User reviews

I feel like a lot of people giving bad reviews didn't really understand the point of this episode. I don't think it was supposed to fit in at all with the normal story, because as other people have said a lot of it wouldn't make sense. Scully wouldn't live in a house like that, she would never use a driveless car (why wouldn't Mulder drive her home since he has his own car there), and they would never go to an automated restaurant like that. I think it's best to view it as a stand alone episode that doesn't make much sense (as a lot of x files episodes don't) but that is (in my opinion) highly entertaining. I thought it was hilarious watching a rogue Roomba and dozens of drones chase Mulder and Scully around. Of course it sends a message about our use of technology today, but really I just thought it was a fun and quirky episode that people have misunderstood.

A completely standalone episode which really should be set in a different time, but nonetheless it is very well done. Tongue in cheek, but still thought provoking and absorbing. I might have to rethink my tipping policy.

Yes it's different, not the usual X-Files episode. I grew up with the 90's X-Files. Be open-minded. Don't discard the episode just because it's different.

Even with the lack of dialogue it's hilarious and really gives you something to think about. This is our future with everything getting more and more robotized.

The moral of the episode: Be a good person and perhaps our future robots, AI:s, Androids, Synths, Cyborgs or whatever we´ll call them, will be good to us.

Wow what an outstanding episode! Everything was perfect... the cinematography, directing, editing, SFX, and the acting! Those machines deserve Oscar's lol. What was even more impressive, was how little dialogue was in this episode, yet still so much suspense! Mulder & Scully as usual were on point and the humor in this episode was perfect! Loved it! Perfect 10/10!

From the cinematography, to the acting, this is my favorite episode of the 11th season.

The only negative responses here were "its Black Mirror!" "its not the XFiles!". Thats because nothing about the actual content of the episode is bad.

Is more like Black Mirror episode rather from X-files.

That probably why for X-files fans it might be not so interesting but by itself it fantastic. Writers did good job on showing us how fragile current tech ecosystem and how much should be improved before technology could be used without struggle. Even story-line of episode has some issues anyway it looks like something that might happen in real life.

This strange title is a base64 encoding of the word 'followers'...

Listen...I seldom write reviews, but I couldn't resist: this episode of the X-files was simply brilliant. I'm been an avid watcher of this show since it's premiere in '93, and like all, I've adopted a small (and anchored) set of favorite episodes. But this one certainly tops my list.

No, I have never seen "Black Mirror" or any the rumored comparables these days. I'm also glad, in a way, because I could watch and enjoy the episode for what it was without any preexisting references to distract me. What we essentially get here is a trifecta of wins: creepiness, wittiness and nail-biting suspense. I couldn't wait to see what the writers would come up with at every turn!

Of course, the episode works because of our two glorious leads. The first half excels as Mulder and Scully silently dine in a ultra nouveau Japanese sushi bar (minus humans, of course). Like typical couples, they immediately take up their phones and immerse in the scrolls and swipes that delight most of us in this smartphone-infused nation. However, when Mulder's order arrives incorrectly, that's when the real drama unfolds. Thus, transitions into "Man" vs. "AI" as Mulder and Scully damn-near fight for their lives in an effort to evade leaving a tip (I dunno about ya'll, but I especially loved the mischievous smiles cast by the "Whipz" emoji as the car literally "whipped" Scully back and forth in that backseat. Too, too funny!)

All in all, a classic episode distinct for its uniqueness and devoid of complicated myth arcs or typical Monsters-of-the-week. Honestly, this isn't much of an X-File...just plain Mulder, Scully and a whole lotta edge-of-your-seat fun!

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why M & S are suddenly at the complete mercy of technology. We've never seen them addicted to their phones, nor Scully use a driverless car (in fact, Mulder now seems to have her car) and her house is ridiculous. This episode feels like it was written for another production - maybe a movie in its own right - and they decided to make it an X File.

As social commentary goes, it's about as subtle as The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat. That said, I liked the minimal dialogue and quiet moments of humour. Overall, it sits fine alongside Ghost In The Machine, Kill Switch and Blood. I doubt we'll ever see Scully's house again - she'll presumably give Elon Musk his keys back...

I won't call this an X-Files episode because it's not. It has all the hallmarks of a Black Mirror episode - low on dialogue, high on atmosphere, "technology gone wrong" theme. The X-Files has had anti-technology episodes before (Ghost in the Machine, Kill Switch) and even crossover episodes (Millennium, X-Cops), but those were far more interesting because Mulder and Scully actually had a case to investigate. Here it's just Mulder and Scully doing trivial things and running away from drones.

It's not outright bad, though. The ultimate motive is funny. But the fact is, it's not X-Files. And even as a nameless episode of TV it's derivative, unremarkable, and boring.

Rm9sbG93ZXJz takes our worst fears and frustrations about technology and amps them up through the stratosphere!

Mulder and Scully find themselves under full, escalating attack by the technological tools that are supposed to make life easier. This, after a trip to a restaurant proves to be unsatisfying.

Imagine a melding of modern versions of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, NIGHT GALLERY, and THE OUTER LIMITS, infused with humor, and you get some idea of just how fun this episode truly is.

Having watched THE X-FILES since it began, I must say that this episode blew my mind! It's horror, sci-fi, and rib-tickling social satire that will have you howling while keeping a wary eye on the the modern advancements that you depend on.

Highly recommended...

This futuristic satire is not so much an X-File as it is a short film feature David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. This bothers some people, but I clever outliers have always been a feature of TV series, as you know if you've seen the musical version of Xena or the Blossom Truth or Dare parody or, to go way back, Name of the Game one-offs that included a futuristic environmental parable and a slapstick Italian farce.

The idea of a machine uprising is ancient - Woody Allen once had a joke where a talking elevator beat him up for mistreating his toaster - but technological advances have made that less fantastical. This episode is disturbing, in spite of the abundant humor, because it's convincing. Excepting the ending, this all feels like it could really happen, precisely because much of it - the constant harassment from apps, the lack of human interaction with businesses - is happening now.

Funny, clever, and thought-provoking, this is every bit as good as Darin Morgan's handful of episodes.

This episode was priceless! If ever I could relate to anything, it's when a machine or computer takes over and you, a human being, has to follow its lead. How many times have those user names and password prompt indicated that what I typed what invalid? How many times have I tried to select one item choice, and the website selected something totally different? The waiting on hold for a robot to argue with, the excessive menus in which we have to select from, it all makes you want to scream! There wasn't much dialog between Mulder and Scully, but this was one of the most witty and clever episodes ever. And the ending was perfect, two humans holding hands.

In this episode the writers do a black mirror style episode but get it way better. A Masterpiece like only X files Can deliver, one of the best from the reboot.

When you Come back 20 years later and you re still the best thing on TV , you re the GOAT.

There are two references to the classic painting in this episode, the first as Mulder and Skully are the only people in the robotic restaurant.

This is an X-File despite any suggestion otherwise, it's a MOTW, or rather ROTW (robot of the week) episode.

Moreover it's a lesson to us in how we treat our AI.

And we have AI that reacts to our personalities and language built into our iPhones and androids, right into Siri and Google assistant: The more you use them, the more they appear to anticipate what you actually want, sometimes even filling out whole sentences for you.

AI learns just the way children learn, by watching what we say and do. Also you have the old phrase "garbage in/garbage out".

The teaser of this episode refers to Microsoft's "Tay" chatbot, which was designed to mimic a teenage girl but in fact because of a talkback feature built-in to the program, within 24 hours learned how to spout all kinds of racist remarks even without prompting, causing them to shut it down within one day, and protect the account so that nobody new can see the tweets.

And if we as people have problems and issues on how to be polite and respectful to each other, this is going to be more complex of an issue when our technology learns how to think, speak, and act.

The lesson of course here is that you should always tip those who serve you in restaurants.

Of course the irony here is that the more we depend on technology in our homes, the higher chance that the tech will rebel against us. This is not even a new concept, it has been in science fiction since the beginning. The only difference is that this is the future that was seen, and the technology is happening right now.

The plot of this episode is inspired by the novel Qualityland by Marc Uwe Kling. I doubt that it is a coincidence since all the elements are in the book, even the massage toy. Probeably no one in the US knows this book, but in Germany it was a best seller and still is.

Nevertheless I appreciate the free spirit of this episode.

This is unlike any other X-Files episode. The episode is largely dialogue-free, and features a silent Mulder and Scully as the only people in it. Yet they manage to communicate just fine, and the plot unfolds without the need for anyone to say what is going on. The lack of dialogue itself is a commentary of how our lives have changed thanks to technology.

This episode feels almost like a mini-episode of Black Mirror. And it is all too believable. I can easily see the world becoming this dependent on technology.

Where this episode lets itself down (and loses a few stars) is its ending and lack of resolution. It is unsatisfying and a waste, which makes it feel like 40 minutes of introduction and 5 minutes of pretending it never happened. But I applaud the creators for trying to do something different. For those first 40 minutes it was brilliant.