1993 & 1994 were definitely "drab" looking. I don't think they were particularly "moody" but the night time scenes weren't exactly well lit and clear and the overall production level was far below today's standards.
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There are a number of episodes that I think are top notch compared to any TV show when it comes to cinematography. "Triangle" and "Post-Modern Prometheus" are the big two that come to mind.

They actually won a bundle of awards for lighting, camera work, cinematography, ect., especially in the middle 4 seasons.

After season 5 they moved to LA from Vancouver. There is a clear change in how it's produced and filmed.

TBH, when it comes to the MOTW episodes, I prefered the dark, raw feel of the first 5 seasons. I'm sure the quality of the episodes plays into it as well, but I really think they have the best feel to them.
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Yeah I was going to go into the production changes around the time of the movie but figured I was getting a little too inside baseball.
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And that's right around the time I lost interest in the show. The first movie was such a disappointment and the series, at least IMO, seemed to follow.

There were still some good episodes (the Garry Shandling arc is still one of my favorites) but for the most part, it was terribly inconsistent.

And once Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish joined the show, I had all but tuned out. I think I saw the last episode but missed nearly every one with Reyes and whatever his character's named.

I find this new season to be closer to the first five, in terms of my personal enjoyment.
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Wasnt that when the production moved from Vancouver to LA?
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Have you ever gone back and watched the Robert Patrick episodes a second time? I actually enjoyed them a little more the second time. The first time, I was bitter while I watched them. Once I gave them an honest chance, some were better than I realized.
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I never have. Maybe I'll get to it someday but as I mentioned earlier, my interest began waning after the first movie (which was such a mess, IMO) and once they switched cast members, I was pretty much out.

I remember seeing ads for the series finale and I had about zero interest. I'm not even sure that I know what happened or even watched it because it was so long ago.
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The series finale was awful. The Mytharc stuff had completely gone off the rails by that point.

There were several good (not necessarily great) monster of the week episodes in seasons 8 and 9. Honestly, all of the MOTW episodes from season 8 (besides "Medusa") are worth a watch, imo.
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As meaningless as the super-soldiers were, they at least went back to the invasion stuff in the finale. At the time I didn't mind the finale because 3 movies were supposed to follow.

The only issue I have with the current season is the possibility that they will claim the mythology from seasons 1-6 were meaningless. I'm assuming that won't play out, but I am concerned considering how the first episode went.

I personally like Fight the Future. I Want to Believe however, was a disaster. I actually just had to google the name to make sure that's what it was called.
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Wasn't there already a story line in the original series where Fox became convinced that all of his alien theories were b.s. and that he was being misled all along? It's been so long since I've watched those old mytharc episodes that I can't remember.


I wish they had just kept the single alien invasion/secret cabal of collaborators story line. The black oil, alien rebels, multiple explanations for Samantha, a second set of conspirators and the other stuff just made it way too convoluted.


Edit: I think "Gethsemane" may have been the crisis of faith episode I mentioned above.
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Just finished episode 3...wth is up with the comedy? I thought it was funny but not what I expected from X-Files. Did the original throw in random comedy eps? I assume episode 4 will be back to the serious dark gloomy eps
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There were a few, most of which were directed by the guy who did this episode. Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space' is one of my absolute favorite episodes, and it featured a lot of oddball humor including casting Alex Trebek and Jesse Ventura as Men in Black.

Edit: I misspoke. Darin Morgan directed this episode, but he was just a writer on some of the more humorous episodes of the original run.
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Redux and Redux II start season 5 and involve Kryitschgau(spelling?). He is from the Pentagon, and convinces Mulder that he has been fed a lie.
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There we go. Thanks!





I'm not a huge fan of some of the comedy episodes. Sometimes they just got a little too far out for me. I find them amusing, but they really aren't why I tune in to the X Files.

Did you see the Millennium episode "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense"? I thought it was even better than "From Outer Space."
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It doesn't look like Vince Gilligan is going to write for the X-Files.
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