By Edward Brown

The X-Files is a paranormal wonder that is just as entertaining/terrifying today as it was two decades ago. (I rewatched it to make sure!) The show blends themes of science fiction, horror, and mystery. And in doing so, creates a unique and compelling narrative style that endures time. Dr. Sherry Truffin, a Campbell University professor of English, who has written extensively about the show, says, “The X-Files is a hybrid text that blends science fiction with the detective story, the police procedural, the satire, and the Gothic tale.” Essentially, imagine Edgar Allan Poe writing episodic scripts that encompass all the best parts of cult classics like Charmed, Law and Order, and The Twilight Zone. The X-Files is ultimately an excellent amalgamation of thought and experience. 

The X-Files expertly combines elements of science fiction and history through its overarching mythology. It intertwines fictional, but entirely plausible, conspiracy theories with real historical events and government secrets. It asks why Roswell, NM seems to be an intergalactic alien travel hub. (But seriously though. Roswell?!) Some episodes proffer explanations for urban/literary legends that we all want to desperately believe. For example, the episode, "The Post-Modern Prometheus" offers an interesting take on the story of Frankenstein, while "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" presents a unique take on alien abduction. (For those of you who’ve been abducted by aliens, it might be a very validating episode!) The X-Files doesn’t pretend to offer ironclad rationale for any event, but it offers fun ways to contemplate their machination. 

The aforementioned Dr. Truffin suggests that The X-Files series exudes a wonderful playfulness in her essay, “Trying to Tell the “The Truth”: Metafiction and Historiographic Metafiction in The X-Files.” And she’s totally right. The X-Files deals with some really dark, outrageously terrifying stuff, but never loses its sense of humor. Its hilarity ranges from witty banter between the protagonists, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to absurd situations that come up during their investigations. Episodes like "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" offer a particular depth of jocularity. At one point in the episode, the script calls for an actor to actually say “bleep” in lieu of any curse words. The execution is funnier than my description, but trust me. It’s *bleeping* hilarious. 

And I don’t mean to suggest that The X-Files is a frivolous watch because it’s funny. The crux of the show is about earnestly considering the nature of truth and how we get to it. Moreover, it engages viewers by intelligently playing with narrative conventions like satire and parody to provoke that consideration. Episode, "Hollywood A.D.", hilariously turns Mulder and Scully's lives into a sensational movie. But what it really does is blur the line between reality and fiction in a way that forces you to question the legitimacy of your own existence. On top of that, "Hollywood A.D." offers excellent metanarrative commentary on the show’s real-world impact. By the series finale, you realize that the show is layered like a well-made lasagna: ambiguously delicious! 

The X-Files is simply a master class in the art of storytelling. The show is mostly remembered for being a pop culture phenomenon. However, the way it cleverly delves into weighty existential questions about the meaning of life, the nature of reality, and humanity’s place in the universe through tales makes it something more important. Dr. Truffin says that “good storytelling not only tolerates but also embraces multiplicity, inconsistency, contingency, and indeterminacy.” Nearly every episode of The X-Files gives you something to that effect. Not necessarily at all once, but in just enough variety to keep its run feeling fresh. The show is weird for the sake of being weird. But it does so to honestly encourage audiences to think critically and embrace open-ended interpretations.

The X-Files is available for free on Amazon Prime.