Previously on The X-fIles
About eleven years ago, I had shifted out of Math and into Commres, was completely in love with a huge teddy bear of a man (who — at that time — didn’t have a potbelly), movies in SM North cost only P50 and jeepney fare for UP Ikot was P1.25. One Sunday night, on RPN 9, I saw an episode of "The X-files" called Small Potatoes. By the end of the hour, I was hooked.
I remember me and Huge Teddy Bear boyfriend scouring every branch of ACA for episodes of The X-files I might have missed since I caught on the series rather late. (Small Potatoes was season 4. And by this time, The X-files was already in its 6th season in the US). I remember spending so much money on recap books (P600 per book was a big deal for an unemployed student). And I also remember dragging Huge Teddy Bear boyfriend to the "X-files: Fight the Future" — the blockbuster feature film that came out in 1998. I even remember bringing five, six tapes to the office so my fellow research geeks and I can watch the series during lunch breaks and after work.
Awww. Poor Huge Teddy Bear EX-Boyfriend. We’re friends now, by the way.
And now the nostalgia of the series is creeping up on X-philes like me everywhere as the second feature film’s release date comes near. Yep. July 25.
(QUICK SIDEBAR: For the last three years, having had no lovelife to be excited about, I always looked forward to one of my cheap thrills — Harry Potter. The new book always came out in July. When the seventh book was released last year, it was kind of sad knowing there’s nothing to look forward to in July 2008. Good thing I was wrong)
This feature film almost never got made because of how The X-files ended. David Duchovny’s departure left a sore taste in everyone’s mouth. That was compounded further by creator Chris Carter’s dispute with 20th Century Fox about copyrights and whatnot.
But the X-philes were adamant. The fan sites were kept alive all these years. It also didn’t hurt that many of the series that came after The X-files were cheap knock-offs. I remember reading an article in Entertainment Weekly a few years ago where the critic asks "Where have all the shows like X-files gone?". There was a clamor for its return. And here it is.
I’ve loved many other drama series after it too. The CSIs. Prison Break. The West Wing. But nothing compares to the sick genius of the creators and writers of The X-files.
I did an experiment once. During one Saturday, I watched a full season of CSI:NY — the best-written of the three, I believe, because they look more into characters than into the cases. And then the next day, Sunday, I watched a full season of The X-files. It was like injecting my brain with Smart Serum.
I also noticed that about 1/4 of every CSI episode are scenes with a loud soundtrack while a character processes his evidence. I got turned off. On The X-files, about 90% is intelligent dialogue.
"Yada yada. Here she goes again. Her and her X-files". Yes. Here I am again. And here I will be for the next ten Saturdays bugging you guys to go see the movie. Whenever you can, watch old episodes on RPN/Crime Suspense every Sunday (I think…).
Next week, a recap of the series finale….
