(This is an archived review from when the first season of The X-Files was released on DVD back in the year 2000. I went looking for this after recently rewatching season one and realized there was nowhere online it could live, as the website where it was initially published no longer exists. So… I made this site.)
Pilot 1X79
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
In the series premiere, FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is assigned to assist fellow FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) on the X-Files… cases which deal with the unexplained. Her superiors secretly hope that her firm foundation in science and reality will help to “debunk” Agent Mulder’s work.
In their first case together, Mulder and Scully investigate the unexplained deaths of some teenagers in Oregon. Mulder believes them to be the victims of alien abduction… Scully doesn’t have an exact theory but does her best not to believe Mulder’s. Along the way, Mulder reveals to Scully about his sister’s disappearance when they were kids. Through hypnosis he now believes that his sister was abducted by aliens, which is what strongly drew him to the X-Files.
A solid first show for the series which will turn out to be a lot more crucial to the grand scheme of things than one might have thought when seeing it for the first time. Many of the series’ major plot points derive themselves from this very episode. Notable for the first appearance for the shady “Cigarette Smoking Man” (William B. Davis), a key player in the episodes to come. Also notable for perhaps giving thirsty fans what they wanted before they even knew they wanted it… that being a scene where Agent Scully strips down to her underwear.
Deep Throat 1X01
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearance of a pilot of experimental aircraft at an air force base in Idaho often named in UFO sightings reports. Also, Mulder’s efforts are shadowed by a mysterious man (Jerry Hardin) who provides Mulder with some vague information (although when Mulder asks this man about the possibility of aliens among us, the man replies “they’ve been here for a long, long time”).
Even better than the previous episode… here Mulder actually sees a UFO up close, but unfortunately his memory is selectively erased by the sinister government (don’t you hate when that happens?) Notables: the first use of the show’s opening theme music (the pilot episode had no opening credits), the first appearance of the show’s tagline “the truth is out there”, and an appearance by a young Seth Green as a stoner UFO watcher who helps Mulder sneak into the airbase.
Squeeze 1X02
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
A former academy classmate of Scully’s (Donal Logue) asks her and Mulder to help investigate a bizarre series of murders in Baltimore, Maryland where each of the victim’s livers has been ripped out and no point of entry to the crime scene can be determined. Mulder discovers that the case is similar to an X-File which details similar murders in the Baltimore area that have occurred every 30 years since at least 1903. The murders turn out to be the work of Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison), a man who with a bizarre rate of metabolism and physical composition. Tooms will return later in the season in the aptly titled episode Tooms.
The series’ first “self-contained” episode is also one of the best, and is also a great example of the shows excellent execution of a story that may sound totally ludicrous to someone on paper or when described verbally. Duchovny has a great line late in the episode when he discovers that he has bile on his hand.
Conduit 1X03
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Back to the series’ ongoing storyline (sort of), as Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearance of an Iowa girl, reported as an alien abduction. They find that her younger brother is receiving transmissions of digital information through his television set and Mulder believes the boy to be a conduit of some sort. Mulder hopes that solving this case will bring him one step closer to finding out what happened to his sister.
A mix of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Poltergeist, Conduit is a decent episode that really doesn’t go anywhere (girl vanishes… then returns), and it’s only real purpose is to advance Mulder’s determination to find out what happened to his sister. Notables: Don Gibb (Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds) plays a biker/bartender who provides Mulder with some key UFO information.
The Jersey Devil 1X04
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Mulder and Scully head to New Jersey when Mulder gets a hunch that a homeless man found torn apart in the woods there is the work of the legendary “Jersey devil”. When local law enforcement doesn’t approve of the FBI’s involvement, Scully returns home while Mulder stays to do some further investigation on his own. While home, Scully hosts a birthday party for her grandson and wonders when she’ll find a life, a man, and time for kids. Another ok episode which benefits from some nice character development for Scully (best moment of that comes when Scully’s friend asks if Mulder has “potential”).
Shadows 1X05
Rating: 3.0 stars out of 5
Mulder and Scully investigate a Philadelphia woman who is seemingly the cause of violent psychokinetic incidents (including several murders in which the victim’s throats were crushed from the inside) after her boss commits suicide. As it turns out, the ghost of her boss is the cause of these events, trying to tell her that he was actually murdered as part of a corporate cover-up, and that her life is now in danger. Another fairly good, self-contained episode.
Ghost in the Machine 1X06
Rating: 2.0 stars out of 5
A former colleague of Mulder’s asks for his help in solving a murder in Virginia. Shades of 2001: A Space Odyssey in this episode, where the murder (and soon to be murders) are committed by a high tech computer (called COS… the Central Operating System) running a office building which commits the murders in order to stay operational.
Major flaw here is that we know exactly what’s going on before the opening credits begin to roll. The series works best when it keeps its audience in the dark for the majority of the episode. The episode is noteworthy though when Mulder’s mysterious source of information from “Deep Throat” (Jerry Hardin) returns to help Mulder understand why the Defense Department has taken over the case.
Ice 1X07
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
In this excellent homage to The Thing, Mulder and Scully, three scientists, and a pilot head to a remote location in Alaska to find out why a group of research scientists killed each other, leaving behind only a cryptic message: “We are not who we are”. They discover that the research team uncovered an ancient life form in the ice surrounding a meteor crater and that this life form took control of their bodies, pitting them against one another. This also happens to Mulder, Scully, and the rest of the rescue team. Who is infected and who can be trusted?
One of the show’s best early efforts, with some terrific moments along the way. Director David Nutter went on to direct many of the series’ noteworthy episodes as well as the feature film Disturbing Behavior.
Space 1X08
Rating: 1.0 stars out of 5
NASA secretly asks Mulder and Scully to investigate possible sabotage of the space shuttle. Oh, and remember that crater on Mars that resembles a face? Well it’s haunting people in this episode… or something. You’re not missing anything if you skip this one and it might be the worst episode of the show’s entire run.
Fallen Angel 1X09
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) informs Mulder that a UFO has crashed in Wisconsin, and he has 24 hours to get there before the military clears the area. There he meets Max (Scott Bellis), a UFO fanatic who was inexplicably drawn to the crash site as well. Soon Mulder comes to believe that Max is also an abductee. Meanwhile, Scully follows Mulder to Wisconsin in order to persuade him to return, or else the X Files may be closed permanently.
In the end, Mulder is terminated and the X-Files division is closed as the result of his actions, but Deep Throat is able to overrule that decision, telling the chairman of the committee: “…keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
Eve 1X10
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
A man is drained of blood on the east coast, while across the country another man is killed in the very same fashion at the very same time. Mulder and Scully soon discover that the only link between the two men is that their daughters are identical twins. Along the way, Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) shows up to tell Mulder about “The Litchfield Experiment”, an abandoned government project where scientists were trying to create the perfect children through genetic experiments.
Notables: Co-writer Chris Brancato also wrote feature screenplays the mildly entertaining Hoodlum, and the horribly bad Species II. Also, popular alternative rock band Eve 6 took their name from this episode.
Fire 1X11
Rating: 3.0 stars out of 5
A man able to start fires at will is targeting members of the British aristocracy. Phoebe (Amanda Pays), a former classmate and old flame (pun intended) of Mulder’s who is working for Scotland Yard comes to Mulder for help with the case. Mulder reveals that he is terrified of fire ever since he was a kid, and that Phoebe has come back into his life and asked for his help in this case just to push his buttons. Interesting character development for Mulder (although I don’t think it ever comes up again) and some decent fire effects highlight this episode.
Beyond the Sea 1X12
Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5
Scully’s parents visit for dinner one night. After they leave, Scully falls asleep on the couch. She’s awakened by a phone call, and sees her father sitting in a chair in front of her, saying something that she cannot hear. Her mother is on the phone, and tells her that her father just passed away. Scully turns back to the chair, but her father is gone.
After the funeral, Mulder and Scully head to North Carolina to interview convicted murderer Luther Lee Boggs (Brad Dourif). Boggs claims his newfound psychic abilities will help authorities find some recently kidnapped kids in exchange for a lesser sentence of life in prison. Mulder doesn’t believe Boggs’ claims for a second, convinced that he has an accomplice on the outside and it’s all an elaborate con. However, Boggs is able to convince Scully that he also may be able to channel her father through some very persuasive evidence (things that only her and her father would know).
Easily the best episode of the first season and one of the best of the entire series, with a strong performance from Anderson and an extremely deranged one from Dourif. Honestly I can’t think of another performance this intense on network TV up to this point. And it’s fun to see the roles reversed, as Scully believes that Boggs is able to channel her father while Mulder knows Boggs is a fraud. Notables: Don Davis, who plays Scully’s father, played Major Briggs on “Twin Peaks” (a show David Duchovny also appeared on). Also, this is the first of many times Mulder will say the line “…how can you say that? After everything that we’ve seen…” to Scully (twice!).
Gender Bender 1X13
Rating: 3.0 stars out of 5
Creepy episode about a serial killer who is seemingly able to kill people with sex. Not only that, but the killer can also change its sex AT WILL. Mulder and Scully track the killer’s roots to an Amish-type culture of people called the Kindred, who have many secrets of their own. Stylish direction, particularly near the end in a very Seven-ish chase scene in a hotel. Notables: Actor Nicholas Lea, who will soon play a pivotal role in the series as Krycek, plays a different character here… one of the killer’s intended victims. Also, this is director Rob Bowman’s first episode. He will go on to direct countless others as well as the feature film in 1998.
Lazarus 1X14
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Agent Willis, a former associate of Scully’s, asks for her help in catching bank robber Warren James Dupre. As a result both Willis and Dupre are shot. Dupre dies, and Willis is revived at the last possible second. But as it seems, their souls were switched, and Dupre is now in possession of Willis’ body. As with Ghost in the Machine, we know too much about what’s going on in this episode too early, thereby losing most of its dramatic tension.
Young at Heart 1X15
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
One of Mulder’s first cases involved a shootout where Mulder hesitated, and an agent was killed before the suspect was apprehended. The killer, who died in prison, has seemingly returned from the grave to taunt Mulder with another crime spree. Great for the first 2/3rds of the episode, but things slide way downhill and get ridiculous very quickly when the true plot is revealed.
E.B.E. 1X16
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Mulder and Scully investigate the possible alien abduction of a truck driver. They discover that the driver was lying and possibly is transporting a live alien in his truck, on it’s way to a top secret facility. Along the way, Deep Throat visits Mulder and gives him false information about the truck, causing Mulder and Scully to question Deep Throat’s true intentions.
Notables: This episode is the first appearance of “The Lone Gunmen”. Also, Deep Throat tells an interesting bit of backstory here about how representatives from all the major countries of the world met years ago to agree that if an alien was ever captured alive, it would be exterminated. Deep Throat also says that he once was given the duty of exterminating an alien. Now, if this is true or not, we just don’t know…
Miracle Man 1X17
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
An evangelist claims to be able to cure the terminally ill through a touch from his son Samuel (Scott Bairstow). But people start to die as a result of contact with Samuel, and Mulder and Scully investigate. During the course of their investigation, Samuel confirms Mulder’s concerns for the whereabouts of his sister… and Mulder starts to see a young girl out of the corner of his eye everywhere he goes. A decent outing, but the ending seems rushed and incomplete.
Shapes 1X18
Rating: 2.0 stars out of 5
It’s time for a werewolf episode, as Mulder and Scully travel to Montana to investigate the death of a native American in what looks to be a simple land dispute. Mulder soon feels that the situation ties into the very first X-File on record. Notables: The third “Twin Peaks” alumni makes his way into the show, as Michael Horse (Deputy Hawk) plays a sheriff here.
Darkness Falls 1X19
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
What’s essentially a silly “monster” episode turns out to be one of the best of the season. A group of loggers disappears in the woods, believed to be the result of eco-terrorists out to save trees. When Mulder and Scully, along with a forestry official (Jason Beghe) and a security man from the logging company investigate, they discover that in cutting down a very old tree the loggers unleashed a deadly breed of ancient insects. These insects swarm you, cocoon you, and drain you of your bodily fluids. Some good moments of suspense, as well as an unexpected ending where Mulder and Scully are almost at the brink of death (it would have made a good season-ender if there wasn’t something equally as good coming).
Tooms 1X20
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
A sequel episode to the season’s earlier Squeeze has genetic mutation Eugene Victor Tooms being released from psychiatric care despite Agent Mulder’s testimony. Mulder still believes that Tooms has one more victim to claim before he enters his next 30 year hibernation period and follows Tooms around wherever he goes, much to the chagrin of his superiors at the FBI, who are now looking for any reason to shut down the X-Files. The episode ends on a sinister note, with Mulder remarking that a change is surely coming for Scully and himself.
Notables: the episode marks the debut of my favorite character in the series, surly FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi, whom horror fans should recognize from Wes Craven’s Shocker). At this point in the show’s run, Skinner is always seen with the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) lurking around behind him in his office, and seems to be leading the charge for the termination of the X-Files.
Born Again 1X21
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
A young girl is suspected in throwing a police officer out of an interrogation room window to his death. She claims another man was with them in the room when it happened, and when she describes this man it turns out to be another police officer who was murdered years earlier in a gangland hit. Another “revenge from beyond the grave” episode, similar to this season’s earlier Shadows.
Roland 1X22
Rating: 3.0 stars out of 5
Mulder and Scully investigate the murder of a scientist working on a top secret propulsion system. All clues point to Roland, the mentally challenged janitor at the project who also happens to be the twin brother of another one of the scientists at the project who died in a car crash months earlier. A very good performance from Zeljko Ivanek as Roland, but this episode is too similar to the one right before it Born Again (which itself was too similar to Shadows from earlier in the year).
The Erlenmeyer Flask 1X23
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Boy… here we go. The series’ “mythology” storyline kicks into high gear in the first season finale, as Mulder and Scully are lead around by Deep Throat on a deadly mission that 1) introduces human/alien hybrids that being created by the government, 2) results in the death of a major character, and 3) shuts down the X-Files. Be sure to pay as much attention as possible here, as important information comes at you fast and furiously. Mark Snow’s score for this episode is exceptional.