Condensed Truth

Hello to our lovely listeners! Laura and Shelby wrap up Condensed Truth by offering our final thoughts on our quest to find the essential X Files episodes. We chat about our findings, talk a lot about sports for some reason, and chat about what we're doing with our time now. A huge THANK YOU to everyone listened to our ramblings or came on the pod to chat, we appreciate all y'all!

New guest Mary joins us on our FINAL recap episode, S11E04 "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat". We talk about the revival seasons, conspiracies during the Trump presidency, and the show's legacy. Send in any thoughts or questions you have to be included in our wrap up episode to condensedtruthpod@gmail.com. Tune in next time when we bring you a wrap up and any final thoughts on the show and the podcast!

Nick (@NickRichWrites) returns to bring us a bad omen: The X Files: I Want to Believe. We talk about the second movie in all its late Bush era X Files glory? We try to piece together this scattered plot, discuss break up MSR, and whether the crew had one left in them. Some background on the second movie: https://thexfileswebarchive.neocities.org/secondmovie Tune in next time with our FINAL episode recap with S11E04 "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat".

We are joined by our close, personal friends who are real and alive, the Lone Gunmen, in S09E15 "Jump the Shark". We chat about this send off for The Lone Gunmen (the show) and the Lone Gunmen (the trio), our personal last meals, and post-9/11 The X Files. Apologies for the weird sounds in the part when Shelby's cat got on her desk, he doesn't behave. Tune in next time when we watch I Want to Believe and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Vincent (@scullygirl96) joined us to examine the numerology of S09E13 "Improbable". We meet the lovely Reyes as she solves a serial killer case using numerology and owning those psychologist bozos at the FBI. We talk Reyes as new Mulder, Burt Reynolds as God, and Scully as perpetually annoyed by 9 years of this. Check out Vincent's X Files archive! https://thexfileswebarchive.neocities.org/ Tune in next time when we watch S09E15 "Jump the Shark" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Join us as we talk about the William plot! We focus on S08E13 "Per Manum" as well as a number of later season episodes involving William Scully-Mulder. We talk Scully's struggles, the puppy dog that is John Doggett, and the unkillable nature of CSM's sons. Tune in next time when we watch S09E13 "Improbable" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We briefly pop in to wrap up season 7 as we near the end of our journey. We talk about the season 7 finale, discuss what we have left, and just chat about the show generally. Tune in next time when we talk S08E13 "Per Manum" and the William story line generally and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

New guest Sam joins us to mull over our three wishes we got from S07E21 "Je Souhaite". We discussed genies, dead invisible bodies, and Mulder's attempt to stop 9/11 with his "Peace on Earth" wish. Also, are we sure Barbara Eden never killed anybody? Tune in next time when we wrap up season 7 and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Super guest Tori (@torlinnea) joined us in Tinseltown where we talked S07E19 "Hollywood AD". We talk David Duchovny's second directed episode, him casting his then wife Téa Leoni as movie Scully, and baby counterculture Mulder. We try to make sense of the plot and talk the memorable bubble bath scene. Tune in next time when we watch S07E21 "Je Souhaite" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We are joined by Abriana (@abriana) to talk about the girlboss episode S07E17 "all things". We get crunchy with Gillian Anderson's writing and directorial debut, talk Moby, and Scully's terrible taste in men. Join our white woman Buddhist journey towards answering important questions like "does time pass in moments?" Check out Abriana's vintage shop at https://www.instagram.com/ambrosiavintage_/ Tune in next time when we watch S07E19 "Hollywood AD" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Nick (@NickRichWrites) returned to discuss the X Files and COPS crossover, S07E12 "X-Cops". We talk about the show COPS and its legacy, copaganda and The X Files place within cop media, and also just how incredibly funny this episode is. Knock LA's piece about the LASD gangs: https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/ Article about the shows COPS: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/11/cops-american-police-tv-show Tune in next time when we watch S07E17 "all things" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Returning guest Mikaela (@xalexspark) chatted with us about S07E10/11 "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure". We share our thoughts about this unconventional approach to an X Files episode and the conclusion of the Samantha Mulder story. We talk protective Scully, Mulder muldering, and "Walk-ins"…whatever that means. Apologies for the bit of audio issues in this episode. Tune in next time when we watch S07E12 "X-Cops" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We bring y'all a busy episode while we wrap up season 6 and talk about Chris Carter's canceled Amazon pilot "The After". We also attempt to explain the season 6 finale and season 7 openers, "Biogenesis" and "The Sixth Extinction". We do some Diana hating, talk brain surgery, and try to list all the nameless characters in "The After". Tune in next time when we watch S07E10/11 "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Allie (@allie_lingren) was dropped off by aliens to talk S06E21 "Field Trip" with us. We talk about Mulder and Scully's hallucinations from a big mushroom and how the episode explores the Mulder and Scully believer/skeptic dynamic in a fresh way. We talk about Scully and Skinner's friendship, Scully's lackluster theory, and Mulder's beleaguered neighbors. Tune in next time when we wrap up season 6 and talk about Chris Carter's failed amazon pilot "The After" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Rocío returns and we talk baseball and love and other stuff pertaining to S06E19 "The Unnatural". We discuss baseball and the Negro League, cacti, and the ICONIC Mulder and Scully baseball scene. Tune in next time when we watch S06E21 "Field Trip" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Returning guest Brianda chats about fake marriage shenanigans in S06E15 "Arcadia". We talk American suburbia, professionally undercover annoying Mulder mode, and a delightfully irritated Scully. We also spend some time trying to figure out if Scully or Gillian has ever worn jeans. Tune in next time when we watch S06E19 "The Unnatural" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

New guest Mikaela (@xalexspark) entered into the time loop with us to experience S06E14 "Monday" over and over again. We talk Mulder's Monday from time loop hell, the story of his water bed, fate and free will, and big spender at the expense of his savings Mulder. We also offer some better solutions to the curious ending of this episode. Mikaela's The X Files s1-ftf newsletter: https://kaedrabbles.substack.com/p/kaes-the-x-files-journey-part-1-of Tune in next time when we watch S06E15 "Arcadia" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

New guest Allie (@allie_lingren) joined us to chat about death in S06E10 "Tithonus". We get a great Scully story with her patented belief/non-belief, Mulder's extreme boredom and lack of enrichment, the parallels of this episode with "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and the final answer on whether Scully is immortal. Tune in next time when we watch S06E14 "Monday" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We talked S06E08 "The Rain King" with returning guest Rocío. We talk about the funny/odd vibes of early season 6, loser Mulder, the fan fic type fun of the plot, and all things weird Midwestern weather. We discuss Holman's character 90s vibe compared to how that character works today and laugh a lot, to be honest. Tune in next week when we talk S06E10 "Tithonus" with a guest and follow us @condensedtruth!

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas in March as Kevin (@droneymitchell) joins us to celebrate Christmas with S06E06 "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas". We have a cheap set and two very special guest stars with Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin. Mulder and Scully are up to their usual co-dependent ways as they spend Christmas Eve in a haunted mansion being psychoanalyzed by ghosts. Tune in next time when we watch S06E08 "The Rain King" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Tori (@torlinnea) returns again to chat S06E03 "Triangle". We talk this fun and silly masterpiece that features lots of long continuous shots and what it took to make that happen. Shelby presents her argument as to why this episode is Chris Carter's best work on the show and we talk miscellaneous topics towards the end. Tune in next time when we watch S06E06 "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Nick (@nickrichwrites) returns to talk Vince Gilligan and Bryan Cranston's first project together, S06E02 "Drive". We arrive in Cali and immediately get taken on a wild car chase through the western US. Mulder and Scully play hooky on their regular jobs, Mulder's driving gets put to the test, and we get used to The X Files without the x files department. We also talk about the source of inspiration for this episode, a season 6 episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets "Subway". Tune in next time when we watch S06E03 "Triangle" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We finally get to the big moment and talk The X Files: Fight the Future (1998)! Chris Carter and company try to wrap the mytharc up a bit and we offer our opinions on the attempt. We talk the Syndicate's colonization plot, the specter of Bill Mulder on the show, and the bees are back in a big way. Most importantly, we talk about the big hallway scene. Join us next time as we dive into season 6 with S06E02 "Drive" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

This week we wrap up season 5! We talked a mix of topics, mostly David Duchovny and the backlash he received after some comments about Vancouver's weather and David and Gillian's relationship with each other over the course of the show and beyond. Tune in next time as we finally talk about the first movie, The X Files: Fight the Future and follow us at @condensedtruth! Vancouverites ambushing David Duchovny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirBjo2vjcA David Duchovny on Conan O'Brien after his statement on Vancouver's weather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byHTI0nif9E

Zoe (@maurastierney) returned to talk S05E19 "Folie à Deux". We join Mulder on his vibes based investigating of a threat, talk about the Marxist undercurrent of Gary's war against his boss, and The X Files venture into cubicle office culture critique. Tune in next time with our S5 wrap up and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We talk S05E13/14 "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black" this week with what is probably our last main story mytharc episode! Mulder is in full disbeliever mode and this leaves Scully and Skinner at a loss of what to do. The aliens start to make moves and our favorite shady guys, the syndicate, are struggling to keep pace with events. Here is the Mulder rating line graphs: https://twitter.com/condensedtruth/status/1591555713393909762 Please send in any questions for the S5 wrap up to the email or twitter DMs! Tune in next time when we watch S05E19 "Folie à Deux" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Friend of the pod Tori (@torlinnea) returns to talk an all timer with S05E12 "Bad Blood". Mulder and Scully bicker as they try to sort out what exactly happened when they went to investigate a vampire in Texas as we get to see how they view each other's annoying habits and how they see themselves. Laughs are had by all! Tune in next time when we watch S05E13/14 "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Meagan returns to talk spooky dolls in S05E10 "Chinga". We talk about Maine and Stephen King, Scully failing to complete a successful vacation, and Mulder's near death by boredom. Lobster guy on instagram is @jknowles831 Stephen King's original script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UquaLQLpwPPUeYYn5qGOtdATN-SZ3gCW/view Meagan's Actual Play podcast: https://linktr.ee/derpsanddragons Tune in next time when we watch S05E12 "Bad Blood" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We bring you Scully pregnancy trauma as we talk about S05E06/07 "Christmas Carol" and "Emily". We discuss Scully's autonomy (or lack of) and motherhood and its portrayal in sci-fi, the course of the mytharc in season 5, and our long lost beloved, Melissa Scully. Tune in next time when we watch S05E10 "Chinga" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Nick (@NickRichWrites) returns to finally talk an eco-horror monster of the week episode with S05E04 "Detour". Mulder and Scully ditch a work seminar in Florida to find an elusive creature famously from the area, hijinks ensue! -Slight correction, the role in "Post-modern Prometheus" was written for Roseanne Barr! Tune in next time when we watch S05S6/7 "Christmas Carol" and "Emily" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Returning guest Kat comes on to talk about the origins of our beloved nerds, the Lone Gunmen, in S05E03 "Unusual Suspects". We fall into the conspiracy rabbit hole with Frohike, Byers, and Langly as a run in with a mysterious woman alters their lives. We talk about this episode placing The X Files in the Tommy Westphall universe. Tune in next time with S05E04 "Detour" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We have a guest on for a mytharc as Rocío joins us to talk S05E01/02 "Redux I & II". We get the resolution of Scully's cancer arc and the beginning of Mulder's disbelief era. This episode has it all: voiceovers, the Syndicate, angst, lies, truths, men fighting over Scully. Tune in next time with S05E03 "Unusual Suspects" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

This week, we wrapped up season 4 and watched Contact (1997). This movie fits right in with the season 4 finale as we talk more about science, religion, Carl Sagan, aliens and break down whether Ellie Arroway is more Scully or Mulder coded (Mulder). Tune in next time with the season 5 two parter premiere S05E01/02 "Redux I and II" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We wrap up our long coverage of season 4 with S04E24 "Gethsemane". Mulder and Scully are both in crisis in their own way as they have a bit of a role reversal with Mulder defending his beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary. Mulder cries to a Carl Sagan speech, Scully closes herself off from everyone, and we're left missing Melissa Scully. Tune in next time with our season 4 wrap up + watching Contact (1997) and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Abriana (@abriana) is on again to talk Mulder family drama in S04E23 "Demons". We see what they get up to on the weekends as Mulder goes to Providence to get treated by a highly unethical doctor and Scully shows up to bail him out of this pickle he finds himself in. Mulder reflects on some suppressed childhood memories and learns more than what he hoped from his mom. Tune in next time when we watch the season 4 finale "Gethsemane" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We finally follow our favorite Assistant Director as Skinner tries to save Scully's life by committing a series of felonies in S04E21 "Zero Sum". Skinner is called in to dispose of evidence of a bee related crime as Mulder slowly catches onto him. That's right, the bees, and their nonsensical science, are back! Tune in next time when we watch S04E23 "Demons" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Tori (@torlinnea) joined us for another episode as we discussed the hilarious S04E20 (nice) "Small Potatoes". We talked Amanda Nelligan's quest to watch Star Wars 400 times, the "loserness" of Mulder, and the 90s cop show vibes of this episode. Tune in next time when we watch S04E21 "Zero Sum" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Tori (@torilinnea) returned to discuss the beginning of the cancer arc with S04E14 "Momento Mori"! The writers bring us some high quality angst as Scully learns she has cancer and while she's getting treatment, Mulder runs off action hero style to find answers, accompanied by the Lone Gunmen. The deleted Bill Scully Jr clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRtut9taHyU The deleted kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IaiIP6JzEM Tune in next time when we watch S04E20 "Small Potatoes" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We're joined by Brianda to talk Scully in her slut era in S04E13 "Never Again". While Mulder is banished to taking a vacation, Scully follows a case to Philadelphia and has a bit of a midlife crisis. We get a redpilled tattoo voiced by Jodie Foster, see a train wreck of a first date at a biker bar, and Scully gets a tattoo. Mulder only shows up to be the worst kind of guy throughout the episode, leading to a long awaited Mulder rating from Shelby. Tune in next time when we watch S04E14 "Momento Mori" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

This week we're joined by Zoe (@maurastierney) to talk our heads off about S04E12 "Leonard Betts". The X Files gives fellow 90s show ER a run for its money with a EMT with a supernatural gift. We talk Walkmans, the writer's ideas about what cancer is, and Mulder's joke density. Also, this Monster of the Week episode leaves us with a little surprise at the end. Article about Fox-NFL deal: https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/12/13/18137938/nfl-fox-deal-rupert-murdoch-1993-john-madden-terry-bradshaw-howie-long-jimmy-johnson-cbs-nbc Tune in next time when we watch S04E13 "Never Again" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We returned to talk to our friend Meagan about S04E10 "Paper Hearts"! We discuss the procedural heavy Vince Gilligan penned episode that makes us question that the main driving force of the show--that Samantha Mulder was abducted--was instead a non-extraterrestrial kidnapping. Mulder spirals as Scully tries to keep him together and Skinner mostly yells at both of them. Check out Meagan's podcast at https://derpsanddragons.buzzsprout.com/ Tune in next time when we watch S04E12 "Leonard Betts" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Here we are, once again, to talk the mythology with S04E8/9 "Tunguska" and "Terma". Mulder travels around the country to flirt with every one of the mytharc regulars he can find as Scully tries to find out what's in this ROCK FROM MARS! We see some beloved faces (Pendrell) and some ones we love to hate (Krycek) as the conspiracy goes global. Tune in next time when we watch S04E10 "Paper Hearts" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We're joined by our friend Brett to take a peek into the eventful life of Cigarette Smoking Man in S04E07 "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man". We follow his journey as CIA hit man, rejected author, and man behind the curtain as the X Files writers take a big swing and overexplain the mysterious antagonist. We ask the important questions about this episode: how can the most powerful man on Earth not get his silly little spy novel published??? Tune in next time when we watch S04E08/9 "Tunguska" and "Terma" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

This week we are joined by our friend Kevin (@droneymitchell) to talk The X Files episode that was banned from re-airing, S04E02 "Home"! Join us as we discuss this gory episode that ping pongs between extreme violence and jokes, while exploring the receding of rural life in the 90s and today by globalization, technology and modernity. Tune in next time when we watch S04E07 "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We return to the humble mytharc roots to talk S04E01 "Herrenvolk" as Jeremiah Smith struggles to explain the Syndicate's plan for colonization to a PEAK sad boy Mulder. We navigate some old staples of the mythology (Samantha and her never ending clones, smallpox vaccines) with some new elements (bees!) and discuss what we think of this new shift in the ongoing plot. Tune in next time when we watch S04E02 "Home" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We wrapped up season 3 by watching S03E18 "Teso Dos Bichos", the lowest rated X Files episode on imdb so y'all don't have to. We talk archaeology and dogs who eats cats who eat rats. Tune in next time when we watch S04E01 "Herrenvolk" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We finally made it to the season 3 finale "Talitha Cumi" where this stellar season ends with an ok mytharc finale. We see the return of Shelby's nemesis, Teena Mulder, and learn some…interesting things about her past. We also have a scene inspired by a 19th century Russian novel, some biblical references, and another face off between Mulder and X. Tune in next time when we watch S03S18 "Teso Dos Bichos" for a bonus episode/season 3 wrap up and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

This week we chatted about the overwhelming 90s S03E23 "Wetwired", which we watched via a VHS, of course :P. We talked about the fantastic score, Mulder's inability to pick up on Scully's deteriorating sanity, and a very convenient medical condition given to Mulder that is never mentioned again. This episode brings in almost the whole squad in right before the s3 finale. Tune in next time when we watch S03S24 "Talitha Cumi" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

Abriana joined us this week to talk about S03E22 "Quagmire". We discussed all the animals, including the return of Queequeg, the ancient 90s tech featured, and the midnight boat ride turned disaster. Most importantly, we finally got to talk about the crucial Conversation on the Rock and discussed the importance of this scene in understanding Mulder. Tune in next time when we watch S03S23 "Wetwired" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We were joined by our friend Nick (@NickRichWrites) to talk the legendary S03E20 "Jose Chung's From Outer Space". We discussed the meta nature of this episode and whether it's actually making fun of The X Files, the incredible directing by Rob Bowman, and the cultural impact of the show. Of course, we also try to piece together what "the truth" is, if it even exists, and what sort of plot is provided through the constant jumping timelines. Tune in next time when we watch S03S22 "Quagmire" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!

We were joined by our friend Kat to talk S03E17 "Pusher". We discussed Supermarket Sweeps, Mulder and Modell both being weeaboos, and Scully's hair being in top form. We lovingly made fun of the 90s fashion on display and the hyper masculine battle of strength and Russian roulette going on. Tune in next week as we talk S03E20 "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" and follow us on Twitter @condensedtruth!