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Opening The X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series
More than 20 years after it was first broadcast, The X-Files still holds the public imagination. Over nine seasons and two feature films, agents Mulder and Scully pursued monsters, aliens, mutants and shadowy conspirators across the American landscape.
Running for more than 200 episodes, the series transformed television, crafting a postmodern mythology that spoke to the anxieties and uncertainties of the end of the 20th century and touched upon key themes like identity, faith, trust and authority. Covering the entire series from its debut through the second feature film, this book examines how creator Chris Carter and his team of writers—among them Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan—turned a scrappy cult favorite on Fox (then America’s “fourth network”) into a global phenomenon that has influenced series like Lost and Westworld. Why did the show come to an end when it did? The truth is in here.
Running for more than 200 episodes, the series transformed television, crafting a postmodern mythology that spoke to the anxieties and uncertainties of the end of the 20th century and touched upon key themes like identity, faith, trust and authority. Covering the entire series from its debut through the second feature film, this book examines how creator Chris Carter and his team of writers—among them Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan—turned a scrappy cult favorite on Fox (then America’s “fourth network”) into a global phenomenon that has influenced series like Lost and Westworld. Why did the show come to an end when it did? The truth is in here.
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237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2017
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340 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 29, 2018
Confession time, folks – I consider Darren Mooney, the author of Opening the X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series, a friend. I’ve been a fan of his peerless blog, The M0vie Blog, for quite some time. He has lent his voice to my X-Files podcast, The X-Cast, on numerous occasions and become a firm fan favourite of our audience. He also happens to be a lovely, funny bloke around all his talents.
In short, I’m a fan. I approached the book he’d told me about for months and kindly sent me a copy of *as* a fan, both of the writer and his subject matter. And yet, putting on my critical hat, I can say with absolute, confident certainty, you don’t have to be Mooney’s pal to see that Opening the X-Files is one of the most confident, assured and enlightening reads on Chris Carter’s seminal show ever produced.
At this point, trust me, go and read Darren’s blog reviews on The X-Files. Seriously. Not only does he break down all two hundred and seven episodes (plus both movies) in forensic detail, they serve as a much more detailed primer as to the content of his debut academic book, talking about the cultural and sociological contexts in which the entire series of The X-Files was made, and how it fits within the pop culture landscape. The book cannot possibly go into the same intricate level of detail as episodic reviews but it takes the major scholarly analysis in those pieces and fits them under a concise, supremely accessible umbrella.
Mooney breaks down the entire Ten Thirteen universe (following a generous and delightful foreword by Kumail Nanjiani, creator of The X-Files Files podcast and eventual guest star in the tenth season) by chapters chronologically discussing The X-Files in a number of insightful and enlightening ways, from the first season through to I Want to Believe, the second movie – sadly the book went to print before the debut of Season Ten but with Season Eleven on the way, there’s hope Mooney might well add modern cultural context of the revival series to any second edition he gets to write.
As a keen fan of the broader universe of television shows created by Chris Carter and his stable, it’s terrific to see Mooney manages to include treatises on all three seasons of Millennium, what became The X-Files spin-off series retroactively, *actual* imagined spin-off series The Lone Gunmen, and the ill-fated Harsh Realm, intended to be Carter’s Next Big Thing, until fate had other plans.
Mooney manages to bring genuine insight not just to the creative decisions behind these shows and seasons, and how they fit into the televisual landscape, but also the objective semiotics surrounding the writing, directing and conceptual ideas of each show. You’ll end up looking at them in fresh, interesting ways.
The same can be said for each season of The X-Files, because Mooney manages to weave the same mix of commentary, analysis and fact, fusing his own musings with plenty of additional quotes from a range of sources (many from people who created and worked on the show) and pre-existing theories and analysis to paint a picture of Carter’s series as a show indicative of the age it was made in, yet evolving and expanding as the Nineties gave way to a very different 21st century landscape, both in the real world and the one of television, and indeed movies. Would The X-Files have been different had it been made with more of a modern day aesthetic? Mooney absolutely believes so.
I almost don’t want to go into much detail about his specific analyses for each of the show’s years because the fun is discovering the connections and parallels Mooney uncovers, but he makes some striking and fascinating points about some of the inspirations, literary devices and cultural reference points Carter and his team use; from the influence of Native American mythology and World War Two legacy on the third season, all the way through to how the eighth season was fashioned and crafted to befit an encroaching, serialised style of storytelling as the new millennium took a bow. Mooney’s points differ but he brings the whole narrative of the show, creatively and contextually, together neatly.
Honestly, if you’re a fan of The X-Files, this is like manna from heaven. Even if you already know plenty of facts and examination points in Opening the X-Files, you will still be engrossed by Darren Mooney’s insightful reading of the show you love, with lots of superbly researched tidbits into the history of the series itself (seriously, reading the bibliography is almost as fun at times as reading the prose!).
Honestly, even if you’re not a die hard fan, this is nonetheless a genuinely involving examination of one of the 20th century’s most important TV shows and how it changed, and was changed, by television. A marvellous read.
In short, I’m a fan. I approached the book he’d told me about for months and kindly sent me a copy of *as* a fan, both of the writer and his subject matter. And yet, putting on my critical hat, I can say with absolute, confident certainty, you don’t have to be Mooney’s pal to see that Opening the X-Files is one of the most confident, assured and enlightening reads on Chris Carter’s seminal show ever produced.
At this point, trust me, go and read Darren’s blog reviews on The X-Files. Seriously. Not only does he break down all two hundred and seven episodes (plus both movies) in forensic detail, they serve as a much more detailed primer as to the content of his debut academic book, talking about the cultural and sociological contexts in which the entire series of The X-Files was made, and how it fits within the pop culture landscape. The book cannot possibly go into the same intricate level of detail as episodic reviews but it takes the major scholarly analysis in those pieces and fits them under a concise, supremely accessible umbrella.
Mooney breaks down the entire Ten Thirteen universe (following a generous and delightful foreword by Kumail Nanjiani, creator of The X-Files Files podcast and eventual guest star in the tenth season) by chapters chronologically discussing The X-Files in a number of insightful and enlightening ways, from the first season through to I Want to Believe, the second movie – sadly the book went to print before the debut of Season Ten but with Season Eleven on the way, there’s hope Mooney might well add modern cultural context of the revival series to any second edition he gets to write.
As a keen fan of the broader universe of television shows created by Chris Carter and his stable, it’s terrific to see Mooney manages to include treatises on all three seasons of Millennium, what became The X-Files spin-off series retroactively, *actual* imagined spin-off series The Lone Gunmen, and the ill-fated Harsh Realm, intended to be Carter’s Next Big Thing, until fate had other plans.
Mooney manages to bring genuine insight not just to the creative decisions behind these shows and seasons, and how they fit into the televisual landscape, but also the objective semiotics surrounding the writing, directing and conceptual ideas of each show. You’ll end up looking at them in fresh, interesting ways.
The same can be said for each season of The X-Files, because Mooney manages to weave the same mix of commentary, analysis and fact, fusing his own musings with plenty of additional quotes from a range of sources (many from people who created and worked on the show) and pre-existing theories and analysis to paint a picture of Carter’s series as a show indicative of the age it was made in, yet evolving and expanding as the Nineties gave way to a very different 21st century landscape, both in the real world and the one of television, and indeed movies. Would The X-Files have been different had it been made with more of a modern day aesthetic? Mooney absolutely believes so.
I almost don’t want to go into much detail about his specific analyses for each of the show’s years because the fun is discovering the connections and parallels Mooney uncovers, but he makes some striking and fascinating points about some of the inspirations, literary devices and cultural reference points Carter and his team use; from the influence of Native American mythology and World War Two legacy on the third season, all the way through to how the eighth season was fashioned and crafted to befit an encroaching, serialised style of storytelling as the new millennium took a bow. Mooney’s points differ but he brings the whole narrative of the show, creatively and contextually, together neatly.
Honestly, if you’re a fan of The X-Files, this is like manna from heaven. Even if you already know plenty of facts and examination points in Opening the X-Files, you will still be engrossed by Darren Mooney’s insightful reading of the show you love, with lots of superbly researched tidbits into the history of the series itself (seriously, reading the bibliography is almost as fun at times as reading the prose!).
Honestly, even if you’re not a die hard fan, this is nonetheless a genuinely involving examination of one of the 20th century’s most important TV shows and how it changed, and was changed, by television. A marvellous read.
October 29, 2023
If you’re an X-Phile, this should probably live on your bookshelf- virtual or otherwise. Mooney has a firm grasp of series knowledge and provides brief, yet thoughtful (often hilarious) observations of each episode. This is an excellent companion piece when watching or re-watching the series. While individual episodic memory lives forever, Mooney’s analysis and consideration of all aspects: MotW episodes, Mythology eps, score, writing, writers, directors, etc. offers a more in-depth perspective.
The book made me connect things/events/themes I previously hadn’t, and further solidified my status as a nerd.
I thank you, Darren Mooney. While I have to disagree with you on your harsh critique of “Orison,” I did appreciate your honest takes on most points.
Minus one star for not including all seasons (even though we all know they were *mostly* garbage and/or less-than post season 7.)
The book made me connect things/events/themes I previously hadn’t, and further solidified my status as a nerd.
I thank you, Darren Mooney. While I have to disagree with you on your harsh critique of “Orison,” I did appreciate your honest takes on most points.
Minus one star for not including all seasons (even though we all know they were *mostly* garbage and/or less-than post season 7.)
October 10, 2021
This was one of the most enjoyable and effortless reads I've ever had, but that isn't because there aren't complicated and difficult themes/ideas explored therein. The writing is just so well-crafted for this type of book that I had to mention it.
It's a unique book in that it that the author had already covered most of the episodes in extreme detail on his blog, and while this book can be thought of as a supplement to those reviews, it (wonderfully) doesn't require much familiarity with his reviews of even the XF to make reading this worthwhile. His many, many compelling and wonderful arguments/analyses that made me appreciate the X-Files to a much greater degree. While Darren Mooney is not averse to negative critique when appropriate, his voice (and this book) is especially vital in genre fandoms where too often an emphasis is placed on divisive rhetoric and ideologies. 'Opening the X-Files' shows why so many people appreciate the show, 'warts and all', after all of these years, in all of these ways, for many of these reasons.
It's a unique book in that it that the author had already covered most of the episodes in extreme detail on his blog, and while this book can be thought of as a supplement to those reviews, it (wonderfully) doesn't require much familiarity with his reviews of even the XF to make reading this worthwhile. His many, many compelling and wonderful arguments/analyses that made me appreciate the X-Files to a much greater degree. While Darren Mooney is not averse to negative critique when appropriate, his voice (and this book) is especially vital in genre fandoms where too often an emphasis is placed on divisive rhetoric and ideologies. 'Opening the X-Files' shows why so many people appreciate the show, 'warts and all', after all of these years, in all of these ways, for many of these reasons.
January 2, 2020
This is amazing analysis of The X-Files. I highly recommend it to any fan of the show!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews