Friday, September 19, 2014

Super Heroes

I am not a superstitious fellow - never have been, never will be (touch wood) - but the number 19 seems to be an important number in my life. Here are a few examples:

  • I was born on the 19th July 1975
  • Victoria Wood was born on 19th May 1953
  • I met Victoria Wood for the first time on 19th March 1990
  • One of my cats died on the 19th February (I didn't say they were all good things)
  • ...and many other examples that escape me right now, but you get the (bullet) point.

20 years ago today (19th September, 1994) I turned on BBC2 and watched the pilot episode of one of the greatest TV shows of all-time: The X Files

Sure, it had aired in the U.S. a whole year before and it had started on U.K. satellite TV nine months before, but my first taste of the phenomenon was that balmy early autumn evening. It's one of those rare moments in television history that I will never forget. I can still recall to this day exactly how I felt when the episode was over. I had a warm tingling in my heart as I knew I'd watched something deliciously brilliant and lovable. I also felt that this new show belonged to me.

"We lost nine minutes!"

Little was I to know at the time that Gillian Anderson would become one of my favourite actresses ever. I will watch just about anything with her in. She has proven, since leaving Dana Scully behind, that she is a significantly versatile actress pulling off superb performances in roles such as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, Lady Dedlock in Bleak House, Mrs Castaway in The Crimson Petal and the White, Stella Gibson in The Fall and Dr Du Maurier in Hannibal to name just a few.

Gillian in Hannibal

But... going back to The X Files... I had recently been obsessed with Twin Peaks (thanks to my friend Jamie) and I was feeling rather bereft due to the insane axing of the cult show. With this new pilot, I was feeling energised and as if I had found something to replace the great David Lynch series in my heart. Strangely enough, there was even a massive fan-lead rumour that Lynch was going to direct a special X Files/Twin Peaks crossover episode. That would have been a sight to see, though maybe best left to our imaginations.

The classic...

For that first season of 24 episodes, I was what you might call obsessed. Any money I earned from my part-time job was spent on related merchandise. I still have a couple of T-shirts with the logo emblazoned on the front (and, in one case, the words "We Are Among You" on the back!). As time went on, I was buying books, comics, CDs, videos, posters... official, unofficial... I didn't care! Anything to do with Mulder, Scully or the show would suit me fine. I even bought long coats so I could run about the woods at dusk with a torch to emulate my heroes.

The first VHS release...

I took great pleasure in introducing the show to my friends, some of whom are ardent fans now too. I shan't forget sitting around on the bed with friends watching the show in my room in Bournemouth and doing the "pointy finger" dance to the theme music. We even had an X Files themed day at the restaurant I worked at on the opening night of The X Files: Fight the Future movie!

Fight the Future

I am what you call a "die-hard" fan. There were some who weren't as interested in the show when Mulder took a backseat, but, frankly, I felt it was time for him to go. I remember saying that they could rename it The All-New Scully Show and I'd still watch. Season eight and nine still had some fantastic stories with great writing and performances. The addition of Doggett and Reyes was sublime casting.

Agents Reyes, Doggett & Scully

OK, OK... so I could go on about this for hours, just gushing and gushing. So, instead, in celebration of 20 years of LOVE, here are some images from my all-time favourite episodes... (people used to mock me for knowing the production codes, so I have included them here.

Darkness Falls - 1X19

Triangle - 6ABX03

The War of the Coprophages - 3X12

The Calusari - 2X21

X-Cops - 7ABX12

Roadrunners - 8ABX05

Improbable - 9ABX14

Chinga - 5X10

Never Again - 4X13

Beyond the Sea - 1X12

Crikey! That's just TEN episodes out of 201! So many favourites. I love The X Files and probably always will!

2 comments:

  1. I believe there was a Twin Peaks and X-Files crossover, it’s called Deadly Premonition.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-41YUSZ9VAg

    ReplyDelete