Season One Summary: "trust no one"

Overall Rating: 2.33 out of 4 (circa 2003)

A wide variety of stories came out of the first season of this ground-breaking series. (And ground-breaking it was. When I see how far-reaching the TXF influence has been, it amazes me. From totally unrelated things such as a show called "The Sex Files" to the myriad of pseudo-scientific paranormal ripoff/homage series that can be found around the current dial, TXF made its mark, no doubt about it.) Some were more successful than others, of course, but overall, the scripts that we saw in season one convinced the network powers that be that this show had potential to be more than just a show about aliens.

Worst / Best

My pick for worst ep goes to Born Again. Nothing much to say about it except that of all the episodes that I gave a "poor" rating to in this season, this one sinks to the bottom as one that I wouldn't care if I never saw again. And it's not because it conjures up hateful memories like an episode that I won't mention from season seven. This one just appears to lack in any sort of impact.

Best episode is a toss-up between Squeeze and Ice and if I had to pick one, I think I'd go with the latter. The fact that the agents are so isolated in that episode raises the danger level for them, and the way in which they are forced to interact shows us so much of their respective characters. Mulder is still so Mulder in his quips and reactions and Scully is ever the rational soul who seeks a scientific answer to everything.

Best episode of the first season? Since I downgraded Ice from Excellent to Good, I might have to restate my choice. I didn't check out Squeeze this time around, but I did rewatch Beyond the Sea. And I can definitely say that it made a greater impression on me than it did years ago, when I may have dismissed it somewhat for being Mulder-lite. In watching it again, I was impressed by the deep emotional connection I felt with both of our heroes, as well as with Boggs. Yes, he was a horrible killer, but I liked how Morgan & Wong humanized him in their script. "Don't underestimate my fear of dying" indeed. Even though some might think that Mulder vacillates back and forth in this episode with the "believe or not believe" routine, I fully understood where he was coming from at all times. After all, as he said to Scully in the pilot episode, "I'm not crazy" — in that, I don't automatically believe just to believe.

Most Disappointing / Most Surprising

Since I was a full-fledged fan before I ever saw most of these first-year episodes, I was exposed to "fan comments" about some of them that led me to have expectations. So in light of that, I have to choose Fire as most disappointing. It simply wasn't a very strong story despite the Phoebe/Scully thing. And while the "BSB" scene was very sweet eye candy, by itself it doesn't elevate an episode's overall quality.

I would have to choose the series pilot as most surprising episode in season one, because I was surprised — on many levels — when I finally saw it in the fall of 1998. I was surprised by how the characters looked in their choice of dress — which probably had a lot to do with budgetary constraints — and accessories. (Scully actually carried a sizable purse... and did you get a load of their suitcases??) Both agents also seemed a bit "green and raw" compared to how they appear by the "next" episode. On the other hand, I was surprised by the extent to which the characters were established from the very beginning. Aside from that incongruous "mosquito bite check" scene, Mulder and Scully more or less acted as we would expect them to later in the series.