I think I should be upfront and say that I don’t know what high school would have been like had I not had The X-Files (uh, yeah, that’s a pretty dismal look at four years of my life, but let’s move on, shall we?). To this day, I hear that haunting theme music, and my memory drifts back to those Sunday nights sitting before the TV anticipating what strangeness would be offered forth for my entertainment. What twist in the conspiracy would be revealed? What creature would surface to wreak havoc on unsuspecting innocents? Would the Lone Gunmen make an appearance? Would Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) finally kiss? God knows I’m no romantic, but even I was cheering for that romance. And would Mulder finally discover the truth about his sister?

I can understand why The X-Files became one of the longest running sci-fi shows: there’s just so much to enjoy about it, and you don’t even need to worry about coordinating a tinfoil hat with your shoes. Of course, the show is driven by Agent Fox Mulder’s determination to crack an alien conspiracy and find his lost sister, but the writers did a splendid job of balancing the alien conspiracy with other episodes. These non-alien segments keep the main focus of the story fresh for many a season by interjecting another element of unpredictability and creativity. In fact, some of my favorite episodes have nothing to do with aliens. Trust me, that episode “War of the Coprophages” (03.12) [The one with the killer cockroaches – Ed.] creeped me out to a level that no space alien will ever attain.

Then there are the characters themselves. Sometimes I watch a show and get the feeling that many of the supporting characters were tossed in all higgledy-piggledy to further the plot. In contrast to this, part of the beauty of The X-Files actually comes from the development of its supporting characters. Whether an ally or an antagonist, the recurring roles are explored with a depth that brings them to life and adds layers to their persons. For instance, it would be easy to make the arch-antagonist, the Cigarette Smoking Man, just a pure villain . . . but he isn’t. And it is in that willingness to present the characters as complex that gives a certain believability to the show. Or what of the Lone Gunmen? Yeah, I totally crushed on Byers (Bruce Harwood) back in the day and I wish the spinoff show The Lone Gunmen could have continued, but I’m losing focus here.

Ah, but now comes the moment where I have to be honest. No matter the joys that The X-Files brought, it does have some failings. I mean, how did people expect this show to work without Mulder, as it tried to do after Season 7? Or, even better, how was it supposed to work without Mulder and Scully? That’s almost as silly as taking the Buffy out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (oh, wait, that kind of happened, too). By Season 8, a viewer has invested a goodly amount of time in a show and in its characters. I know, I know, David Duchovny decided to leave the show, but without him -- and then later without a full dose of Scully -- well, there wasn’t much of a show. Who are Agents Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish)? I don’t really know, and I frankly am not much into caring. They feel like lack-luster copies of their predecessors and I have difficulty being interested in them or really believing their motivations. I know Season 9 has the episode titled “Jump the Shark”, but that shark had already been jumped back in Season 8. The mystique and the intrigue that flowed through the first seven seasons fizzles in the eighth season as it feels like the show lost its heart. The last two seasons are still worth watching because the conspiracy continues to evolve, but much of the freshness is gone.

Now, I know this is about the TV show, but I have to add that between watching Seasons 5 and 6, you need to see the feature film, The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998). The movie furthers the development of the alien conspiracy and leads into the next season. It’s a good movie which adds to the series, so I would recommend it. But do not bother with 2008’s The X-Files: I Want to Believe. I don’t know what in the world happened there, but that was an experience that nearly made me commit seppuku. Seriously. What was up with that? That movie was not the epilogue I wanted for my beloved X-Files, and it actually put a bit of tarnish on the series for me. The only way I could deal with it was to call it apocryphal and move on. So I won’t discuss that further.

In conclusion, few shows have ever made me want to put on the DVD and rewatch all the episodes, but The X-Files is one such show. In turns beautiful, strange, haunting, humorous and deep, this is one show worth immersing yourself in. And remember: The truth is out there.

   -- Katie Hager