The Glade 4.0

THIS SUNDAY AFTER A FOOTBALL THING.

Fack... Guess I will have to catch it OnDemand.

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Raell Kromwell

I could not have been happier with The X-Files' return. It wasn't (immediately) one of the all-time great episodes; it was messy and a bit abrupt, but it was certainly a stronger entry in the mythology canon than some, like "Tunguska"/"Terma" or "Talitha Cumi". Mostly (aside from the very idea of its continued existence) I appreciated the show's return to dealing in the currency of ideas, reformatting the series mythology to not only incorporate the massive geopolitical upheavals that have occurred since 9/11 but also acknowledging several of the more prominent dangling threads. The show was always best when it based itself on the fears of the day. The chemistry, the intelligence, and the audaciousness are all still there. Bring it on, Carter. I still want to believe.

Abrupt is an understatement.

It was very forced. They touched on I think every conspiracy theory that exists. The diaologue was a bit rough -

"you believe"
"no i want to believe"
"I believe"
"no you want to believe"
"the truth is out there"

Meh. But still, it dealt with the hiatus, and it successfully roped them back into the game. It raised a bunch of new questions, and successfully roped me in.

My main concern is that it was very busy, a bit confusing, and I fear may have made very little sense if you didn't watch the original. If the market is only those of us that were die-hard fans of the original, then it's likely doomed.

Are they just airing the six episodes or is that just the start? If they are only airing six episodes, then I'm stoked.

Pretty much what 'Skeee said. The show was definitely at its best when the conspiracy was not solely about aliens, and I've always admired the series for being able to dance very delicately around the issue of whether or not aliens are actually complicit participants in the conspiracy, even while confirming to the audience on a fairly regular basis that they're real. It leaves Mulder and Scully in that state of doubt and always certain they're on the brink of understanding that makes the show as great as it is.

On another note, I was kind of interested to see what kind of tack they would take with the cinematography -- TV, in particular, seems to have very signature styles from decade to decade (and often from channel to channel) when it comes to lighting, color palettes, and the way they frame shots. Especially as the credit sequence rolled (the exact same one used for the majority of the original run!), I was wondering whether they'd hew closer to the series' past, or modernize it a lot. What followed felt like it struck a satisfying balance; the sharpness of the high definition definitely signaled its modernity, but a lot of the other elements felt like they would slot in well to watch back to back with the latter seasons of the original run.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Yeah...getting Joel Ransom (the original director of photography) back was definitely a coup for continuity. It had a nice modern sheen (which, to be, the recent HD released on digital and Blu-ray don't look dated at all, minus Scully's shoulder pads) while still fitting comfortably in the show's milieu. Certainly glossier than their previous Vancouver years (the move to shooting in California in season 6 changed things a bit visually, and this looks almost like a continuation of that, despite the revival being in Vancouver), but pretty identifiably X-Files.

From what I've read, tonight's episode is even better, and the third episode is a classic (it's the return of scribe Darin Morgan, who previously gifted us with Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Humbug, War of the Coprophages and Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space').

The future is uncertain; Carter, Duchovny and company have said they didn't bring it back just to kill it, so future runs depend on critical and audience success. Everyone has said there's no chance of returning to full seasons, but it seems everyone is interested in continuing these short-run jags. I'm happy with that. I mean, yeah, I'd be happy with anything, but if that kind of focus means the bar for scripts is higher and more focused, all the better.

I've gotta rewatch the JFK-esque Muldersplaining scene again...ol' Spooky seemed to have done a speedball before launching into that diatribe, and I'm pretty sure my congested head wasn't following at the same rate.

Also, I'm maybe a tiny bit sad at no new credits (aside from the inclusion of Pileggi). The nostalgia rocked, but I dunno. I kind of hated the season 8 hybrid credits sequence (particularly that crappy "Mulder falling into an eyeball" shot), but I rather adored the season 9 (I seem to be alone in this, and my initial reaction in 2001 was negative, but I now appreciate them as being a very well-designed update and modernization of the classic X-Files sequence, though I'm not keen on the CGI kiddo at the end).

Disjointed as hell. I had a very hard time following the jumps - what's going on here?

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
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When have we ever really known?

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Regardless, at least there's one conspiracy we know is true:



http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/23/entertainment/gillian-anderson-pay-gap-x-files-feat/index.html

Yeah, that's absolute bullshit. You get 'em, Gillian.

DO they have better flashlights this time around? We're watching the early seasons, and its shocking how bad their flashlights are.

Super bright, super narrow beams with the illuminating power of a lit cigarette. Jesus christ guys, turn a goddamn light on. You're in a hospital FFS... why the **** is it SO dark?

This show has me constantly wanting to turn the gamma up.

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Holy shitsnacks!

My prevailing thought throughout the entire episode was how bored and disinterested Mulder seemed to be. Zero emotion in the guy's delivery of anything.

We could normally follow what Mulder and Scully were up to, even if the underlying plot remained intentionally elusive.

This episode they seemed all over the place at random.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

I only got to watch part of it, but my first thought when I saw the Roswell stuff (when the Alien was shot)... "well, they got the shark jumping over with in a hurry"

This is ultimately why I never watched the original run. The show was about how the crackpots are actually right. It told the audience that your own personal brand of stupid that you can't prove is actually true and to hell with everyone and everything that refutes it.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Really solid episode 2. Delightfully hearkened back to the darker MOTWs of the early years.

Was not a fan of last week's episode (were-monster) although it got some great reviews.

Last night's episode (Home Again) which seems to be maligned by all of the reviewers today, hit on all the right notes for me. Definitely felt like I was watching the X-files again.

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Last week's felt at home with Bad Blood in tone and fun-level. Bad Blood is my favorite monster-of-the-week X-Files episode of all time. I had a good time with last week's episode.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Daggoo!

I loved loved loved "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster". It fit perfectly beside Darin Morgan's other masterpieces ("Humbug", "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", "War of the Coprophages", "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'").

I enjoyed "Home Again", though I feel they should have left it in its original place in the run (as the second episode, not the fourth). The William bits feel more correctly ordered like that (ripping open the wound in "Home Again", then going into the fantasy sequences of "Founder's Mutation"). And even though I have some quibbles with the tulpa bits, the "Downtown" sequence was classic X-Files.

Oh, that was the same writer as Humbug? Okay, that makes so much sense, now. Humbug's my second favorite MOTW.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

He also wrote two episodes of Millennium, which are brilliant as well: "Jose Chung's 'Doomsday Defense'" and "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me". Even if you don't/didn't watch Millennium, give them a go.

Monday's episode made no sense whatsoever, but I would totally watch it again just for Moulder's romp through Texas.

I don't...know exactly what I watched Monday, but I kinda loved it.

I can agree with that.

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