When as a student I used to watch the X-Files I used to imagine that if I could watch every episode I might actually understand what was going on. A year ago, as the DVDs were rereleased I began watching the whole lot.

I’m quite alarmed to discover that during the past year I’ve watched an average of 0.55 X-Files per day, especially when I consider what I might have achieved if I’d done something useful with that time. Still, I did enjoy myself. I still have just as many unanswered questions as ever (in fact I’ve lost track of just how much I don’t know about what the hell’s going on in the show’s mythology) but the real pleasure came from the episodes that used the series to give free reign to the imagination.. The wit, charm, humour and intelligence of the story telling still astounds me.

Alas, the last two seasons (I’d not seen any of these before) were undeniably mediocre. I’d been amazed how fresh the series was in season 7, and hoped it might continue. But while the last two seasons weren’t bad in their own right they only reminded me of how how much better the X-Files had been, and don’t wish to watch them again. And it’s a shame those last shows were the most recent I watched, because that’s what sticks with me. I’m tempted to watch the first 7 seasons again to remind myself how good it was, but then I think 0.55 episodes per day? Time to get a life!