Arcadia is a terrific episode and one of the best from season six. It explores the question, "what if Mulder and Scully went undercover as a married couple?" The result is a bunch of cute moments between the two and a very interesting x-file as well. I like the music by Mark Snow in the very beginning. It has a light, fantasy feel to it, as if you've stepped out of the real world and into a make-believe land. And that's what The Falls at Arcadia is, a (seemingly) perfect planned community. It's funny to watch Mulder completely love pretending to be a married couple, while at the same time Scully is visibly uncomfortable. You get an idea as to what's happening in the community with the show that Big Mike is watching right before the monster attacks him. Other great Mulder and Scully moments include when Scully is looking for the Shroeder's dog and she whips out her flashlight. You can tell that Cami Shroeder is thinking, "why does she carry around a flashlight?" Another good one is when Mulder is watching the mailbox through the door but has to use the bathroom and contemplates using the OJ carton. This episode even hearkens back to season one when a way is contrived for Scully to be unable to see the monster at the end. There are plenty of humorous moments in this episode, but they don't override it to the point of becoming a strictly comical episode. I think the monster story is very strong in itself. The guest acting is very well done and the episode is very good all around. Arcadia remains one the top episodes of season six for the eighth year running.
18 Reviews
"I can get you a good deal on rattan furniture (indoor only)."
Twins6528 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Another winner from the humorous side of "The X Files". This one goes out to every snooty, upstanding "neighborhood association" you've heard about or even come across. While I'm all for keeping ungodly looking permanent "rummage sale" yards from invading the suburbs, there are always a few people who like to take it to "Utopian Extremes".
Mulder & Scully do their best impersonations of an idealistic yuppie couple to move into a pristine subdivision and investigate the unexplained disappearances of a few previous homeowners. Turns out the head of the association controls a "Garbage Monster" (just go with it), who he can summon from under the landfill all of the homes are built on to wreak havoc on any nonconformists. Kind of like the first Poltergeist movie without the creepy little old lady or kids (as no one seems to have any...are they against the by-laws?).
Anyway, pink flamingos, midnight basketball, and front-yard reflection pools are just some of the no-nos which will bring said monster a-rumblin' after dark, so be sure to attend that next once-a-month Monday night association meeting if you're thinking about moving into an "Arcadia".
Mulder & Scully do their best impersonations of an idealistic yuppie couple to move into a pristine subdivision and investigate the unexplained disappearances of a few previous homeowners. Turns out the head of the association controls a "Garbage Monster" (just go with it), who he can summon from under the landfill all of the homes are built on to wreak havoc on any nonconformists. Kind of like the first Poltergeist movie without the creepy little old lady or kids (as no one seems to have any...are they against the by-laws?).
Anyway, pink flamingos, midnight basketball, and front-yard reflection pools are just some of the no-nos which will bring said monster a-rumblin' after dark, so be sure to attend that next once-a-month Monday night association meeting if you're thinking about moving into an "Arcadia".
Creepy Conformism is Too True!
yatie1939-118 April 2009
Those of us stuck in suburbia and inane neighborhood associations that tout "community" AKA code for: CONFORMITY will find this installment entertaining and too true! Mulder and Scully prove once again to be a winning duo with chemistry and deep character as their investigation leads them down the trail of a mysterious ancient myth set against the surreal enclave of groomed lawns and monochromatic facades.
Aside from "Wrinkle in Time" (Madeleine L'Engle) there are few stories about community control that ring this true. The story features ridiculous rules of conformity that would be laughable if they weren't such a reality in suburban America. As more cookie cutter homes sprout up with less than a foot distance between them, officious Home Owner's Associations will become more of a problem than a solution.
Let's put it this way: the ugliest thing Sculder and Mully uncover is far from mythic. . .it is found in a majority of common suburban neighborhoods across the country.
Aside from "Wrinkle in Time" (Madeleine L'Engle) there are few stories about community control that ring this true. The story features ridiculous rules of conformity that would be laughable if they weren't such a reality in suburban America. As more cookie cutter homes sprout up with less than a foot distance between them, officious Home Owner's Associations will become more of a problem than a solution.
Let's put it this way: the ugliest thing Sculder and Mully uncover is far from mythic. . .it is found in a majority of common suburban neighborhoods across the country.
The falls of Arcadia!
koalablue_199323 August 2008
Hilarious. This episode is brilliantly hilarious! There are so many classic moments that i wont even try to mention them. Mulder and Scully go undercover as a married couple(genius) to investigate the disappearance of several members of a planned community called The Falls Of Arcadia. Mulder is enjoying pretending to be Scully's husband while Scully doesn't like it one bit. Great acting from both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson! This is one of the best monster episodes, even though the monster is only on screen for a couple of minutes. I thought the episode was one of the most fun to watch ever. And very re-watchable.
Mulder: Woman get back in here and make me a sandwich! (Scully throws her rubber gloves at his face) Mulder: DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!
Mulder: Woman get back in here and make me a sandwich! (Scully throws her rubber gloves at his face) Mulder: DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!
Honey bunch and poopy head.
DWilliams10894 August 2010
"Arcadia" is an episode that not only works as a suspenseful standalone, but also as a juncture for the "shipper" fans. Mulder and Scully enter a green-lawn-and-picket-fence community as Rob and Laura Petrie (like the dish!) to investigate a number of fly-by-night murders that no one else seems bothered to investigate. When the new neighbors act in suspicious manners, reprimanding the use of lawn ornaments and unlit lampposts, and others are attacked by a horrible creature, it is clear that the mysterious nature of the townsfolk runs deeper than their landfill's topsoil. The episode manages to work as both a horror story and a comedy (and, if you will, a satire of the American dream) and as such it tends to rank highly in the minds of fans. It also is a dry run at the later romance between Mulder and Scully, and makes for some of their funniest moments (Scully with a facial). While previous episodes tackled the ugly underbellies of private communities, this one arguably did it the most effectively. A season six highlight.
10/10
10/10
Utopia revisited
n-town-smash18 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
After the grand plot arc, established so early in The X-Files' life and gathering pace until now, it was difficult to see where the series was going to go. "Arcadia" is the first of the episodes that follows the "Two Fathers/One Son" two-parter which gives much indication that the show can still deliver.
A very knowing episode, "Arcadia" takes the idea of an idyllic setting with a dark underbelly and really runs with it. The planned community is a gift to this, as the whole idea is both bizarre and unnerving to many of us. What this provides is ideal for circumventing preconceptions. The utopian smiles are strained from the off, even before the horrors begin, and what follows is a town apparently built upon irony rather than a simple landfill.
The episode swaggers back and forth between the grim and horrific and purely playing for laughs - Mulder and Scully's "homelife" as the Petries is pretty hilarious, and plays off the "will they won't they" tensions that supposedly existed (they always seemed rather overstated by the media, I have to say) by showing the two living together and, as you'd expect, bugging crap out of each other. It's an absolute corker, and the monster of the week, together with his anally retentive "owner" Mr Gogolak, make perfect sense in context, something which sets "Arcadia" well apart from lesser episodes.
A very knowing episode, "Arcadia" takes the idea of an idyllic setting with a dark underbelly and really runs with it. The planned community is a gift to this, as the whole idea is both bizarre and unnerving to many of us. What this provides is ideal for circumventing preconceptions. The utopian smiles are strained from the off, even before the horrors begin, and what follows is a town apparently built upon irony rather than a simple landfill.
The episode swaggers back and forth between the grim and horrific and purely playing for laughs - Mulder and Scully's "homelife" as the Petries is pretty hilarious, and plays off the "will they won't they" tensions that supposedly existed (they always seemed rather overstated by the media, I have to say) by showing the two living together and, as you'd expect, bugging crap out of each other. It's an absolute corker, and the monster of the week, together with his anally retentive "owner" Mr Gogolak, make perfect sense in context, something which sets "Arcadia" well apart from lesser episodes.
Arcadia is a masterpiece.
Sleepin_Dragon17 September 2022
Several couples have disappeared from a prestige neighborhood, a neighborhood where compliance and uniformity are mandatory, Mulder and Scully are sent in to investigate.
A few minutes in, and I wasn't too sure, ten minutes in, and I was captivated. Arcadia stands as one of the most unique things I have ever seen, in general, let alone just on The X Files.
It's almost as if The Stepford Wives was given a twist, and retold, why on Earth are the zany neighbours so scared of having anything out of place, and who are what is behind the strange disappearances?
It's the sheer oddity and strangeness of the story that works, it shows an unrivalled imagination.
Pacing is pretty much spot on, as is the sense of intrigue and mystery, but it's also the mix of wry humour that sets this one apart. We finally get to see how Mulder and Scully would behave if they were a couple, they'd not have an easy union.
Those incredible production values that started with The Movie, continue here, it looks sublime.
A top ten episode, 10/10.
A few minutes in, and I wasn't too sure, ten minutes in, and I was captivated. Arcadia stands as one of the most unique things I have ever seen, in general, let alone just on The X Files.
It's almost as if The Stepford Wives was given a twist, and retold, why on Earth are the zany neighbours so scared of having anything out of place, and who are what is behind the strange disappearances?
It's the sheer oddity and strangeness of the story that works, it shows an unrivalled imagination.
Pacing is pretty much spot on, as is the sense of intrigue and mystery, but it's also the mix of wry humour that sets this one apart. We finally get to see how Mulder and Scully would behave if they were a couple, they'd not have an easy union.
Those incredible production values that started with The Movie, continue here, it looks sublime.
A top ten episode, 10/10.
"That's right, Poopy Head."
wlbtraveler11 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of my all-time favorite episodes from the show. It's another good "menace in a small community" episode, but it's also hilarious. I've speculated for a while what it would be like if Mulder and Scully settled down together. Well, here we have it. Mulder loves every minute of it; Scully hates it with a passion. Some of their conversations are the funniest things to come out of the whole show! "Woman go make me a sandwich" might be one of the funniest lines from the entire show (only next to "Alex Trebek, the game show host!?"). Some close runners-up are "poopy head" and Mulder's detailed description of how superstitious "Laura" is. Scully literally looks like she wants to kill Mulder for nearly the entire episode. I loved every minute of it.
Comedy aside, the plot was decent but not amazing. A suburban monster made out of garbage wreaks havoc on unsuspecting couples who've violated the homeowner's rulebook. So, not the best idea I've seen, but it was fun. I like how we never got a clear look at the monster. The times where it's hunting people in their homes are very, very creepy. So it had a fair amount of scares too. There was also a surprising amount of blood in these 45 minutes. When garbage golem attacks people, there is a LOT of blood splattered about. Like seriously, it goes full-on "Friday the 13th." Yeesh.
So yeah, I had a lot to say about this episode. I really loved it. It's very character-centric; most of the actual X-File plot is pushed to the back. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just unusual. It worked quite well in this episode. It had a lot of comedy and quite a few good scares. 10/10!
Comedy aside, the plot was decent but not amazing. A suburban monster made out of garbage wreaks havoc on unsuspecting couples who've violated the homeowner's rulebook. So, not the best idea I've seen, but it was fun. I like how we never got a clear look at the monster. The times where it's hunting people in their homes are very, very creepy. So it had a fair amount of scares too. There was also a surprising amount of blood in these 45 minutes. When garbage golem attacks people, there is a LOT of blood splattered about. Like seriously, it goes full-on "Friday the 13th." Yeesh.
So yeah, I had a lot to say about this episode. I really loved it. It's very character-centric; most of the actual X-File plot is pushed to the back. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just unusual. It worked quite well in this episode. It had a lot of comedy and quite a few good scares. 10/10!
You wanna make that honeymoon video now?
sini-2003 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I absolutely loved this episode with Mulder and Scully going undercover as a husband and a wife. It is quite cliche story but plays well. Best part is the comedy between Mulder and Scully, how Mulder is obviously way too keen to pretend to be in love while Scully's facials tell how uncomfortable it is. Even there is something between them, i think this episode was given by the writers to the shippers to "is there or isnt there" anything. But their humorous chemistry works as they pretend to play house, as what Mulder claims, Scully wanted 😁
Only thing I wanted, I wish we knew more of the "monsters" back story and where it went in the end. But other than that, one of my top favorite episodes of X-Files!
We pronounce it "Pee-trie," actually. Like the dish.
Sanpaco1329 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I love this episode. Not so much because of the story which isn't all too original. But I love the whole gated community secret deal with the mud monster and most of all I love the situational humor between Mulder and Scully pretending to be Rob and Laura Petri. Mulder tries to milk it for all its worth and Scully is doing all she can not to smack him. The little comments about the toilet seat ("third time!") and Mulder's "woman make me a sandwich!" line. Just great. The mud monster, while interesting, seems a little X-Files cliché. I mean there's always some old dude who used to live in Tibet or New Guinea or wherever who knows some weird kind of voodoo golem summoning curse. And that's pretty much what this one is as well. I do like Mike's character. What a noble guy. He sacrifices himself to save a person he doesn't even really know. If not for him Scully would be garbage food. I give this episode a... 7 out of 10.
Ideallic
rasberrie14 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I love that they're "Laura and Rob Petrie" (I love the Dick Van Dyke Show) I also love that this is supposed to nudge at the already obvious idea that this is "perfect" living.
Not to mention, this is a great episode for shippers who hang on to Mulder & Scully's slow burn of a relationship.
Not to mention, this is a great episode for shippers who hang on to Mulder & Scully's slow burn of a relationship.
An episode which deserves special mention
tr_s11 June 2008
My favorite episode of the X-files, ARCADIA deserves special mention. I love how it begins, with only subtle hints of why our well known pair of FBI agents suddenly have changed their names, married and moved into an expensive closed community which turns out to hide a dark secret.
Acting is great in this one, far better than average in this series. I especially liked the one who played "Big Mike". The episode is very funny, with quite a few bizarre scenes; also, Mulder and Scully pull jokes on each other a lot of the time.
If you don't have a lot of time and only want to watch a few episodes in the series, in my opinion this should definitely be on your watchlist.
Acting is great in this one, far better than average in this series. I especially liked the one who played "Big Mike". The episode is very funny, with quite a few bizarre scenes; also, Mulder and Scully pull jokes on each other a lot of the time.
If you don't have a lot of time and only want to watch a few episodes in the series, in my opinion this should definitely be on your watchlist.
"Oh yeah, nothing weird going on around here."
classicsoncall27 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
After reading all of the viewer comments for the episode here on this board, I'm fairly convinced a comment I made on an earlier show is pretty valid. You have to be an old timer like myself to get some of the cultural references the writers make in putting these programs together. Only one other reviewer made reference to "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as the template for the aliases Scully and Mulder take on for this episode. This was a perfect opportunity for Poopyhead Rob (Mulder) and Honey Bunch Laura Petrie (Scully) to road test a potential hook-up while investigating what looks like it might be an X-File. As such, it's one of the more hilarious episodes you'll come across in the series.
That's not the only one though. Catch the teaser and you'll see the Jurassic Park water glass make a cameo appearance when the unknown creature bangs his way up the stairs of the Kline home. That wasn't a totally original touch, but still appreciated for the way the writers snuck something like that into the story.
So can there possibly be some kind of gated community in the country where the 'Rules are Rules' doctrine is so strictly followed? When Scully and Mulder arrive at The Falls at Arcadia, they're met with the most bizarre set of rules and regulations imaginable, enforced by 'Ubermenscher' Gene Gogolak (Peter White), who's idea of community standards would probably doom any home owner. I wish they showed us his reaction to Mulder's pink flamingo, that would have been a hoot.
Anyway, this was a welcome relief from the prior two episodes ('Agua Mala' and 'Monday'), getting things back into gear following the revelations of the mythology arc in 'Two Fathers' and 'One Son'. I loved Mulder's asides about 'spooning' with Scully, 'make me a sandwich' and 'The thrill is gone' line. The only thing that could have made this better, the topping on the cake as it were, is if Laura/Scully had let out at some point with "Ohhhhh, Rob" the way Mary Tyler Moore used to. Darn it, why didn't anyone think of that!
That's not the only one though. Catch the teaser and you'll see the Jurassic Park water glass make a cameo appearance when the unknown creature bangs his way up the stairs of the Kline home. That wasn't a totally original touch, but still appreciated for the way the writers snuck something like that into the story.
So can there possibly be some kind of gated community in the country where the 'Rules are Rules' doctrine is so strictly followed? When Scully and Mulder arrive at The Falls at Arcadia, they're met with the most bizarre set of rules and regulations imaginable, enforced by 'Ubermenscher' Gene Gogolak (Peter White), who's idea of community standards would probably doom any home owner. I wish they showed us his reaction to Mulder's pink flamingo, that would have been a hoot.
Anyway, this was a welcome relief from the prior two episodes ('Agua Mala' and 'Monday'), getting things back into gear following the revelations of the mythology arc in 'Two Fathers' and 'One Son'. I loved Mulder's asides about 'spooning' with Scully, 'make me a sandwich' and 'The thrill is gone' line. The only thing that could have made this better, the topping on the cake as it were, is if Laura/Scully had let out at some point with "Ohhhhh, Rob" the way Mary Tyler Moore used to. Darn it, why didn't anyone think of that!
Pay Your Dues lolz
aw143511 November 2012
Angry about poorly run Homeowner Associations (HOAs) whose management of funds are careless & wasteful. Their administration slowly eating away your freedoms as citizens — too much of Big Brother watching over us. Ever get notice, after notice about grass in the cracks of your driveway & wanted to scream, well in Arcadia you'll be dying.
In this Monster-of-the-Week episode you will instantly feel acquainted with The Association-esque tone --if a Bentley Little fan. Mulder & Scully move-in to the little 'burb undercover to investigate several disappearances at the idyllic planned community. To Mulder's amusement the tenants follow every extraneous order strictly, so he begins to defiantly protest as they scatter to correct it for him. Their fear is what one may call a tulpa; the concept of a being or object which is created through sheer discipline alone, come to enact some neighborly love one might expect from a starving cannibalistic tribe. Like most HOAs (or Frankensteinian Monsters for that matter) which fail as a result of the people involved, the tulpa eventually turns on it's creator.
In this Monster-of-the-Week episode you will instantly feel acquainted with The Association-esque tone --if a Bentley Little fan. Mulder & Scully move-in to the little 'burb undercover to investigate several disappearances at the idyllic planned community. To Mulder's amusement the tenants follow every extraneous order strictly, so he begins to defiantly protest as they scatter to correct it for him. Their fear is what one may call a tulpa; the concept of a being or object which is created through sheer discipline alone, come to enact some neighborly love one might expect from a starving cannibalistic tribe. Like most HOAs (or Frankensteinian Monsters for that matter) which fail as a result of the people involved, the tulpa eventually turns on it's creator.
Flying saucers? Interesting.
bombersflyup16 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Arcadia is about Mulder and Scully going undercover as husband and wife in a planned community, where several couples have gone missing.
A light episode in terms of the x-file, the entertainment comes from the characters enjoying playing their roles. Tom Gallop's terrific as Win, but Gogolak's a weak villain and the Ubermenscher's in the darkness so there isn't anything to see. The best moment; Mulder telling the Schroeders that he and Scully met at a UFO conference and that she's into those magnetic bracelets and crystals and mood rings and stuff.
A light episode in terms of the x-file, the entertainment comes from the characters enjoying playing their roles. Tom Gallop's terrific as Win, but Gogolak's a weak villain and the Ubermenscher's in the darkness so there isn't anything to see. The best moment; Mulder telling the Schroeders that he and Scully met at a UFO conference and that she's into those magnetic bracelets and crystals and mood rings and stuff.
The Ubermenscher vs The Band-Aid nose man
XweAponX4 April 2022
Both were Tulpas, but created for totally different purposes.
In "Arcadia", it was created by a selfish person for selfish reasons in order to elicit some amount of authoritative control over his environment. But, as Tulpas do, it developed a mind of its own and started to do what it wanted. As we see in this episode, once this Tulpa is set into motion, it is probably not going to stop until it accomplishes its prime directive, which is to kill any person who broke the rules- which is what makes this particular use of the Tulpa much more insidious than The Band-Aid nose man.
A Tulpa having a mind of its own is exactly the same as the Band-Aid nose man from season 10's "Home Again".
But where the Band-Aid nose man was providing a measure of justice for homeless people that were being abused by rich people acting "for the homeless but really acting for themselves", The Tulpa in this episode is following a strict set of rules that was created by the person who set it into motion.
We can also compare the Ubermenscher to the golem in Kaddish, but that was created under a completely different mythology. But where the golem was created from love, that is far from the case with this Tulpa.
It is also interesting that the Tulpa we meet here is almost totally composed of garbage. Whereas a golem is formed from dirt, and the Band-Aid nose man out of clay, this Tulpa was composed of a disgusting array of garbage, filth, coffee grinds, motor oil, and whatever else you might think occupies a landfill.
It was interesting to revisit the concept of the Tulpa in season 10, being used for a different reason than this one was created... but in the long run, they both just did whatever they wanted.
The solution for this Tulpa problem in "Arcadia" was drastic... in "home again", it is much simpler and less drastic... all that was required was a simple redesign and the person that created the Tulpa taking responsibility for it.
Because in the long run whether in Arcadia or home again, "we are responsible for what we make", whether that is a child, garbage, a piece of art, a piece of music. Sometimes just taking responsibility for the things that we are responsible for solves the problem of "runaway Tulpas"...
In "Arcadia", it was created by a selfish person for selfish reasons in order to elicit some amount of authoritative control over his environment. But, as Tulpas do, it developed a mind of its own and started to do what it wanted. As we see in this episode, once this Tulpa is set into motion, it is probably not going to stop until it accomplishes its prime directive, which is to kill any person who broke the rules- which is what makes this particular use of the Tulpa much more insidious than The Band-Aid nose man.
A Tulpa having a mind of its own is exactly the same as the Band-Aid nose man from season 10's "Home Again".
But where the Band-Aid nose man was providing a measure of justice for homeless people that were being abused by rich people acting "for the homeless but really acting for themselves", The Tulpa in this episode is following a strict set of rules that was created by the person who set it into motion.
We can also compare the Ubermenscher to the golem in Kaddish, but that was created under a completely different mythology. But where the golem was created from love, that is far from the case with this Tulpa.
It is also interesting that the Tulpa we meet here is almost totally composed of garbage. Whereas a golem is formed from dirt, and the Band-Aid nose man out of clay, this Tulpa was composed of a disgusting array of garbage, filth, coffee grinds, motor oil, and whatever else you might think occupies a landfill.
It was interesting to revisit the concept of the Tulpa in season 10, being used for a different reason than this one was created... but in the long run, they both just did whatever they wanted.
The solution for this Tulpa problem in "Arcadia" was drastic... in "home again", it is much simpler and less drastic... all that was required was a simple redesign and the person that created the Tulpa taking responsibility for it.
Because in the long run whether in Arcadia or home again, "we are responsible for what we make", whether that is a child, garbage, a piece of art, a piece of music. Sometimes just taking responsibility for the things that we are responsible for solves the problem of "runaway Tulpas"...
One of the few X Files episodes I genuinely love.
maddyjames-501-1725937 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I'm generally not an X Files fan - there are some episodes I like, most I don't, but I do definitely enjoy this one. It's a good balance between humour and action, suspense and entertainment.
Aside from the hokey entertainment of seeing Mulder and Scully attempt and fail at domestics and complain about toilet sets and toothpaste, the prize definitely goes to Gillian Anderson, who manages to give an understated yet perfect performance of rolled eyes, disdainful glares, awkward sighs whenever Mulder puts his arm around her, and annoyed smiles as he says ridiculous things like 'we just spooned up like little baby cats.' Gillian definitely steals the show without saying a word.
And who doesn't love a call out to Dick Van Dyke Show, one of the best sitcoms ever?
Aside from the hokey entertainment of seeing Mulder and Scully attempt and fail at domestics and complain about toilet sets and toothpaste, the prize definitely goes to Gillian Anderson, who manages to give an understated yet perfect performance of rolled eyes, disdainful glares, awkward sighs whenever Mulder puts his arm around her, and annoyed smiles as he says ridiculous things like 'we just spooned up like little baby cats.' Gillian definitely steals the show without saying a word.
And who doesn't love a call out to Dick Van Dyke Show, one of the best sitcoms ever?
Truman Show
rufusjohn9 August 2020
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