Tags
1990's, Brian Thompson, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Nicholas Lea, Steven Williams, The X-Files, The X-Files Season 2, William B. Davis
Following on from the excellent first season, Season 2 of The X-Files deepens the mythology and mystery. After the first season, the only way was up and that is definitely the case this time around. Carrying on the torch lit but the set up in the debut season, this second one is a real success as the cases deepen for Mulder and Scully, introduces more memorable characters and gets a lot darker. Be warned readers, spoilers will follow in my review.
We open were the last season left off with The X-Files shut down just as both Mulder(David Duchovny) and Scully(Gillian Anderson) were growing closer to answers regarding government experiments and knowledge of extraterrestrials. Mulder and Scully have both been reassigned since, with Scully teaching at the FBI academy and Mulder assigned to wire tapping operations. Mulder has lost some of his faith in what is out there, but slowly regains it once more. Scully though reassigned continues to converse with him in secret, for fear of being watched by the powers that be. Yet danger soon awaits both of the agents in various forms. In this case, Scully and Mulder are both affected by what they experiences. Scully in particular has an interesting arc here. In it she is abducted by aliens after a psychopathic former FBI agent and abductee uses her so that aliens won’t take him again for unusual tests. Scully mysteriously returns a while after with no memory of her abduction, which only deepens the mystery for Mulder. Eventually, Assistant Director Skinner(Mitch Pileggi) re-opens The X-Files, allowing the two to work together once more and delve into more unexplained mysteries and government secrets about aliens. We also have the mysterious Smoking Man(William B. Davis) skulking around and a new informant for Mulder, known as X(Steven Williams). Plus, there is a traitorous agent called Alex Krycek(Nicholas Lea), who is initially assigned to work with Mulder and is then revealed to be in league with those most corrupt. And not forgetting a shape shifting Alien Bounty Hunter to add to the mix. Let’s just say events get a lot more creepy and mysterious as the season progresses as curious things relating to Mulder( like the whereabouts of his missing sister) are teased out in typically enigmatic fashion leading to an excellent finale.
If Season 1 was the blue print for what was to come, Season 2 is the expansion of the story and underlying mythology with a deeper intent. The story arcs here have an added depth as they explore both personal things for Mulder and Scully. I like how we as the audience can see the growth in the relationship between the two. This is most clearly evident when Scully is found comatose and Mulder, driven by anger and the desire to unearth the truth, does everything in his power to find out what happened to her. The writers really know how to explore the relationship without letting it fall into anything predictable. We sense the closeness between them but it isn’t forced and feels like a real development of caring friendship and respect. They are also adept at continuing the mythology and giving more clues about the government conspiracies, the disappearance of Mulder’s sister and the impact the abduction of Scully has on Mulder and herself. The paranoia is really cranked up this season and executed with atmospheric style and direction as government tampering and unexplained events plague the investigations of Mulder and Scully. The music provided from Mark Snow is also highly creepy and laced with unnerving tension. It’s often said that shows that have a successful first season can suffer in the second, but Season 2 of The X-Files is the exact opposite. It only gets better as it goes along. And with more darkness to the mix, it adds yet another layer of tension and suspense to the episodes. And speaking of effective episodes, many of them are in need of discussion and praise in this season. The opening episode ‘Little Green Men’ provides the first sight of a live alien and we flashback to the night Mulder’s sister Samantha was taken. The Duane Barry episodes are fantastically atmospheric and tense highlights, with the former crazed mental patient taking people hostage and speaking of his experiences of being an alien abductee. His kidnapping of Scully is a creepy scene indeed and the way it plays out gets more unusual. In the tense and emotional ‘One Breath’ as Scully’s life hangs in the balance and we watch Mulder’s quest to get answers on why she is taken. Then there’s the creepy death fetishist who sees Scully as his next victim in the horrifying ‘Irresistible’ and black magic in ‘Die Hand Die Verletzt’. and special mention has to go to the tense finale ‘Anasazi’ that finishes with one hell of a cliffhanger. It’s safe to say that Season 2 of The X-Files is chock full of exceptional episodes to watch. I could go on listing the amazing episodes, but that would go on forever and this review would become very long-winded. Not every episode can be a success because that would be impossible, but there are so many this season that are of sterling quality and style, that build on the ground work set up in the debut season and are consistently engrossing.
Once again turning in outstanding work is David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Duchovny impresses by imbuing Mulder with a dogged sense of drive, building obsession to expose the truth and deep care he has for Scully, evident in how he goes after who he believes responsible for her abduction. I appreciated the added depth that was given to Mulder in the exploration of how his sister’s disappearance had an impact on him and his discovery that his own estranged father may know more than he’s letting on. Gillian Anderson exudes strength and a level-headed demeanor as Scully, who finds her faith being tested significantly this season. Anderson burrows into the impact the abduction has on Scully and how she tries to repress her vulnerability and fear in order to stay grounded within her personal life and job. The chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson is once more a delight and has significant amounts of depth added that only expands the relationship between the two. Each of the two compliments the other and while they are often like the two sides of the coin, their banter and closeness shines through. I liked the expanded role given to Skinner this season and Mitch Pileggi makes the most of it. Seemingly gruff and not in favour of Mulder’s theories, Pileggi brings forth a sense of growing admiration for his work and even though he Skinner has his hands tied, he is starting to show signs of defiance to those who govern him. Steven Williams brings layers of ruthless mystery to the part of informant X, who you never quite know is on your side or not. Then there is the slimy presence of Alex Krycek, who is played wonderfully by Nicholas Lea and gives ounces of deceit and oiliness. Krycek is introduced as an energetic agent who helps Mulder, but he is really infiltrating his work while under the command of The Smoking Man and something shadowy. And speaking of The Smoking Man, William B. Davis is given more screen time this season and really makes a mark once more on the enigmatic character. Over two incredible episodes there is also Brian Thompson sending shivers down the spine as an alien bounty hunter.
- Little Green Men – A
- The Host – A
- Blood – B+
- Sleepless – B+
- Duane Berry – A+
- Ascension – A+
- 3 – D
- One Breath – A
- Firewalker – C-
- Red Museum – B
- Excelsis Dei – C –
- Aubrey – B+
- Irresistible – A
- Die Hand Die Verletzt – A
- Fresh Bones – B
- Colony – A
- End Game – A
- Fearful Symmetry – D
- Død Kalm – C+
- Humbug – A
- The Calusari – C+
- F. Emasculata – B+
- Soft Light – B-
- Our Town – B
- Anasazi – A+
Dark, effectively told and atmospheric to boot, Season 2 of The X-Files is a resounding success that helps expand the mythology and engross the audience with its stories. I can’t wait to see what Season 3 holds if this is anything to go by.
bambangpriantono - From Indonesia For You said:
When I was teenager, The X-Files was my favourite series I used to watch every Wednesday night on our local television. At the time I slept late just for watching the series when almost all my family members had already went sleep.
I also watch the miniseries, but unfortunately it’s not on the regular TV.
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vinnieh said:
I’m a newer fan to the show and it’s such a phenomenal show.
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bambangpriantono - From Indonesia For You said:
When were you born anyway?
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thepunktheory said:
Nice post!
I just finished watching season 10 and I’m really excited to finally watch the original series! =)
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vinnieh said:
I decided to start with the original series and movies and work my way towards the latest installments.
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fragglerocking said:
I am watching the new series, think they should have left well alone. 😕
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vinnieh said:
I’ve heard a few mixed reviews on the new series.
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beetleypete said:
Been having a binge-watch mate? That took me back to the old days of waiting for it to come on every week.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Yeah, been having a good binge watch.
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Paul Bowler said:
I still think Season 2 of The X-Files is by far the best of them all. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are at their very best as Mulder and Scully, each story was really good, and the mythology hadn’t become overly complex yet. This is the season that got me hooked on the X-Files, brilliant!
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vinnieh said:
Hi Paul, this season built on the groundwork set by the the first season and helped slowly craft the mysterious mythology.
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Paul Bowler said:
It certainly did. These are some of the very best episodes of The X-Files, always enjoying revisiting Season 2 of the show 🙂
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vinnieh said:
There were some fantastic episodes here and I liked watching the growth of Mulder and Scully’s relationship. You can just sense how much they care about each other.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Another perfect review Vinnie! This is one of my favorite seasons. BTW, I watched the new mini-series and actually thought it was pretty good. Not perfect mind you, but entertaining nonetheless.
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vinnieh said:
From reading other people’s thoughts on Season 2, it sounds like a real fan favourite. I’ll be sure to catch the new mini series once I’ve finished all of the original seasons.
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mikeladano said:
Well done Vinnie…
Now as a diehard sci-fi I need to confess I only caught the occasional episode of the X-Files! You make me want to change that. It’s a daunting task though. During the 90’s when the X-Files came out, I was already devoting 2 hours of my week to sci-fi (two simultaneous Star Trek TV series) so I really didn’t have time. I think this is on Canadian Netflix, so I may need to try again.
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vinnieh said:
I am so late to The X -Files fandom. I finally decided to watch them this year seeing as it was renewed for another series. And I am so glad I finally got my act together and watched them as love them so much now.
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mikeladano said:
I guess it’s never too late right? A lot of people have been asking me, What do you think of the new series? And then I have to sheepishly explain I haven’t finished the OLD series!
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vinnieh said:
Totally agree, I’m watching them from the start and recording the new series from television.
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mikeladano said:
Smart! I know those DVD box sets were expensive back in the day. Will you be doing the movies when you get to that point in the series?
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vinnieh said:
Oh yes I’ll be doing the movies. The box set I purchased contains both the series and two movies. So much easier than having to buy the movies separately.
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mikeladano said:
Oh that’s cool. I didn’t know they did that. I’d be curious how evenly they fit into the continuity. With Star Trek there was always a feeling of the movies being something separate.
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vinnieh said:
It will be interesting to see that, hopefully the show can make a good transition to the big screen.
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Mario said:
The first movie is very smart, taking the mythology even further whilst making it reasonably easy to follow for those new to the series. The second movie is monster-of-the-week style, but it takes Mulder and Scully’ relationship somewhere new. I enjoyed them both and absolutely love the series. Great choice Vinnie!
https://mariotravels.wordpress.com/tag/the-x-files/
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the heads up on the movies, I can’t wait to get to them.
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The Geek Mind said:
Great review Vinnieh! Season 2 was the season that turned me into a full blown fan and you summed it up perfectly.
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vinnieh said:
I was enthralled by so many of the episodes, both including the mythology and Monster of the Week. So many highlights and excellent performances.
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The Geek Mind said:
As mentioned before, if it wasn’t for Gillian Anderson becoming pregnant, who knows how the mythology would have turned out. It’s such a game changing moment. Even though the show is over 20 years old, it’s amazing how many of the old plots still resonate today. I’m even finding the connections to it with the new series. S2 also introduced my favourite monster in Donnie Pfaster. Why is he my favourite? Tooms or any other creature can be explained as other worldly, but Pfaster is a human killer. Could easily be someone you know. I love it when the show can delve into those aspects and show some brilliant variety.
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vinnieh said:
Pfaster is hinted as being a demon, but he appears so realistic that it’s frightening. I don’t know why but he reminds me of Hannibal Lecter.
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The Geek Mind said:
I can see why he reminds you of Hannibal Lecter but he’s there to remind the audience that humanistic killers are out there as well as the arguments about whether aliens exist or not. Pfaster may have been hinted as a demon, but he’s really just evil, pure and simple. Scully seeing Pfaster as the different faces of that “evil” really illustrates that.
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vinnieh said:
He definitely does remind you that there is still evil that isn’t paranormal within the show. He really freaked me out, just the idea of someone doing that to a corpse gives me shivers.
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vinnieh said:
The actor playing Pfaster did a phenomenal job at getting under the skin of this monster.
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Mario said:
I’m often curious about what would be different if Gillian Anderson had not become pregnant at that moment!
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vinnieh said:
It’s intriguing to wonder how the mythology might have turned out.
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The Geek Mind said:
The mythology would definitely been different if Gillian wasn’t pregnant at that time. Who knows what the plan would have been but the way the series went in the direction to write around it is an amazing use of creativity. The abduction becomes so key in later seasons. Even the new series refers to it.
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vinnieh said:
I love the unfolding mythology, it has had some unpredictable turns and twists. Be interesting to see how it all plays out.
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The Geek Mind said:
The truth gets stranger in later seasons. You’re about to embark on a very good season – S3. The show starts to bring in real life events into the mix. Makes the revelations very scary.
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vinnieh said:
I’m really excited to start Season 3, got a few movies to watch and then I’ll get back to it.
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The Geek Mind said:
Nice stuff. On a S10 review update – about halfway through.
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vinnieh said:
That’s great news.
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vinnieh said:
Do you think they will do another series of The X Files?
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The Geek Mind said:
Judging on the way S10 ended, they have to and it looks like will happen. It left me craving more and frustratingly with more questions than answers. Six episodes is not enough.
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vinnieh said:
Six episodes does seem awfully short for something like The X-Files.
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The Geek Mind said:
Yes. When (not if) they come back, I hope they do more, more like 8-10. At least it would have lasted longer instead of me struggling to see what else to watch on a Monday night besides The Walking Dead lol
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vinnieh said:
I hate when the tv schedule is very bare.
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The Geek Mind said:
I know what you mean, but at the same time, it’s good all the shows are spaced out – get more time to write reviews!
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vinnieh said:
I get you there, it can be a bit much if two shows are on at the same time.
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Mario said:
Oh for sure, it’s such a big part of the entire series.
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keepsmealive said:
Season 2 definitely adds to the story, and Season 3 is where it really takes off. You’re in for a treat! Great post.
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vinnieh said:
I can’t wait to start Season 3.
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kmSalvatore said:
Lol, well I’m glad u are still enjoying the series . I’m with Fraggy though , it’s lost its appeal for me , one reason being.. It was off for 2 long
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vinnieh said:
I’ve heard very mixed reviews of the latest series. I’ll just have to see what I think of it once I reach it.
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Mario said:
That cliffhanger was such a big one for me. I couldn’t believe I would have to wait so long to find out what happened to Mulder!!
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vinnieh said:
My jaw was on the floor. Can’t wait to see how things turn out in Season 3.
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Mario said:
Luckily you don’t have to wait for months!
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vinnieh said:
That is very true, I think I’d go out of my mind waiting to find out.
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