INTRODUCTIONS - How I Became a Fan (Andrew Blaker)

I had not seen a single episode of The X-Files prior to 2008, when I Want to Believe hit theaters. 

Looking to see a movie with a high school friend of mine, the film’s premise sounded interesting. A good throwaway summer film, I figured. I knew the series has to do with aliens and alien abduction. So we saw the film shortly after its July 25 release. That film made me a fan.

I was taken by the characters. I really enjoyed the film, and stand by that initial opinion. The film was a mature and well-crafted thriller that relied on the film’s atmosphere and stellar acting by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. I decided to take a look at the series, knowing absolutely nothing about the mythology. 

I found a used DVD set of Season 3 and started watching. Surprisingly, watching the season straight through, including the mythology-heavy episodes, didn’t confuse or throw me too far off course; it made me eager to watch the series from the beginning. I checked out the DVDs from my local library and a year later, having made my way through the series and two films, purchased the complete series DVD set.

In college, my best friend and I watched the series straight through in about a year and a half. We gathered together earlier this year to watch The Event Series.

The X-Files is my favorite television series, and I love revisiting the series on a frequent basis. I favor the Monster of the Week episodes over the mytharc episodes, but love to read anything about the series and listen to podcasts recapping the episodes. 

I’m excited for the chance to write about the series I love, and the characters and episodes I love.

Andrew will be a regular contributor to the blog. 

You can follow him on Twitter @andrewblaker620