The goal of this site is to act as a retrospective analysis of the X-Files television series, as well as a place to discuss and celebrate the show’s legacy and future 20+ years later. While I will be discussing individual episodes, my intent is not to “review” them (though I may post reviews of other X-Files-related media such as books or toys). While I may, from time to time, offer personal opinions on the episodes, my main objective is to break down the cases being investigated, to discuss character interactions and motivations, and to track recurring elements in the series rather than to critique the episodes from a structural viewpoint. My perspective is that even the best episodes can have their occasional eye-rolling moment, and the worst episodes can contain enjoyable little gems, and different viewers will often have vastly different opinions based on preference. The episode posts will contain spoilers for those episodes and may hint at events from upcoming episodes (though I may try to keep that a bit vague for anyone who wants to follow along as they watch the series for the first time). This site will also be the new home of my X-Files related artwork, which will be linked to relevant episodes in the Episode List.
The title of the blog is taken from Mulder’s line from The Truth, “I’ve been chasing after monsters with a butterfly net.” I always loved that line and how it embodied both a bit of the whimsy of their pursuit of the unknown and insurmountable odds they faced on their quest. I pluralized it to encompass Scully, as well (and eventually Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes, too).