Whenever I get into something, I can't help but look for external information about it. I find it enjoyable to learn behind the scenes information, things about the writing process, influences, and so on.
Of course, there's also a slight risk to that.
Spoilers.
I've got two main references when I write my posts for this blog. They are the various episode entries on Wikipedia, and The X-Files Transcripts Archive whenever I'm trying to remember what happened in an episode without rewatching it. I also sometimes look at the Usenet newsgroup to see if the reactions at the time line up with my feelings on a particular episode. After writing my own post, of course - I'd obviously rather not have my own opinions influenced by something I read somewhere.
The latter doesn't tend to pose many problems, though I do often end up seeing future episode titles, or learn that season 4, for example, was aired horribly out of sequence.
Wikipedia, though, can be more dangerous. Sometimes I'll see something I know I shouldn't and close the window before anything can sink in. I'm sure I've picked up some bits and pieces that way, and when the show gets to them, maybe my memory will be jogged and I'll have some vague feeling of having known about it already. But so far, I don't think I've really been spoiled that much.
There's a dedicated X-Files Wiki, too, which is even more comprehensive, and therefore a pretty strict no-no for me until I'm done with the series.
I also found a blog, Musings of an X-Phile, that is by a fan of the show who is going back and re-watching the series and writing about each episode. This is somewhat tricky for me to navigate, because while most of the episodes stand by themselves, there's a tremendous spoiler risk for the mythology episodes, or even any episode that is referenced later in the series. Plus, they've given each episode a letter grade, which I have to be careful of since it can also accidentally influence my own reading of an episode. ("Oh, they gave that an A? I didn't like it. What did I miss?)
More challenging are the various interviews and panels on Youtube. I'm looking forward to the end of the series, because it looks like there are an awful lot of videos I'll want to watch. The only ones we've found safe are the gag reels, which we watch as each season ends, since we know they were made at the same time and not assembled later, like some more recent shows - I'm pretty sure some of the Buffy and Angel DVDs have gag reels that contain scenes from later seasons than the ones on those discs.
The problem with the videos is that they often don't indicate the year - it's safe for me to watch interviews from season 3, obviously, but a lot of times things will show up in the recommendations and I won't know until I click on them. So I've mostly stopped looking at those, too, unless they're really really clear.
I suppose this blog is in the category of things on the internet about the X-Files, too, isn't it? (And actually, it occurs to me that this post is about the blog itself, so maybe we're getting a little into Inception territory here.) Maybe a year from now, after I'm all done, someone else will be writing a blog about their first time experience watching the show and will Google some character or episode or writer (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Darin Morgan more than a few times) and find me and my comments about it.
At least in this case, because I'm also watching for the first time, it seems unlikely anyone else following along as they watch will be spoiled by anything I've written. Unless they read ahead, of course.
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