This is an attempt to explain some of the reasoning
behind the webisodes. I'll admit that most of them have no rhyme or
reason and I won't suggest that this list of references will make
them any funnier. But it's possible that only someone who's watched
all five seasons, and most episodes more than once, would actually
pick up on some of these references. And if you don't catch the
reference, it could lose something in the translation. On the other
hand, I realize some people simply enjoy the webisodes for their
interesting pictures, creative use of the English language, and pure
aesthetic value. But just in case you want a more indepth
understanding, the following is a list of references and in-jokes
from the series.
Eggplant 9 From Outer Space
The title should be obvious to any connoisseur of fine films.
It's a take on "Plan 9 From Outer Space", a true classic. Rush out
to your video store and rent it tonight! The relation to Barney is
obvious. I've always contended that Barney looks like a giant
eggplant with a chicklet for a head. I stand by that analysis. The
final scene of the webisode has Mulder and Scully leaving the scene
triumphantly and avoiding the sewer grates. This is a reference to
the characters Tooms (Squeeze/Tooms) and Flukeman (The Host) each of
whom has been known to lurk behind sewer grates.
Taking the Fifth and Sixth
I had some fun waxing eloquent on the agents' wardrobe. This
follows a comment that Frank Spotnitz (writer and producer) made
about the newsgroup implying that we would rather sit around
discussing Scully's outfits and Mulder's sunglasses than the deeper
themes of the show. The alien assumes that Mulder will eventually
drop his cell phone and he's right. It's just playing the odds since
Mulder has been known to drop his phone and gun more times than I can
count...and usually at an inopportune moment. Real, live, dead alien
is a reference to "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'". The rapidity of
the science experiments is an ongoing issue in the series including
the episode "The Erlenmeyer Flask" which is where the "fifth and
sixth nucleotide" reference was first heard.
A Day in the Life
Scully tells Mulan to take her $23 million and take a hike. This
is the amount that "Mulan" racked up on its opening weekend which
happened to be The X-Files Movie's opening weekend. The X-Files, of
course, took top honors that weekend with over $31 million. Mulder's
girlie scream is a reference to the episode "The War of the
Coprophages" where Mulder recounted his praying mantis epiphany. The
people-eating giant in the final two pictures is Chris, who works in
my lab; now immortalized for all time.
An Invitation to Dance
The bouncer at the door is the McFarlane Toys figure from the
movie that has an alien gestating in its stomach. Cool! The alien
holding the "Hi Mom" sign is just referring to the fact that Scully's
ova have seemingly been used in hybrid experiments (Memento Mori).
Thrall of the Wild
This is Alien Ice Picktures' tame effort at Mulder/Scully Romance.
The line "They dissected Mulder and Scully's every word and action,"
refers to the careful way the show's dialogue is analyzed for things
to support the side of either those who want the relationship to
expand (shippers) or those who aren't in favor of romance (noromos).
Edie's bald head makes Mulder suspect Scully of cheating with
Skinner!
A Dream Before Waking
Mulder mentions how stiff he's been and this is a direct comment
on the action figures themselves. I happen to think they're really
cool but was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to pose them
sitting, etc. due to the lack of articulation in their legs. But
they are really stable in standing positions and can hold huge
weights as I've demonstrated. At the end of the episode we see that
Mulder is fantasizing about Krycek. Not everyone wants to see Mulder
and Scully get together!
Mr. Orange and Mr. Green
The title refers to the code names that the characters in
"Reservoir Dogs" use. Of course, Mulder's Mr. Orange and Mr. Green
are actually Gumby and Pokey.
Meet The Tick
In the webisode's opening, Mulder comments on finding a puddle to
confirm the impact tremors. Anyone who's seen "Jurassic Park" and
its sequel knows this little trick. Dinosaur Neil is a character from
my favorite episode of the cartoon "The Tick". The closing scene is a
take on the speech-making that The Tick usually participates in at
the end of each episode. You really have to watch it to appreciate
his vocabulary.
A Legendary Journey
The varied monsters and mutants scoff at Hercules in a take-off on
the slam "...and you're no Jack Kennedy!" Poor Hercules tells Mulder
he could have been where he was referring to the fact that Kevin
Sorbo was actually up for the part of Mulder on The X-Files.
The Hard-boiled Truth
This black and white episode is an homage to "The Maltese Falcon" and all the old Sam Spade-type movies. The language should have been a dead giveaway.
A Boy and His Cow
Mulder keeping the cow as a pet is a reference to the movie "City Slickers". The cow is actually a squishy cow sent to me by an associate at Y'All.com who visited the site, enjoyed the webisodes, and wanted to see their cow in a webisode with Mulder and Scully. It's a really cool squishy cow that now sits on top of my comuter at work.
The Mind of Mulder
Mulder worries about his parentage and we see the Pez version of
Darth Vader, a reference to the CSM/Darth Vader similarities The
X-Files broaches. Mulder mentions getting slapped by his mother, a
situation that befalls him in the episode "Demons". The 'spoiled
surprise' that Mulder refers to at the end of the webisode is the
vial of Scully's ova that he pocketed in the episode "Memento Mori".
Men in Black and Blue and Green
The title is a variation on "Men in Black", the movie action
figures featured in the webisode. Their names are even trendier than
supermodels because instead of single name monikers they are even
cooler with single letter names. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" is the hit
song by Will Smith, one of the MIB actors. Mulder tries to
requisition a gun from the Arnold action figure from "Terminator 2".
The webisode ends with Mulder and Scully pursuing a one-armed man a
reference to one of Tommy Lee Jones' other movies, "The Fugitive",
and to The X-Files' one-armed man, Alex Krycek.
Mentocity
This one becomes obvious by the fourth act. It's based on the
format for those cheesy Mentos commercials. Some unfortunate incident
happens, consternation ensues, an idea is born, a clever solution is
enacted, and the Mentos-eating person prevails. Some of the lamest
commercials I've seen but fertile ground for parody. Just check out
the Foo Fighters' Mentos parody video.
The Tank Where I Died
This webisode takes its title from the episode "The Field Where I
Died". In this installment, Mulder has a dream which mirrors the
past life regression he experienced in TFWID. Mulder has a fish tank
in his apartment which often seems to be fishless and begs the
question of whether he feeds his fish or ditches them like he so
often ditches his partner. "Sure, fine, whatever," is a quote from
the episode "Syzygy". Scully's comment on feeding the fish too much
is a reference to the episode "Little Green Men". The final image is
of an alligator and Scully mentions Queequeg's revenge. Queequeg was
her Pomeranian (not overly loved by Mulder) who accompanied the
agents on a case in the episode "Quagmire" and was eaten by an
alligator.
Southern Hospitality
Scully mentions doing a Southern blot experiment in a previous
episode. This refers to the episode "Redux, Part I" where Scully
managed to do the quickest DNA prep and Southern blot ever recorded.
We need this sort of expertise and speed in our lab! Scully explains
PCR by relating it to the amplification seen in the old commercial
where someone tells two friends about this great shampoo and they
tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on...
I can't actually remember what the brand of shampoo was but the
commercial sticks in my mind.