Here Comes Buffy, There Goes Mulder

Okay. I’ve become a “Buffy” watcher, thanks to you and you and you and probably several other people. Tonight was the first time I actually set aside time to watch it — on my own.

It’s about time I hopped on board. What took me so long? I mean, this is such a great show! Not only is there magic and combat and excitement and great snappy dialogue, but the characters are multidimensional. Here it is, Season 6 and now I’m starting to watch regularly. I hope the show lasts a few more seasons so I can settle in for a while.

My newfound Buffyness does not seem incompatible with my long-standing slavish devotion to “The X-Files,” which began its ninth (yes, ninth) season on Sunday night. Yes, we have entered that one-half of the year during which they actually run original episodes of the show.

Unfortunately, with David Duchovny gone and Gillian Anderson being downplayed this season, it’s not the same show it used to be.

First off — wow — after eight years, the opening credit sequence has undergone a major change, even moreso than the slight changes last season. Now we have completely different graphics, different fonts, and more people listed in the opening credits. It’s about time Mitch Pileggi was moved up there, which I guess they needed to do, because Robert Patrick isn’t as big a draw on his own as Duchovny used to be. And apparently there’s no longer a center of gravity: we’ve gone from two major players to one part-time major player and three supporting players: Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, and Mitch Pileggi. Not to mention the additions of the always-scrumptious Cary Elwes (it’s the first time I’ve heard him speak without a British accent) and Lucy Lawless.

“The X-Files” seems to be turning downright lesbianish. In last year’s season finale we saw hints of Agent Reyes’s attraction to Scully; throw in Lucy Lawless and they definitely seem to be going for the girl power this season. Niche marketing, maybe?

The show has lost much of its charm, though. Really, there’s not much of a reason to start watching it now if you’ve never watched before; I’m probably one of the only people still watching, and this is probably its final season anyway. Chris Carter should have shut it down a couple of years ago, but then what would I do on Sunday nights at 9?

At any rate, it’s nice to have good TV reception again, and a quiet room in which to watch it. Ah, it’s the little things that make life grand.