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X SPOTLIGHTS:
X-FILES RELATED
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A genetic freak who grows a replacement head after losing a previous one. Secret invasions by shape shifting aliens and black goo. A baseball player from another world. Charles Nelson Reilly salvaging his acting career. These were just a few of the outrageous situations in Chris Carter's one hour show that first appeared on Fox back in September 1993. Carter, who formerly specialized in Disney fare, created a dark, brooding and shadowy world where ghosts, monsters, aliens and brutal government conspiracies were the norm. The powerful atmosphere and unpredictable storylines made this a Twilight Zone for our times. Skeptical, logical Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and sardonic supernatural buff Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) were an unlikely pairing, yet the two clicked immediately and played perfectly off each other (That applies to the actors as well as their characters). The intelligence and resourcefulness of the leads kept them one step ahead of the bad guys and icky monsters, and kept the audiences from thinking they'd tuned into yet another crappy sci-fi series. The little known Duchovny and almost unseen Anderson was a master stroke of casting for Carter and his producers, and making them house hold names by the third year of the show's run. Although the first season was essentially a two-person show, the producers developed a wide array of recurring, and in many cases, fascinating, characters to the mix. Allies like FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), Mulder's mysterious man-in-the-know Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) and the conspiracy seeking trio The Lone Gunmen (Dean Haglund, Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood) became favorites of the show. The agents found themselves menaced time and again by the like of the aptly dubbed The Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), the shape shifting Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) and the cold blooded rogue operative Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). Still others walked the fine line of good and evil such as agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens), agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers) and the dubious Mr. X (Steven Williams). By season eight, Carter expanded the cast to prepare for a Mulder-less future with the introduction of agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). What makes The X-Files rise about other genre television fare is the sheer intelligence of it all (sure, if you don't look at a few episodes that will remain nameless...for now); when it was on it's game, it was one of the smartest things on the box. Seasons two and four were especially high quality drama, character orientated as opposed to monster of the week stuff. Episodes like 'Clyde Bruckmans Final Repose' broke new ground for imaginative TV writing, while installments like 'Home' just proceeded to push the envelope for small screen shocks. Comedy became too common (especially through seasons six and seven), yet some of those light hearted episodes were true classics, including 'Small Potatoes' and Duchovny's own 'Hollywood AD'. However, the last few seasons saw ratings dip and critical acclaim soften. Instead of waiting for their show to be canned by the network (such as fellow Fox show Ally McBeal), Carter and his producers opted to close the weekly files for good. The X-Files finished with it's ninth season, with many loose endings tied up. And although the show that has fascinated audiences for almost a decade is done, there is plans for a second theatrical release. So, until that hits the theaters...the truth is still out there. |
