I don't generally have a problem with what I'll call "4th wall" or fan service episodes. I think they have their place. But if what you're producing is something that more or less fits into the "drama" category, and I think that's at least the intention with the x-files, then it has to work w/in that context. You don't just essentially throw out the whole premise of the show to get some ratings and/or yuks.
This episode didn't fit, at least in my opinion. I'll admit that I was never a huge fan of the show but I think I saw most of the episodes when they originally aired. And some of the references you make do sound familiar although I can't really remember the context. So I don't know how closely this resembles the previous 'gag' episodes. But I never noticed their being truly out of place. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
I think that's my main objection. But even as a comedic episode, it wasn't very imaginative. I can see how it could be seen as funny, but to just go bizarro-world, man bites dog, w/o much more was disappointing.
I can definitely see why you feel that way, but it really isn't out of character for the characters or show at all. They had a lot of similar stuff in the original (even in serious episodes they'd have some pretty funny tongue-in-cheek moments although they often were a lot more subtle).
They were my favorite episodes, as the main story could get really stupid but because they were often oppressingly serious about it, I think it ruined it. There were a few where they had fun with it (alien who took the form of a negro baseball player back in like the 50s).
Right. I see what you're saying and I don't have a problem with that as long as the joke is consistent with the rest of the series.
I know I'm not making myself clear here and there's probably a term for what I'm trying to say but the best I can do right now is give an example.
Take Supernatural. They do these kinds of episodes too, but Sam and Dean stay in character, mostly, for them. If you watch the show, think of the episode where some people were doing a version of Ghost Hunters. Or maybe the one where they were at a fan convention for the books of the guy who turned out to be a prophet. That's where they met the girl who last season played a hacker chick.
Mulder and Scully where out of character for this episode. It seemed like the writers were trying to keep them in character as much as they could but the premise was just too stupid for them to do that.
Maybe 'stupid' isn't the right word. What I'm trying to say is that the gag overwhelmed the story and the characters and that's really what I didn't like.
edit: An example of the opposite of this is something like Angie Tribeca. There, the characters themselves are jokes so when they do that sort of self-reflective humor, it works. You can't do that with characters you want your viewers to take "seriously." Well, you can, but it's . . . jarring.
You've done a good job explaining your view and I actually agree. I really like(d; we'll see with the rest of the episodes and if it continues past this) the show but it is very inconsistent. They basically needed the quirky silly stuff to chill out the serious episodes as they could get to be a bit much. Plus a lot of the monster of the week stuff was more serious.
I do think it could have been even better if they could've maintained an even tone, and they had quite a few that did that fairly well (the Peter Boyle one for instance was often silly, but they handled it really well so that it had some real emotional punch). It would have been very difficult for them to pull off for an extended period of time though, and I don't know that they could have gotten the same tone (it really has a Silence of the Lambs type of solemnness in quite a lot of it, which is part of what made it really good, especially early on).
The silly episodes were necessary I think, and work as good foil for the serious stuff. Its a give and take. Watching old episodes I tend towards the silly ones, then the monster of the week stuff, and then the main plot. They're all enjoyable in their own way, but the main story just could get overbearing at times.
Before Duchovny left the first time they actually had his character addicted to porn. He kept calling Scully outside of adult theaters, and Scully screwed a monster or serial killer or something. Anyways, just an example of the Mulder and Scully you got depended on the episode. I think the only difference with this episode is that they let Scully in on the fun a little more than I remember when she showed some skin.
In a way I dont really see it being any different than Supernatural. One episode they are crying about not trusting each other or some shit, then next episode Loki is making it groundhog day or Dean's trying to jerk off to Asian boobie mags. I think the oddball Supernatural episodes are the best, especially the ones written by Ben Edlund.
Yeah, I always got a chuckle about them making fun of Mulder for his porn addiction (Scully found tapes in their office; even the Lone Gunmen make fun of him for it at one point IIRC which was funny because they were basically nerd stereotypes).
Yeah she goes on vacation or something and meets a guy with a tattoo that makes him kill people or something. It was supposed to be directed by Quentin Tarantino even.
Yeah they usually had Scully play it straight (a few where they didn't), and that often was the best part. I didn't even hate when they added the T-1000 and then Scully kinda changed roles, although it often wasn't great.
A bunch of the ones you mentioned were some of my favorites (the Great Mutato one that ended with the Cher concert, the one where they tell their versions of events and they differ pretty wildly, there's one where Scully talks to some sci-fi writer about an event that happened and how people had different views of what occurred, and a bunch of others I can't recall off the top of my head).