Monsters of the Week: The Complete Critical Companion to The X-Files

I did not care for this book at all. The authors do not even seem to be fans of the show. Seemingly every review has some kind of snide comment. A few examples:“Everything that felt adventurous about One Breath in 1994 has been so thoroughly improved upon elsewhere that it’s hard not to cringe just a little bit when watching it today.”“Usual Suspects has enough charm and old-school fun that it’s impossible not to like, but it’s also not an episode to inspire the absolute love this series does at its best…”“Arcadia is a fan-favorite episode that might be the most overrated episode of the series.”In addition to the negative tone, the book itself is very hard to read.The print of the book is microscopic. This release would have been better served as a trade paperback so the print could be a bit larger.The title of each episode is relegated to very small print in the margins. In much bigger print directly above the commentary is the authors’ shorthand review. For Syzygy, the episode name is very small, but in larger print and in caps is “SURE. FINE. WHATEVER”.But perhaps my biggest beef is the endless use of footnotes. Almost every page has at least one, and almost all of them are pointless. Ex: “Or the Sopranos, paving the way for an era of morally complex dramas starring men….” The footnote: “Yeah, almost always men.”I’ll stick with the Official Guide to the X-Files series. Even though the set of books did not cover the entire series, they were much better organized, more readable and contained a lot more information (such as guest starts, location, original air date, etc. which are all missing from this book).

I'm of the belief that if one is going to critique anything, they should at least like it. One can do this without being slavishly positive about it (like some star trek fans who believe all star trek is good. I'm a fan and I don't believe that), but the authors of this book are so hard on the X-Files, as to make me believe they hated it. There's a lot of missing information - no synopses, cast listings, just page after page of what seemed to me is negative criticism. A real downer of a book that I wish I hadn't purchased.

I'm watching every episode of the X-Files over the course of a year. Currently, I'm about half way through season two. After I watch an episode, I read the corresponding entry in this critical companion. I'm glad that each essay is NOT a summary of what happened in the episode and who appeared in it. I'm sure there's a wiki for that. Often I disagree with the commentary in this book, but my disagreement comes from a difference of opinion not facts. It's like the book is Siskel and I'm Ebert. I enjoy reading what the authors thought made an episode good or bad. Sometimes I see their point of view and other times I wonder if we watched the same episode. Their comparisons of episodes across seasons (no spoilers) is something I can't do yet because I haven't watched them all. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase of this book of brief critical essays. If I want to dig deeper (and spend more time) I'll hop on the internet or listen to an X-Files podcast. By the way, give the original comics a try too.

This book is the perfect excuse to re-watch The X-Files. The writers have different styles and points of view, but each offers consistently insightful takes on all the episodes of show (and, it appears, all there are likely going to be.) I've been enjoying watching the episodes, considering my impression, and seeing how it matches (or contrasts) with the reviews here. While at times I'm irritated at something I feel was missed, and an unfortunate sense of doom invades the reviews of early mythology episodes (when I would prefer to forget how they lose their way!), this is clearly a book written by two guys who truly appreciate and enjoy the show. I recommend it for any X-Files fan, especially those who stuck it out through the end.

I wanted to find a book that contained serious critiques of each episode. The shorter ones are about a page. The longer ones are three or four pages. The authors assume you have seen the show and do not waste much time on synopsis. That’s what I wanted. The authors talk about good and bad points in each episode. I did not feel they hated the show, but, instead, realize that it is not a perfect show and don’t shy away from the imperfections. I love The X-files and I am glad I found this book which gives each episode (and the movies) the serious critical attention it deserves.

I just received my copy today. A review of this book shows that as an avid fan of the X-Files I will not be disappointed. I’m looking forward to digging in and enjoying a good read.

Fun to binge and read about each episode at once

An exploration of the TV phenomenon, with a number of informed opinion pieces. Best readafter watching the relevant episode.

I am at a loss to understand the negative reviews this book is getting, there is absolutely nothing spiteful about it? I am as big a fan of The X-Files as anyone, but all fans understand that episode quality was always hit and miss, so that one week you might be watching a brilliant episode like Bad Blood or Home, the next you might be watching one of the widely acknowledged stinkers like Space or 3, episodes that fans themselves have always joked about. (Heck even the show made a meta joke in season 11 about what a terrible episode everyone thinks the cat one from season 3 was). All the book does is fairly appraise each episode with the understanding that some are better than others, and in fact the authors argue that season 6 (the first season set in LA with a lot of comedy episodes) and season 8 (first season without Mulder) are far stronger than fans allow, and they go to bat for the revival series as well and seem to like it very much, in fact it gets a much more positive response in this book than I have ever seen online. Yes they talk about the mythology eventually not making any sense, but that’s nothing that nearly all viewers haven’t argued themselves?They also interview nearly all of the writers, including Chris Carter, as well as actors like the ones for Skinner and Doggett, all of which have a lot of additional insight to offer. And each season and movie are accompanied by gorgeous black and white drawings as well. So again I’ve no idea why this book is being dismissed as hating on the show, it’s no harsher on season 9, or on some of the really terrible episodes like Fight Club, than most of the fans themselves have been. If you want a book that is completely uncritical and gushes over every episode, then this will not be the book for you, but that’s still a far cry from the writers hating the show, their love for it comes across loud and clear

Buenísimo. Acompañar la serie con este libro es muy gratificante. Incluye escritos y reseñas sobre todos los episodios (incluidas las temporadas 11 y 12) y ambas películas.Lecturas cortas y amenas.Recomendada para todos los fans de la serie

Dieses Buch ist für jeden Fan absolut zu empfehlen! Auch wenn ich die Folgen alle schon mehrfach gesehen habe, waren die Reviews dazu spannend zu lesen, und beinhalten auch interessante Kritik. Besonders gefällt mir, dass auch die neuen Staffeln 10 und 11 mit dabei sind.