The X-Files Friday Feature: Canada

This show is very clearly filmed in Vancouver. Or rather, was - I figured I should do a post about Canada now that the show has moved to Los Angeles, right?

It's not really obvious to me from the geographical features - I've never been to Vancouver, and I've only been to Seattle once, but Canada definitely looks a lot like parts of the U.S., too.

No, it's clearer from a lot of the guest actors.

I've really taken note of all the obviously Canadian actors in various episodes as I watch them. Like, as soon as I hear an 'aboot' or a 'sorey'*, I'll say something like, "Welcome to Canada!" out loud.

And this happens even in episodes that don't take place anywhere near Canada and where the characters are really not supposed to be Canadian. I've heard Canadian accents from characters who are most definitely intended to be American.

One thing I learned about the show, though, is that they mostly tried to hire relatively unknown guest actors, and for the most part, they seemed to stay local. It's probably just a coincidence that all three of the Lone Gunmen and the Smoking Man are Canadian, right? Or maybe it's one of the show's most fundamental conspiracies. Blame Canada! Well, OK, probably not.

Sometimes, the show takes place in the northern U.S. and the local accents already sound 'Canadian enough' to not be a huge issue. It isn't exactly beyond the realm of possibility that there are a lot of Canadians in Washington State or Maine (though the Maine accent is very much not Canadian - they did a reasonable job of sounding like Mainers in 'Chinga', despite a nearly entire Canadian cast).

But I'm pretty sure the only episode that has actually had any part of it set in Canada has been 'The End', and even then, only for the opening scene. Obviously this makes sense - Mulder and Scully work for the FBI, so they aren't going to be dealing with cases in Canada.

Only two episodes into season six now, I don't know that I can say I've noticed that much of a difference - there are still plenty of Canadian actors in Hollywood. And obviously anything done on an indoor set is largely going to be the same. I guess maybe it's a little more brightly lit since it doesn't rain so much in Los Angeles?

I've never been to Los Angeles outside the airport, but I'm sure we'll see some identifiably southern California features, like say, certain architecture or vegetation. There were times in the Canadian episodes where I thought the trees were a little too coniferous for where the episodes were supposed to be taking place. Especially when they ended up in the south, like 'Quagmire' and 'Detour'. Western Canada just isn't that marshy.

It certainly doesn't detract from the series, I just find it interesting that the show never really tried to hide the fact that it hired a lot of Canadians to play Americans or that Vancouver was frequently masquerading as places that look nothing like it.

I suppose that means the plots and the characters have been more interesting than the settings. Which is really a good thing.
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*I intend no offence to Canadians, but short of using the IPA, which most people can't read, there's not really a better way to indicate certain obviously Canadian pronunciations. I know you don't actually say 'aboot'.