The Truth IS Out There

First off, and with having no pertinence to this post, I can’t put italics in my titles. This one should be “The Truth is Out There.” On with the show.

Wow. For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting the X-Files on Netflix (streaming in HD on my Wii). I never knew how good this show really was. Don’t get me wrong. I knew it was good. I just never knew it was magnificent.

The director is a genius, pure and simple. Much of the show is just standard “point the camera at the action” shots, but once or twice every episode, there’s a shot that makes me say “wow. This guy is amazing.”

The storylines are as good as anything from B5 or DS9. From watching the first season and a half, I can’t even begin to imagine why this show isn’t still running. Every episode is engaging, gripping and worth watching. I’ve already skipped one episode, but only because I saw it so many times on TV. There are two other episodes that I’ve seen over and over again, but I won’t skip them when I get to them, because they are just that good.

I’ve read interviews where Chris Carter talks about “mythology episodes” that advance the plotlines of the show, versus other episodes that don’t. Personally, I haven’t come across an episode yet that didn’t have some bearing on the overall X-Files mythos.

I’m watching it right now, and… wow. I just can’t get enough of this show. This has got to be the one great show that Fox let run a good long time. The acting is well above par for TV sci-fi, which I credit mostly to the director, judging by the fact that I’ve never seen Gillian Anderson in anything else. Also some great guest actors and irregulars. For example, the iconic “smoking man” and the conspiracy theorist lone gunmen. Even the bounty hunter, who acts very little, is skillfully employed by writers and director to great effect.

I’m watching the whole series because I want to watch the recent movie, but I feel like I need the background. If you’ve never watched The X-Files from beginning to end, you must. This is, in my opinion, the very best of horror science fiction. It’s not super scary, but it’s got a certain visceral element of horror to it. If you are any kind of sci-fi fan, you will love it. You might not love every episode, but you will love the whole series.