Monday, August 31, 2015

Mytharc is dead, they say

Long live mytharc!

As you might imagine, I've been reading a lot of X-Files reviews lately. After every episode I watch, I get curious what other people have to say about it, and how their opinions compare and contrast with my own. I gave up (twice) on the first blog I started to follow, because it seemed that their reviewers hated every episode I liked, and liked every episode I hated, and it was getting frustrating to read.

I found a couple others to fill up the space, though - both of which I like better so far. One of them is written by a shipper, although she has a proper appreciation for other aspects of the show (including the mythology), so her reviews are generally thoughtful, and fun to read. The other one is written by a pair (I think) of fans with what reads like professional writing talent (for a change). Their reviews are very edifying to read, although they're oddly grouped into sets of three (or so).

But I've noticed something - not exclusively on that last website, although it turns up there - that a lot of people who do seem to be mythology fans (I called them "conspiracy nuts" in a previous post), when reviewing the earlier mythology episodes (and, these all being diehard fans, they've seen all or most of the series before), have a tendency to take the mythology's disappointing evolution and eventual conclusion out on those earlier episodes. It's like they've been jaded, and they can't properly appreciate the mythology any longer, even when it was good.

I find that unfortunate, because I haven't given up on the mythology yet, and I still find these early mythology episodes to be extremely compelling. And I don't care, even if the mythology's resolution is disappointing. If it's true that the mythology eventually collapses under the weight of its own complexity - proving that Chris Carter wrote us all a check that he couldn't cash - it doesn't change all the fun we've had before the repo men came to take away all our hopes and dreams.

So even if the mythology hasn't "aged" as well as the standalone episodes (a statement I don't necessarily agree with - although it may be true for the later seasons), I still consider those mythology episodes the raison d'etre of the series. I haven't become so jaded as to forget (or write off in spite) how exciting they were (and still are), and that they are the reason I (and many others, I'll wager) ever became X-Files fans in the first place. They're what made the series so exciting and so much fun to watch. I may yet become jaded during my re-watch (especially as I go through the last couple of seasons after I gave up on the show the first time around), but nothing will change that fact.

7 comments:

  1. It's an interesting question and something I'm looking forward to (though wearily) exploring. The conspiracy aspect was always what drew me to the series and what I liked was when it was really ground level stuff, like it could be part of our own world -- which obviously ceases to be the case when they get into alien fruitions and the like.

    But I can sort of understand where those other people are coming from. Paranormal Activity, for example, it's hard for me to ignore the dumb direction they took the mythology since it ties so closely to what happens in those first two films. I can still enjoy them but it'll never be 100% pure again. But ultimately that affects more my opinion of how the series stands on a critical level, more than it affects my enjoyment. BTW Oren Peli's Area 51 finally did come out. Didn't get great reviews but I look forward to watching it this october.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not to get too spoilerry, but especially the whole "believe the lie" business up through the end of the fourth season - I could easily see that being a reflection of the real world.

    I was actually thinking of watching that Paranormal Activity movie I skipped sometime this October, seeing as it's on Netflix. I don't expect it to be good, but I'm still curious.

    Yeah, I can sympathize with the whole "you're ruining it!" mindset, especially with remakes and tired sequels and stuff. Maybe Seinfeld had something when they chose to go out on a high note. Then again, from the start, I think Chris Carter planned on taking his time stepping through the mythology. "No aliens until the sixth season," or whatever. Lots of maybe-aliens, but I don't think any concrete mythology aliens materialized until the first movie. But I'll be getting there soon enough.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never watched that other Paranormal Activity film either. And I think there's another one supposed to come out this October? Or maybe not, there haven't been any trailers yet. Maybe next October. I still say Paranormal Activity should have been an anthology series, and it could have ruled the found footage genre all by itself. Even assuming Peli's Area 51 is mediocre at least it wouldn't tarnish anything about the first Paranormal Activity -- and with such a non-descript name as Paranormal Activity, it's perfect as an anthology. And I say this even though I do think PA2 is the best of the series. But I digress...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I never watched that other Paranormal Activity film either. And I think there's another one supposed to come out this October? Or maybe not, there haven't been any trailers yet. Maybe next October. I still say Paranormal Activity should have been an anthology series, and it could have ruled the found footage genre all by itself. Even assuming Peli's Area 51 is mediocre at least it wouldn't tarnish anything about the first Paranormal Activity -- and with such a non-descript name as Paranormal Activity, it's perfect as an anthology. And I say this even though I do think PA2 is the best of the series. But I digress...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think there is one coming out. That may have been part of the impetus for me to watch the one I missed. Unfortunately, they've gone from "must see in the theater!", to "eh, I'll get around to it within a year or so..."

    I still think Halloween would've been great as an anthology series, like it was originally meant to be. It's got just as generic a name as Paranormal Activity, too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah Halloween would have been ideal. TBPH Mike Myers is my least favorite of the slasher icons anyway.

    But what they did with Halloween would actually be ideal for PA at least IMO because they did 2 Halloween movies of the same continuity and then branched off. That way we get our cake (PA 1 & 2) and get to eat it too (anthology ftw). I still rank PA3 as one of the most disappointing films I've seen, due largely to 90% of the trailer not happening in the movie (including the house burning down and the demonologist from PA1 appearing....)

    FYI Area 51 actually came on Netflix (already!) so that's cool. Definitely going to watch that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, I don't know what happened with PA3...

    I'll definitely be watching Area 51 if it's on Netflix.

    ReplyDelete