7. Jose Chung's "From Outer Space" (The X-Files, Season 3)
This episode is the best example of The X-Files displaying all its far-flung, thrilling sci-fi elements, while at the same time telling the viewer Hey, we dont take ourselves all that seriously. And you shouldnt either. Sci-Fi author Jose Chung (in an hysterical performance by Charles Nelson Reilly) interviews Mulder and Scully about a case in which two teens claim to have been abducted by aliens. What follows is a brilliant, farcical version of The X-Files utilising multiple points of view, many of which portray the intrepid pair of investigators as bumbling buffoons. By the end of the episode neither the characters, nor the viewer, are completely sure what has transpired, but it doesnt matter. This is an instance of the telling of the story being more important than the story itself. Whether its the strategic use of bleep to mask curse words, cigarette smoking grey-skin aliens, or the appearance of Alex Trebek as a mysterious man in black (that is not a misprint), Jose Chungs From Outer Space is one of the best examples of the fun that can be had when a heavy show like The X-Files is willing to make itself the punchline of a joke.