“The Erlenmeyer Flask” is arguably one of The X-Files’ best episodes, providing us with more information on the series’ ongoing alien-related mythologies. “The Erlenmeyer Flask” (Season One, Episode 24)
#XFILE EPISODES SERIES#
We see in E.B.E that Deep Throat isn’t always working in Mulder’s favor, making it hard to determine the informant’s allegiances, and we’re also introduced to fan favorites The Lone Gunmen, who would come to figure prominently in future seasons (and would get their own spin-off series as well). In this episode, Mulder and Scully are on the hunt for an E.B.E (extraterrestrial biological entity) that’s a pawn in a global conspiracy and is hidden inside a truck making its way across the US.
This second episode furthered the overarching alien mythologies to The X-Files and also introduced viewers to Mulder’s initial informant, Deep Throat, who opened up the notion that there was a shadow government of sorts also involved with the X-Files. As expected, this episode sets up the X-Files division within the FBI, gives us some insight into both Mulder and Scully’s backgrounds, and also establishes the Cigarette Smoking Man as one of the biggest adversaries the new partners would face throughout the series. When revisiting the past, it always makes sense to go back to where it all started. Keeping that in mind, I put together this guide of essential mythology episodes worth watching before we meet up with Mulder and Scully again, so that you can help bridge any gaps you might have in your memory of the show.įor the most part, what you’ll read below is spoiler-free, so for all you newbies out there who may have never watched an episode of The X-Files but are curious about the upcoming limited series, this should also help you out in terms of seeing all the episodes that lay the foundations for the show’s ever-changing mythologies and lore. In short, there’s a lot of stuff going on in The X-Files universe, which may seem daunting to revisit with the new revival less than two weeks away. Mythology in regards to The X-Files could mean various things: the existence of aliens and how our government plays into that, various characters that fit in with different prophecies, the “Black Oil” that became a prominent antagonistic force during season three, the various conspirators and their attempts to derail Mulder and Scully’s work on the X-Files, Scully’s miracle child born during the eighth season, and whether or not the Cigarette Smoking Man was truly the devil incarnate or just another powerful opportunist.
The last time we saw The X-Files on the airwaves during its initial run was back in May 2002, so if you watched the series throughout its nine seasons, you may be in need of a refresher on all the key players and integral storylines that make up the core mythology of The X-Files. On Sunday, January 24th, Fox will bring back Chris Carter’s brilliant series, The X-Files, for a six-episode revival run that will reunite beloved FBI Special Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) for more alien-related exploits.