What I loved about The X-Files (while it was still airing; not the reboot garbage) was its commitment to showing all the weird little subcultures and sub-subcultures of American life. The media and the internet was already making America smaller, but The X-Files made it seem so big. Witches and monsters and aliens and mutants …

While other people were watching Dawson’s Creek, I was watching The X-Files. (Yes I am bragging; yes I am aware you could have watched both; yes I am a snob.  I will try to tone it down, though.)  This show was formative in so many ways, and it’s held up surprisingly well.  Though it can be jarring …

The X-Files became a cultural phenomenon because of its willingness to go for broke on ideas that, like the truth, were really out there.  The following, in order of air date, are the best examples of that boundary-pushing blended with humor. 1. Jose Chung’s From Outer Space (3×20) Like “Once More, With Feeling” from Buffy …