The Truth

Prior to September 10, 1993 if you heard someone say the word nerd or geek you were most likely moments away from getting your ass kicked. Today those words still carry weight but not as much of a negative social stigma. I refer to myself as those things almost every day and I can do that today because of the X-Files. It was a show that not only validated my life but no doubt saved it.
I've always loved weird stuff years before it was cool or mainstream to like these things. I read about alien encounters and sightings. Roswell and Groom Lake were destinations I desperately wanted to visit even if it meant trespassing and putting myself at risk. I knew the story of Barney and Betty Hill by heart. These interests weren't normal at all and I kept them to myself.

When The X-Files first aired on September 10th 1993 and immediately tackled subjects that I knew about I was hooked. The show spoke to many people like me but unfortunately, at that time, there weren't many people like me. It took a bit of time for those people not normally interested in that kind of stuff to watch the show. I don't recall my mom watching anything on TV other than QVC but she would often sit down and watch the show with me. I was a die hard fan and she was a casual fan but it brought us together for one of the few things I remember my mom and I enjoying together. Years down the road when I left for college she stopped watching the show when I wasn't there to watch it with her. That idea is as depressing as it is confusing and I often times think about buying her the season sets on DVD or blu-ray but I'm not sure it is something she'd ever finish alone.

I think The X-Files was the first show I ever started to collect. I'm not even sure that other current shows were being put out on VHS to purchase. They didn't do season sets but did a "Best Of" collection. Each tape contained 2 episodes. It also contained a trading card of sorts for each episode that had some of the most bizarre and amazing art I had ever seen at the time. All those years later and those cards are still preserved in perfect condition in my movie room. These VHS tapes inspired me,gave me material enough and the confidence enough to do a project on alien abduction my senior year of high school. I spent hours in the library splicing together clips from these VHS tapes to show aspects of alien abductions. I also used information I had previously known to flesh out a presentation. The class seemed responsive to my project, I received a good grade for my work but most of all I enjoyed every moment of the project. It was one of the few times I was given freedom to pick my topic and it made a huge difference. 

While in college my grandparents would buy my food for my house but more importantly they would takes me to the crappy little Ames location in Punxsutawney and let me get more X-Files tapes. They supported my habit.

The only reason I visited the computer lab at school was because of The X-Files. Go to Google and type in "TV Guide X-Files Ads" and then click on images. Easy, huh? If only the process in 1996 was as simple. The work I put into finding and printing those ads was insane and there wasn't any real reason for me to do it. The artwork wasn't amazing but I kept those printouts for years. Honestly when I'm done typing this blog entry out I'm going to save all those pictures again because I'm still that much of a fan.

Years later when the movie came out I bought 12 tickets and went with a bunch of friends to the midnight showing. Midnight shows are always the best because you get the die hard fans and this was no exception. The moment when Mulder and Scully almost kiss caused a deafening roar from the crowd. It was amazing to see that on screen and hear hundreds of fan like myself react to it. 

My friends in Florida almost bought me a beautiful Flukeman statue as a wedding present because they knew I was a massive fan of the show but backed off of the idea when they realized maybe Kelsey wouldn't appreciate the joint gift as much.

Kelsey and I returned to Pennsylvania and briefly lived with her parents while we searched for other housing. I stopped in a comic book store in Indiana one day and found a set of Mulder and Scully limited edition busts.  We didn't have the money for them and it killed me to walk away from them. I can't even recall how many times I probably mentioned these things over the next few weeks or months. When Christmas rolled around we didn't have much money to shop for gifts so I was stunned to open two very heavy boxes and find the statues I left behind inside of them. Kelsey had asked family members to pitch what money they were going to spend on me so that she could pool it together and go get these statues. It was and remains the most surprised I've ever been by a gift.

During the final year of The X-Files I didn't trust my VCR to record the show. It was a completely irrational fear. Every week during that final season I would leave work, drive the very short distance home and press record. Then I could return to finish my hour or two of work knowing the show would be there for me when I got home. 

When the season sets came out eventually on DVD they wanted 150.00 per season. To put that in perspective you can get the entire series on blu-ray for less than 200.00 at this very moment. The DVDs were insanely overpriced but it was still the best show on TV so what was I to do? I turned to a Canadian DVD store and used the exchange rate at the time to get each season for about 80.00 a piece. They released a season set every 6 months so twice a year I would order my sets and wait for they unbearably long shipping process. Then when the sets came in it would take me barely over a day to watch 20+ episodes at 40 minutes a piece. 

Those are a few of the highlights that detail my obsession with this show. It was far more detailed and complex than even these stories make it sound. The news of the revival some time ago made me emotional to say the least. Would it be the same? Would it be amazing? Would it tarnish the orginal series in some way?

The first episode of the new "season" was tough to watch. It got things right, did some things wrong and it revisited fictional characters I love but they weren't where I thought they would be. They weren't who I thought they would be. To find out Mulder and Scully aren't together was tough. After all the years they spent together I wanted these characters to be happy and be a couple. They aren't a couple and they certainly didn't look happy. I'm sure my idea of where the show should pick up wouldn't of made for a compelling story but I still wanted it my way. It's very jarring how quickly these push these characters from the lives they lead now to a life back in the FBI. It was rushed and poorly done. I'm not sure if it would of been improved had this revival been longer than 6 episodes. Thankfully the 2nd episode was much better and more like what I remember. Now the show feels the same. Now it will be even harder when it is over in a few weeks. 

I can't blame critics for not giving the show great reviews. Their job is to be critical and clinical. I just hope other fans like me enjoy the show and speak up. We might not get more after this run. The rumored 3rd movie might not come to be. If nothing else I want the people who helped bring this show back know that it is appreciated. This show is comforting to me and comes during a really shitty time in my life. It was something I looked forward to so it gave me a reason to keep going. It reminds me of a much better time in my life. It was a show that made it ok to different, out there or even spooky.  I'm a part of so many fandoms and have an interest in hundreds of pop culture subjects but I've never been more proud to be an X-Phile.