Top Ten X-Files Episodes

It’s a tough job trying to come up with the top ten X-Files episodes of all time. Frankly, I think I should have done the top twenty instead, but that would take too much writing. I’m sure some of these episodes will draw the ire of manic X-Files fans as they search for their favorites. One word of advice to those fans who rate the conspiracy episodes as the highest achievement of the series. You won’t find any of those episodes here. I’m not that big a fan of them, and very few of them can stand on their own anyway.

10) Wetwired

Gillian Anderson won an Emmy for playing Agent Scully, but she should have won it for this episode. Her descent into madness is nothing less than dazzling. I’m also a big fan of this episode because of its implicit statement that watching too much TV results in an Althusserian interpellation that reduces one’s incipient individuality and turns them into social beings acting without free will. 

If that seems like too much to expect from an hour long SF series, then clearly you have never seen an X-Files episode. If you’ve ever had the suspicion that subliminal messages are being carried to society courtesy of television programming, this is the episode for you.

On a somewhat lighter note, Gillian Anderson’s hair has long been a source of interest for many viewers. I can’t really explain how, but Anderson’s hair actually contributes to her performance in this episode. As she slowly succumbs to paranoia, carefully note how her hair changes style. You have to see it to really appreciate what I’m talking about.

9) Monday