By J.R. Pepper
I have been an avid “Xphile” since it’s early days in 1993 and it has been my longest relationship ever since. At first, the show would scare the bejesus out of me, and my older brother watched it without me. I slowly raised my head from underneath the blankets and found myself absorbed.
Now let me explain something – anime has been by far one of the biggest influences of my life. I was never the kid who was into the popular things. I never fawned over boy bands, I never wore makeup (still don’t) and unfortunately went to an all-girls high school. I was the girl with the crazy jewelry, the artist, the eccentric and, in a Catholic high school, the odd one out. Anime was one of my eccentric favorites and when I met people who actually recognized the “Sailor Moon” folders in my book bag, I had found the friends that I would keep for life. It has introduced me to a great number of beautiful cosplayers, brilliant designers, fantastic photographers and wonderfully fun and crazy friends.
But the X-Files will and always have been the most influential show in my world. This adoration never went away, even though the show and I had a ‘break’ once Duchovny left. I had memorized badge numbers, case files and episode titles. I had read the books (X-Files: Guide to the Unexplained, anyone?) and the fan-fiction (Mulder and Krycek can only have sex in so many ways people, seriously!). In high school, I kept my own “Xfile” with random clippings from magazines and newspaper. I’ll admit most of them were of Mulder, who still shines as my idea of my ideal male.
Strong, socially unacceptable, obsessive compulsive, devoted, fantasy personality, looks damn good in a suit, reliable albeit a bit of a packrat – what more could a girl want?
Damn good looking man, that Agent Mulder.
Last year, while in Las Vegas, I had taken the long, long, long car ride out to AREA 51 and it was well worth every minute of it! Literally was a drive out to the middle of nowhere and I bounced and became wildly excited every single step of the way. It was like some kind of bizarre pilgrimage.
I sat on the edge of my seat for Fight the Future in full Xphile garb complete with my Mulder action figure. When Scully and Mulder almost kissed I let out a loud “NOOOOOOOOO!!!” in a completely quiet theatre. I was sixteen years old back than.
A few years later, I sat in my basement watching the season finale on the only working television in my house. The screen was ten inches high, the reception was blurry and the television was black and white. I had told my friends to leave me alone while I watched it because I knew I would cry. Then they let Scully keep the baby and the show played out like some bizarre Biblical text with the Lone Gunman as geeky Wisemen.
To paraphrase Mr. Universe, “I cried, like a hungry, angry baby.”
This year at New York Comic Con at the age of twenty six, I was the same way. I had luckily arrived to the panel right on time and I waited in the darkened theatre amidst hundreds of other X-philes, to hear that oh so familiar theme song.
And I cheered my brains out.
And so did everyone else.
My eyes barely blinked as Carter and Spotnitz emerged on stage and I glamoured at how they managed to keep answering questions without actually answering them at all. Apparently, the baby IS Mulder’s, though. Carter said it himself. But once again I found myself literally at the edge of my seat.
So what about the new film? I was never a ‘shipper’… so the whole will they/ won’t they crap doesn’t effect me one bit. I look forward to seeing my two favorite FBI agents on the big screen – or any screen for that matter – once again.
I love the fact that time had passed for the two agents, that the characters have not been left in a perpetual state ‘stopped time’, as it were. The characters have grown since we have last seen them, their lives have changed it adds to the realism that made me love the show in the first place.
I know, realism in a show that speaks about lil’ green men, ghosts, Native American mystics, parasitic monsters and the most memorable game of ‘Stratego’ ever, real?
Well, yeah.
The characters spend so much time at their jobs their social lives suffer. Aside from a romantic tryst with a vampire and one with a tattooed psychopath, not much lovin’ goes on in this show. It was all about the agents, the paranormal and the labyrinth-like mythology.
Now I know the film is very ‘shipper’ friendly- not my style. I’ll still be ecstatic sitting in the theatre and I even if the movie makes absolutely no sense, even if it’s not what I hoped for…
That part of me that hid underneath the blankets, that become a sloppy, girlie emotional mess during the season finale and the newest part with my signed ” I Want To Believe” poster in my living room- will not be disappointed with seeing my two favorite agents still searching for the truth.
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J.R. Pepper, is a trained Art Historian and Photographer as well as being a full time geek, tea addict and guinea pig slave. When not at work she can be found wandering through the anime conventions, working on many personal projects, schooling kids in Guitar Hero and obsessing over ‘The X-files’ and obscure British comedies. Check out her site at www.pepperart.com or www.myspace.com/pepperart, leave a comment why don’tcha!
Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 
Saw it last night… and it WAS very relationship heavy but I totally ate it up. I enjoyed that it was more character-driven than most of the fare we have seen this summer. Really, that is one thing I loved about the series: More about the people and less about the gross-out-factor. Well, except for ‘Home’ which is perhaps the grossest, creepiest episode known to man. Ever.
PS – I have the ‘I Want to Believe’ poster, too.
OMG, “Home..” EEEEEK. That episode creeped me out like nothing else!