The File Room

This week Michaela reveals a big life change ahead, AI tries to turn Ed's D&D campaign into a business memo, and we discuss 'The Pine Bluff Variant', an episode of The X-Files with more double-agent turns than the last series of The Traitors*.     *or what I'd assume. Paul only made me watch the last episode.

The X-Files abruptly remembers that Scully's daughter died and tries to examine her grief through the prism of a case involving angels, with mixed results. Michaela and Ed try to make sense of it all, while also discussing video stores and spoiling the hell out of the forgotten Robert Pattinson vehicle Remember Me and the novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh, so consider this a spoiler warning.

A major milestone in the UK year has been met with celebrations, meanwhile Ed has joined the Flimsy Wrist Brigade... Is this episode of the X Files a blinder? Did we see too much? 

Like R.E.M., The X-Files is exhuming McCarthy this week in an episode that goes back to the 1950s, an era of paranoia and persecution, when absolute psychopaths ran the American government. Hard to imagine such a thing, right? Michaela and Ed also talk about Ed "Velma-ing" on a late night run.

Michaela is mildly annoyed by holiday admin, Ed is uncomfortable about discussing BDSM and Mulder and Scully complete their Freaky Friday plot line. 

The X-Files tries to grapple seriously with Mulder's loss of faith but he just comes off as really moody, and the show introduces a couple of characters who will be important for the mythology. Elsewhere, Michaela goes under the sea and Ed accidentally steals valor.

This week, Michaela recounts her experience of a precarious mix of sound baths, 100 press-ups, and enough high-octane coffee to power a small city. Meanwhile, Ed discusses the entry to his D&D era and the harsh reality that adult friendship is mostly just planning sessions that never actually happen. Then we get on to discuss this week's episode, the undisputed heavyweight champion of X-Files comedies: "Bad Blood". It’s a Rashomon-style masterpiece featuring Luke Wilson’s dreamy (or buck-toothed) face, a runaway RV, and maybe the most iconic use of sunflower seeds in television history. The true conspiracy of the X-Files might actually be the secret behind those glowing green eyes... listen in to find out more.

Michaela and Ed convene in CYBERSPACE to discuss the first episode of The X-Files written by acclaimed sci-fi authors William Gibson and Tom Maddox. They discuss the episode's place within Gibson's body of work, how its vision of A.I. looks now versus in 1998, and the many ways that The Matrix managed to make cyberpunk cool.

This week, we dive into the uncanny as the legendary Stephen King takes the helm of The X-Files. Ed puts on his surgical gloves to dissect "Chinga," tracing King’s unmistakable fingerprints across every chilling scene to see how the Master of Horror fares in the basement office. But before we face the doll from hell, we navigate the hazards of the real world. Ed prepares for the high-stakes spectacle of the Super Bowl - predicting glory and eyeing the halftime stage - while a simple quest for a raincoat turns into a classic battle against the elements (and a perfectly timed cosmic joke from the weather). Grab a Sunday roast and join us as we bridge the gap between mundane mid-winter walks and Maine’s most twisted imagination.

There's some prime mid-90s pop cultural ephemera in this episode, but what else? Michaela and Ed try to figure out if there's anything worthwhile in an X-File often cited as one of the worst, and if the very title of the episode itself is a typo.

Ed joins Michaela's girl's night in to discuss this episode, featuring the return of persuasive serial killer, Pusher. They also talk about some exciting recent news.

This week The X-Files follows up a nuanced and touching first half of a two-parter with a second part which is only fitfully either of those things. Michaela and Ed discuss what the show could have done to avoid squandering some real potent material, and whether this episode just exists as an emotional Saw trap for Scully.

Time feels different at Christmas... Michaela and Ed discuss a sound character episode, and try not to look too closely at reality. 

Michaela and Ed get to dig into a very strange and meaty episode this week, one which allows them to discuss the intricacies of black and white cinematography, post-modernism as a school of thought, and Cher.  Content warning: Due to the nature of the storyline in this week's episode, there is some discussion of sexual assault early on, which is marked in the timestamps for this episode if you want to skip it.

Michaela and Ed discuss a tingling sense of deja vu, management workshops, and the uncanny resemblance between Florida and Canada.

The X-Files travels back to 1989 this week to explain how The Lone Gunmen came together, how they met Mulder, and how Mulder only believes in aliens because he got gassed? Michaela and Ed discuss whether the episode is a little too neat for its own goods, and talk about their New Year's resolutions for 2026.

The X-Files resolves some long-running plot threads in this emotionally satisfying episode, and Ed and Michaela talk in generally non-spoiler terms about how the first season of Pluribus turned out.

The X-Files returns from a shocking cliffhanger - is Mulder really dead?!? - with pretty lackluster answers. Michaela and Ed discuss how well the show handles its explanations for Mulder's survival, and wonder if the X-Files missed a golden opportunity to ditch its complicated mythology.

Before they dive into season five of The X-Files, Michaela and Ed fulfill their prerogatives at millennials by talking about The Simpsons on the internet. Specifically, the X-Files/Simpsons crossover episode, The Springfield Files. They also commiserate over both being either sick or just recovering from being sick. Correction: When Ed is talking about visiting York, he mistakenly says that some of the streets were used for filming the first Harry Potter film, which is incorrect - they are often assumed to have been inspiration for Diagon Alley in the books.

We've come to the end of another season so Michaela and Ed take a little time to look back on the highs and lows of Season 4 of The X-Files. Thank you all for listening to us in 2025! We hope that you have had a good holiday period and a Happy New Year!

Shocking season finale... but can we buy it? Ed and Michaela try to forget what they know to unpick the storytelling PLUS get your tastebuds ready whilst we discuss Ed's Thanksgiving meal.

Mulder wakes up in a bad situation and has to figure out how he got there, and Michaela and Ed discuss the ways in which different Arnold Schwarzenegger movies emotionally scared them.

Michaela and Ed discuss this episode that is... let's say "clumsy" in its treatment of people with autism.

Michaela and Ed discuss the very nature of horror itself as Walter Skinner finds himself trapped in the web of the Cigarette Smoking Man.

Ed and Michaela discuss Vince Gilligan's homage to Darin Morgan, starring none other than Darin Morgan himself. Heads up about content: if you've watched the episode you know it touches on sexual assault. We'll be discussing that in this episode.

The X-Files tackles time travel (yay!) but it's not as fun as you'd hope (boo!). Michaela and Ed try to figure out what's missing from an episode that on paper should be really good.

Ever heard of Horace Pinker? No, neither had we. Michaela and Ed chat Tickle Me Elmo, Headbanger's Ball and classic cinema inspo in this week's episode. Plus why Michaela once had to wear someone else's underwear. We promise this is a podcast about the X Files.

Mulder and Scully investigate a plane crash involving Max Fenig, previously seen in Season One's "Fallen Angel", and Ed and Michaela get to enjoy a mythology episode which is mostly free of the usual hybrid/colonisation baggage.

Michaela finds dogs and an Alien in some dude's house in London, and we discuss whether this episode is an effective snapshot of 90s America with Ed's Historian Help. Apologies for the echo-y audio - we had some microphone issues that weren't apparent until after we had recorded.

Ed and Michaela discuss a very emotionally and thematically rich episode, one which draws upon Jewish folklore and mysticism for a story that remains potent almost 30 years later.

Should we be calling this a 'Messology' episode? We catch up with Scully's cancer journey, some more hybrids, PLUS Ed has a time in an airport carpark. 

Ed is back from traveling seemingly the entirety of the UK by train, so he and Michaela catch up before talking about a very fun episode of The X-Files that came close to being a very different kind of episode entirely.

Michaela and Ed tackle the most-watched episode of The X-Files ever, a fact which is very funny when you consider what the episode is actually about. They also talk about whether the episode's blending of monster of the week and mythology might be a good blueprint for the new X-Files.

In the ignominious tradition of "Jersey Devil", this episode finds The X-Files taking a popular cryptid (in this case the Chupacabra) and just using the name to do something else entirely. Michaela and Ed discuss problems with striking the right tone, the X-Files' clumsy attempts at social commentary, and what a good job the special effects department did on all that fungus.

Vince Gilligan uses a manipulative serial killer to distort central X Files canon, but does it work? Join Ed and Michaela as we discuss this and more, plus catch up on our indulgences or attempts to moderate. Apologies for the rougher-than-usual audio in this episode.

"Tunguska" left Mulder stranded in a gulag and asked 'how will he get out?' This episode replies 'Surprisingly easily.' Michaela and Ed discuss the ever-growing number of problems with the mythology, and the dangers of trying to set up the plot for a movie that isn't going to come out for two years. Also, sorry that the audio is a little rough in this episode.

Ed has a nice cup of tea, and we discuss the punchability of faces, the road to the X Files movie, and why black oil is so compelling.

It's a fun one this week as The X-Files delves into the (possibly all false) back story of one of its most iconic and mysterious characters, while Michaela and Ed talk about the very notion and purpose of conspiracy theories.

Ed and Michaela try to stomach this episode, have a disappointing revelation and even disagree... 

Mulder regresses through his past lives and Michaela and Ed struggle to stay awake. Dreadlocked - As mentioned in the intro, here is the funny little "documentary" that Michaela and Ed made at university about Michaela getting her dreadlocks cut off for charity. (It's a bit slow for the first two minutes but then it gets silly.)

The mechanics of mystery are picked over in this week's especially creepy episode, plus, at what point does Mulder's leaps become 'a bit much'? All this, plus Ed's 4th of July menu for your listening delectation. 

Michaela and Ed spend way too long talking about taxes at the start of this episode, which is a pretty good indicator of how exciting "Teliko" is.

Infamous. Audacious. Kinda gross. This week, Michaela and Ed dig into an episode that shocked a nation. Michaela’s fresh-from-the-spa glow doesn't survive the Peacock brothers, and Ed worried about tinnitus. Join us as we dissect the horror, the humour, and the cultural lean of this iconic hour of TV.

Michaela and Ed dig into season four of The X-Files by discussing advances in data storage. They also debut a podcast within a podcast, Millennium Moment. Spoilers for the end of 28 Years Later 

Mark Snow, composer for The X-Files and hundreds of other TV shows and movies, died on July 4th, 2025, at the age of 78. Michaela and Ed discuss the importance of Snow's work to the success of The X-Files, why his use of synths stood out in the TV landscape of the 1990s, and why his work - particularly the iconic theme - resonates to this day. Music clips used in this episode, all composed by Mark Snow: "X-Files Theme" "Slimed" "Insequi" "Deverbero" "X-Files Theme (Terrestrial Mix)" "Secret Desires" (from Private Fears in Public Places) Also, this interview with Mark Snow about writing the X-Files theme is very good. Couldn't find any space for clips of it in the episode, but it's well worth watching for a discussion of the creative process that produced one of the most iconic pieces of music in television history.

The highs, the disappointments, and a long list of excellent guest stars. Join us once again for a spreadsheet extravaganza to top out season 3, as Ed and Michaela discuss striking the balance between competence and creative risk-taking.

Ed and Michaela try to figure out what the fuck is going on with the mythology, with mixed results. Also they make possibly the first podcast in history to reference both Irish pop band The Corrs and the Brothers Karamasov.

A classic X Files conspiracy episode with two-for-one Mulders, which feels a little too prescient round contemporary media fears.

Mulder and Scully go in search of a lake monster, and Michaela and Ed interrogate '90s nostalgia.

We discuss male psychology and Eurovision in this Women in Sci-Fi special episode.