# My biggest pet peeve with very early X-Files eps. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579 "2014-01-24T01:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/1 "2014-01-24T01:38:25Z")
They’re GD FBI Agents not newspaper reporters or PI’s. But you wouldn’t think so for the horrible lack of respect they get from non-FBI personnel. Great show though. Love it. Can’t wait for it to be released on Blu-Ray ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/2 "2014-01-24T02:27:16Z")
Good in a geeky sort of way. But you got it; reporters are more entertaining, that’s why I still prefer The Night Stalker. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/3 "2014-01-24T02:50:42Z")
I loved _The X-Files_ for maybe the first four or five seasons. Some great stuff there. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/4 "2014-01-24T03:02:30Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Good in a geeky sort of way. But you got it; reporters are more entertaining, that’s why I still prefer The Night Stalker. I love that Chris Carter actually tried to get McGavin to play Kolchak on the X-Files. It never got past McGavin though. At least he agreed to play a different character. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/5 "2014-01-24T07:26:54Z")
We are currently re-watching “X-Files” on Netflix, too, and we have a few issues with it. The alien conspiracy episodes don’t really make any kind of sense - the monster of the week episodes are much, much better. I also found the Scully/Mulder deep emotional connection to be kind of forced - they got real close, real fast - like, unrealistically fast. And Scully’s continued disbelief after she’s seen many inexplicable things is also getting irritating. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/6 "2014-01-24T11:42:04Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > We are currently re-watching “X-Files” on Netflix, too, and we have a few issues with it. The alien conspiracy episodes don’t really make any kind of sense - the monster of the week episodes are much, much better. > > I also found the Scully/Mulder deep emotional connection to be kind of forced - they got real close, real fast - like, unrealistically fast. And Scully’s continued disbelief after she’s seen many inexplicable things is also getting irritating. Fringe is what X-Files should have been. You can argue which one was better or that you liked more but there is no doubt that they had an actual idea of where they wanted to go with the story arc. Xfiles turned out to be a total mess plot wise. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/7 "2014-01-24T13:48:10Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > They’re GD FBI Agents not newspaper reporters or PI’s. But you wouldn’t think so for the horrible lack of respect they get from non-FBI personnel. Thomas Harris did a ton of research on the FBI for “Silence of the Lambs” so I’m guessing there’s something to it when the book mentions that an FBI badge has a lot more juice in the flyover states than more urban areas. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/8 "2014-01-24T14:05:59Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > They’re GD FBI Agents not newspaper reporters or PI’s. But you wouldn’t think so for the horrible lack of respect they get from non-FBI personnel. I always notice the same during the various “partners solving the crime of the week” style shows. Cops or the FBI show up at someone’s store and the guy is always like “I’m busy doing inventory but I can provide some half-assed answers while I count cans” or “I’m busy planting flowers and can’t be bothered to look up because that’s far more important than federal agents showing up at my house to question me about a murder”. And these aren’t even the bad guys, just people they question during the first half hour who apparently have zero shits to give about law enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/9 "2014-01-24T14:40:26Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > But you wouldn’t think so for the horrible lack of respect they get from non-FBI personnel. I think it was meant to further highlight their isolation and the lack of respect they got from inside the FBI. These aren’t the long arm of the law, with the weight of the government behind them. They’re a weirdo loser and his resentful babysitter out there by themselves. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/10 "2014-01-24T15:15:45Z")
Would a Blu-Ray version of a 1991 X-Files episode be of better quality than the DVD version of the same episode? (This is a serious question from somebody with not-great eyesight who is largely missing the “higher resolution” revolution. I have a hard time, at times, distinguishing between the HD and non-HD versions of channels. Drives my daughter batty as the difference is obvious to her.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/11 "2014-01-24T15:17:20Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Fringe is what X-Files should have been. You can argue which one was better or that you liked more but there is no doubt that they had an actual idea of where they wanted to go with the story arc. Xfiles turned out to be a total mess plot wise. True, though X-files has a lot more high quality stand alone episodes than Fringe. X-files has countless classics, while Fringe has only a few. In fact, what are the classic stand alone Fringe episodes? I can name at least 10-20 X-files, but the only true classic that pops into my mind for Fringe is Marionette. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/12 "2014-01-24T16:21:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Fringe is what X-Files should have been. You can argue which one was better or that you liked more but there is no doubt that they had an actual idea of where they wanted to go with the story arc. Xfiles turned out to be a total mess plot wise. True, alas. The alien conspiracy big story arc was quite a jumble when you put it all together; the payoff was not nearly worth the buildup. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/13 "2014-01-24T18:04:23Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I always notice the same during the various “partners solving the crime of the week” > style shows. Cops or the FBI show up at someone’s store and the guy is always like “I’m busy doing inventory but I can provide some half-assed answers while I count cans” or “I’m busy planting flowers and can’t be bothered to look up because that’s far more important than federal agents showing up at my house to question me about a murder”. And these aren’t even the bad guys, just people they question during the first half hour who apparently have zero shits to give about law enforcement. This has always bugged me about Law & Order. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/14 "2014-01-24T19:05:08Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > And Scully’s continued disbelief after she’s seen many inexplicable things is also getting irritating. While this is true, she only gets more annoying when she starts believing. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/15 "2014-01-24T19:38:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > And Scully’s continued disbelief after she’s seen many inexplicable things is also getting irritating. Excuse my hijack, but this bothered me watching the X-Files and it bothered me watching Medium. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/16 "2014-01-25T03:16:56Z")
I think that was kind of the point. Scully’s confidence in a rational, scientific explanation for _everything_, no matter how bizarre the things she saw and experienced, is her own kind of faith for most of the show. She holds to it even when, if she were truly open-minded, she would be a lot more receptive to Mulder’s wacky explanations. It’s a crazy thing the kids these days call “irony.” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-biggest-pet-peeve-with-very-early-x-files-eps/679579/17 "2014-01-25T06:06:51Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Fringe is what X-Files should have been. You can argue which one was better or that you liked more but there is no doubt that they had an actual idea of where they wanted to go with the story arc. Xfiles turned out to be a total mess plot wise. I think we’re planning to watch “Fringe” after we’re done with “X-Files” - we watched most of it, but I think we missed half a season somewhere along the line. I really enjoyed “Fringe” for most of the series. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I think that was kind of the point. Scully’s confidence in a rational, scientific explanation for _everything_, no matter how bizarre the things she saw and experienced, is her own kind of faith for most of the show. She holds to it even when, if she were truly open-minded, she would be a lot more receptive to Mulder’s wacky explanations. > > It’s a crazy thing the kids these days call “irony.” There’s open-minded, then there’s refusing to believe what you’ve seen and experienced. That’s a crazy thing that we call “denial.” 😃