The opening credits sequence makes its debut here (I once threw a "dance party" to extended length remixes of the show's main theme), closing on the iconic phrase "The Truth Is Out There". The music, composed by Mark Snow, is worth mentioning, as it perfectly complements the eerie atmosphere of the show. It made such an impression on me that I bought a CD of background tracks from the show in an era that predated my later obsession with music.
In the second episode of the series, Mulder drags Scully out to a UFO hotspot - an air force base rumored to have received some of the wreckage from the infamous Roswell crash - and risks his life to catch a glimpse of an alleged "military UFO". While the pilot episode tipped the balance toward the paranormal, this episode brings the government conspiracy angle to the forefront, introducing Mulder's first informant - Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) - who contrasts the Smoking Man's tight-lipped detachment with a protective interest in Mulder's search for the truth. Also look for a young Seth Green in a bit part as a stoner!
Memorable quotes:
Scully: Just because I can't explain it, doesn't mean I'm gonna believe they were UFOs.
Mulder: 'Unidentified Flying Objects' - I think that fits the description pretty well. Tell me I'm crazy.
Scully: Mulder, you're crazy.
Deep Throat: Mr. Mulder, why are those like yourself who believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life on this earth not dissuaded by all the evidence to the contrary?
Mulder: Because, all the evidence to the contrary is not entirely dissuasive.
Deep Throat: Precisely.
Mulder: They're here, aren't they?
Deep Throat: Mr. Mulder, they've been here for a long, long time.
Started my mythwatch. I was worried that a 20+ year-old show wouldn't translate well with me, but I'm loving it so far. As someone who, as you know, is constantly changing and evolving, modern stylistic mores have a lot of sway with me, so a lot of older stuff seems even more dated to me than it probably would to most people. But this episode was fantastic, loved everything about it.
ReplyDeleteIt really strikes me how young they look -- and I'm not sure if that's because I'm used to seeing them more recently (e.g. in the 2nd movie), or if it's because most of the times I've watched this show I was like 11 years old and they seemed a million years old back then. On the flipside some people will always 'feel' like adults to me, even as I surpass them in age (like Ellie from Jurassic Park, she was 25!)
You're right that the music is great. I actually don't find it dated at all, it's the same overall style of atmospheric music you'd have in alien documentaries today like Ancient Aliens, UFO Files, etc.
I'm surprised at how dedicated and brash Mulder is. I was expecting a slow rise, trying to infiltrate the conspiracy from the back, but he's going toe to toe with the US Government in the SECOND EPISODE? Plus he was more than willing to potentially forfeit his life just to get a look at the craft on the base. Not even transmit footage to the world or something like that, but just to confirm for himself that it's real, he was willing to die. Unless he's THAT confident about his as-yet-unnamed connections "in Congress" and he's sure he'll at least get away with his life. But it's a pattern he showed in the first episode as well, going in guns blazing. Clearly it just means that much to him.
It's weird watching this show as a skeptic because on the one hand I may relate to Scully's position philosophically, but on the other hand WITHIN the univers of the X-Files I happen to know that Mulder is factually correct; even if some of the freak-a-weeks may not be real, the aliens most certainly are. And if the paranormal wasn't real we wouldn't have much of a show, anyway.
I've found conflicting reports on which eps are the myth ones. For example wikipedia lists 8 of season 2's episodes while the X-Files fan wiki lists 16 episodes, that's exactly twice as many!
Glad you're enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Mulder is very brash, right from the word "go", it's a fundamental part of his personlity. Particularly in the mythology episodes, he's always getting himself into trouble, and more often than not, it's Scully who's got to save him.
I think it's interesting to note, judging from some interviews I've read, that not only was Chris Carter himself a skeptic when he started this show, but that the temperaments of Mulder and Scully's actors were reversed - David Duchovny was the skeptic, and Gillian Anderson was the one willing to believe in paranormal phenomena!
You're right, I found some conflicting reports about the myth eps, too. Which has partly vindicated my decision to judge for myself which episodes contribute to the mythology. All the ones I've marked with two cigarettes on my review lists are the major mythology episodes, but the ones with one cigarette run the gamut from, e.g., Tooms, which is only myth-based in so far as it introduces Skinner and features the Smoking Man uttering his only four words in the entire first season, and eps like Conduit, which is structurally monster-of-the-week, but has enough material on the abduction of Mulder's sister to make it significant to the mythology.
I'll have more detailed info about the mythological contributions of each of the relevant episodes in my Myth Tracker series, that is, if I update it fast enough to keep up with your mythwatch. (Of course, you'll probably advance fast enough to outstrip my regular watch, since I'll only be finishing the fifth season by the end of October, but oh well). I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts as you advance through the mythology!
I'll find those myth notes very helpful. I adore the icons, btw.
ReplyDeleteIf you were so inclined you could also whip up a list of what the best episodes to watch are according to themes: e.g. aliens, cryptozoology, serial killers, ghosts. Though I guess your post tags may already be doing that for you, eh? Most of the eps I watch are going to be alien focused of course but that's something I'm definitely watching out for, for the sake of future itereations of my 31 Days of Halloween.
Thanks! Not to boost my own ego, but those icons were a stroke of genius. They're just too perfect.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's pretty much what the tags are good for. Surprisingly, after the first season, there are few monster-of-the-week episodes about alien abductions, and not as many cryptids as you'd expect. Lots of serial killers (although most of them have some kind of psychic or supernatural power), and the one type of monster that The X-Files really loves is the genetic mutant.