# X-Files: Mythology or Monster-of-the-Week? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576 "2009-10-12T20:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/1 "2009-10-12T20:21:06Z")
Do you prefer the X-Files’ Mythology episodes (episodes pertaining to the main plot of alien colonization) or the monster-of-the-week episodes (those episodes dealing with some freaky thing unrelated to the aliens)? I’m more into the Mythology episodes, overall. The monster-of-the-week episodes don’t seem to have the same gravity, in my mind, because the people like the Cigarette Smoking Man, Skinner, X, and Deep Throat usually don’t matter or even show up. Also, a lot of the monsters of the week seem really silly, like the kid that can control electricity at will. I mean, come on… ---
**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:** [October 12, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/2 "2009-10-12T20:27:20Z")
Totally monster of the week. Those are the only episodes I ever remember fondly or re-watch without going through the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/3 "2009-10-12T20:46:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Totally monster of the week. > > Those are the only episodes I ever remember fondly or re-watch without going through the whole thing. Agreed. They had to dole out the story arc so slowly that I found it hard to stay interested in it. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/4 "2009-10-12T20:50:26Z")
Monster of the week. The myth arc moved to slowly, and eventually became so convoluted it made no sense anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/5 "2009-10-12T20:53:05Z")
The first time through I loved the mythology. But now that I know that it doesn’t go anywhere, I enjoy repeats of the standalone episodes much more. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/6 "2009-10-12T20:53:16Z")
Monster of the Week! The psychic guy, the evil teacher, the freakshow workers, the inbred family, the Cher lover, the satanist school board. All blew all that boring conspiracy stuff out of the water. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/7 "2009-10-12T21:08:23Z")
I wish there was a both option. It totally depends on my mood. When I am doing a whole series rewatch, I am totally into the myth arc, and get a little bored at some of the dumber of the monster-of-the-week shows. BUT, when I am just in the mood to sit down and watch an episode I pull out Cher or Arcadia or Clyde Bruckman or Tooms or one of those totally awesome MotW, and enjoy that a lot. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/8 "2009-10-12T21:21:17Z")
I’m currently re-watching it from the beginning, and am about halfway through season 3 right now. Originally, I preferred the the monster-of-the-week episodes, and loathed the mythology ones. Now, while I still prefer the monsters, the mythology is much more interesting to me than it was the first time around. Maybe because I’m older, when the first season of the show aired I was only 12. Or maybe just watching it on DVD without a week between episodes makes it go faster, so I don’t feel like I’m waiting and waiting for something to happen, plotwise. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/9 "2009-10-12T21:28:40Z")
Monster of the week, but then again I start watching it fairly late in the series (about fourth or fifth season). It was hard get interested in the the mythology unless you’d been a fan since the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/10 "2009-10-12T21:28:45Z")
At the time I liked the main arc episodes better. But in retrospect knowing that there’s no method to the madness and just a bunch of random weird for the sake weirdness, the monster of the week episodes hold up a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/11 "2009-10-12T22:05:10Z")
I am all about the MotW. Early mythology episodes made you think you were actually getting somewhere, but by season seven, I dreaded them. These days, when I decide I’m going to have a marathon, I usually skip them all. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/12 "2009-10-12T22:11:41Z")
Definitely Monster of the Week, I lost interest in the series when they began to get into the mythology stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/13 "2009-10-12T22:23:39Z")
Both. While I admit that most of my favorite episodes are MotW, some of the plot arcs, particularly the ones involving Cancer Man, were awesome fun. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/14 "2009-10-12T22:27:34Z")
MOTW. I got into it from day one and really enjoyed learning about the conspiracy. Season by season tho, it got more convoluted and disappointing. I’d rather just stick with the monster of the week. Especially if I can count the one all about CSM’s past. ---
**Author:** ![bramma23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bramma23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bramma23)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/15 "2009-10-12T22:30:51Z")
Mythology. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/16 "2009-10-12T22:36:27Z")
Mythology during the first five years. But when it became obvious that they were floundering around on the mythology that became less enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/17 "2009-10-12T22:37:20Z")
Monster of the week. I hated hated hated the mytharc episodes. Roger Ebert once said of a movie that, not only did it not make sense, there was no way it could possibly be made to make sense. That was pretty much how I felt about the mytharc. There were some seriously great MOTW eps. The last shot of “Detour” showing the glowing red eyes under the bed was about as creepy as “Home”, albeit in a quite different way. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/18 "2009-10-12T22:42:02Z")
I knew that the ratio of monsters to mythos would be about this. Most people just don’t have taste or a sense of morality- Excuse me, what I mean is that most people think that the aliens thing is drawlish, cerebral, endless, uninventive, and required viewers to have seen all of the previous mytharc episodes. I can understand that view and actually used to hold it, but seeing a lot of dumb monster-of-the-week episodes really changed my mind. And X is just badass. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/19 "2009-10-12T22:42:38Z")
Definitely monsters, except for _Jose Chung’s From Outer Space_. My favorite X-File. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576/20 "2009-10-12T23:08:35Z")
The Mythology episodes have not aged well, in my opinion, and just seem a bit too convoluted. I would definitely go with the stand-alone “monster-of-the-week” episodes! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-files-mythology-or-monster-of-the-week/513576.md?page=2)