Quarter-Century Mark and XF Anniversary
Sep. 10th, 2003 07:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catch22girlI feel more mature now, less insecure and much more like my old self than I felt a year ago.
Also, the issue I wrote about Monday? Everything's okay now. Which makes me not a little relieved.
Incidentally, today is also the tenth anniversary of a little show that changed my life.
I'm of course talking about one of my largest fictional influences and the show that made me want to go into tv/film -- The X-Files. Ten years ago today, it premiered. I didn't watch the premiere, I came in on season two, but it's always struck me as funny that the beginning of the show coincided with my birthday. As I've told people, it's like I was destined to start watching it.
XF is also the show that taught me how to analyze not only television, but also film and literature. I'll explain. Back in the day, I couldn't get into character's heads. I had a problem writing English essays, I couldn't analyze things in that manner. However, back in season two, I found these long long discussions on the old ATXF about Mulder compared to literary characters and his motivations and his psychological state. These essays, and numerous conversations I had with friends, taught me how to look at things beyond just the surface and see what's not in the print but is implied. I cut my analytical teeth on mytharc explanations and character motivations. XF also introduced me to fanfic and things were never the same.
It's had such a lasting influence on me, and really inspired me in so many different ways. It's not just me, I maintain that XF has a long lasting cultural influence as well, even if it somehow went from popular to obscure in about 2.3 seconds.
I can't entirely imagine my life if XF never existed, because I truly believe I'd be a different person today if I hadn't spent those many years as a fan. Heck, I went to school down in DC partly because I had this dream of working for the FBI. I was also amused beyond belief that the school I was going to (American University), was the setting of an X-Files episode (Gethesemene at that point).
There were points in my life where I was depressed and the only thing that got me through the week was the knowledge that Friday (or Sunday), held a new episode of XF. I loved it, when I thought about it ending I would almost cry because I couldn't imagine tv without it.
When it finally did end, I went through a brief period of mourning, but part of me, well, felt more relief than anything else. I've been through a lot of different groups of fans, I've seen some of the worst that fandom has to offer, and I've made mistakes myself.
Many shows and movies have followed in XF's footsteps, it was a ground-breaking show that will never be repeated. XF bought film noir to television, it almost single handedly created a new cycle of science fiction tv and film (or at least its success allowed for followers). XF brought fringe science to the mainstream it changed the pace of episodic tv, it showed that you don't have to talk down to an audience, and most importantly, tapped into our collective fears. I maintain that XF should have ended with the end of the 90s, because it was a show that was so part of that time period. I strongly believe that a nation can only face its own sins during prosperous times. XF wasn't afraid to question authority or suggest that the US was complicit, if not directly responsible, for acts of cruelty and terror. (For a look at how that's changed, just think about that article accusing 24 of coddling terrorists). Ten years ago today, television and pop culture changed. So, get out your favorite episodes, curl up with your most beloved fic, and celebrate.
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Date: 2003-09-10 05:08 am (UTC):::gets all XF nostalgic also::
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Date: 2003-09-10 06:24 am (UTC)Thanks!
XF nostalgia is fun, I wonder if I have an XF icon around...
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Date: 2003-09-10 08:05 am (UTC)*sings*
I would post the lyrics but then I'd have to pay some old bitches like, $100 bucks or somejunk. Damn copywright laws... *grumble*
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Date: 2003-09-10 11:03 am (UTC)HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Dude, I totally forgot. I'm such a dufus. Hmmm. Maybe I'll make you screencap iconage as a present... *G*
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Date: 2003-09-10 12:19 pm (UTC)Woo!
*confetti*
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Date: 2003-09-10 01:29 pm (UTC)Whoohoo, it's a beautiful day! : D
Eeee, I think I'm on a slight Phile trip. ; )
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Date: 2003-09-10 06:29 pm (UTC)love your thing on the x-files...that's exactly the way i feel...minus the tv/film career stuff. but we've discussed this before. ::sigh:; the x files are the nineties...they shaped who i am and who i still want to be in so many ways.
whatever, i won't get into it because it still makes me so sad. anyway.
happy birthday!! you should come out here within the next couple weeks and we can all celebrate both our birthdays at one time. :D
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Date: 2003-09-10 07:48 pm (UTC)Give me a call sometime! Actually, email me, we'll discuss :)
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Date: 2003-09-12 07:15 pm (UTC)Also, I miss the x-files with a pangy sort of missing... I enjoyed your post.
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Date: 2003-09-12 09:14 pm (UTC)Thanks! I just felt a need to talk about it.