The X-Files Retrospective: Ice
Season 1, Episode 8—Ice “Before anyone passes judgment—may I remind you, we are in the Arctic.” —Mulder before removing his clothes in front of his colleagues. Mulder and Scully find themselves stranded in the middle of the Arctic with a…
The X-Files Retrospective: Ghost in the Machine
Season 1, Episode 7—Ghost in the Machine Mulder is asked by a former colleague to assist in the investigation of the murder of a technology company CEO who was inexplicably electrocuted by the building’s self-learning AI security system. The creator…
The X-Files Retrospective: Shadows
Season 1, Episode 6—Shadows “I would never lie. I willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation.” To their surprise, Mulder and Scully are requested by Chief Blevins to quietly investigate the unexplained deaths of two terrorists who are the victims…
The X-Files Retrospective: Squeeze
Season 1, Episode 3—Squeeze “Is there any way to get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?” —Mulder, after coming into contact with bile. A string of murders in Baltimore, Maryland, implies a certain X-Files motif after…
The X-Files Retrospective: Deep Throat
Season 1, Episode 2—Deep Throat “Let’s just say this case has a distinct smell to it. A certain… paranormal bouquet.” After presenting a new case to Scully (the disappearance of a disturbed military test pilot in Idaho), Mulder is confronted…
The X-Files Retrospective: Pilot
With the 33rd anniversary of The X-Files, I’ve decided to rewatch the show in its entirety—for about the 10th time!—and write a perspective/review of each episode. I expect this project will take me well into 2027 since there are 202…
Random Reviews
HIDDEN (2016) In the aftermath of a devastating viral outbreak that has created “Breathers,” a father (Alexander Skarsgård), mother (Andrea Risenborough), and their 9-year-old daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) try to survive in an underground bomb shelter. When the “Breathers” discover…
Occult TV: Kolchak, Dark Shadows, and Friday the 13th: The Series
By Frank Pittarese In the ‘70s and ‘80s, cults became a go-to source for villainy in episodic TV. Inspired by real-life events like the Manson Family attacks and the mass suicide at Jonestown, series ranging from Starsky & Hutch to…