X•Files•Lite
(éx
- fílz - lít) n. 1.. The state of mediocrity,
sappiness, and/or absurdity in which the majority of The X-Files'
sixth season wallows. 2. The ridiculously light, unrealistic quality
present in several X-Files episodes that would otherwise have a
great deal of potential. 3. In combination with writing, directing,
or acting that portrays Mulder, Scully, or any other recurring X-Files
character in a grossly uncharacteristic manner, the absence of numerous
plot elements essential to all that is
The X-Files. 4. "Dreamland
I", "Dreamland II", "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas", "Rain King", "The
Amazing Maleeni", "First Person Shooter", "Fight Club", et al.
"(The
more comedic episodes) are great, but you have to be careful not to use
that too often or it can become diluted."
-David
Duchovny, The X-Files Official Magazine
Welcome, my
weary friends, to the home for those of you fed up with X-Files Lite.
Let me tell
you a little bit about PAXFL.
We began as
a group of 'shippers on the XF-Romantics mailing list who became utterly
disgusted with the path Season Six was taking. For some of us, it began
straight up with the season premiere. For the majority of us, it started
around "Dreamland I". We could not stand the weak story premises, cheesy
plot devices, and sadly uncharacteristic bad acting. And, despite our fervent
belief that Mulder and Scully are made for each other, the sap in episodes
like "Rain King" and "Dreamland I" and made us cringe in disgust. Sure,
as shippers we want romance, but not so that The Show as a whole must be
sacrificed for its presence.
Even Season
Seven has been disappointing on several levels. While the creators of the
show claimed to return to the scary and multi-layered plots of Seasons
One through Five, the sad fact is that with episodes such as "The Amazing
Maleeni", "First Person Shooter", "Hollywood A.D.", and "Fight Club", our
hopes for a better season were squashed. Don't misunderstand, this season
also gave us comic gems such as "X-Cops" and "Je Souhaite", but for the
most part, Season Seven was no better than Season Six.
And wasn't Season Eight a royal bore! Talk about character inconsistantcies, plot holes big enough to swallow a UFO, and episodes that were no more entertaining than watching paint dry on a hot Georgia day? They were all here! And I had such high hopes for this season, like maybe a second set of Duane Barry/Ascension/One Breath series, but I guess you can't top perfection, huh CC? And now with Doggett and Reyes (supposedly) taking the reigns, I'm unsure as to whether this site should even bother with promoting the good ol' days... but I remain hopeful for our show to return
in ernest to the complex, layered, and brilliant plot-driven show that
it once was when Scully and (hopefully) Mulder are recognizably themselves instead of tools of burnt-out writers, directors, and producers.
We are all
for well-executed comedy episodes (e.g., "Bad Blood"), but we miss the
creepiness, the subtlety, the breath-stealing plot turns. Where is the
angst, the tension, the intelligence?
If you agree, join us. Shipper, noromo, or fence-sitter... MotW-lover
or MythArc junkie... focused or casual fan... Voice your opinions. We'd
love to have you!
