"The X-Files" Familiar (TV Episode 2018) Poster

(TV Series)

(2018)

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9/10
Scary and marvelous!
Gandalfthedutch12 March 2018
After the somewhat comedic but great episode of last week the X-Files returns with this genuin terrifying episode. Mr Chuckletheet is the stuff where nightmares come from as it is a great mix of Pennywise, Jigsaw and even a little bit of Slenderman! Watching this episode you won't be dissapointed!
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9/10
Yes they can still do it.
jaz-155529 March 2018
Yes they can still do it, writing a excellent and trilling X-File episode. This one a a classic X-Files story, well done. May be Season 11 is not lost after all.
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9/10
A return to the X-Files which originally entranced viewers
dominionlimo17 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After the previous ridiculous and inconsequential episode, finally back to the original "creature of the week" concept which hooked viewers so many years ago.
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10/10
Dark and Classic.
Roswellf8 March 2018
This episode has the classic x files vibe all over the place.

This is what i have wanted, mystery and dark tone. What X files has not really given us recent seasons is great supporting characters, mystery and scary monsters (well i'm calling this one a monster, deal with it) and this episode really gives that vibe back to you.
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10/10
Best episode this season
cbradenakarma8 March 2018
Finally, we are back to what the X-Files started out to be. A serious look at evil and the unknown realm instead of some ridiculous comedic farce. Thanks for giving us what long-time X-Files fans are craving. Please continue!
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10/10
Classic MOTW Vibe
rojpon-691-50232111 March 2018
Awesome episode! The best Monster of the Week (MOTW) episode this year so far...an instant classic! The episode took me back to the feel of the early days. Of course, it didn't hurt having seasons 10 and 11 filming in Vancouver, B.C. just like during seasons 1-4.
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10/10
Now I'm Starting To Believe!
darryl-jason13 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is what you call an X FILE episode. At it's best just like the classic old seasons. Since I started watching Season 11, I've been waiting for Mulder & Scully to do their usual 'running through the woods', investigations, autopsies, etc, etc. I was struggling to see (and feel) all these elements that were continuously featured in the older seasons and here they are FINALLY we are back to seeing old classic X Files! It's all right here in this episode!

To start with, & I don't know how many others will agree, but when I started to watch this episode, I noticed the opening scene is very similar to the new remake of "IT" - The little boy in his yellow raincoat who goes wondering off. You notice that?? I thought it was going to be a take on that movie, a Clown episode, one that obsesses over children. Well, how wrong was I?, but you'll see why I thought this when you come to watch this epic episode.

All in all, I will say this - I feel the Mulder & Scully we all knew from the older seasons were lost a little from season 10 right up to this episode but now we are back to what the X Files used to be! Classic Mulder & Scully are back!!! Best episode in Season 11 for sure!
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Great X-files, but huge plot hole.
emperorsclothes8 March 2018
Eggers would not have his service weapon when he goes after the chief. Even with small town justice, they would confiscate all his weapons.

Everything else was great.
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7/10
Familiar
bobcobb3019 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Not as strong as last week's classic, but this was a good one-off premise here. As someone who likes witchcraft stories this one about the dark arts worked.

It got a bit off the rails here, and the idea of an officer gunning down a sex offender for a case with no evidence is unbelievable, but if you ignore those issues you are able to enjoy this show.
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10/10
Pure X Files!
josua_daniele8 March 2018
What can I say? Awesome episode!! It's like the old ones!!! This new season have been really really great!! This episode is true X files! I really enjoyed it!
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10/10
Best episode of the season
skydragon-413 March 2018
As many other X-Files fans, I've been watching this show from the very beginning back in the early nineties. Season 11 hasn't been bad or anything but this episode, with your classic X-Files style Monster of the Week, just blew me away. Completely gripping from start to finish and the entire episode seemed to pass just like that because I was so hooked. A++
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5/10
A mishmash of horror tropes mailed in from nowhere special
eae-8067611 March 2018
From the ridiculous behavior of the police to the topically lazy 'scary TV clown characters' to the bolted-on black magic revenge/hell hound for whatever reasons and "let's wrap this up with an immolation effect because we're at the end credits already", this episode screamed 'remainder script pile'. But I diss this episode because they've already done far, far better work with a couple episodes this season, and Carter and friends shouldn't get a pass for this substandard effort.
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10/10
True X-files
x-232938 March 2018
Greatest episode of the new season,take me back to those great old-days . this is how you done a typical serious X-files episode.
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8/10
Good by S11 standards
kuarinofu9 March 2018
One of the good episodes of this season. Atmospheric location, very X-filish, brings back S1 memories. Small town, woods, cloudy and foggy, good stuff. Nice and creepy children show mascots, especially teletubbies-spoofs, very bizarre.

Even though some of the supporting cast performances were questionable, looking like they've invited amateur actors (Chief and Officer Eggers), the only really bad thing was the ending. It felt a little rushed and unsatisfying. Scully never doubted her decision and the consequences. Never tried to prevent anything.

Overall, almost brings back the charm of the pre-LA X-files era, while the production was still in Canada. X-fans will catch that right away.
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8/10
Supernatural files
shiftyburn7 September 2018
Excellent episode but as a big supernatural fan I kept expecting Sam and Dean Winchester to turn up
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9/10
Good one
fil-nik098 March 2018
This is really a good episode.

The beginning and the end are pure X Files of the old days. And the ending is quite unexpected. Maybe it is too dark since the children were involved, but... this is what we are used to.

9 from me.
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9/10
So you wanna play with magick..
tsoderlu27 March 2018
Good episode, creepy and keeps you in suspense, Scully doing her thing and Mulder his in a true classic X-file atmosphere, this is what X-files is all about!
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10/10
Top episode
grizzlydblair14 January 2021
For all the reasons advanced by other 10/10 and 9/10 reviewers on this forum, which I will not repeat, this was, for me, the strongest episode of this season - with 'Plus One' a close second. All the more remarkable because both the writer and director had never previously contributed to the show, but captured the classic X-F vibe. Mr Chuckleteeth is a brilliant creation. With all respect to reviewer kuarinofu, however, and to whoever posted on 'Connections', this is not channelling 'Teletubbies' but another UK show called 'Boobah'. 15 years ago my youngest kids were glued to this, but it really creeped me out (as it clearly did the writer of this episode). I was very grateful when in due course they graduated to 'Spongebob Squarepants' ...
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1/10
Pure Stupidity
Foxbarking10 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I can't even begin to tell how stupid this episode was. The idiotic portrayal of law enforcement was so more aggravated than the poor storyline... I just can't get over how bad this was.

So a police officer murders a man in cold blood, on his back and unable to defend himself in from of nearly 20 eye witnesses and gets $5000 bail. Then he goes straight home and takes his gun out of the closet? REALLY? Like they wouldn't have taken all his weapons?

The pure stupidity of how they treated the arrest of this officer overwhelmed the weak story line and just aggravating crap in this episode. This is an insult to the legacy of this show.
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10/10
Finally!!!
nosastra-19 March 2018
Awesome episode!!! Good old X files are back for good!!!
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9/10
Classic X-Files
fadelman8 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The eighth episode of the 11th Season, titled "Familiar" is classic X-Files, right down to introducing a new, eerie killer called Mr. Chuckleteeth. In the town of Eastwood, Connecticut, the young son of Police Officer Eggers (Jason Gray-Stanford, who was "Lt. Randall Disher" on MONK) is found brutally murdered in the woods. The arrival of Mulder and Scully at the murder scene spells bad news for Police Chief Strong (Alex Carter; "Detective Vartann" on CSI) and the entire Eastwood Police Department when Scully contradicts Chief Strong's opinion that the little boy was attacked by a wolf. Scully says it is more likely a person who did this and he (or she) lives in Eastwood (Mulder says to Scully, "You're my homey" when she thanks him for backing her profile, but he thinks the killing was caused by a Hell Hound). Eastwood is a regular Peyton Place, as the married chief Strong is cheating on his wife with the wife of Officer Eggers and Eastwood itself was the site of witch burnings in the 16th century. But what does this have to do with the young boy's death? Chief Strong loses his young daughter when she follows one of her favorite kids show characters (called the "Biggle-Tiggles" a take-off on the Tele-Tubbies) and she is murdered in the same area of the woods as the young boy. Officer Eggers discovers that someone in town is a registered child sex offender and he goes to his house, where the crowd cheers him on to kill him. In a case of mass hysteria, Officer Eggers shoots the man in the head in front of nearly the entire town. Mulder makes a discovery in the woods (the young victims were killed in a circle of salt), which leads him to the real killer. But what does Mr. Chuckleteeth have to do with all this? Basically nothing, except that the real killer is using the child's favorite characters to kill the children (Mr. Chuckleteeth is a part Of the Biggle-Tiggles Show and in a scene of great horror we hear the Mr. Chuckleteeth theme song with a twist: "Mr Chuckleteeth, we all love you so / Stay with us forever, and never let us go / Mr Chuckleteeth, it's time to say farewell / If you try to run...we'll send you straight to HELL!", as Mulder watches the TV screen turn to fire. You have to see it for yourself!). Just like most classic episodes of the X-Files, there are memorable characters and a really twisted plot. Mr. Chuckleteeth will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Great episode.
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8/10
"He's potentially John Wayne Gacy with a monkey."
classicsoncall6 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
You would have to go all the way back to Season Four of 'The X-Files" to come up with their first treatment of witchcraft in a story. In "Sanguinarium", a nurse practicing witchcraft appeared to be getting some measure of personal revenge against unscrupulous doctors performing cosmetic surgery at exorbitant rates. That one was a lot gorier than this episode, which unfortunately exploited a couple of very young victims to unleash the hounds of hell in a Connecticut town. Being an X-File, no other explanation is needed for the appearance of cartoony characters like Mr. Chuckleteeth and the Purple Bibbletiggle who led their victims astray, as some sleight of hand scriptwriting focuses it's attention on the wife of the philandering police chief as the keeper of the gateway to Hell. The episode did a good job of demonstrating how a mob mentality in the modern era is not much different from attitudes you'll see in a typical, old time Hollywood Western when it comes to a good old fashioned lynching. The writers even managed to throw in an instance of spontaneous combustion at the finale, which in itself would have been a good topic for Scully and Mulder to investigate if they hadn't reached a time limit. I have a pretty good idea that town will never be the same again.
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9/10
Classic!
jlcarpenter7912 July 2018
This episode was fantastic and had all of the classic X- Files characteristics I missed most!
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10/10
Great great great
kimmerli8 March 2018
Wow! Great episode! I really loved it!! One of my fav of this new season! Hope they do more!!!
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10/10
Classic X Files - best episode of the season
LoreCraft8 September 2023
This episode demonstrates that they can still do it - if only they could somehow abandon some of the bloated mythology and focus more on episodes like this, the X Files would still be a top rated show to this day. This episode is everything we always want and want more of; mystery, frightful, the skeptical vs mythological divide between the protagonists investigating the case, and both a supernatural and human element to the mystery. Mr Chuckleteeth IS scary. Great episode! I wish they'd do more like this!

I am sincerely hoping they can renew for a 12th season and we can get this show back on the air, with the right direction. Chris Carter did us all well, but he should've handed over some of the writing to other minds some time ago. I fear the reason the show is back off the air is the same reason it went off the air 20 years ago - bloated mythology giving way to disinterest. "Scully's baby" became a point of fatigue and disinterest for a lot of viewers, and he picked that right back up again as if he didn't know or understand that was a dead end for the show. Let us hope we haven't seen the last of the X Files. Episodes like this show they can easily still do it right.
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