they do have. Like, at the end of Season 2, Skinner and the gang have gotten their hands on the full contents of Cigarette Guy's extremely important data tape. Oh dang! What are they going to do with The Truth? Nothing, it turns out.
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Sep 19, 2023 04:45
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Are there any good write-ups or summaries of stuff the writers have said on what the plans and stuff were with the Mytharc? Like I know we hear a lot that they intended to end it with the movie, etc etc, but like what about the stuff before that? Because as noted, it's clear there's retcons and changes even before the film. Like was this a result of different writers, writers forgetting/not caring what they had previously written, or what? Like were they writing by the seat of their pants even prior to the film?
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Sep 19, 2023 04:57
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Tv having a narrative at all was a pretty new thing. They probably didn’t think the show would be available for repeat viewing other than in syndication or VHS best-of sets, so they probably never thought about doing anything other than flying by the seat of their pants. That’s all tv was—just keep doing a shaggy dog story until diminishing returns end production. Duchovny never thought they’d last more than three seasons.
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Sep 19, 2023 05:09
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RoboChrist 9000 posted:Are there any good write-ups or summaries of stuff the writers have said on what the plans and stuff were with the Mytharc? Like I know we hear a lot that they intended to end it with the movie, etc etc, but like what about the stuff before that? Because as noted, it's clear there's retcons and changes even before the film. Like was this a result of different writers, writers forgetting/not caring what they had previously written, or what? Like were they writing by the seat of their pants even prior to the film? Everything I've read (and even the DVD commentaries to a degree) seems to boil down to the show being much more successful than they ever planned and having to come up with more and more stuff to put into the mytharc to accommodate that. Big stuff like Gillain Anderson's pregnancy got worked into it, Scully having cancer at all was just something they came up with at the beginning of season 4, and originally Scully's mom was going to be the one with cancer. We'll probably never know exactly, but my gut instinct is the basic idea (humans made a deal with aliens, getting tech in exchange for eventually turning over Earth to the aliens) was always set in stone but that's about it.
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Sep 19, 2023 16:10
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You know in a world with demons and weird monsters it's almost a waste to focus on making deals with far away aliens. Government shoulda been working with more forces of hell
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Sep 19, 2023 16:56
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Milo and POTUS posted:Is that the one where mulder gets his rear end chewed out because he shows up to a plane crash and starts his whole spiel about tibetan numerologists of appalachia and the guy in charge is not having that nonsense Chairman Capone posted:Jose Chung’s From Outer Space Um what? JCFOS doesn't feature a plane crash at all. It sound more like Tempus Fugit, where mulder and scully show up to an airforce hangar after a plane crash and ge starts rambling to the FAA investigator team lol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempus_Fugit_%28The_X-Files%29 alexandriao fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 18:16
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IMO the mytharc stuff just tanks as soon as you get to the UFO excavation. Before then it is kind of, mostly, consistent maybe. But that two parter was poo poo and all the stuff after it that aren't one offs just carry on getting shittier. The single best mytharc episode is honestly S1E24. Mulder finding the vats of people is so loving cool. A lot of this show runs on vibes and that's absolutely the most vibey episode out there. 
alexandriao fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 18:20
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alexandriao posted:
The mytharc worked best when it had striking imagery and didn't tell you what was really happening. It worked the worst when they threw in another twist when explaining how it all works. Kritschgau being introduced is when it really turned me off, get back to creepy places and mysterious guys in suits.
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Sep 19, 2023 18:40
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They should’ve had krycek lose a body part every season so by the end of the series he looks like rickety cricket from always sunny.
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Sep 19, 2023 20:00
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piratepilates posted:get back to creepy places and mysterious guys in suits. I have always enjoyed exploring hospitals and university basements and I think I just realized the X-Files contributed to that Khanstant posted:You know in a world with demons and weird monsters it's almost a waste to focus on making deals with far away aliens. Government shoulda been working with more forces of hell If there hasn't been a show where the government is making clandestine deals with goblins and Satan to fight off an alien invasion there should be (wait poo poo is that just The Laundry Files??) Phy fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 20:08
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I'll always maintain the the Myth Arc is mostly good up until the syndicate dies. After that it's all downhill. That said I don't particularly care for the season 5 arc of Mulder believing aliens are fake. He's seen too much at that point. It's just not believable. If they wanted to do that they should have done it earlier in the series.
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Sep 19, 2023 20:53
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Phy posted:I have always enjoyed exploring hospitals and university basements and I think I just realized the X-Files contributed to that I feel like Evil is best positioned to pivot into this show demons vs goblins vs aliens. DjSmokey can compose the soundtrack
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Sep 19, 2023 22:24
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RoboChrist 9000 posted:Are there any good write-ups or summaries of stuff the writers have said on what the plans and stuff were with the Mytharc? Like I know we hear a lot that they intended to end it with the movie, etc etc, but like what about the stuff before that? Because as noted, it's clear there's retcons and changes even before the film. Like was this a result of different writers, writers forgetting/not caring what they had previously written, or what? Like were they writing by the seat of their pants even prior to the film? I don't think there was a big plan, and as other people have said they were always flying by the seat of their pants, not knowing if the show was going to end. But Gilligan said in a podcast a long time ago something that kind of stuck with me. People were asking about the x files overstaying their welcome and how it should have ended a lot earlier, and his point was that for the writers and actors its "on to the next job," but in any TV show there are 180-200 people who depend on the show and who may not be able to find another job as easily, and so it would be a bit egotistical to send 200 people you care for to the unemployment line to protect your "vision."
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Sep 20, 2023 00:43
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joepinetree posted:I don't think there was a big plan, and as other people have said they were always flying by the seat of their pants, not knowing if the show was going to end. Wasn't he the one who decided to end Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul when they did? That seems to fly in the face of the argument he's making.
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Sep 20, 2023 01:14
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Chairman Capone posted:Wasn't he the one who decided to end Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul when they did? That seems to fly in the face of the argument he's making. The interview in question was early in Breaking bad. He probably saw Carter's career after x files and thought "maybe an early end is the way to go."
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Sep 20, 2023 03:19
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alexandriao posted:Um what? JCFOS doesn't feature a plane crash at all. Yeah it was really funny. Khanstant posted:I feel like Evil is best positioned to pivot into this show demons vs goblins vs aliens. DjSmokey can compose the soundtrack It was nowhere near as good and frequently dumb as poo poo but Sleepy Hollow did an alrgiht job of filling the x files hole in my heart, where oddly charismatic leads battle supernatural bullshit. Evil's a much better show though
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Sep 20, 2023 04:44
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I’ve been looking for a sort of companion-type book to read as I do my rewatch. I’ve found several, and read the Amazon reviews for all of them, but I was wondering if anyone here has read, and can recommend any of these? X-Files Confidential: The Unauthorized X-Philes Compendium PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium and The Lone Gunmen Monsters of the Week: The Complete Critical Companion to The X-Files Opening The X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series
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Sep 20, 2023 09:57
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Season 3 IMO is the superior season. It's got a number of episodes that just knock it out the park Pusher, Wetwired, etc
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Sep 20, 2023 12:09
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alexandriao posted:Season 3 IMO is the superior season. It's got a number of episodes that just knock it out the park I agree. Usually when I do a rewatch it’s a very abbreviated one, about 60-65 episodes. But of those, nearly a quarter of them are from s3: The Blessing Way Paper Clip Clyde Bruckman Nisei 731 War of the Coprophages Syzygy Piper Maru Apocrypha Pusher Jose Chung Quagmire Wetwired Talitha Cumi
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Sep 20, 2023 12:50
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Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose is hands down one of the best imo. i love the energy that Peter Boyle brings to it I just realised most of the best ones I've watched maybe 3+ times but the rest ive only seen once
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Sep 20, 2023 13:19
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Chairman Capone posted:Wasn't he the one who decided to end Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul when they did? That seems to fly in the face of the argument he's making. He essentially added 7 years of work with BCS and then, there was enough of a tv/movie-making industry in Albuquerque to keep those crews working.
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Sep 20, 2023 15:26
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Phy posted:I have always enjoyed exploring hospitals and university basements and I think I just realized the X-Files contributed to that I love the subplot in Perdido Street Station where the leaders of the city call up the Emissaries of Hell to negotiate help with their problem with the Like Xenomorophs but More hosed and hell's people nope right out. Caitlin Kiernan's Tinfoil Dossier novellas hit the same striking imagery but self-serious and scattershot vibe of the mythos X-files but pay off really well High Warlord Zog fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Sep 20, 2023 |
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Sep 20, 2023 15:51
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Perdido Street Station brings up a weird memory of a time I lied to a coworker about reading it and bullshitted my way through a brief conversation about it and reccomended it to a third coworker nearby. It's been on my Amazon wishlist for over a decade at this point, always meant to read it I assume I would like it from what I know of it lol.
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Sep 20, 2023 17:17
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High Warlord Zog posted:I love the subplot in Perdido Street Station where the leaders of the city call up the Emissaries of Hell to negotiate help with their problem with the Like Xenomorophs but More hosed and hell's people nope right out. I do love that bit with the devils from Perdido, a huge buildup to meeting with hell, all this prep they build up just to survive making it to hell and when they get there and explain what they are fighting the Devils legit just go, "not gonna help with that, those things will kill us too."
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Sep 20, 2023 22:03
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I AM GRANDO posted:Tv having a narrative at all was a pretty new thing. X-Files had a quasi-serial narrative structure that was not really a linear progression but a continual refining of stories over time through repetition - which wasn't super novel. In the same way that every episode of Star Trek involving time travel or a living energy cloud is basically the same, X-Files kept going back to 'vampiric mutant serial killer who fits in tight spaces', or 'trapped with a mysterious contagion', or whatever. The episode Wetware, noted earlier, is less a sequel to Blood than it is a re-imagining of the exact same plot. This could be dismissed as 'laziness', but it's really more a continual remixing of basic themes. So, in the chupacabra episode, you have the premise of Soft Light, mixed with the outbreak drama of F. Emasculata, mixed with the bumpy-headed lepers from Season 3, and they even throw in some of that Jose Chung "greys are horseshit" unreliable narration. It's not a good episode, but it's a locus of themes from across the entire series. The result is that, instead of having some kind of dramatic resolution where they solve the big mystery, you sort of just gradually pick up on the recurring points over time. That's largely why you can't draw a line between "mytharc" and "MOTW": Die Hand's take on the Satanic Panic, and Mulder's rejection of antisemitic conspiracy theories in the golem episode absolutely inform our understanding of everything else. "Anyone who thinks alien visitation will come not in the form of robots, but of living beings with big eyes and gray skin has been brainwashed by too much science-fiction."
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Sep 21, 2023 03:42
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alexandriao posted:Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose is hands down one of the best imo. i love the energy that Peter Boyle brings to it I rented die hand die verletz like 10 times as a kid
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Sep 22, 2023 01:19
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Okay, now I HAVE to find a way to watch Millennium. The Worst Mother’s Day Ever
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Sep 23, 2023 14:10
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While that sequence is very Millennium Season 2, all the way down to the Signature Wong & Morgan Ironic Needle Drop, it still caught me so off guard on the original broadcast I thought I was watching a different show at first. Although, I should point out, that's from the season finale, and they were even bigger on the "here's your cliffhanger, we're outta here, write your way out of this one suckers" thing than on X-Files, and... eh, I'm sure you're used to the Season Premiere Cliffhanger Resolution Blues by now.
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Sep 23, 2023 14:42
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That was the season that ended with society collapsing because of a global plague with a 99% fatality rate, right? And then there was a season 3 after that where Frank was a cop in DC?
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Sep 23, 2023 14:49
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I read it was supposed to be worldwide because they thought it was their last season, but when they got renewed for one more, in the first episode of s3 they somehow changed it so that it was happening just in one town?
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Sep 23, 2023 16:37
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Yeah, they thought the show was done -- and it was done for the them, they were not asked back. Season 3 is pretty poo poo for a while, but eventually has some pretty good episodes. But it's not Morgan Wong.
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Sep 23, 2023 16:58
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I’m watching “Sein und Zeit” and man, it really doesn’t hang together. I don’t get the connection between children getting turned into ghosts who go to kid valhalla so that they aren’t murdered and the parents being compelled to write the note the killer would have left if the kids were murdered. That doesn’t seem very benevolent of the ghost children. Also, did Mulder’s mother write the same ghost note and have visions of Samantha’s ghost, and that’s why she got upset upon seeing Mulder’s case on the news? It seems like the link between the other ghost cases is that the kids would have been murdered by the santa guy, but Samantha would have been killed by the aliens/the conspiracy, right? And this episode means that Spender has childhood memories of a sister who suddenly appeared and then disappeared a few years later? So she was brainwashed or something so she didn’t remember her other family? It’s all way more bizarre than I remember from watching in high school.
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Sep 24, 2023 01:57
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Kids are dicks in the x files universe maybe
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Sep 24, 2023 06:11
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i know people itt have said that you can't draw a clean line between motw and mytharc but that episode is pure mytharc trash lmao
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Sep 25, 2023 23:28
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