Black Oil and Bee Stings - An X-Files Podcast

Bald Move has been doing TV recap podcasts for years, and when Jim and A.Ron finally got around to The X-Files they brought the same approach that made their Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones coverage so good. They take the show seriously without being reverent about it. An episode can be a clear masterpiece and still get picked apart for the two scenes that don't work. A clunker can still get credit for the one shot that does. That even-handedness is rarer than you'd think in fan podcasts, where the default mode is usually either total loyalty or nonstop complaints. The production value is noticeably higher than most of the category. Clean audio, tight edits, well-paced episodes that run about as long as they need to and not a minute more. Jim and A.Ron have good chemistry, a shared frame of reference for 90s TV, and enough patience with the mythology to actually track the plot instead of shrugging and making a joke every time Cigarette Smoking Man walks on screen. If you already listen to Bald Move for their other shows you'll know what you're getting. If you don't, this is a solid entry point. It's probably the most professionally made X-Files rewatch podcast currently active, and the opinions are strong enough to disagree with, which is half the fun.