X-Philes!

This blog post is difficult for me...
Because, well, I never watched the X-Files.

I don’t think I had anything against it. It was just always that show on “FOX” for me. But perhaps FOX snobbery is undeserved, they have aired some gems like Arrested Development...at least I hear it’s a gem, I didn’t watch it because it was on FOX....

Anyway, so, in order to understand the popularity of the show better, I thought it best to go right to the fan source: the X-Philes.

What is convenient about all this is that, as we discussed in class, the X-Files came to popularity with the rise of the Internet. So popping “X-Philes” into google leads to a variety of results.

Who knew that there were so many different factions of X-philia?

The first link that pops up is the “X-Phile Finis Romantics Society.” Yeah. This was (the site is no longer active) a coalition of like-minded X-philiacs who wanted to see their beloved Mulder and Scully wait until the end of the series to explore a romantic relationship. Fair enough, I’d say...keep that tension and expectation charging on into the unknown.

Another X-Phile site is specifically dedicated to Mulder.

Oh David Duchovny, how you slayyyy me. With that boy-next-door mousy-brown hair and that voice with that distinctive back-of-the-throat-sort-of-in-his-nose tonal quality...mmmmmhmmmm. I understand you, you “X-Philes for Mulder.”

But on a more serious note: This site was last updated on April 4, 2002. There’s a poignant mission statement on the site’s main page:

“The latest statements issued from X-Files Central (most particularly those recently printed in the September 22, 2000, issue of Entertainment Weekly) have led us to conclude that the amazing contribution David Duchovny has made to the success of The X-Files over the years - in his portrayal of Mulder, in his writing and direction, and in his sheer dedication - has been all but forgotten in the face of 1013 and Fox Inc.'s pursuit of a new format for the show. *Mulder* himself appears to have been forgotten.”

It’s nice to see that this fan site had a motive beyond Duchovny’s cute squinty eyes.

And then you’ve got websites such as this.

Fan fiction! The place where an X-philiac’s desires can come true. It’s great. I love the concept of fan fiction. Why wait for the creators of the show to give you what you want when you can just give it to yourself. (Not intended to be a sexual innuendo.)

This site is divided up into neat things such as “Category Listings” and “Story Listings” in order to help the X-philiac navigate with more efficiency. But it’s a little dated looking, lacking in pizzazz, much like the other two sites I already mentioned.

What’s interesting about all three of these sites is none have been, or appear to be, updated in a while (the last story submitted to the fan fiction site was in December).

Whereas the show has ended, it seems like the upcoming film and reruns should keep the Internet buzz a little higher than these websites suggest.

However, I feel like it may be the fault of these sites and not a lack of general interest. Like the X-Files, the Internet started slow, and then took off. The use of websites to generate and maintain the fan base went hand and hand with this. Whereas the X-Files tried to adapt and change with the times, it seems that these websites, in format and style, are stuck in their original structure.

It’s time to get your act together X-Philiacs! Drum up some hype and make the next film a summer blockbuster! You just may get a third film in the pipeline...