The Truth Is Out There.....Well At Least It Used To Be

I felt after Jo's wonderful Fringe post that an X-Files one was mandatory. I was fairly recently introduced to Fringe (by Jojo of course!) and as I became more and more involved with every episode I couldn't help but flashback to when I discovered the X-Files. There are a lot of very obvious similarities between them, both are about obscure FBI divisions that deal with very odd cases, there is the whole government conspiracy factor and of course the "will they/won't they" issue...although Fringe took care of that one very quickly as Olivia and Peter have already kissed and will most likely be together if Olivia (and her incredibly inappropriate for an FBI agent hair!) ever gets back to the correct universe!

Fringe is most definitely taking up where the X-Files left off. Anyone that was around in the early nineties can tell you it's impossible to watch Fringe without thinking about the X-Files. I know for the younger kids (yes that is directed at you Jo!) one has nothing to do with the other but trust me there would be No Fringe if the X-files had not so brilliantly and successfully blurred the lines between sci-fi and well...just sci! The characters of Mulder and Scully, the believer and the skeptic, the spooky alien lover and the scientist could not have been more engaging...and TALK ABOUT CHEMISTRY!

Okay, so now that I mentioned chemistry I must vent a little. There is no denying that a big part of the show's mass appeal was the sexual tension between Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, sure we all tuned in to find out what the Cigarette Smoking Man was up to or to see if this week would be the week Mulder found out what really happened to his sister Samantha...but deep down we all knew the REAL reason was to see if this week would be the week that Mulder and Scully would finally drop their damn flashlights and do the horizontal hokie pokey! Well kids (spoiler alert), they royally screwed the pooch on that one! I won't ruin the CRAP ending just in case anyone wants to go back and watch the entire run...but it still makes me want to kick Chris Carter in the Jujubees! GGRRRRRRRRR

Sorry about that...letting go of the anger....there, all better. ANYwhoooooo, where was I? Oh right, I was about to pick my five essential X-Files episodes! I'm sure it will seem odd to the X-filelites (I am fairly sure I just made that word up) that my 5 essentials have NOTHING to do with the "mythology" of the show, but honestly I never cared much about the little green men...I was in it for the Duchovny! All my favorite episodes are ones that can be watched without any knowledge of the actual conspiracy, I mostly loved the episodes where they broke from the mold and tried new stuff....which most often than not was hilarious stuff!

5 Essential X-Files episodes

1. The Host (Series 2)

The human fluke worm!! This one is guaranteed to make you go into a fetal position at least ONCE! That was one scary little bastard! Can you imagine a HUMAN sized parasite that attaches to you with these little sharp teeth and inserts it's little parasite embryos inside your body!? I don't even want to tell you HOW they came out! I need a hug...

2. Home (Series 4)

Okay, this one is just...It was so disturbing it was only aired ONCE on American television. I think it is the quintessential X-files episode! It has it all, creepiness, horrific violence, dead deformed babies, incest AND some nice little touches of humor! Not every show can balance all these things so skillfully! Tell me, when was the last time a show about inbreeding and incest made you chuckle?

3. Bad Blood (Series 5)

The funniest episode EVER! Very cleverly done in the two different POV's. The story is told by both Mulder and Scully and their versions are very different and very , very funny! Mulder and Scully have to re-cap the events that lead to Mulder pounding a wooden stake through a seemingly innocent teen's heart. This episode really showcases how ridiculously funny both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson can be. Must see!

4. Post-Modern Prometheus (Series 5)

This is actually a very sweet and lovely episode. Shot in gorgeous black and white, it's their homage to the classic horror film. The agents are called in to investigate the mysterious impregnation of formerly sterile women by what seems to be a peanut butter eating, Cher loving monster. It's very clever and very funny, and the ending is actually quite heartwarming.

5. X-cops (Series 7)

This episode is filmed as a COPS show. I guess Fox figured it would be a good crossover. It is HILARIOUS! All shot with that annoying, shaky, hand held cam and in real time. The story is that a cop , who at the time had a COPS camera crew riding with him, encounters some sort of monster and so our Spooky Mulder is called in. Throughout the show the "monster's" description changes from a Werewolf, to a pimp, to Freddy Krueger! The story-line is really cool and Scully's reactions to the camera shoved in her face are piss your pants funny! I miss this show so much :(