The X-Files (TV Series) Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster (2016) User Reviews

Never mind being a cracking drama, this could be comedy of the year!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 25 February 2016]

A couple enjoying getting high in the woods, spot what they think is a werewolf attack on two guys, due to their state they're both unsure if what they've seen is real. A description of the monster is given, Mulder far from sceptical wonders if they're grey wolves. Investigations lead Mulder to a small Hotel, where the dubious Landlord spots a shape shifting monster.

The more serious tone of the opening two episodes is switched for this week's offering, a story which could have come out of a 1965 comic book, with some truly funny scenes and great dialogue. This episode is difficult to catalogue, to put into a genre as it spans so many.

The scene with Mulder, Scully and the trans-gender hooker was absolutely priceless, so funny. The man on the toilet too, just slick humour. The peeping Tom Hotel landlord perving on Mulder, too funny!

I utterly loved this episode, it had everything, scares, laughs, it felt like a show I would have stayed up extra late as a kid to watch for the scares, who doesn't enjoy a monster story.

I have to say Mr Duchovny is defying his 55 years, fair play to him, he's ageing very well. His X Files ring tone made me change my phone. Had to be done.

Well Impressed!!! Take it for what it is, as mad as a box of frogs. Just great fun to watch, truly fun.

9/10

Plays with genre tropes in a really fun way while still touching on some serious themes.

[TouchTheGarlicProduction · 8/10 · 1 February 2016]

This episode was packed full of jokes, a lot of them commenting on the formula of the show. A lot were hit, a lot were miss. Some of the misses were painfully awkward, but a lot of the hits are painfully funny. The jokes fly at you so fast with such multitude that the net result is positive. The episode pulls this off with the help of a great bunch of guest comedians.

The thing that really elevates this episode for me is that the self-aware, self-parodying aspects aren't just used for a cheap laugh, they also tie in to hints of character development and a more serious theme underlying the episode. I wish they had been just a slight bit less obvious with the underlying message (man is monstrous), but I was genuinely impressed with the integration of character arc into this silly little story.

Ultimately, it's an enjoyable experience. It isn't a perfect episode, but its mistakes feel corny, a welcome change from the wooden aspects of "My Struggle".

You forget, I'm immortal

[Muldernscully · 8/10 · 2 February 2016]

Like many fans, I was highly anticipating the return of Darin Morgan to the X-Files. Darin has given us the classic gems of Humbug, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, War of the Coprophages & Jose Chung's From Outer Space. So, needless to say, the bar was set very high.

The episode starts off nicely with the stoners from his War of the Coprophages episode, who also gave cameos in Quagmire. Then, the episode gets weird in a very Darin Morgan-like way. I thought that during the first half of the episode it was trying too hard to be funny. Some of Mulder and Scully's lines seemed a bit forced and didn't really flow. Mulder was questioning his involvement in the X-Files and so on. Really wacky things were happening in a seemingly random way and I was starting to worry for the episode, because this did not seem like Darin Morgan.

Then, Mulder confronted Guy Mann and asked him to share his story, and that's when the episode really started to shine. Guy Mann's story of being a monster who turns into a man and how he was an innocent victim in all of this completely caught me off-guard. His version of events were hilarious, contradicting what we saw in the first half of the episode. It was Bad Blood-like in seeing the two versions of events. Rhys Darby was excellent in his portrayal of the Were-Monster/Guy Mann.

I appreciated Morgan's nods to passed away X-Files directors, Kim Manners and Jack Hardy, by having their names on the tombstones in the cemetery. Scully's reference to her immortality from Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose was a funny tongue-in-cheek line. It was also great to see that Mulder now has the same ring tone as I do, The X-Files theme.

While this episode started off slow and clunky, it really came full circle and showed us that Darin Morgan still has the comedic touch and Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster is up to par with his past entries.

One of the finest humorous episodes the show ever produced

[rodrigoquinan · 10/10 · 2 February 2016]

X-Files humorous episodes were always both critically acclaimed and fan favourites. It all started with Darin Morgan back in Season 2 with "Humbug". He wrote three more masterpieces in the following season and left the show - but Vince Gilligan carried the torch producing some more outstanding comedic hours like beloved "Small Potatoes" (which featured Darin as an lead actor) and "Bad Blood" which I believe it's still the best rated X-Files episode in IMDb.

Now Darin's back and he's done another masterpiece. This is a perfect hour of television. New fans will likely laugh and recgonize how smart the script is, but only people who saw the original run, at least Morgan's episodes in third season, will recgonize the great references to some of the show finest moments - like Scully talking about Queequeg , the homage to Kim Manners, the X-Files ringbell and my favourite, Scully saying she is immortal, just like Clyde Bruckman said in maybe the finest episode of the series back in the third season.

The episode deals with existentialism in a brilliant manner. Mulder's midlife crisis is incredibly funny - he attempting to use new tecnhology is hilarious. The threatment to the transgender girl is certainly respectful and appropriate. The whole commentary about transformation and how awful a human being can be much more awful than a monster is pure genius.

It's a masterpiece of a script, written an outstanding writer who, back in the day, made 4 masterpieces, won an Emmy and disappeared completely from the spotlights.

It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's smart and it will you touch you in a very emotional way.

Typically Darin Morgan

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 2 February 2016]

And it did seem like he was trying to push the comedy, but that's what made it even funnier. Especially with Tyler Labine and Nicole Parker as the "stoners" (from "War of the Coprophages" and "Quagmire"- They haven't changed!) it's just as absurd as those, even up a few notches because of better production value for the gags.

This is over the top, in some of the previous Darin Morgan episodes, maybe he held back. But here, he reaches for levels of insanity that he never attained previously, not even in previous X-Files and MillenniuM Eps. Mostly, he is parodying the absurdity of the times, where in these last few years we have seen an exponential increase of people actually believing things like 1) The Moon Landings were faked, 2) Lizard people have taken over the government, 3) Atlantis will rise from the Ocean and Lemuria will live again, and finally 4) The Earth is actually FLAT. Yes, there are people who believe this! Perhaps some of them rated this episode a 1-star. The sheer bulk of truly insane conspiracy theories that have been floating around on DiscloseTV makes even Mulder look sane. Maybe Darin spent a few days watching the latest Dren from there while writing this. It's possible. But just to be fair to the few valid videos that get uploaded to that station, however mostly it is just conspiracies now, less actual UFO stuff.

To enjoy this Episode is to laugh at what we have become, from Mulder's running Smartphone gags to the idea that Skully will go to town on a guy she's never met and have his baby. Of course, that was "Guy's" (Rhys Darby from Flight of the Concords) Skully-Fantasy, to make up for our own secret Skully fantasies. And Alex Daikun makes another X-Files appearance, his 3rd not including "I want to Believe" as the Squinty-Eyed manager.

The barrage of inanities erupting from Mulder leaves Skully no time to even respond, as he has all of her responses memorized now. So Mulder is really parodying his own character, much like Dave Duchovney did in the vastly underrated, mostly ignored but actually great film "Evolution" where he Moons the screen, and us, while saluting "Russell Woodman" (Ted Levine). David has a great Comedic sense, because of his ability to pull it off with a straight face.

Darin's episodes are so that you have to either love them a lot or scratch your head. But he creates beautiful... Well, they are Fairy Tales mostly, but he adds an almost Christmas quality to it, a very surreal tapestry and in the case of this episode it has threads that go back to earlier in the series. I feel it is his gift to us, and I accept it. But some people can't understand Darin's humor, ergo they hate it. Well, that's not my problem, it's theirs. They probably like Humor that is at the expense of someone else, where Darin has always been self-effacing in his Humor and even humble about it, never actually hurting anyone, while roasting and lambasting ideas like Scientology and other cults. There was a science fiction religion in El Cajon, California, which was based in a bookstore, "Aquarius Bookstore" on the corner of Main and Magnolia. It's long gone, but Darin parodies it in "Jose Chung's". He made fun of the concept but never the people who ran the store.

It is as if we are going to get "One of Each" of the different archetypes of X-Files "cases". so far, we've had the Mythos, the MOTW, and now the Comedy. Which is what makes X-Files so great, there is always something for everyone. And this episode did very well for going on during the Iowa Caucuses!

Easter Egg! Take note of Rys Darbie's suit and hat, then watch "The Nightstalker" with Darren McGavin!

Absolutely the most amusing of all episodes.

[carlsonjw · 10/10 · 1 February 2016]

OK, first review of a show I have written, and only because this episode cemented the reasons this show needs a new, full run. Absolutely the funniest episode ever. I rate it above Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose in which Peter Boyle gave a hilarious performance. This should go down as the best X-Files episode ever. Congrats to the writer, the director, and the producer. I hope that following episodes meet the standard that has been set. I knew David could be funny, but Gillian? She really pulled a were-rabbit out of her hat on this one. She showed a comedic timing that I found spot-on and left me wanting to see more. The fox mask in the Motel looking into Scully's room from the hidden passage was magically on the nose.

The Best Comedy Episode

[acharrell · 10/10 · 29 July 2019]

This one is hands down the best funny episode of X-Files. Do not listen to any of the negative reviews. Those people are clueless. The wit and humor went right over their heads. I feel sorry for them, but you're smarter than that. I believe in you. Just watch it.

This one will embed in your brain...

[ruienf · 10/10 · 8 February 2016]

It starts funny, then it turns weird, then it reveals itself brilliant...

A review of human modern life, Mulder's beliefs all mixed-up, Scully's effort to make Mulder admit non-scientific explanations...

And the details... All the little diamonds of past-references to other X-Files episodes, all the "forced" jokes, all the "Hey, this is so not X-Files... but it fits so well in here!" moments...

In my opinion, a master-piece! And like all master-pieces, first we distrust, then we embrace it...

Can't wait for the next episode!!!

A waste

[lor_ · 2 February 2016]

Since the new "X-Files" is an extremely limited series order of episodes, this throwback comedy (title recalls Universal's lame "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" programmers of the '50s) is a waste of limited resources and airtime. Obviously many die-hard fans seem amused, but they deserve better - like trying to hit a homer week in and week out.

So we get to see décolletage in a fantasy scene of Gillian Anderson getting down; and we see both stars' comic timing. Hey, their many other acting hires for the BBC or movies or Showtime give them a chance to stretch - there's no point in cutesy stuff like this as a lull or breather in the forward thrust of this series. If they were cranking out 40 or more yearly episodes like a '50s half-hour series I could understand placing a one-off time-killer on the schedule, but with 6 total episodes, seriously?

If fans were more critical they would file "Were-Monster" close to the jump-the-shark bin. It reminded me of that one-off "Lost" episode where two guest stars mixed up the regular cast with a new premise and were duly killed off (and literally buried) by the end of the hour. Perhaps binge watchers of the future will appreciate this respite from hard-hitting, tense action if they are sitting through dozens of hours of "X-Files" at a sitting, but tuning in I was only mildly amused by the easy targets for satire (most of which undermined Carter's premise for the series almost as an "I don't take this stuff seriously" reminder) and overall felt my time was wasted.

Entertaining, but the comedic approach could have been dialed down a notch.

[BandersnatchWhisperer · 7/10 · 2 February 2016]

The zaniness of this episode will appeal to some X-Files fans but not to others. "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" has its share of laughs and even manages to sneak in some social commentary, but it lacks the genuinely creepy mood of the best classic stand-alone episodes such as "Squeeze" and "Irresistible." The series offered occasional milder fare from early on, but at times this one stretches the camp a bit too far. At its best moments it feels like an homage to the more whimsical classic episodes (think "Humbug," "Quagmire," "Arcadia," "Bad Blood"), but at its worst moments it feels more like a parody of the original series.

Doesn't take itself seriously for all the wrong reasons

[nottheotherlee · 1/10 · 3 February 2016]

I knew something was amiss with the new X Files but until the third episode I couldn't exactly work out what it was. At first I thought it was poor pacing and a tired David Duchovny that made the show seem less interesting and less fun ... and while that is still somewhat true the primary problem is this;

The XFiles is now a comedy. A bad, cheesy comedy for all of the wrong reasons. It seems that somewhere along the line the people responsible for the Xfiles revival have decided that monsters, aliens and conspiracy theories are all a little bit embarrassing. To be sure the idea of a grown man (now 50ish) believing in such things is silly ... it always has been. But the original series tackled this somewhat silly premise with a seriousness that gave it charm. It was exciting to watch, bit by bit, as Mulder's childish fixations on fantastic beings and situations are justified - his tenacious quest for the truth, no matter how crazy, was serious business. The fact that Mulder believed in monsters was absolutely embarrassing to all of those around him ... but the unabashed presentation of these monsters, aliens and conspiracies as, ultimately, truth (Or as close to truth as the XFiles can get) is what made the XFiles exciting. As a result the show itself was never embarrassing. There was a belief and commitment to the fictional world of the XFiles from the creative folks behind the series.

This is glaringly absent in the new series. Particularly this episode. The script writers seem embarrassed. Mulder doesn't speak the way Mulder would speak - he speaks the way a script writer embarrassed by silly monsters and aliens would talk. In fact - EVERYBODY talks that way in this episode. Why? Because, clearly, the premise of the XFiles has been declared embarrassing and unfit to be presented seriously (Similar to the original Evil Dead). As such it has been retooled as a comedy that seems self-aware of how cheesy it is. It's no wonder David Duchovny seems to really not want to be in front of the camera every time we see him.

This is probably long-winded but I was really excited to see the XFiles making a return and I'm very disappointed by what I have seen so far. I do hope the series picks up but it seems like this is a conscious choice to take the series in this direction. Fox Mulder deserves so much more than this.

3000 gigaberts of pixelbits

[Sanpaco13 · 10/10 · 3 February 2016]

Another super solid entry in the catalog of X-Files episodes. This episode brings us the return of Darin Morgan's iconic comedy episodes. What started with Humbug has become one of the more beloved style's of episode for many. I love that the teaser brings back the stoner kids from Quagmire and War of the Coprophages to be the ones who are witness to the were-monster attack after inhaling an instense amount of spray paint.(?) Dude...

A quick synopsis of the episode. Mulder starts out with a sense of mid life crisis and wondering if he's spent his entire life believing in hoaxes and children's stories and is convinced that there are no such thing as monsters. Scully is worried about him and through out the episode makes several comments about how happy she is to see him back in his element even if she doesn't agree with his theory. They are brought to find a lizard man who appears to be attacking people and biting their necks. The investigations bring them to one Guy Mann, played by Rhys Darby. At first he exhibits some truly strange behavior and Mulder is convinced that he is behind the attacks as a were-lizard. But he tells a different story. One in which a man who is a sociopath has bitten him, an unsuspecting lizard man, in the neck, and since then every day he turns into a human and finds himself engaging in terribly monstrous acts of menial human life such as going to work and waking up to an alarm clock and wearing a neck tie. I really like the play on the typical were-monster story here where the monster is the man and the fictional "monster" is the victim who now turns into a man due to being bitten.

There are some great moments in this episode both comedic and nostalgic. Some of my favorites are Mulder's reaction to discovering the hotel has secret peepholes into each room, a la Psycho. I love when Guy is yelling at his alarm clock and tells it "you'll never wake me up again" and tosses it across the room. Also the wonderful explanation of the latest phone model which contains 3000 gigberts of pixelbits and its shape is somewhat rectangular. The typical blah blah blah of technogibber haha. I also have to say that for someone who had been thinking that Gillian Anderson was looking old, she's still got it. Dang! Did anyone else's heart beat speed up when she said "I wanna make you say cheese"? And finally when the real killer starts explaining why he is the way he is as if he's reciting a profiling text book lol.

I was also surprisingly moved more than I would have normally expected when I realized the name on the gravestone that Mulder puts the flowers was that of Kim Manners. Kim was one of the major directors on throughout the original series and was also one of the main directors for the show Supernatural until he passed away in 2009. It was a great tribute to a man who brought us some wonderful stories and obviously had a significant impact on the people he worked with.

All in all a great solid episode. Thanks Darin Morgan!

Hmm X-files is not what it used to be (Spoilers)

[generalchris · 6/10 · 28 February 2016]

I would say in the past, was not much of an X-files fan. Whilst the series had interesting stories and they attempted to grip, i just didn't feel the entertainment and action factor. Tried to go with the character side too but sure though they weren't just starched collars, episode to episode i thought it a bit samey samey. It's all very well saying you don't need action, storyline can carry things but in a world of so much good action TV WITH story, i found it a bit slow paced.

This reinventing i am finding a new take. The season 10 pilot i thought was pretty good..a little up from what i'd previously seen but this episode...wow, tripping or what..it was like X-files does Twin Peaks..focussing on humorous scenes and abstract..the Mulder on his bed in underwear was so twin peaks(nups only one you say..you can guess what i mean).. Think it was actually too strong on the comedy. If they can find an in between level for the humour with the story, i would definitely up my vote score for future episodes.

Just awful

[nebkheperura · 1/10 · 2 February 2016]

This is probably one of the worst X-files episodes ever. First of all, this episode would not be OK even if there is going to be another 50 new episodes this year. It's just awful.

The so called monster was done so lame that it was almost embarrassing to watch. Watching the re-runs of the X-files in the previous years I always wondered what could they do with a modern technology. Obviously, nothing good. From those saucer in episode 1, to this pathetic excuse for a monster.

Episode is annoying right from the start, with Mulder's whining and explaining some of the X-files as proved hoaxes. And don't get me started on the first scene with those two junkies (nice to have them back again tho, they were regular junkies in the series back in the days). Not interesting at all.

There is no real investigation, there is no real story, just a lot a bs. The Mulder's monologue in apartment with Scully was kind of fun, but it was totally unnecessary. At that point I was really considering watching Arsenal football game instead. And Arsenal is a worst excuse for a serious football team in history.

Long story short, the episode went from bad to horrible once the Mulder persuaded the lizard-man to tell him his story. What a bunch of stupid bs. That is not X-files, that is some stupid 2016. wanna- be deep minded bs. Lizard turning into a man from being bitten by a man? I'm not impressed, but hey, I think we all saw some pretty weird ideas implemented into this show. So that was OK for me. What ruined it completely was poorly written and poorly executed critique of modern society that was presented through lizard-man and his story. Just awful.

First two episode were a combination of hit and miss moments. Episode 3 is just awful. This was a very sad night for me. I never expected X-files to sink so low...

"Mulder, the internet is not good for you."

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 4 February 2016]

Somehow, someway, the third episode of the limited 2016 run of The X-Files is not only the best one so far of the three (not that the first wasn't flawed like hell, though the second was an improvement), it's one of the best episodes I can remember seeing of the whole show. I'm sure it'll not be loved by all fans, since it's especially satirical not just of the show itself but perhaps of what people think of such things as monsters in general.

It's a Darin Morgan script, and he's been writing for the show for so long that perhaps he just decided, 'I don't want to be bored doing this, what can I do to really shake it up... how about messing with the idea of what a monster REALLY is to Mulder?' I should say that this is the only episode that can work like this in this mini-season - it's a slightly (or just full-on) meta story where Mulder confronts his own malaise over knowing the unknown (it begins with Mulder showing Scully the many things that have been proved as explainable since they last left the X-files) while in the "plot" of a man who can turn into a lizard.... OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?!

I had a blast watching this, but I think it's the kind of thing you'll either really click in to or you'll find it too jokey. A joke or two don't connect, but almost the rest do, from the start with two drug addicts in the woods who see this lizard-person onward, and it doesn't shy away from the total absurd. How absurd it gets is seen when "Guy Mann", the purported culprit of a series of murders, tells Mulder his story and it involves things like, oh you know, suddenly having the compulsion when being turned into a human to... gulp.. get a job! And there may or may not be a Scully sex fantasy that Guy conjures up.

The end result of the case would seem a let-down if it didn't take this approach; it's not even about the case, but it's kind of half a jokey, almost early Buffy monster-of-the-week yarn and half of a, well, existential parable for Mulder's belief structure. I'm sure there are other episodes that explored these ideas of this, even so far as things being silly and almost embarrassing, but rarely have I recalled it being so knowing and gut-bustingly entertaining. For those who think they know the tone from the 1st episode of season 10 (with conspiracy theories raging like a 13 year old boner) or the 2nd (which has more of a core story among reminisces), this episode upends that with killer dialog and cutting wit.

A wonderfully meta and self-aware send up

[OwlsWatch · 10/10 · 4 February 2016]

This episode will certainly be divisive--but it is a fantastic throwback to some of the older, sillier "monster of the week" episodes, much like a top-tier "comedy" episode of Dr Who. It is bizarre and utterly hilarious with a brilliant performance from Rhys Darby.

I was very skeptical at first, but by the end I was absolutely in love with this episode. It is a departure from the ultra-serious 2 episodes that came before it but it pays homage to everything that made the original run so special--even at its silliest. When this new run is finished, I expect this episode to become a fan-favorite. It brings some much-needed levity to the modern series.

Brilliant!

[larsenmikaelandre · 9/10 · 17 January 2018]

I see alot of people say that they are huge fans, only to bash this episode to a pulp. Im indeed a huge fan, and I enjoyed the **** out of this episode.

It was so clever and surprisingly funny that I couldnt care less about my own bias towards it. They surely take risks with an episode like this (and previous lol-files episodes) but they hands-down nailed it.

I was on the middle-ground about this new season but the sheer intelligence portrayed in this artful execution of self-mockery is something i will probably never forget.

People laugh at Big Bang Theory and bash this for its lack of "true" X-files style? This episode was true comedy! Take your 3,000 gigabertz of pixelbits and get the **** outta here.

I couldn't stop laughing. I'm glad they included an episode like this

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 10/10 · 11 February 2016]

Fans of the old show know some of the best episodes are the silly ones. And considering the subject matter, you need a silly moment here and there just to reset and keep things in perspective. This has to be one of the silliest episodes of X Files ever made, so I can see why some fans are a little upset but whatever. This is entertainment, enjoy it. Basically the episode is about a lizard man how is turned into human after being bit by a serial killer. The lizard man is played by a strange Australian actor which only helps with the comedic effect. And I may be wrong in saying this but this episode covers very heavy subject matters. The question of a mid life crisis. The question of Fox chasing monsters. And etc, etc. But the best part also happens to be the part some people hate the most; namely the ending. I thought they wouldn't end it like that but they did, and it was awesome. I hope Scully names the puppy Dagoo.

Delighful

[ragirl-82281 · 10/10 · 3 February 2016]

When the x-files was announced for a comeback I was afraid I wouldn't be able to appreciate the same format that I was crazy about 20 years ago. But I was worried for no reason. Of course it's not the same. The characters are at different stages in life just like the original audience. Their outlook changed, as it should. I thought this episode was terrific. Whimsical and funny. Mulder goes from automatic believer in the most outrageous explanations to skeptical debunker. Scully goes from reluctant woo woo investigator to excited adventurer. With age comes acceptance of whatever worldview that came about from youthful questioning. Perfect evolution of show, characters and audience. What more can you ask for?

Horrible

[theotraila · 1/10 · 3 February 2016]

First of all, X-Files was one of the few series that evolved around serious stories, that's why we liked it. We wanted to know about UFOs, the Smoker man, mysteries and so on. We liked the creepiness of it.

Episode 3 has nothing to do with X-Files, X-files was never a comedy or parody, apart of a few jokes here and there, X-files was about anything else but that.

I didn't liked it at all, same about my wife of my father. We really hope we won't see something like this again. After half of movie, we just changed to some Supernatural episodes, since actually Supernatural was much more serious than this episode of X-files.

Excellent

[Michelle8174 · 10/10 · 4 February 2016]

Took the genre and just played with it! Any fan will know once in a while we got some light hearted fun. I never laughed so much through an episode it was hilarious!! Tongue in cheek and not to be taken too seriously!! I loved it and the casting was great!! Cheesy and absolutely absurd!! Well worth a watch for those who know its not always dark and intense! Those rating it low come on guys are you not familiar with the old greats?? The Luke Wilson episode? Great mention of the late Kim Manners also which I thought was a great touch. A great example of how a show can branch out and not be just one way to entertain. Both leads are great actors so it's always a treat to see them turn to comedy for an episode once in a while!

This is actually a X-Files as in X don't watch

[jai-s-kumar · 1/10 · 5 February 2016]

Well this one is the worst. I was happy like every other x-file fan when the new series came out. But i feel there is a huge lacking of the X-Files atmosphere. I like x-files series other than the series about alien ideas and the government cover ups this is boring. And the first 2 episodes are of the same boring ideas. There seems to be a huge lacking in energy both from Mulder and Scully.

I was hoping for a lot of different ideas from this season as the first few seasons of x-files. but it is a let down till now. well lets keep our fingers crossed for some improvement.

There is nothing in this film other than seeing Mulder and Scully. and the seen where Scully is shown in sexual context with the spider character man is degrading to the fine character Mulder and Scully.

We know the people who made this series are intelligent people but how could the entire team agree to make such a series that makes a mockery of the x-files characters and the entire x-files series.

"For some unknown reason, there was a bunch of dead bodies laying around.""

[classicsoncall · 10/10 · 3 September 2017]

Well if I'm not mistaken, this episode of The X-Files has more fan reviews posted for it on IMDb than any other, which is saying something since the very first season ones are already more than a couple decades old. The interesting thing is that they go both ways, with viewers loving the humor or hating what is perceived as a variation from a traditional X-Files story. Put me on the plus side of the ledger, I thought this was a brilliantly written story by Darin Morgan, and is the only one EVER that I watched two times in a row, a testament to what an entertaining program it was.

For starters, I loved Mulder's rambling on to Scully in which he takes both his own and her side of the argument about paranormal phenomena, to which Scully's eye rolls and double takes eventually give way to "You're bat crap crazy!" That was just great. There's also the back handed compliment paid to the series most prolific director with fifty two episodes, Kim Manners, who passed away in 2009. I loved the quote attributed to him on the mock gravestone - "Let's Kick It In The Ass". Another prominent headstone honored Jack Hardy, a first assistant director on the 'Millennium' and 'Lone Gunmen' series. He's still alive, so I wonder if he should start worrying.

As for the actor Rhys Darby, who portrays the man-into-lizard, lizard-into-Guy Mann - what a hoot! He handled his role with perfect dead-pan sensibility, playing off Mulder's statements and questions with dead-on precision. And say, did you notice the Oregon license plate on the car Mulder was driving? It read '213 - XTC'; could the letters have stood for 'ecstasy'? You have to wonder, that's what I felt at the end of the story.

Now it pains me to mention this, but I have to get it out of my system. You remember that seventh season episode 'Hollywood A.D.', in which Mulder opined that Richard Gere would have been an appropriate actor to portray him in a movie? Instead, the story line cast Garry Shandling in the movie role of Fox Mulder. Well, take a good look at David Duchovny as this story progresses, and if I'm not totally out of left field on this, he looks like he's turning into Garry Shandling! Whoever made the casting decision back in 2000 when that story aired didn't know how prescient he or she was!

Episode 3 "Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster" is the first true standalone episode

[monizusa · 8/10 · 8 February 2016]

In essence the episode is a satire on modern life. Mulder tries to grapple with technology, as he learns how to use the camera app on his smart phone that constantly malfunctions taking random shots as he is chased by a monster. Instead of using his eyes to glean the crime scene, Mulder looks at the evidence through the lens of his captured photos, cleverly suggesting how cellphones and other forms of technology remove us from the sensory experiences of physical proximity, and experiencing the horror of violence. Mulder also tries to wrap his head around gender fluidity, and while empathetic, he is genuinely confused and frustrated trying to figure out the politically correct terms for a transgender woman in the episode.

The story for this week revolving around a two or three eyed monster that kills people in a small town, is essentially a commentary on modern American life that has become a rat race: getting a job, paying off your student loans, earning money so you can afford a consumerist lifestyle buying ridiculous, expensive smart phones, and worrying about whether there is enough money in your retirement account. It's a soulless rut, that takes a cute puppy and some stiff drinks to make tolerable, if only temporarily.

The monster played by a New Zealander actor, Rhys Darby is very, very good. He is earnest, funny, bewildered, and also very sympathetic. This episode, takes the standard X-Files monster of the week format that X-Files series had established itself, and challenges that paradigm. While the TV episode is titled "Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster" the episode is quite novel as it subverts the definition of a monster. Who is the real monster here? It's a smart and thought provoking idea, and one I'm sure Mulder never thought about quite this way before. Suddenly, the monster-of-the- week seems far more humane than all the human characters combined in the entire episode. No wonder seeing the cruelty and absurdity of this world, the monster wanted to escape reality through any possible means.

It's a comedy of the absurd, disguised as a commentary on our current lifestyle. It is also the funniest, laugh out loud episode in the season, and maybe the entire season. A funny scene, I really enjoyed was when Mulder and Scully are in the oh so obviously inspired Bates Motel from Psycho, and Mulder has this great monologue in front of Scully, as he basically goes through every line of defense, that the logical, rational, scientific Scully would have argued without letting her say a single line. It's so clear, how closely Mulder and Scully know and understand each other, and the bond they still share. The scene is also a nice homage to the iconic scenes from earlier seasons of the X-Files, when we used to see the two agents staying in random motel rooms as they investigated cases in small towns. Gillian Anderson clearly plays the supporting role in this episode. Here Scully remains the voice of reason and the pillar of strength while Mulder breaks character, and it's good that she remains within reason, allowing the episode to be playful and absurd while her character still reminds the audience that this is still The X-Files. The director and the writers also have fun with this episode and spoof their own show. In one scene Scully suddenly becomes the temptress, seducing a character in a fantasy sequence, and in turn satisfies the fantasy of X-Files fans by showing Scully actually having sex. (Shock! Horror!)

It's cool to see Mulder and Scully having fun and letting loose for a change, and the actors and creators not taking themselves too seriously. So while this episode is somewhat disappointing for a long time fan of the series, who really wanted to just experience the nostalgia of the X-Files from its heydays, the episode is a good reminder of how much the times have changed since 1993, when the first episode aired on TV. But next week, I want my X-Files to be back!

For full review see: http://www.artspeaksy.com/x-files-season-10-episode-3-review/

Excellent and a classic X-Files as good as any other episode ever

[facebook_notification · 10/10 · 1 February 2016]

** Spoiler Follows **

Classic X-Files just an amazing clever funny brilliant well written told and acted episode. Great guest stars and Mulder and Scully seemed to be having great fun. Good they are not sick like I heard they were on episode 2. I like episode 2 and thought would have been even better if they weren't sick as can hear Mulder has a cold and raspy voice. Episode 3 all are well and everything works and I give this a 10 out of 10. The twists are brilliant and the looks at who are monsters + people -- all perception. Actual monster of the episode was a human. Creature ate bugs. Just brilliant. If this doesn't get nominated for something especially Rhys Darby's amazing performance, I don't know what else you can do. My verdict Episode 1 was OK (still good to have it back though), Episode 2 was very good, Episode 3 was a classic up there with any X-File episode ever. This episode needs at least one additional viewing because there are so many things going on and this is a brainy + funny episode and Mulder and Scully reactions are gold (are gold Jerry).