I may be a little late to the party, but this past week I have become obsessed with The X Files. No doubt you have heard of this show, either because of it's spooky plots, recent revival or the scintillating chemistry between its two leads, Mulder and Scully. Gillian Anderson plays sceptical FBI Agent Dana Scully who is assigned to 'The X Files', whose current sole caretaker is the believer Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny). What I love most about this show can be summed up in two points.
Firstly, as much as I love the 'golden age' of television, it is great to see a show that has kitsch production values and builds upon its own mythology. An episode that particularly encapsulated this is S02 E21 'The Calusari'. This episode included everything from creepy Romanian chanting, evil twin ghosts and an atmospheric bell toll on nearly every hard cut - I loved it! Then there are the mythology-heavy episodes which tend to have multi-episodic arcs dealing with the government cover-up of extra-terrestrial life. As someone who is a sceptic, I am truly shocked by how charmed I am by this show. I think the key to this is the humour between Mulder and Scully. For as much as the plots can be...out of this world (ha!) unbelievable, sometimes the characters really bring a knowing humour. For example, one episode has Mulder saying he believes a victim suffered spontaneous human combustion to a green NYPD detective. As they walk away Scully asks, "Having a bit of fun?". Or Scully's quips and sarcastic comments, like "Oh so now you're psychic?".
The second reason I'm particularly enjoying this show is Gillian Anderson. I mean this show has the classic slow-burn sexual tension that drives so many shows. However, Gillian Anderson is truly a fantastic actress. The show that first brought her to my attention was Hannibal, where she played Hannibal Lecter's psychiatrist, Bedelia Du Maurier. (Sidenote: if you have not seen this show and you can deal with a bit of bloodiness, I one hundred per cent recommend this show). Gillian Anderson matched Mads Mikkelsen subtlety for subtlety and it was fascinating to watch them duel in what were largely static scenes. Other shows that she has been a part of that I recommend include The Fall and War & Peace. Finally, her turn as spooky and kooky Miss Havisham in Great Expectations outshone even Helena Bonham Carter's version from around the same time. Anyway, it is great to go back and see her most iconic role and marvel at how she can portray an emotion with such nuance, humour and a bucketful of charisma.
At the moment I am currently only midway through season 3, but I am enjoying every second binge watching this show. I am particularly curious to see the revival series 10, which was released earlier this year, to see how it stacks up against the original 90s -early 00s series. I am also getting more and more excited about next year's American Gods in which Gillian Anderson plays the new goddess Media. Check out this promotion image looking like Marilyn Monroe.
If you have a hankering for getting into a new show (where there are over 200 episodes) I would strongly consider watching this classic. Its fun, funny and fantastical all in one.
truly.
sheridan.
p.s. This is where Vince Gilligan (creator of Breaking Bad) really honed his TV writing chops.
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