#soz this got long i ended up giving mt huge rant on this show shdjxhskfb love you <3

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

Hello! May I enquire after an X files episode? Like. Least scary/most fun. The tribbles episode of you will. If it exists? (There’s always one). I’m hoping to fall in love with characters in a lower stress mode for myself so then I will follow them into the pit of despair or sit in the creepy haunted mansion with them. Alternatively what is your absolute favorite?

oh!!! Magpie dearest!!! ok I'm going to give several answers, actually. TXF has a solid break-up of Mytharc episodes (overarching series plotline), Monster Of The Week Episodes (can range from light and fluffy to deep dives into the darkest recesses of the characters), and deliberately comedic episodes, so there's quite a lot of variety to choose from

I'd say that if you want a "Tribbles episode," I think Humbug (s2e20, this is Gurt's favorite comedy episode) or War of the Coprophages (s3e12, MY favorite, and one of my top 10 episodes overall) would be a good one. neither requires a lot of context for plot or characters, as they're intentionally written as a sort of break from the overall plot and emotional impact of the season. they're both very chill episodes, low-stress high-fun — however if you have a squick for bugs, War of the Coprophages may not be the best one for you lol. the premise is that people in a small town believe that cockroaches are attacking and killing them, and there's a couple scenes where that's exactly what it looks like, so fair warning. (WotC also has one of the best Mulder-Scully dynamics there is, because they just seem incredibly domestic and married the entire time)

however, if I had to pitch the series to you in one episode — apart from the Pilot, of course — it would be s5e18, The Pine Bluff Variant. it is a pretty tense episode, with undercover operations and some pretty dark imagery (the props department on TXF always loves to go full ham on icky things, but since it was the 90s it does seem a tad campy tbh), but it really encapsulates what the show is and who the characters are so perfectly in one episode. it's also one of the few episodes that doesn't deal with any kind of extraterrestrial or paranormal subjects, just simple human nature — to boil it down to its basis, it is an episode wholly about Good vs. Evil and what each of those things brings about. I've written a lot about it because it's both my favorite episode and the one that I think sums up the entirety of the show best.

and if you decide you want to actually start watching it, but not like... fully commit, the first four episodes of season 1 (Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, and Conduit) are the true essentials and really do a great job of setting up a foundation of who Scully and Mulder are, individually, and what they're going to be as a duo. the first season is a lot more in the horror aspect of sci-fi horror, but it's also in a lot of ways the least intense season. I tend to think of it as "comfort horror," tbh, because while the vibes are darker than much that follows, it's also the season with (naturally) the last baggage on the characters and storylines, so it feels lighter at the same time.

I can give you a more comprehensive bare minimum viewing list if you want, but for now I would just say that Humbug or War of the Coprophages are good tribble episodes (keeping in mind the bug thing, but WotC is actually the episode I prefer 😅 Humbug kinda bores me bc the character dynamics are a bit flat imo) and Pine Bluff Variant is my favorite and my "sell someone on this show in one(1) episode" episode, so I hope that helps!! lemme know what you think!!!

#also btw feel free to send asks/dm me if you want any more details!!! my dms are always open <3 #i love talking about this show it makes me so excited that you want to try it!!!!!! #''the rain king'' is another good one though it probably needs a bit more context of the characters/plot #another one of my favorite (non fluffy) eps is ''ice'' in season 1 bc it does a lot for the relationship development between the leads #plus it's based on one of my favorite movies!!!! and set in alaska!!!! #anyway!!! really hope this helps and you enjoy these!!!!! #Lu rambles #asks #txf #magpie #soz this got long i ended up giving mt huge rant on this show shdjxhskfb love you <3