Discovering The X-Files

Zaki Hasan of The San Francisco Chronicle joins me to discuss a first for The X-Files...COMEDY! Well, not necessarily, but in any case this is the first darkly humorous and deeply strange episode to be written by Darin Morgan, brother of Glen Morgan. Zaki and I discuss the sociocultural impact of the series as a whole and try to place it in a modern context, before diving into the ins and outs of this episode, which is basically a whodunit that is rather easy to figure out... Though it doesn't really matter because you're really here for the compassionate sideshow spectacle that features actors playing people with deformities or enhancements, as well as actual people with these characteristics - such as 90s alternative superstars Jim Rose and The Enigma...as themselves...kind of. Anyway, it's a cool episode and it yielded a fun discussion. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/

Natalia Castro sits down with me to discuss this episode, which has a great concept and a great guest star in John Savage and yet... It doesn't really do it for us. Maybe the concept is too far fetched? It's weird to say that about a sci-fi show, but in a spirited discussion Natalia and I go into why that is. Why is it that X-Files can't really pull off out there concepts such as this, which are so commonplace in, say, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Make-up is also not really up to snuff is it? Anyway, good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/

Friend of the podcast Jared Kilbourne sits down with me to discuss a weird episode written by Steve De Jarnatt and guest starring Lance Guest. It's clear there was a lot on the minds of De Jarnatt and the showrunners, but it may not be clear to us, the viewers, exactly what that is. Well... The "message" is certainly clear. "Let's stop treating our animals like shit." But that message is presented at the expense of a coherent or particularly engaging story. Oh well... You can't win 'em all. But Jared and I still had a nice talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/

Daniel and I sit down to discuss this extremely exciting two-part episode! Somehow, Samantha Mulder has returned... But, is it her? As per X-Files tradition, things are not quite what they seem. Meanwhile, there's an alien bounty hunter played by the bad guy from Stallone's Cobra running around stabbing clones in the back of the neck with an icepick - or something. He's also a shapeshifter...and he morphs into Robert Stack! Mulder tries to be an action hero...and fails. And get ready for the brawl of 1995... Skinner vs. X. It's something to behold. There's thrills, spills, chills... Daniel and I can't stop talking all about this. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

It's voodoo time on The X-Files! Daniel and I sit down to talk about this cool, creepy episode which features some startling imagery and the baby-faced character actor from forgotten 90s procedural drama Murder One. It's come up in conversation before but it really does seem like The X-Files is two shows in one. There is the paranoid alien conspiracy serial on the one hand; and the horror anthology on the other. This is ultimately a good example of the latter. It's a fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

It's SATANIC PANIC TIME on The X-Files! The Pensky File's Clay McCormack sits down with me to discuss this fun episode about a New Hampshire high school run by a cult of devil worshippers. I mean, there's a lot to talk about you know what I'm saying? We discuss the ins and outs of this particular episode... what works and what doesn't. For the most part, it does work. But it falls prey to the typical X-Files problem of overstuffing your episode with ideas that can't be properly concluded in just 45 minutes. We also discuss matters of context... would an episode like this even be done on a modern genre show? What is the modern day equivalent of "Satanic Panic." Have the paranoid concerns usually reserved for the tabloid set become too "real" to be the meat of an escapist horror film? Anyway... it's a good talk. Dig in. Follow Clay on Twitter @deadmeatcomic or Instagram @cmccormack414 And also be sure to check out The Pensky File - https://thepenskyfile.com/ for a bevy of excellent podcasts on movies and TV. Seriously... Do this. And also... Why not subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/

Another monster of the week, another serial killer, another backdoor pilot for Millennium...or so one would think. In any case, we'll get to Millennium soon enough. But, for now, this is a very good creepy episode. Daniel and I speculate on the behind the scenes implications of airing two atypical serial killer themed episodes of The X-Files on two consecutive weeks... And we discuss Nick Chinlund's creepy performance. How is it that a man this unsettling is able to get as far as he does in his awful mission without anyone really noticing. And Daniel reminisces about a particularly unsettling event from his own past, which this episode brings to mind. It's a typically rich discussion. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

Daniel and I sit down to discuss this rather atypical episode...atypical for The X-Files, that is. Because, although it delves into the territory of the inexplicable, it is at heart just a serial killer thriller. Now, don't get us wrong, it's a very good one. And it features Terry O'Quinn in the first but most certainly not the last of his appearances in a Chris Carter-related project. And it also has an excellent performance by Deborah Strang as a police detective, with a rather puerile name, who is ultimately channeling the violence of a serial killer in her genes. There's a bit to talk about here... Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

There's a lot of heavy stuff going on in this episode, whether its the issue of elder care or elder abuse or sexual harassment by the elderly towards young nurses, under the excuse that "they come from a different time where this is harmless and who cares it's just a harmless old man..." In any case, yes, the episode is kind of heavy. And maybe not entirely successful in making all of its points as concretely as it would like to. But there it is. It's strong enough that Daniel and I certainly have a bunch to talk about here. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

Daniel and I discuss this strange episode about meat turning Wisconsin townsfolk into assholes; and the cult of vegetarians who are trying to keep them at bay. We speculate about whether or not writer Chris Carter is a vegetarian and if this was his none too subtle dig at mass meat production in the US, and it's effects on America's heartland. We talk about that and a bunch more. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

Natalia Castro joins in this week to discuss a weird monster-of-the-week story about silicon fungus that breeds in a volcano, before it infects you and kills you by growing out of your throat. Yuck. The episode is not particularly "exciting," but it is interesting. And it features Bradley Whitford as mad scientist, Shawnee Smith as an unfortunate ingenue; and Leland Orser...in the Leland Orser role. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/

Scully returns! After a very brief absence...but, even though she had just popped her first baby out of the oven, Gillian Anderson was anxious to get back to work. Daniel and I discuss that, and we talk about this very good episode in general - one of the best mythology episodes, maybe THE best to date in how it displays rich character growth for Mulder and expands on his relationship with the Scully family. It also features great scenes with Skinner and The Smoking Man... If I have any quibbles, maybe we could dispense with the on-the-nose depictions of Scully fighting her way back from "The Other Side." But, apart from that, this is a solid episode. And, as ever, a great talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

And now, finally, VAMPIRES on The X-Files! They pulled a bait-and-switch in season one. But then they gave us honest-to-goodness werwolves... So, it was only a matter of time before we got vampires. The result is, I suppose, a bit of a mixed bag. And, maybe if we're being 100% honest, not a particularly good episode. But, in any case, Daniel and I are here to break it down and discuss it's qualities, both good and bad. And we reflect on the basic strangeness of having Mulder on his own, without Scully, and what that means for his character and the series as a whole. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

It's the first of the X-Files "epics," but it won't be the last. The writers had to figure out creative ways to incorporate Gillian Anderson's pregnancy into the schedule (and, yes, the narrative) of Season 2. But, Daniel and I argue, this worked in their favor ultimately. It forced them to come up with some intriguing wrinkles - like shutting down The X-Files and separating Mulder and Scully, for a while... Leading to this climactic story event that results in a rather exciting two-part thriller. We talk about good serialized storytelling and great acting - in particular from special guest star Steve Railsback. We talk about the improbability of Alex Krycek's weird approach to sabotage. We talk about a bunch of stuff in this meaty episode. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

Tony Todd is a wonderful actor, and it's great to see him show up here - in one of his many appearances on genre TV in the 1990s - and Daniel and I do talk about that, as we discuss this very good episode. But we also discuss the particulars of The X-Files at this point in its run, when the writers had to figure out how to craft episodes around the reality of Gillian Anderson's pregnancy and come up with ways to minimize her use, while still delivering on the initial promise of the series. We talk about the necessity of someone for Mulder to play off of, which may or may not have been the principal catalyst for bringing in Alex Krycek as an important supporting character, which in turn gave them the opportunity to take the series in an interesting direction going forward. It's, as usual, a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

And so, here we have a rather engaging, intriguing, suspenseful techno thriller. But... Is it an X-File? Daniel and I aren't sure. But we did both enjoy this episode that features a great performance by William Sanderson, plenty of memorable set pieces, and Ashlyn Gere as you have never seen her before! But it also has a story that doesn't quite make a lot of sense, with the usual convoluted elements that tend to bog down X-Files episodes and not a particularly satisfying resolution. In any case, the episode is what it is. But our talk was pretty cool. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

Clay McCormack of The Pensky File sits down with me to discuss the very gleefully disgusting episode... The Host. Is that Ralph Macchio? Is that Joe Kubert? (The answer in both cases is no.) Ultimately, The Host gave Clay and I a lot to discuss, we reflect on the series as a whole...we compare the realities of 90s genre TV to today's serialized "bingeworthy" dramas available for instant gratification on streaming services, and how that affects storytelling. And we also ask ourselves: would a series like The X-Files "work" in today's sociopolitical climate? How can we view a character like Fox Mulder in today's lens? Is he Alex Jones? Is he a Qanon guy? Or would he naturally reject these things in his quest for ultimate truth above conspiracy lunacy. It's a rich talk, to be sure. It's also a very fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Clay on Twitter @deadmeatcomic or Instagram @cmccormack414 And also be sure to check out The Pensky File - https://thepenskyfile.com/ for a bevy of excellent podcasts on movies and TV,

Season 2 of The X-Files opens in more than respectable fashion... With a compelling, well-written episode, which finds Mulder having a crisis of faith, and wondering if any of this nonsense is worth it. Wondering, in fact, if the catalyst to his lifelong obsession (the abduction of his kid sister) even happened in the first place. A noticeable uptick in the show's production value, plus good scenes featuring Walter Skinner and a US senator played by the wonderful character actor Raymond J. Barry, are among this very good episode's highlights. Daniel and I kick off the second season with a customarily cool discussion. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

And so we have arrived at the end of Season 1...and what a season of television it has been. Maybe not a perfect season, but certainly about as solid a full first season as a modern genre show has ever gotten. Daniel and I reflect on the season as a whole, we pick our favorite episodes, stuff like that. But mainly we discuss this rather potent finale, which does a couple of really ballsy things: First, it kills off an important and seemingly untouchable supporting character - who had become a fan favorite. And then, it actually dismantles the very concept of the series (!) ending on a rather weird note of apocalyptic finality that could've served as a series finale...and maybe it would've, had FOX not renewed the series for a second season. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com

This episode should be extremely cringey and, in some ways, I suppose it is. And I suppose it's also the sort of thing that would get dragged through the mud in this day and age because they cast non disabled actors to play disabled characters in a TV show. But, in any case, it does have a rather intriguing concept; and those non disabled actors do give convincing performances as disabled characters. You can tell the actors did their research, probably spent some time around people like those they were portraying. And the result is a well-crafted, entertaining episode that transcends its cringey nature by just being a solid, compelling story. For this episode, I am joined by Jared Kilbourne - a friend of the podcast and confessed X-Files fan. We had a nice chat. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Once again, an episode involving resurrection (in one form or another) and with a vaguely biblical sounding or alluding title. And so, once again, Daniel was confused. See...a few episodes ago, when we watched "Lazarus," he had gone into that one thinking it was this one. And maybe he thought "Born Again" actually referred to "Miracle Man," since that one had the very overt religious themes and so, well... And, not only does it have a confusing title, its plot is basically a remake of "Shadows," and it was written by the same team. Only I suppose they got it "right" this time. As "right" as you can get a weird episode in which a murdered cop is reincarnated as an 8-year-old girl, who now goes on a warpath and kills the hell out of the murderers with the power of telekinesis! It's weird to infuse something out of CSI or Law and Order with the trappings of a supernatural thriller, but this is what happens when you do that. For better or worse, the episode is reasonably enjoyable. And so is our talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Daniel and I discuss the first X-Files "sequel," which is not unlike an actual horror sequel - it brings back crowd-pleasing elements and attempts to further the story, while not necessarily bringing anything particularly new to the table. But it's a fun episode anyway, and an important one - as it introduces Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner. The "B story" elements are ultimately more satisfying in this X-Files adventure, which - for better or worse - provides a definitive sense of closure for one of Mulder and Scully's strangest cases. As usual, it's a fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

This episode is, in monster-of-the-week tradition, a tight 45-minute horror movie, with an ecological message. Maybe episodic TV is not quite the place for Chris Carter to indulge absolutely all of his apocalyptic tendencies, as this episode's naturalistic "downer" tendency makes it feel needlessly ambiguous and somewhat unsatisfying...lacking in a particularly effective resolution. But it does offer pleasures anyway. Mainly through well-executed tension, good atmosphere and excellent performances from a solid guest cast that includes Titus Welliver and Jason Beghe, who Daniel and I are both embarrassed to admit has a name we can't pronounce. No matter...because the episode still gives us enough to talk about, and it's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Both Daniel and I are enthusiasts of the werewolf subgenre in horror, and so this is an episode that hit our sweet spots. It provides an authentic-feeling glimpse into Native American culture, with an engaging story that is paced very well. And it features Michael Horse in the role of a Native American law enforcement official. It also has one pretty decent transformation scene, considering this was a prime time sci-fi TV series and not a feature film with effects by Rick Baker or Rob Bottin. So, all things considered, they pulled it off very acceptably. It's just a fun, enjoyable episode overall. Daniel and I have a bunch of good things to say about it. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Daniel was at first confused as to which of the "back from the dead" episodes this was. He thought maybe it was "Lazarus," but then we saw "Lazarus" a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't this one... And there's another episode called "Young at Heart," and there's ANOTHER episode coming up called "Born Again," so... the resurrection/biblical allegories are thick in this show, aren't they? And maybe this episode is even more confusing since its cockamamie story has too many loose ends far as motivations are concerned. And did it need to have more than one villain? Wasn't the creepy guy with the Halloween mask face enough? In any case, Daniel and I get into all the details of this episode and why it ultimately doesn't work. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

As we delve deeper into the X-Files mythology, at last the backstory and motivations of Deep Throat are made clear. Even if the general conspiracy remains murky - either by design or because the writers have by this point still not come up with any answers themselves. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have a reasonably engaging episode that finds Mulder and Scully playing Cloak & Dagger across America, The Lone Gunmen are introduced; and Jerry Hardin is, as usual excellent in all his typically cryptic scenes. Daniel and I have a short, sweet discussion about all of this and we ponder whether or not "sweeps" are still or can ever be a thing in the modern age of streaming and binge watching TV that you have stocked up on your DVR. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Yeah, this is a pretty dreadful episode. The first real stinker of the season, but - as we're more than half way into the season, and the first one at that - it really says something about the series' overall quality that they took this long to cook up a real turkey. For reference, TNG's "planet of black people that want to force Tasha into marriage" episode was, I think, number three! In any case, Daniel and I spend most of the time talking about why this particular episode kinda sucks and we focus mainly on the terrible over-the-top performance of the actor I'm too lazy to even look up who plays this week's particular "monster" - a "demon with a salamander hand." But even the bad X-Files are fun to talk about. So, dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

On the one hand, it's kind of interesting or at least unusual to just see Mulder and Scully do standard police procedural things. You know, the sorts of things that normal feds do...not the feds on a genre series about aliens and ghouls. Just, like normal feds or normal cops or however you want to look at it. On the other hand, this episode is kind of silly. But it gets a lot of mileage out of compelling performances, and the typical X-Files minimalism that keeps things grounded no matter how outlandish. Daniel and I get into the particulars in a good, fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Sure, I suppose the title of this episode creates an unnecessary polemic for what is ultimately just a fun, creepy horror movie of an episode...about Amish aliens from outer space who have the power to fornicate you into oblivion. Oh yeah... And they can switch back and forth between the male and female gender. To what end? The episode never really makes that clear or even relevant, really. It's just convenient for a gender-swapping sexual predator/serial killer to be able to cover all their bases I suppose. Anyway, Daniel and I do touch upon all of this episode's, um, issues... But we also agree that, independent of any sexual politics - yesterday or today - it functions within its own parameters and it is what it is. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Jim Laczkowski of The Director's Club sits down with me again, and we talk about a very dramatic episode...about deep grief and deep possibility. With a customarily galvanizing guest performance by Brad Dourif as the "Hannibal Lecter" of this particular Silence of the Lambs pastiche. Jim and I talk about Dourif and we also talk about the "fridging" of Fox Mulder; in an episode that at last gives Gillian Anderson center stage - and she is most definitely up to the task, delivering a strong, poignant performance. It's an excellent episode, and a very good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Jim Laczkowski on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/nowplayingjim/ Also check out the Now Playing podcast network - http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/ And, if you only listen to one podcast out of their selection, make it The Director's Club - http://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/ If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Weren't we just talking about Mulder's sex life? Or lack thereof? In any case, maybe this episode is aptly named...since it's so HOT. No, not really. But the lovely Amanda Pays is on hand as Mulder's former FLAME...a flame that is reignited, only to once again be extinguished. Daniel and I get into the particulars of this solid monster-of-the-week episode, which has good guest stars and terrific special effects. It's a fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Although they pull a very weird bait and switch with this episode, it's still a very good and compelling adventure nonetheless. And so, Daniel and I get into the ins and outs of this particular episode, which was a spec script by freelancers inspired by The Boys From Brazil. How does the concept work for an X-Files episode? Why would the murderous little girls try to pass off their crime as the work of alien vampires? Did Mulder have to slap the soda out of Scully's hand so harshly? And what is it with Harriet Sansom Harris and her tendency to play doomed women who perish after receiving a high dose of a toxic chemical substance? (Yes, that one is a reach.) Daniel and I discuss all this and more. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Daniel and I discuss "Fallen Angel," which is a mythology episode and that means that of course it's all about shady conspiracies and at some point there is a shouting match between Mulder and some authority figure. Nothing new under the sun, except for the introduction of Max Fenig - gamely played by Scott Bellis. It occurs to us that maybe all 45 minutes should've just focused on him...would've resulted in a more compelling episode. In any case, this is still worthwhile and, yes, essential. Daniel and I get into why. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Natalia sits down with me again to talk about "Space," which is a very intriguing episode with good performances...and terrible special effects. Basically: Was the concept too ambitious for what the meager first season budget could accommodate? Why do this episode now? Why not do it later? What was the urgency for Chris Carter in telling this story, this way, right now? Does it matter? It probably doesn't. And, in any case, Natalia and I decided to focus on the episode's good qualities - and highlight how often distractingly bad production issues are not dealbreakers if the story is compelling enough to grab your attention. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Jim Laczkowski of The Director's Club joins me this week to discuss "Ice," which is a classic X-Files episode that owes more than a tip of the hat to John Carpenter's The Thing. Are those establishing shots of the research base actually from The Thing? Did it have to be Kenny Banya that greeted Mulder & Scully at the hangar in Alaska? Think Xander Berkley is the bad guy? Think again. Anyway... There's a lot of great stuff going on in this episode: a genuinely tense atmosphere throughout, accentuated by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny doing some of their best acting to date in the series. Jim and I discuss all that and it's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Jim Laczkowski on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/nowplayingjim/ Also check out the Now Playing podcast network - http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/ And, if you only listen to one podcast out of their selection, make it The Director's Club - http://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/

My dear friend Natalia Castro calls in this week from Colombia and we talk about "Ghost in the Machine," which is a kind of X-Files techno thriller, with a familiar concept, familiar plot beats and familiar faces...even if we can't remember the names. In any case, the episode on a whole is solid enough that it allowed Natalia and I to discuss its strengths, as well as the strengths of The X-Files as a whole. We also ponder an odd tendency by Fox to take a chance on "risky" sci-fi properties only to eventually abandon them mid stream. X-Files fans are lucky that wasn't the case here. It's a cool talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

There's a lot going on in "Shadows," that's for sure. As it's a convoluted mess with enough plot ideas for three episodes all crammed into 45 minutes! You have the super duper ghost haunting his former secretary, you have a conspiracy involving a defense contractor having covert dealings with Middle Eastern extremists, you have a murdered guy trying to avenge his death from beyond the grave... You have assassins busting into people's houses with switchblades only to get choked out by super ghosts! As I said, there's a lot going on in this thing. Daniel and I try our best to make sense of all this mess and, well... We try our best is what I'll say and leave it at that. It's a fun talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

It's nice to see Mulder kick back and have some fun in Atlantic City. It's nice to see Scully try and have a "normal" life for a change, even if this is dramatized through an excruciatingly boring date with some divorced dad that hits on her at a kiddie party. And maybe that explains why, when all is said and done, Scully would rather go off with Mulder chasing after an X-File. The Jersey Devil is a kind of middle-of-the-road episode, but it's reasonably enjoyable nonetheless and it gave Daniel and I a couple of things to talk about. Sit back and enjoy our spirited discussion over some coffee and donuts. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Daniel and I discuss "Conduit," maybe not the best episode of Season 1, but nonetheless an important one - as it delves into a very important aspect of Mulder's backstory. Namely, the childhood trauma (his sister's abduction) that has been the driving force of his FBI career. It's an engaging episode with some intriguing scenes. But why is Duchovny so wooden? In an episode that requires him to go to some emotional places, he unfortunately falls a bit short. In any case, the episode may not be a "mythology" episode in the traditional sense but it's still worth watching even with its hiccups. Daniel and I spend a neat half hour talking about why. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Daniel and I discuss "Squeeze," which is the third episode of the series - eschewing the mythology for a more standard "monster of the week" formula and, as such, it functions very well as a kind of self-contained 45-minute horror movie. This is mainly due to the series' customary minimalist approach and a very creepy performance by Doug Hutchison as Victor Tooms. Daniel and I get into all the aspects that make this episode work so well and we also discuss the key elements that have kept the series from really dating itself, at least at this point - allowing it to fall in like with the classic sci-fi series that inspired it, such as The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It's a good talk. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

And so, Daniel and I sit down to discuss "Deep Throat," which is the second episode of the series, but it could also be seen as the first "official" episode. Or, in any case, almost an extension of the pilot...as it sort of completes the arc, if you will, or at least finalizes its presentation of this series' ethos. Is the title character supposed to be the actual Deep Throat? Did we know, in 1993, that Deep Throat was actually Mark Felt? In any case, actor Jerry Hardin looks more like Mark Felt than Hal Holbrook does. So, what does that tell you? But all of that is beside the point. This is yet another strong episode that demonstrates how this series really did have some very solid footing right from the start. It's a spirited discussion you're sure to enjoy. Dig in. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com

Welcome to a new podcast, in which a newbie (that's me) finally takes a deep dive through the entirety of Chris Carter's creepy universe....guided by fans he is lucky enough to have in his circle, who will kindly walk him through the journey. In this first go round, Daniel Baldwin (not the actor, but a terrific guy nonetheless) sits down with me to discuss the excellent pilot episode for this classic series. How providential that everything seems to be locked into place - as far as the series' ethos, central characters and sophisticated tone - right from the start. That seems pretty rare for genre TV, particularly 30 years ago. What similar genre series was there around this time, about a sexy guy and a sexy girl who investigated creepy happenings week after week? Was it Friday the 13th: The Series? Was their pilot as good as this one? In any case, sit back and enjoy our spirited discussion. Subscribe to The Erix Antoine Network on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2AzQd3F3yfQ_kdoOM9Y_A Follow The Erix Antoine Network on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ErixAntoineNet Follow Erix Antoine on Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/ErixAntoine/ Follow Daniel Baldwin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielWBaldwin Or check out his website - http://www.theschlocketeer.com If you'd like to be invited to the Discord chatroom, send an email, with your discord handle to: ErixAntoineNet.xfiles@gmail.com