The X-Files: 10 Best Mythology Episodes

The X-Files really began to hit its stride in its second season, striking the right balance between spooky yet enjoyable standalone episodes and a gradually unfolding narrative that got progressively darker and more intriguing as it went along.

Numerous iconic plotlines were scattered throughout the show's second year, including the introduction of the Alien Bounty Hunters, Mulder's uneasy allegiance with new informant X, and of course, Scully's abduction which would help shape the rest of the mythos from here on out.

All of these tangents culminated in the finale Anasazi, a (literally) explosive season finale that saw Mulder discovering a buried box car that may or may not be full of the corpses of extraterrestrials. Although as usual, the shady powers above are well aware of the discovery and so begins a genuinely intense race to unearth the truth, one full of wonderful character moments and shocking revelations.

The cliffhanger ending in which the Cigarette Smoking Man ordered the cargo hold to be incinerated with Mulder inside is one of the show's very best and kicked-started the trend in which each subsequent season would end with the kind of cliffhangers that had fans screaming at their televisions.