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Three episodes watched. Thoughts so far:

As Knick pointed out, the series (at least season 1) has a bit of a low budget look but that doesn't bother me much. The plots have been interesting, especially episode 3 (Tooms is one creepy bastard). Definitely looking forward to see more.
 
The badness at the start and end of X-Files is of different sorts.

In the first two seasons, they were still developing the characters and formula. Most of those episodes won't seem "bad" when you first see them, but you'll realize how much better the series gets afterward.

There is, however, one notorious early X-Files episode (2nd season I think) involving incest that is exceptionally creepy. You'll know when you see it. It's creepy enough that it almost turned me off the show entirely when it first aired.

The last two seasons don't have Mulder. The guy who played the liquid Terminator comes into the show. Just not the same.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
There is, however, one notorious early X-Files episode (2nd season I think) involving incest that is exceptionally creepy. You'll know when you see it. It's creepy enough that it almost turned me off the show entirely when it first aired.
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I think the episode you mean is called "Home" from season 4. I read about the episode and that it was banned after its first air on TV. I didn't spoil the plot for myself though.
 
Huh, yeah that's the one, I thought it was earlier than season 4 (obviously :cool: ).

If it was banned once, that ban was lifted later. I've seen it as a rerun. It's not so bad the second time when you know what's coming.
 
I still have to try X-Files seriously - I even have the DVDs, I just can't find the time - we just finished Sopranos last month and Breaking Bad, now me and my wife are hooked on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Six Feet Under and The Wire (she doesn't like that latter one too much, however) and I'm planning on trying out Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Downton Abbey and maybe even Sons of Anarchy or True Blood before we get to X-Files.

What I've seen so far, I've liked. However, there are some stinkers, even in the very first season (Ghost in the Machine or The Jersey Devil were a bore, IMHO. Maybe even Beyond the Sea)
 
Saapanael said:
You forgot to add ".tumblr." to that link but cool page :ok:.
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Oops...posting from my phone.

Brigantium said:
Really? Which ones are you thinking of, MrK? (Maybe use spoiler tags so you don't spoil anything for Saap). I thought Series 1 in particular was solid, although slightly slow at times if you're used to today's TV and films.
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In the first season you've got some truly horrendous stuff like Space (the face on the moon is evil), Fire (Mulder's afraid of fire for literally no reason and has a spunky British ex-flame), and Gender Bender (aliens are Amish!). Space is probably the worst thing they've ever done: boring and poorly written. Then there's the episodes that are still watchable, but mostly bad, like Shadow, Ghost in the Machine, Miracle Man, and Roland. They're not terrible, just dull and marred by bad production value. The overall quality comes up in Season Two, but two of the worst, most nonsensical episodes come out of that one: 3 (vampires! oooooohhh!) and Fearful Symmetry (ghost elephants and gorilla alien abductions!).

There's a tendency in the first two seasons to continually try stories that just don't work, namely the "someone from Mulder or Scully's past comes up and has a problem/dies/helps out." Thankfully, they drop this after Season Two because the show has built itself up well enough to sustain the story. Also, if you take a closer look, a lot of those early episodes have plots in which Mulder and Scully show up and have literally no impact

Saapanael said:
Three episodes watched. Thoughts so far:

As Knick pointed out, the series (at least season 1) has a bit of a low budget look but that doesn't bother me much. The plots have been interesting, especially episode 3 (Tooms is one creepy bastard). Definitely looking forward to see more.
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Tooms is great and his first episode is one of the best! It's good that you're not dissuaded by the poor FX, that'll help you through a lot of average shows.

SinisterMinisterX said:
The badness at the start and end of X-Files is of different sorts.

In the first two seasons, they were still developing the characters and formula. Most of those episodes won't seem "bad" when you first see them, but you'll realize how much better the series gets afterward.
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Exactly. It's only on rewatching it later that you realize how bad some of them are, hence why I'm intrigued by a first-timer's opinion.

SinisterMinisterX said:
There is, however, one notorious early X-Files episode (2nd season I think) involving incest that is exceptionally creepy. You'll know when you see it. It's creepy enough that it almost turned me off the show entirely when it first aired.
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Saapanael said:
I think the episode you mean is called "Home" from season 4. I read about the episode and that it was banned after its first air on TV. I didn't spoil the plot for myself though.
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Home is definitely creepy as hell. But it's also a lot more humorous then I remember it being. Some great Mulder/Scully lines in there.

SinisterMinisterX said:
The last two seasons don't have Mulder. The guy who played the liquid Terminator comes into the show. Just not the same.
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Meliegree said:
Robert Patrick was great in X-Files, at least for me. But then I never was fan of the show.
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I am also firmly in Camp Doggett. Robert Patrick was fantastic. He was no Mulder, sure, but at least he was interesting. It got really bad when Reyes became a major character. Talk about bland, tepid water right there.


JudasMyGuide said:
What I've seen so far, I've liked. However, there are some stinkers, even in the very first season (Ghost in the Machine or The Jersey Devil were a bore, IMHO. Maybe even Beyond the Sea)
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Ghost and Jersey are definitely some clunkers. It's so early in the show, though, that the camp of them was rather enjoyable. Beyond the Sea is a masterpiece. The best episode of the first season by far.
 
Oh, I loved Genderbender, Amish aliens! :p Nice smouldering crop circle type ending Yes, that Space one was a bit slow, although has a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to it. Tooms is brilliant, and I liked the Jersey Devil one too, although that was when they were trying to push the Mulder and Scully not-romance storyline, which got tiresome. The werewolf episode was good, too. The one I really wasn't keen on was the man-eating green mosquito cloud one, that was mostly dull, although a decent idea.

What eventually got me with the X-Files, as with a lot of long-running series, was when they tried to explain or reveal too much, then tried to turn the story back on itself and explain a previous event in a different way. Rather than being a clever twist, it always comes across to me as an attempt to prolong a franchise. Plus they quickly exhausted the best known creepy legends and mysterious phenomena. I only caught bits and pieces of the later post-Mulder series because they moved it all onto Sky TV.
 
I highly recommend Bojack Horseman to those who haven't seen it. It has 2 seasons available on Netflix. It's an animated comedy series, but it touches on some heavy stuff. I loved it from the start, although most people agree that it takes a few episodes to really find its groove. A must watch for fans of dark humor.
 
I just got back from Black Mass. Amazing film! Johnny Depp deserves an award for that performance!
 
Interstellar in Imax was one of the most memorable movie experiences I've ever had. It looked incredible. Haven't seen special effects that stunning in a very long time.
 
Just saw ET for the first time, in theatres for the local theatre's anniversary event. A very good movie, but the pacing (like many early Spielberg movies) was a little off.
 
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