Binge Watching Guide

Mythology

You can't skip these 75 episodes! The Myhtology of The X-Files or Mytharc is the heart of the series: conspiracy and aliens await. The other episodes are part of the Monster of the Week and can be viewed independently of each other.

Opening SequenceWant to quickly put you in the mood for the show? Listen to the musical theme, it is cult. (It was created by Mark Snow.) Watch the opening sequence, it is unique. (It was created by the Castle / Bryant / Johnsen agency.)

Aliens, serial killers, monsters, paranormal activity, supernatural phenomena, conspiracy theory… This cult science fiction series is the first to have grown through the Internet (New York Times). Since

then, The X-Files has inspired many other series. Created by Chris Carter and broadcast on Fox (1993-2002), it will be restarted with the original duo played by David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson.

The Truth Is Out There This slogan is part of popular culture. It is present at the end of each opening sequence. Almost. For 19 specific episodes, the tagline was changed, translated * or reversed. This may be a good reason to watch these episodes!

I WANT TO BELIEVEAnother cult phrase. And the poster also. FOX had no rights for Billy Meier's photo. Another poster was created. Too late. The original poster had become an Internet meme, remixed and diverted ...

The Smoking ManSurely the villain to follow in this series. Talkative, very discreet, it protects the alien conspiracy in 38 episodes. In the episode dedicated to him (S04.E07), we learn that this is a frustrated writer. Played brilliantly by William B. Davis.

Mulder & ScullyFox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic. Whenever one is not there, something is missing in the episode... or the 29 episodes! You can skip them if you want. Played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

These three geeks help Mulder & Scully in 38 episodes. Soon, they had many fans and their own series in 2001 (canceled after 13 episodes). They inspired other geeks in other series. Played by Melvin Frohike, John Fitzgerald Byers and Richard Langly.

The Lone Gunmen

Bonus: Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, made his debut as a writer on The X-Files: will you skip these 30 episodes? Wired advises S06.E02 only for the performance of Bryan Cranston:) You can also find Aaron Paul (S09.E05) and Dean Harris (S02.E22).

Breaking Bad

And if you trusted the 105,000 fans who evaluated the episodes on IMDb? Watch the 50 most popular episodes (lines), and why not the following 51 (dashed lines). So you'll have watched half of the series.

Fans' ratings

WiredYou can follow Devon Maloney tips for Wired: feel free to skip the 9 episodes in light; do not linger on the seasons 7 to 9; but above all, do not skip the 32 episodes in dark; and do not miss the final scenes of S02.E25, S04.E07 and S06.E03.

The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998) is part of the Mythology and is between the end of season 5 and the beginning of season 6. The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) is part of the Monster of the Week and is after the end of season 9.

+ 2 Films

+ 2 ComicsThe X-Files: Season 10 (2013-15) is the official season 10 of the series, with 21 episodes written by Joe Harris. The X-Files: Year Zero (2014) extends the season with returns to the origins, with 5 episodes written by Karl Kesel. Feel free to read them!

Sources: The X-Files Mythology (DVD) + The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies (book) by Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles, 2008, New-York, US: Insight Editions ; Wikipedia (en + fr), IMDb, The New York Times and Wired. Font: Open Sans, TeX Gyre Schola and The X-Files. R libraries: extrafont, scales and plotrix.

By Christophe Cariou with R, March 2015

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S09#The X-Files9 seasons

202 episodes

6 days w/o break