The X-Files: Anasazi (2.25)

In scope and in ambition, this is an impressive finale. The true evil of the Conspiracy had only ever been hinted at, but the contents of the train car pretty much confirm it. Either way it's terrible: we have extra terrestrials experimented on and ultimately killed, or possible alien/human hybrids. Were the smallpox marks meant to imply the latter? Elsewhere, the revelations about William Mulder only helps in bringing his son a lot closer to the mythology at hand. The Conspiracy is actually personal, now, not merely based on assumption or theories.

The X-Files: Our Town (2.24)

I always struggle to enjoy episodes which feature the villains having their own scenes where they discuss their evil plans. Don't get me wrong, episodes told entirely from the villains' perspective work well in principle (The X-Files did their own variation on that somewhere down the line), but throwing in a scene into an episode where the bad guys plot their schemes always feels a little weak. It's why an episode like Born Again from the first season just didn't work, and it's why this episode quickly goes off the rails half-way through.

The X-Files: Soft Light (2.23)

In film and television, fear is best created from something firmly rooted in reality, something that the audience experiences or sees every day. When such an ordinary something is turned on its head and suddenly made something for us to "fear", it's where the genius happens. Soft Light, while not entirely successful as an episode, at least has a wonderful central conceit.

The X-Files: F. Emasculata (2.22)

This was a little odd. An entertaining if unsurprising "race-against-time" story is unexpectedly crossed with some conspiracy hoodoo, only the conspiracy here isn't of the UFO kind. It doesn't entirely work, but you can't fault the show for trying.

The X-Files: The Calusari (2.21)

Crazy derivative, and not particularly entertaining despite that, The Calusari looks and feels like it could have been an episode from any other '90s fantasy series, especially with Mulder and Scully reduced to merely standing around watching events happen and watching guest stars save the day. I figured that was a problem the show had gotten over...

The X-Files: Humbug (2.20)

Wildly off-beat and ambitious, this is Darin Morgan's first X-Files script, and a real landmark for what the show will eventually become. For the first time, Mulder and Scully are taken out of the gloomy confines of so much of the series so far, and thrust into a literal "world of freaks". Both characters are written beautifully, even if the script pokes fun at their individual personas at various points during the episode.

The X-Files: Død Kalm (2.19)

Another episode treading familiar ground, once again attempting to replicate the eerie claustrophobia of Ice and Darkness Falls. But, like the majority of episodes in this increasingly "blah" season, Død Kalm falls apart in its execution, despite some interesting theories for the events of the hour, and some great interplay between Mulder and Scully.

The X-Files: Fearful Symmetry (2.18)

This wasn't as bad as I remembered it. While there's another potentially cop-out ending involving aliens along the lines of Gender Bender and Red Museum, there's at least an interesting rationale behind the UFO involvement, and some intriguing real-life ideas are raised throughout.

The X-Files: End Game (2.17)

While there are a couple of memorable moments, this could be considered an anti-climax. A lot happens, sure, but the pace to this episode is almost too brisk, meaning potentially monumental events such as the apparent "death" of the returned Samantha, and Mulder having to choose between Scully and his sister, are pretty much wasted.

The X-Files: Colony (2.16)

If you ignore the obvious Terminator knock-off that is the Alien Bounty Hunter, Colony is a pretty entertaining opener to The X-Files' first, real two-parter. After a run of routine case-of-the-week episodes, this is the show's attempt to go back to its supposed protagonist and Samantha's childhood abduction. While it's undoubtedly fun, there are still noticeable loopholes throughout.

The X-Files: Fresh Bones (2.15)

Another in a long line of this season's average episodes, Fresh Bones unsurprisingly features some neat ideas floating around and its fair share of bloody violence, both of which stop it from being completely forgettable.

The X-Files: Die Hand Die Verletzt (2.14)

Glen Morgan and James Wong certainly threw everything into the pot for their (at the time, at least) final X-Files script, from occult curses, killer snakes and eyeballs stuffed into desk drawers: this is a memorably gross episode. It's also one of my personal favorites. Nothing much is explained by the time the credits roll, but there's a palpable sense of terror running throughout the episode.

The X-Files: Irresistible (2.13)

After a run of bad episodes, Irresistible is vintage X-Files. Eerie and planted firmly in reality, compared to the more fantastical hours surrounding it, this episode is almost a pre-cursor for Millennium, from the graphic depictions of corpses to the rain-soaked cemeteries.

The X-Files: Aubrey (2.12)

Aubrey had a lot of ideas. Subjects covered include motherhood, adultery, genetic reincarnation and psychic visions, but there's also a clear sense of a script unsure how to balance them all. As with many of the weaker episodes, Mulder and Scully are left as mere observers to the action, substantial screentime given to the lead guest star. In this case, it's Detective B.J. Morrow (hate the name). Despite some notable scares along the way, the episode quickly derails.

The X-Files: Excelsis Dei (2.11)

An unusual episode that starts off suitably violent, before spiralling into altogether different territory with a script that doesn't seem to know where it's going. From the atmospheric spookiness of the convalescent home itself to the contrived "room-filling-with-water" coda, it runs the gamut of intriguing to plain dumb.

The X-Files: Red Museum (2.10)

Okay, so there's the beef. And there are some growth hormones. Along with the creepy religious cult. Oh, and the dazed teenagers with "He/She Is One" written on their backs. And the peeping tom living in the mirror, too! Forgot that one. As you may have guessed, this episode is a whole lot of ideas thrown in the pot with little resolution and, unfortunately, little point. It doesn't help that the conspiracy hoodoo feels tacked on right at the end there.

The X-Files: Firewalker (2.9)

A bad attempt to recreate the success of two first season classics, in this case Ice and Darkness Falls, Firewalker is made all the more disappointing with the fact that it's the first real episode with Mulder and Scully back together and working as a team. After waiting so long for The X-Files to be reopened, it's ridiculously annoying that their big comeback episode is so appalling.

The X-Files: One Breath (2.8)

So Scully's back. Was Gillian forced to come back as soon as possible, or did maternity leave just not exist for TV actresses back in 1994? Either way, she deserves a lot of kudos for coming back on the show probably days after she gave birth. One Breath, at its heart, is about morals, and Mulder has to make a choice between potentially saying goodbye to his close friend, or revenging her abduction. In the end, Mulder chooses Scully, a decision which possibly saves her life, and definitely stops him from flying off the deep end.

The X-Files: 3 (2.7)

I'm always been a fan of vampire stories played mostly straight, with blood-drinkers operating in reality. Hollywood is too a great locale for these stories, a town obsessed with youth a natural setting for those kinds of modern-day vampire tales. So, for me, 3 was a pretty good detour. It doesn't have the greatest of reputations, and there are of course problems, but it's a neat bridge between two very important episodes.

The X-Files: Ascension (2.6)

Very much an episode of two halves, the first being the relentless pursuit of Scully (complete with gratuitious action scenes), the second being shocking and human drama. Like all the best "conspiracy" episodes, I loved the real sense of helplessness that Mulder experienced here. And that helplessness doesn't come more obvious than with Scully's abduction. Just having her vanish, without any proof of her being taken, is probably worse than just having her be murdered. That feeling of complete isolation, and no understanding or indication of where she's gone? It's devastating.