The Post-Modern Prometheus - love it or hate it?

[Ciarán Ainsworth]

Hi all,

I recently had a discussion with my dad about this episode, and I found
we very much fall on different ends of the spectrum. In his eyes, this
is where the series really started to drop off and fall into a pit of
absurdity from which it never really recovered. To me, it's one of the
most enjoyable episodes out there.

The tone of this episode is definitely unserious, and like all good
monster-of-the-week episodes it has no impact on the overall mythology. But
I personally found it a really engaging story that balanced its plot
with a good amount of humor and some really nice homage to classic
horror films. In particular, I'm a sucker for Mulder and Scully dancing
or being generally affectionate without being explicitly romantic (the
baseball sequence in The Unnatural is a particularly good example of
this).

I guess it's a personal preference thing, really. My dad was always more
interested in the overarching story of the series and felt the writers
lost focus as the series went on. While I don't disagree, I think the
interaction of the characters was always more important to me than the
great mystery. I'd be interested to hear where others fall on this.

cda

[Eric Gillespie]

Love it!

<ciarana...@protonmail.com> writes:

> pit of absurdity

The show was absurd from episode one. Delightfully so.

> The tone of this episode is definitely unserious, and like all good
> monster-of-the-week episodes it has no impact on the overall mythology. But

The mytharc went off the rails in season 2. By season 6 they
were wretched, absolutely unwatchable.

But I enjoyed MOTW episodes all the way through season 9.

> I guess it's a personal preference thing, really.

Indeed.

It's nice that you get to share this with your dad! I never had
a show to share with my dad, nor so far with my sons.

Hope springs eternal.

For example: here are two human beings posting to alt.tv.x-files
in this late year of 2022!

--
Eric Gillespie <*> e...@pretzelnet.org

[Avon]

On 13 Dec 2022 at 05:44p, Eric Gillespie pondered and said...

EG> For example: here are two human beings posting to alt.tv.x-files
EG> in this late year of 2022!

Make that three :)

Hi!

[Francis S]

On Sun, 18 Dec 2022 13:16:36 +1300, Av...@f101.n1.z21.fsxnet (Avon)
wrote:

Four!

[Daniel65]

Francis S wrote on 18/12/22 6:06 pm:

Oh!! Are we doing a "head count"?? ;-P
--
Daniel

[Alan McHurshman]

On Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 4:28:45 AM UTC-4, Daniel65 wrote:
> Francis S wrote on 18/12/22 6:06 pm:
> > On Sun, 18 Dec 2022 13:16:36 +1300, Av...@f101.n1.z21.

> > wrote:
> >> On 13 Dec 2022 at 05:44p, Eric Gillespie pondered and said...
> >>
> >> EG> For example: here are two human beings posting to alt.tv.x-files
> >> EG> in this late year of 2022!
> >>
> >> Make that three :)
> >>
> >> Hi!
> >
> > Four!
> >
> Oh!! Are we doing a "head count"?? ;-P
> --
> Daniel

I'm just one of the old ones. Now I must go back to teasing Gizzie about her bacon flavored Cambells soup.

[Ciaran Ainsworth]

Eric Gillespie <e...@pretzelnet.org> writes:

> Love it!

I'm so glad you agree!

> The show was absurd from episode one. Delightfully so.

I think it tried to maintain a level of genuine intrigue right at the
beginning, but it quickly became apparent that it didn't matter. The
chemistry between Mulder and Scully didn't necessitate a strong mythos,
people were just happy to watch them do their thing. I was always just
watching for them, personally.

> The mytharc went off the rails in season 2. By season 6 they
> were wretched, absolutely unwatchable.

> But I enjoyed MOTW episodes all the way through season 9.

Yeah, I'm the same way. I think my dad always held out hope that the
main storyline would resolve in a satisfying way and was embittered when
it didn't. I was always just interested in the smaller adventures of a
couple of FBI agents tracking down the cooky and bizarre. The Host, El
Mundo Gira, and Squeeze are the kinds of episodes I go back to over and
over. I couldn't really care less about the storyline I know goes
nowhere satisfying.

To be honest, the more absurd the MOTW stuff got and the more fun the
actors were clearly having, the better. This episode and Humbug are
great examples of this.

> It's nice that you get to share this with your dad! I never had
> a show to share with my dad, nor so far with my sons.

I have several shows I enjoy watching with him. X-Files and Star Trek
(TNG and Voyager) are two of the biggest, but we've also enjoyed a lot
of anime and other cartoons together as well. He actually introduced me
to animation through his love of Bill Plympton shorts, which was one of
the things that prompted me to study film at university.

> For example: here are two human beings posting to alt.tv.x-files
> in this late year of 2022!

These communities never really die. They're always waiting, lurking in
the shadows for new prey...

cda

[Eric Gillespie]

Ciaran Ainsworth <ciarana...@protonmail.com> writes:

> Eric Gillespie <e...@pretzelnet.org> writes:
>
>> For example: here are two human beings posting to alt.tv.x-files
>> in this late year of 2022!
>
> These communities never really die. They're always waiting, lurking in
> the shadows for new prey...

Happy 2023! :)

[Avon]

On 02 Jan 2023 at 12:05p, Eric Gillespie pondered and said...

EG> Happy 2023! :)

...and to you too :)

[Daniel65]

Avon wrote on 3/1/23 1:32 pm:

> On 02 Jan 2023 at 12:05p, Eric Gillespie pondered and said...
>
> EG> Happy 2023! :)
>
> ...and to you too :)
>

And again, Happy New Year.
--
Daniel