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When did The X-Files jump the shark?
- Thread starter ManaByte
- Start date
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The consensus with my X-files buds and I was that Season 1-5 thru the movie was just about prefection. Six Season, the move to LA, was the start of a decline. Though I have to say even the worst of X-files is alot better then the stuff today. Parts of the last two seasons were abit painful at times though. Also alot folks just never got over "the ending arc" of Samantha at the end of S6, it was dissappointing and downright cooky to some could not accept it.
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
It sure as hell wasn't the trailer park vampire episode, guest starring Luke Wilson and the kid from The Big Green. That shit was funny.
Mulder's perception of Scully as a bitch was hilarious, and well done.
Mulder's perception of Scully as a bitch was hilarious, and well done.
Either mid fifth season or early sixth. The mythology spun absolutely out of control and the feeling that there was actually a sensible backstory behind all the conspiracy crap was simply no longer there. They were clearly making it up as they went, and it showed more and more from season six on. The smart play, storywise, would have been to wrap the ongoing alien/MiB/Syndicate thing up in the film, and start fresh with a new mytharc after they moved to LA. You still had Mulder's sister missing, people higher up in the government who were complacent with the alien conspiracy and no doubt other cover-ups, and Scully's belief system to play with, and a new storyline less focused around the "WE ARE NOT ALONE" thing could have been created. Maybe something more supernaturally focused.
But damn, some of those early mythology eps are genius. E.B.E., the whole Navajo trilogy, Nisei/731, Fallen Angel...thanks in no small part to the brilliant locations, the sense of menace and mystery was palpable. They never, ever should have left Vancouver.
But damn, some of those early mythology eps are genius. E.B.E., the whole Navajo trilogy, Nisei/731, Fallen Angel...thanks in no small part to the brilliant locations, the sense of menace and mystery was palpable. They never, ever should have left Vancouver.
HomerSimpson-Man
Member
IJoel said:
Didn't like Mulder try to make a cross with breads sticks or something? I just loved the X-files, of course there was the long overall arcs but stand alone episodes were great too.
HomerSimpson-Man said:
hmm... Don't precisely recall that, but might have happened. The episode is the one where both Mulder and Scully have to come up with their story to tell the FBI as there was an event that led to the FBI investigating them (Mulder and Scully,) and so each one tell the other their view of the events. It so happens that each one has a huge difference in perceptions and the result is just hilarious.
The episode is called Bad Blood.
The Shadow
Member
I would say the movie jumped the shark. As a big X-Files fan, I was disappointed in the movie and I felt that the series just didn't have the energy it did before the movie. I pretty much stopped watching it altogether shortly after that.
Keyser Soze
Member
clip wrong thread
FeedMeAStrayCat
Member
Mugen said:
No f'in way. The X-Files IS one of the best series ever.. in my opinion, of course.
I didn't see the big problem with it (or as Mana put it "jumping the shark"). The stand alone episodes were more enjoyable, yes, and the story arc got a little jumbled here and there. But cripes. It was on for what, nine seasons? There are a TON of awesome episodes out there, from every season. Oh yeah, the X-Files ROCKS.
Warm Machine
Member
When they left Vancouver for LA it went down hill. All the mood was gone.
FeedMeAStrayCat
Member
I do have a question for everyone though.. does anyone have a series that they felt stayed consistent and great for a long time? Let's say.. at least 6 or more seasons? It seems everyone always complains about shows that were on for a long time that just lost it near the end. Buffy, X-Files, Simpsons, Seinfeld, etc. This isn't how I see it. All of those shows I just mentioned are great. Awesome shows. I just think the shows "evolve" or change over time and people don't like it. The X-Files had a different feel to it a few seasons from the end, yeah, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Same goes for Buffy (except for maybe the Slayer girls in the last season.. heh) and the like.
I'm sure no one will agree with me... but... oh well, what can ya do?
I'm sure no one will agree with me... but... oh well, what can ya do?
Stargate SG-1 was good up until season 9 (so far).
Star Trek TNG was great for all seven seasons, even though the seventh had some duds. Hell, people didn't want Paramount to end the series at year seven but they did so to ensure a shitload of people would go see the movie the following holiday season.
Star Trek TNG was great for all seven seasons, even though the seventh had some duds. Hell, people didn't want Paramount to end the series at year seven but they did so to ensure a shitload of people would go see the movie the following holiday season.
FeedMeAStrayCat
Member
ManaByte said:
Here's a fact about me:
I've never seen a Star Trek movie, and I've seen maybe 2 episodes total of a Star Trek TV show (dunno which one.. the one with ... Seven of Nine or 7 of 9 or whatever the hell her name was? hahahah)... perhaps I should get around to that someday.
I've never seen Stargate either!
To be honest, I barely paid attention to Xfiles during its first seasons. I caught the movie and was completely hooked into the whole thing. Then they totally invalidated the movie when the next season started. I felt ripped off.
My favorite single episode was with Giovionni Ribisi (before he was famous) playing a kid who could control electricity. Excellent episode.
My favorite single episode was with Giovionni Ribisi (before he was famous) playing a kid who could control electricity. Excellent episode.
SpoonyBard
Banned
Season 6 was the best season, maybe moving the production to LA gave them an (short lived) energy boost, but that season was just great. The double episode Dreamland was the best of the season (Mulder switched bodies with a man in black), so maybe that's where they jumped the shark then.
Season 7 was already much weaker, and the last 2 seasons should never have been made.
Season 7 was already much weaker, and the last 2 seasons should never have been made.
Hurricane_Chris
DDK
are they making a new x-files movie?
Escape Goat
Member
ddkawaii said:
I think DUchovny wants to.
Basically, I like to think of the X-files as seasons 1-5, plus the movie. That's it, it's not worth watching after that point. I thought the movie was great. But the move out of Vancouver really seemed to kill the show's mood, and also it seemed like every other episode became a "joke" episode. So for me, season 6 is really where it jumped the shark.
ddkawaii said:
They HOPE to start filming early next year if they can fix up all the troubles with getting it off the ground.
Every season of X-Files was good. some were much better than others, but there wasn't a bad one. Great show.
Although killing.. you know.. was really lame. ):
I think the problems started when Gillian Anderson got pregnant. The abduction of Scully and that whole story arch just proved problematic in the end. I think most people agree that the stand-alone episodes were the best. However, bad X-files is still better than 99% of everything else on tv.
BlackClouds
Member
Threads like this though show that there's no hope for another Xfiles movie, which is in the works, but they'd be crazy to do one now. The fanbase has turned on the franchise, like they did Star Trek. This same fanbase was worried about the show jumping the shark from day one....and god do I hate that phrase. I utterly hate the X-Files community and I hate hearing their opinions parroted here on GAF. The most easily predicted bomb is the next X-Files movie...
Far as myself, the show did decline somewhat in season 6, and 7, and that's mainly because of some dopey comedy based episodes. Season 8 had a mini comeback because it was all serious again with the return to some disturbing stand alone monster stories, the comedy offloaded to the Lone Gunman show, and the addition of Robert Patrick as a skeptic which was a good one. Season 9 was junk from the beginning except for a couple of episodes though not because there was no Mulder. Say what you will about X-files turning to trash, at least it was progressive. At least the producers took chances and thought outside of the box. Say what you will of the last episode, they got down the epic-ness of the whole thing down pat.
Not even going to get into the movie...people have such childish BS opinions about it that it makes me sick.
Far as myself, the show did decline somewhat in season 6, and 7, and that's mainly because of some dopey comedy based episodes. Season 8 had a mini comeback because it was all serious again with the return to some disturbing stand alone monster stories, the comedy offloaded to the Lone Gunman show, and the addition of Robert Patrick as a skeptic which was a good one. Season 9 was junk from the beginning except for a couple of episodes though not because there was no Mulder. Say what you will about X-files turning to trash, at least it was progressive. At least the producers took chances and thought outside of the box. Say what you will of the last episode, they got down the epic-ness of the whole thing down pat.
Not even going to get into the movie...people have such childish BS opinions about it that it makes me sick.
Arc episodes? Sheesh, talk about loose definitions.. There were no arcs - each door only lead to another - Carter had no idea where he was going. The early 'conspiracy' episodes made you feel like something big and important will eventually get revealed if you stuck with it. :lol If you did, Im sorry. If the creators of Lost do the same thing, I swear!
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Biglesworth23 said:
No, sadly. I'm not sure it's even possible over that much time. There's always going to be a season or a big group of episodes where things just don't work. Either the writers are running out of ideas after so long, the writers have changed (as in new people, not as in they found god or something), the network force something on the show to try and improve audiences, an actor leaves or gets pregnant or something and messes up storylines or dynamics...and so on.
Personally, the only one which came close was Angel. For me at least, every season was better or at least equal to the season before, and most of the time was fantastic. I'm still not thrilled by season 1 though, so once again the complete package is just out of reach.
Maybe it'll happen someday, Deadwood is 2 seasons in and constantly amazes me, but it wouldn't be the first show to have a wonderful first 2 or 3 seasons before things start to go wrong.
As for the X-Files, I really need to see it again. It's hard to believe I was 9 when it first started, and I've hardly ever seen repeats of it, so I don't feel I can judge.
heavy liquid
Member
silenttwn said:
I completely agree, and it seems that a few others here also feel the same way. In addition to the problems caused by moving the show to LA, Duchovny had wanted out of the X-Files for some time after the movie, and was publicly dissing the show during the seventh season. For instance, on Jay Leno: "Have you seen the show the last two weeks? Man, we should stop. They're getting pretty bad sometimes. It's getting a little thin " Seeing and reading comments like that around that time started to kill the show for me back then. And his dissatisfaction with the show seemed to spill over to his acting, IMO, as he seemed to just phone in most episodes. It's all a shame, really.
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