The X-Files: Mythology Episode List (1 Viewer)

I put together this list for a friend of mine at work who wanted to know what episodes pertained to the ongoing mythology of the show. She's really only interested in the mythology, not the stand alone shows. So I put one together for her. I figured that I would post it here as well, in case some HTFers are interested in keeping up with the mythology of the show.

These episodes deal primarily with the ongoing mythology of the show: they are not stand alone episodes (a few of them are mixes of standalonemythology, such as "Red Museum"). Perhaps someone who is new to the show can use this as a guide to follow the mytharc.

1x00- Pilot
1x01- Deep Throat
1x03- Conduit
1x09- Fallen Angel
1x16- E.B.E.
1x23- The Erlenmeyer Flask

2x01- Little Green Men
2x04- Sleepless
2x05- Duane Barry (Part 1 of 3)
2x06- Ascension (Part 2 of 3)
2x08- One Breath (Part 3 of 3)
2x10- Red Museum
2x16- Colony (Part 2 of 2)
2x17- End Game (Part 2 of 2)
2x25- Anasazi (Part 1 of 3)

3x01- The Blessing Way (Part 2 of 3)
3x02- Paper Clip (Part 3 of 3)
3x09- Nisei (Part 1 of 2)
3x10- 731 (Part 2 of 2)
3x15- Piper Maru (Part 1 of 2)
3x16- Apocrypha (Part 2 of 2)
3x23- Wetwired
3x24- Talitha Cumi (Part 1 of 2)

4x01- Herrenvolk (Part 2 of 2)
4x07- Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man
4x08- Paper Hearts
4x09- Tunguska (Part 1 of 2)
4x10- Terma (Part 2 of 2)
4x15- Momento Mori
4x17- Tempus Fugit (Part 1 of 2)
4x18- Max (Part 2 of 2)
4x23- Demons
4x24- Gethsemane (Part 1 of 3)

5x02- Redux (Part 2 of 3)
5x03- Redux II (Part 3 of 3)
5x01- Unusual Suspects
5x05- Christmas Carol (Part 1 of 2)
5x06- Emily (Part 2 of 2)
5x13- Patient X (Part 1 of 2)
5x14- The Red and the Black (Part 2 of 2)
5x15- Travelers
5x20- The End (Part 1 of 2)

6x1/2- The X-Files: Fight the Future (Movie)

6x01- The Beginning (Part 2 of 2)
6x04- Dreamland (Part 1 of 2)
6x05- Dreamland II (Part 2 of 2)
6x10- S.R. 819
6x11- Two Fathers (Part 1 of 2)
6x12- One Son (Part 2 of 2)
6x19- Three of a Kind
6x20- The Unnatural
6x22- Biogenesis (Part 1 of 3)

7x01- The Sixth Extinction (Part 2 of 3)
7x02- The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (Part 3 of 3)
7x10- Sein Und Zeit (Part 1 of 2)
7x11- Closure (Part 2 of 2)
7x15- En Ami
7x22- Requiem (Part 1 of 3)

8x01- Within (Part 2 of 3)
8x02- Without (Part 3 of 3)
8x08- Per Manum
8x14- This is Not Happening (Part 1 of 3)
8x15- DeadAlive (Part 2 of 3)
8x18- Three Words (Part 3 of 3)
8x16- Vienen
8x20- Essence (Part 1 of 4)
8x21- Existence (Part 2 of 4)

9x01- Nothing Important Happened Today (Part 3 of 4)
9x02- Nothing Important Happened Today II (Part 4 of 4)
9x08- Trust No 1
9x10- Provenance (Part 1 of 2)
9x11- Providence (Part 2 of 2)
9x15- Jump the Shark
9x16- William
9x19- The Truth

Very handy. I'm sure there will be many quibbles, but it's a great start.
My quibble is that in season eight "Three Words" is actually the third part of a trilogy with "This Is Not Happening" and "DeadAlive", with "Vienen" following after. Watching "Vienen" between "DeadAlive" and "Three Words" will make things even more confusing than they already are.
Oh, and if you're going to include "Jump The Shark," you really ought to include "Unusual Suspects" from season five. Get the alpha and omega of the Gunmen...
Ryan

Steven K wrote:

"Sleepless", which is a dandy (predominantly) "stand-alone" episode, introduces Alex ("Ratboy") Krychek, no? He plays a large and recurring role as the anti-Mulder in the so-called mythology. I would think she'd want to view it for the context of his being included.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I have to agree with her. I probably would have been just as happy with an "The X-Files Conspiracy" set with bridges to cover the little bumpers here and there

However, I'm very happy with my season sets too, for the occasional monster of the week episode that was really special

You guys are correct: I dont know why I left out "Three Words" as part of a 4 parter. Also "Sleepless" should probably be on the list. I also believe that "X" is in it as well (I could be mistaken). Ususual Suspects should probably be on the list as well, as long as "Musings" is on it.
Feel free to add more episodes that you would consider to be part of the mythology... I was sure that I had left a few out
The Season Sets are very impressive! I dont like waiting 6 months for each one, but it gives me time to watch all the eps again. I have every episode on tape up until mid way through Season 8 (although Ive given the tapes away of the episodes that I have on DVD).
Uh, I just forgot... why the hell did I leave the movie out?!?

X is definitely in Sleepless. It seemed like in the early seasons there were more episodes that weren't TOTALLY mythology related but had a "the gov't is covering this up" element to it.

I would urge your friend to watch EVERY episode. Some of the stand-alone eps are my favs. IMO the mythology wasn't what made the x-files so good, it was the characters. I always cared more about the characters than all the alien stuff. I'm hoping the supposed upcoming movie is a good old monster-of-the-week story.

Ryan, of course I encourage her to watch every episode... with the exception of "Teso Dos Bichos" and "El Mundo Gira."
Some of my favorite episodes are the standalones as well... Clyde Bruckmans Final Repose, Jose Chung's From Outer Space, Humbug, War of the Coprophages, Die Hand Die Verletzt, etc... but, I dont see it happening with her.
I actually got my wife to start watching the mythology episodes as well. I was watching "The Blessing Way" a few weeks back, and she came in and started watching. 10 minutes into it, she was asking question after question. Just this weekend, she comes up to me and says "hey, let's watch some X-Files." I just about fell out of my chair! Im so proud of her

Steven K wrote:

If you take Mulder's theories in the episode and voice-over narration at the end into consideration, "Fearful Symmetry" might also be considered a (peripheral) "mythology" episode. He believes that "alien abduction" is behind the disappearances (for purposes of experimentation) in the episode. The only difference here is that the abductees are all animals, instead of people.

As far as I know, his theories about the animals are never again put to the test and proven one way or another.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

ryan_m wrote:

Amen to that.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Hmmmm...I wonder if Carter used the title to an old Daniel Amos album for the title of the episode "Fearful Symmetry"? Naaaa...probably not.

For season 1, I would add the first episode - 'Pilot'! That's kind of a good one to start off with
I would argue that 'Conduit' isn't really a mythology episode.
For season 3, I would add 'Avatar' and 'Wetwired' - In between 'Apocrypha' & 'Talitha Cumi'.
For season 4, I would add 'Zero Sum' - In between 'Max' & 'Demons'.
I would argue that 'Paper Hearts' isn't really a mythology episode.
For season 5, you need to move 'Unusual Suspects' to after 'Redux II'. I would add 'Travellers' - in between 'The Red and The Black' & 'The End'.
For season 6, I would add 'The Unnatural' and 'Three of a Kind' - In between 'One Son' & 'Biogenisis'.
I would argue that 'Dreamland' and 'Dreamland II' aren't really mythology episodes.
For season 8, 'Three Words' needs to come before 'Vienen'. - Remember production order does not equal broadcast order.
Other than that, looks good!

Aaron,
The predominently "Lone Gunmen" episodes are:
Unusual Suspects
Three of a Kind
Jump the Shark
They usually also appear in the multi-part episodes, especially season finales. Check out "The Blessing Way" to see Frohike in his finest hour (in the bottom of a 5th )

'Wetwired' is important, because it is here that we learn of X's allegiance to Cancer man. It also sets up that Cancer man is aware of a mole, and X's death in the finale.
'Paper Hearts', while sort of dealing with mulders sister, it is obvious by the end that the killer was lying about samantha, and that there was really no connection at all to mulders sister. Makes the whole thing inconsequential in the overal mythology. Great episode though.
'Travellers' pretty much explains the origin of the x-files, how they came to be and the first agents who investigated them. Also shows how mulders dad was always kind of against the syndicate and was a sympathetic character.
'The unnatural' is important simply because it definitavely answers the question that the grey alien race is the same race as the shapeshifting race. This was always unknown until this episode. Otherwise, I agree, it has nothing to do with the overall story!
As for dreamland I and II, I remember Chris Carter specifically touted these episodes as "The first non-mythology 2 parter", so you can't get much more official than that!

Jeff, you make very valid points. OK, I'm gonna add 'Wetwired' and 'Travellers.' 'The Unnatural' is still iffy with me, but I'll add it anyway as you do make a valid point.

I'm still gonna leave Paper Hearts on the list, I just think that anything dealing with Samantha has to be considered part of the mythology.

You also make a good point about Dreamland and Dreamland 2. However, it gives us insight into "Morris Fletcher" who we later see in "Jump the Shark."

Jeff Cooper wrote

The lead KKKer at the beginning, who turns out to be a "gray", is also the alien bounty hunter, played by Brian Thompson, who plays the same role in "Colony" and "End Game" in season 2.

Why would it not be a "mythology" episode, then?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...