UNCUT - The X-Files S1E24 - The Erlenmeyer Flask
Comments (47)
Great reaction. I'm so hyped for what's to come!
Deep Throat has been a bit of an enigma throughout this season, and has certainly given us cause to suspect he was playing Mulder, misdirecting him because he was getting too close to the truth. Still, he clearly knew that trade was going to cost him his life and he did it anyway. No doubt it's also why he was so insistent that Scully remove herself from the scene. IMO that makes it pretty clear that any time he was seemingly working against Mulder was really down to trying to walk the line between his world and Mulder's. He tried to help Mulder one too many times and became a liability. RIP. Having Scully see clear scientific proof of extraterrestrials is an interesting development, but as much as she's the skeptic of the 2, she's already the person who gives Mulder the most benefit of the doubt, so I don't know that it changes their dynamic all too much. But as a viewer, it's great to see the mythology pushed forward. Shutting down the X Files is clearly "season 2 bait" though. Not that I mind, but it is. Great finale, especially for a 1st season.
Season one was a slow burn building in popularity, by the time they got to the end of the season word had spread that is was something special, but it was far, far from the massive hit it would become, so renewal was certainly not assured when they made this episode, but by transmission it probably was.
Was waiting to see the reaction to the new title... there was none.
Not sure since neither Josh or Alex said anything about the opening credit, which normally states "THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE", and this one instead is "TRUST NO ONE". Then Deep Throat says that line before he dies. I was wondering if you either of you noticed that or not? I also think it was a great season finale. I agree with everything you both said about it. I’ve loved The X-Files since it first came out. And honestly, I’m glad they didn’t show any conversation between Dana Scully and Fox Mulder about what she saw. I think it works better that way—it would’ve been a really difficult conversation to portray on screen.
I thought as an episode it was great because of all the extraterrestrial info finally revealed and Scully finally seeing incontrovertible evidence of aliens.
Back when this finale aired there was no confirmation that the show would return for another season. We had certain issues of TV guide, during the off-season, that would announce cancellations and renewals. It took awhile before I knew it was coming back. Yes, I was that guy who pumped my fist in the air when I had confirmation. Anyway, welcome to the X-Files!
Sure now you like Mark Twain
It’s sorta a cliffhanger
Just as you were starting to like Mark Twain.. I forgot how damn good this finale is. I actually put my phone down for a few minutes to watch it. It must have been good.
by the time I got access I figured someone else would have mentioned the different tagline in the opening credits to this one, I think Alex towards the end of the video mentioned noticing it at the start. 95% of the time it'll be the same, but every now and then they'll do something different, so it can be a fun easter egg to keep an eye out for :) other ongoing easter eggs that I don't think(?) are spoilers - at the end, she wakes up and sees her digital clock, and the time is 11:21, which is Chris Carter's wife's birthday, so that's a number he sneaks into a lot of places (basically anytime they look at their clocks at night), and his birthday is 10/13, so the name of the production company is "Ten Thirteen Productions" I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I am SO stoked to be on this journey with you, keep up the joy!
The alien conspiracy stuff is so good in this show. Not to say the monster of the week episodes aren't good (because they are), but I remember when i first watched the show it was always a special treat when I realized it was an alien mythology episode. It works in the show's benefit since I don't think those episodes would be as hype or impactful if they weren't scattered in there sporadically.
In my country, the show was already known to be a hit and a must watch before it started airing. There was major hype around it. And it would have aired within two years of it airing in the states, probably less, because economic sanctions ended just after this show started airing, which was the cause of the delay in American TV shows airing.
Oh, re popularity research: Wikipedia has viewership for each episode… right next to the episode summary
TNG didn't invent the season finale cliffhanger. Soap in the late 70s did it for season-enders, and Dallas in 1980 had probably the most famous finale cliffhanger of all time. However, TNG brought the idea back after a decade and did popularize it for non-soap-style shows.
And to be fair “Mr. Worf, fire!” is an all timer and you just had to be there.
I wanted Twain dead... but not like this...
This show does not look like 1993. Blu ray has breathed new life in to this series.
Stellar finale! I can't get over how good the score can be in this show too, amongst all the other elements. And yet, it only gets better.
X-Files was a slow growing show in popularity by word of mouth. The height of popularity was season 4-5
No. it was not slow growing in any way, in fact the popularity was insanely fast. I'll leave it at that and avoid spoilers.
A private conversation with Chris Carter: season one X 24 https://youtu.be/Kn1BwLyysgY?si=l5AfPiMbix2RX8xC This was the first episode of the X-Files I saw for me. Everything happens from this point forward, so I have a very anachronistic memory of the series which makes it fun to go back for rewatch.
Not all the characters in suits are FBI agents. The show lore builds itself on real-life intergovernmental agencies, much CIA, or special OPS, that have access to FBI resources because they are higher ranking, or perhaps even rivaling factions of the government. As you already know, the interest of the FBI supercedes that of any local law enforcement agency if the investigation so requires.
I always thought Mulder discovering the patients in a storage „box“ at „Pandora“ street was a nice touch.
I thought that too! He opened a box they can't close now...
The show was placed in what was called the "Friday Night Death Slot" because shows put there never survived, so having an audience at all from the beginning is a testament to the sheer amounts of quality put into it. S1 was a hit , especially in the context of being in that timeslot and not only making it a whole season, but getting renewed. It had an audience from the start, but it was a bit cultish, lots of sci fi fan types. Still somewhere around 10 million viewers per episode, which is definitely good. But it quickly increased in popularity and by s4 , it was an absolute ratings juggernaut, getting somewhere around 20 million viewers per episode.
Yes, I remember during that 1st season being so excited for Friday nights to watch X-Files. I had no life.
I've been waiting for this finale reaction and it was really a pleasure to watch. Please do not read any spoilers for upcoming episodes. I think it's also worth nothing that Deep Throat's killer, the man with the crew-cut and scar on his nose, is not implied to be FBI, but rather a secret government agent. Either way it's safe to assume at this point, based on the very last scene, that he's working for, as you call him, "The Smoker". Also the password Scully provides at the facility is "purity control", which is exactly what was written under the flask containing alien DNA. I wish you'd start doing two episodes a week with season two!
I suppose if the bridge crew votes for X files, that would justify doing 2 a week
Just a small observation: Deep Throat says to Scully "we've met ever so briefly"... he refers to the last scene of episode "E.B.E." in case anyone missed that.
Ah ok, I assumed he meant he was in the room in her first scene in the pilot but I couldn’t remember
I'd say it's an amazing episode AND an amazing finale, but I can understood some of the criticism of the first half, in terms of moving slower than expected. However, I think it works in this case, because it provides you more and more information about the larger picture. For me, the episode kicks into high gear much earlier than the death of Ann Carpenter. I think it begins to shine right as Mulder walks into the storage room with the bodies suspended in solution. That moment is pure brilliance to me. The music, the lighting, the atmosphere.
I was surprised you had no reaction to the alt tagline, especially after mentioning how much you like the opening credits.
Gun to my head I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what is said in the intro
The tagline for this episode is "Trust No One", which is the first time in the opening credits the usual phrase "The Truth Is Out There" was changed. :)
I love this finale. As you said, it leaves it very ambiguous and works as an ending of a story, or leave you with threads to work from in season 2. Great to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed it and I can't wait for us to get started on season 2. You thought the first season was good (overall). I think you'll be pleased that (in my opinion) they take it up a notch!
Consider yourselves flirted with (Beyond the Sea), teased (Gender Bender), with a little heavy petting (E.B.E.), and some foreplay (The Erlenmeyer Flask). You are now primed and ready for your dream love affair for the next several years.
😳
I will never get tired of Josh's eye's popping open to inhuman proportions. The old movie on the TV when Mulder is sleeping was "Journey to the Center of the Earth" from 1959, a classic I would recommend to check out some time.
Ha Josh does have very expressive eye reactions when something interesting happens. As if he subconsciously must absorb as much of the scene as possible.
This season finale shows us that Mulder and Scully and even the FBI are NOT in control here. There are greater pieces in play that we, as viewers are unaware of but feel we are on the cusp of a huge discovery only to lose the only evidence of aliens Mulder and Scully have ever had. I do love Mulder committing B&E and Scully one-upping with Grand Larceny. Solid episode, the score is perfect, excellent direction.
Oh man, Saturday night and some edibles... and Josh & Alex watching the Erlenmeyer Flask. Chef's kiss. You've made my week.
Props to Katie Jackson for keeping you guys decked out in merch! As you predicted, this was the "remember we have a mythology" episode, and man does it deliver. It does a great job going from an innocuous start and ramping into the dread that they've discovered something frighteningly huge. The direction and the score both do a lot of good work here. And with Deep Throat's death it feels like the guardrails have come down and anything can happen. I'm so excited for you to discover season two.
About the title of the episode there is Erlenmeyer and a Florence flask. The difference between an Erlenmeyer flask and a Florence flask is their shape and, consequently, their intended use. The Erlenmeyer flask has a conical shape designed for mixing and titrations, whereas the Florence flask has a rounded body designed for uniform heating and boiling. Learned that in high-school chemistry.
It's hard to remember now, but I think this was the episode where this show really started to take off. Trust no one.
I remember season one being sort of an underground, word-of-mouth thing, a show I'd hear a few people mention now and then. Season two is when I feel like everybody was suddenly talking about it. And by season three, I was seeing Mulder and Scully's faces in every store.
Been looking forward.....pressing PLAY