The X-Files (TV Series) Jump the Shark (2002) User Reviews

Whatever it takes

[Muldernscully · 8/10 · 29 November 2007]

I have since discovered that Jump The Shark makes a heck of a lot more sense if you've seen "The Lone Gunmen (TLG)" spin-off series, which is quite good, by the way. I can see where people might not like this episode, having not seen the other series, oh, and for killing off the beloved Gunmen.

That aside, Jump The Shark is still a very good episode. I like how Mark Snow incorporates the theme music from the "TLG" series throughout the episode. It has a very interesting plot, with a deadly virus being grafted into a terrorist's body.

Obviously, the episode must cater to the X-Files fan who never saw "TLG", and doesn't know the characters of Yves and Jimmy who were an integral part of the series. Sadly, that means that Jimmy's role was hugely diminished. Morris Fletcher returns having starred in the series finale of the TLG series. Morris is always a slime bag character but still likable. But in this episode, he comes across as an even bigger jerk and less likable.

I don't know if I buy college professors as terrorists willing to do suicide killings. It's a bit of a stretch.

It's interesting that Yves sends the lone gunmen after the terrorist and tells them they must cut the virus out of his chest if they found him. Though, I'm pretty sure none of them had a knife on their person. Yes, their death scene was a bit contrived. How would they know that giant blast doors would come down and seal them off when the fire alarm was pulled? They could have pulled the alarm and escaped underneath while keeping the terrorist inside.

Jump The Shark stands as the only X-Files episode to make me cry. It is so sad to see the lone gunmen meet their demise. Scully has some touching words at the end where she makes a cameo along with Skinner.

Jump The Shark is not a perfect episode, but it makes me emotional each time I see it. Since they were made to look like bumbling idiots in 'Provenance/Providence', it was nice to seem them redeemed and fitting to see them go out as selfless heroes, and doing whatever it takes to save the world.

Lone Gunmen Redux

[eviltimes · 8/10 · 13 July 2006]

Lone Gunmen Redux

Near the very end of a series (The X Files) that had long before lost its way and "Jumped the Shark" in industry parlance, Chris Carter gave a very nice finale to the canceled spin-off show "The Lone Gunmen".

Our three quirky heroes had fought the good fight in a fun, underrated show that had been dropped after 12 episodes without an ending.

Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood and Dean Haglund face their final foe along with series regulars Zuleikha Robinson (Hidalgo) and Stephen Snedden (Charmed, Six Feet Under). Michael McKean, Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi, Gillian Anderson and Robert Patrick also drop by to send the boys off in heroic style.

Good but I'm still somewhat torn...

[Sanpaco13 · 7/10 · 23 April 2008]

Jump the Shark Jump The Shark is to The Lone Gunmen as Millennium (episode) is to Millennium (show). It is also a play on words. The title is a play on words of sorts. The episode deals with biological terrorists smuggling a virus in a packet of shark cartilage. Jump the shark is also a term used for the point in a show where the writer's have pretty much gone beyond the threshold of acceptance by the viewing audience. That threshold in this episode is of course the death of the three great heroes Byers, Langley, and Frohike. There is a lot of speculation as to just what was going through Chris Carter's brain when he decided to kill of The Lone Gunmen. I've heard that it was a sort of slap in the face to the network/fans who support the X-Files but wouldn't support any of Chris' other endeavors such as Harsh Realm, Millennium, or The Lone Gunmen. As far as the episode is concerned, there are better Lone Gunmen centered epsiodes and the fact that this one ends with three coffins kind of puts a damper on it all. The most frustrating part: Mulder doesn't get to come to the funeral. It is good to see Jimmy again as he was one of the better characters from TLG. I guess the episode is a good tribute to what they guys stood for and they did go out as heroes. They get to reach a status of legend equal to that of Joey Ramone as Langley puts it so eloquently in the episode. If you can't tell I'm torn on this episode. I'm gonna give it a… 7 out of 10.

A Touching Sendoff

[bobjohnson994 · 9/10 · 2 September 2007]

I am so sick and tired of series that leave everything open for future TV shows, guest appearances, product endorsements, or what have you. Thank God they went all the way with this episode.

I watched the Lone Gunmen series, mostly out of nostalgia for x-files seasons 1-7.

I found the LG episodes too hokey, but I always loved the characters. Its fun to have a series where the ensemble has instant gravitas.

This episode really brought home the patriotism of TLG, THIS ending was not hokey, they followed the trail to where it led, and when the options were bare, they sacrificed themselves to save thousands.

Also, their sacrifice was not out of character. Perhaps Langly would have run if he were alone, but Byers and Frohike really were ready to die for their cause, Byers with blind idealism, Frohike with chagrined experience.

I also liked the Shakespearean fatalism of the conversation about three quarters through the episode, where Frohike lights his first cigarette in 20 years (like a man before a firing squad) and talks to Byers about "packing it in". Byers reminds him that they are who they are, therefore sealing the fate of The Lone Gunmen. An excellent episode. These actors are likable guys, and I actually felt a sense of loss at their deaths. Lots of unbeautiful, unappreciated people do the noblest things in this life.

The only thing I would have wanted to see, was a chance encounter with the Cigarette Smoking Man (the second killer of JFK) and TLG. Just have them bump into each other.

A big and bold episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 30 November 2022]

Reyes and Doggett request the help of The Lone Gunmen, when a face from the past pops up.

I'll do my best to try to write a spoiler free review, as there currently isn't one.

I'd class myself as a relative newbie to The X Files, until this point, I wasn't even aware that The Lone Gunmen had their own series, and I would assume that knowledge of that series would have made this one a whole lot easier to follow, and perhaps more clear.

Hugely dramatic, with a big shock in store, this episode literally starts off as quite a light hearted caper, but ends with a stark, dramatic conclusion, it was very, very well acted, and well delivered.

Reyes and Doggett light, The Lone Gunmen were centre stage, and were wonderful as always, fans of theirs will have mixed views on this one.

Special effects were unusual I think it's fair to say, but in keeping with the quirky tone.

Really enjoyed it, 8/10.

The definitive end of TLG

[film_weaver · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

I wondered why the Lone Gunmen had earned a definitive end. And also why they sacrificed themselves all when two of them could escape. Maybe the screenwriters didn't feel like killing them in a more sophisticated way. However, from the DVD bonus to The Lone Gunmen I learned that the screenwriters did not want to disappoint the fans by ending TLG with the message "To be continued", but wanted to give them a "proper hero's exit" / "ulimate tribute to these unsung heroes", so that they could be buried honorably in Arlington. Therefore, a year after the end of the TLG, they brought this tragic ending in the series of The X-Files that was to be the last.

"...and those who fight the good fight, don't always win."

[classicsoncall · 9/10 · 30 August 2017]

Well, I just watched it for the first time and I still don't believe it. I thought that at any moment, those three coffin lids would pop up and The Lone Gunmen would be good as new, someone or some circumstance accounting for what looked like the the faux deaths of the heroic trio, but apparently, that was not to be. Before I saw this episode, I thought the title would probably have been more appropriate for a story like 'Improbable' from a couple of weeks earlier during the series run, but boy I was wrong. Chris Carter really did jump the shark on this one, killing off what was part of the heart and soul of the X-Files, at least for devout fans of the series. I'd never watched the spin-off series featuring The Lone Gunmen, but now I'm inclined to do so just to get a further taste of their conspiracy madness. At least the Boys were allowed to go out in classic style as heroes, stoic in the face of death and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. I like to think they fought the good fight, and a good fight it was.

Smiles and Tears for our heroes

[MontrealExpos · 10/10 · 15 October 2015]

Even though I knew what was coming and knew they would be returning in The X-Files (2016) I still couldn't hold back the tears at the end of the episode. Byers, Frohike and Langley are 3 of my favorite characters from any TV show. Like so many other fans I was disappointed their show only lasted 1 partial season. They were a great light-hearted break from the seriousness of The X-Files. Their stand-alone episodes and interactions with Mulder and Scully were high points of a great series. It was fun to see how Mulder trusted them unconditionally. These 3 were selfless heroes fighting the good fight for the country. Jump The Shark was a good episode and it gave them a great forum to show how they fought that good fight. The comments by Skinner and Scully and even Fletcher's were touching. Smiling and Crying.

Im still crying my eyes out.. RIP TLG

[jzap2288 · 10/10 · 27 July 2013]

Heroes live forever. But Legends never die. Problem is, they weren't legends, just heroes. But they were still so brave and heroic. Mulder didn't even show up at their Funerals! I hate that man for abandoning the X-Files when there was only 1 more season left. Such a coward. The X-Files MADE David Duchovni. He never made it. TLG made it. They were so brave. All they ever cared about were giving people the truth and helping save lives. So so sad. REST IN PEAVE LONE GUNMEN, FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS. How is this not long enough to publish already? Holy cow, i'm not a professional movie critic, just a die-hard X-Files fan and an Environmental scientist who was inspired by Scully to takeup courses on science. Wish i could've majored in Astro-biology but my school doesn't have that course. Nor does any other school in the whole state

The revolution eats its children

[mst-92528 · 1/10 · 7 March 2015]

This episode presents an attempt to bring closure to the Lone Gunmen sub-thread of the X-Files after that spin-off series bombed. Well, they did.

What drove the X-Files? The search for the "truth", in a dramatic sense; the tension between proper method and the unknown. What ended the X-Files? The truth was lost from view; the creators lost sight of the plot; with the goal disappeared, the tools are no longer necessary. For a long time, Mulder was the carrier of much of the knowledge. His departure deprived the series from much of its justification, especially since that knowledge ultimately did not lead to any clear dramatic resolution. This heightened the importance of the side characters that might, however distorted, carry on some of that knowledge.

I actually came back to the series after a long hiatus, wanting to see how they brought it to an end. The closest analogy I can find to seeing episodes likes this in the late X-Files seasons is the tortuous course of Millennium as Carter tried to wrangle that ship back on a different course, ultimately leaving confusion in the wake. Episodes like this, major shifts in cast and feel of the show without resolving any major questions, are the things that are spilled overboard as the vessel careens from crashing into one rock to the next. The episode's title, "Jumping the Shark", while possibly intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke, ends up perfectly summarizing the impact of the episode on the series.

* SPOILER *

If you run a series for almost a decade on the basis of the search for truth, and at the end even the comic sidekicks get killed off, what does that represent? Abject failure, of the writers' ability to keep abreast of their creation. (The eponymous "Lost" being the prime example, to be sure.)

Really great episode

[bartjev1832 · 9/10 · 5 May 2009]

>> Contains spoilers, just like the other posts, so don't read unless you have seen entire season 9 << I took some time watching X files 1-9. I had a break after season 8 due to disliking Mulder being gone once again and so on. Anyway, lately I watched season 9 and kept me hooked with all the awesome episodes. One great episode after another. (Altho the whole super soldiers thing is kinda far-fetched I think) I stumbled across this episode 2 days ago, and god I was thrilled after having seen this one. Not because I wanted the 3 nerds to die, but more because I didn't see it coming, and it was a great heroic way for them to go. In the end they wanted to be hero's, and contribute something to the world. They did what many men would not, sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

The only thing Im currently thinking off, and why Im not giving it a 10, is because I am disappointed that the story within this episode, isn't linked with the main conspiracy story. They researched about government conspiracy's, and now they just gave their lives to 2 unknown terrorists. A bit crappy in my opinion.

R.I.P. Lone Gunmen

[graylittlewood · 9/10 · 21 October 2010]

If I'd written this as soon as I'd finished watching this episode I'd have marked it 10 out of 10 – it was gripping, it held my attention so thoroughly and it was exciting. As I'm writing several hours later, unfortunately several things have sunk in – the episode is what in the UK would be called "fan-wank" – if you don't know it means an episode gratuitously designed to thrill fans with little consideration for the casual viewer. I didn't watch any of the Lone Gunmen series, so I wasn't really up to speed on who was who and what was going on, but that didn't actually detract from my enjoyment, so all well and good. Like they did with Millennium, this can be seen as an episode – the final episode of the lone gunmen – their swan song. I found the story exciting enough, but their deaths were so needless – they could have trapped the baddie and escaped themselves – they didn't make any attempt to duck under the closing door, it was so pointless, so it robbed their noble act of most of the nobility it deserved. Also, the white out at the end of what should have been their death scene left me dissatisfied and it seemed clumsy and dissipated my growing tension and emotion. I was surprised our agent heroes hadn't rushed in at the end to witness their demise. Oh, and Scully's token appearance was a few seconds at the graveside when she delivers another unrealistic and over-sentimental and totally insincere line of purple prose. And just for the record, love, you didn't like them at all! That's SO unrealistic! All these complaints aside I'm still giving the episode 9 out of 10, because most of it was just thoroughly enjoyable.

Terrible episode

[M-edney · 4/10 · 21 July 2021]

Ive been a long time x files fan from the beginning when it originally aired, this episode sums up what went wrong with season 9. The acting is shocking, particularly the guest stars that seem to be from the TLG show. The Fletcher character is completely wasted by the writers. Worse than that, the fate of TLG is handled in a hastily edited, poorly written, almost comedic way. They deserved a better plot, with more emotional gravitas. I literally watched the ending, expecting TLG to walk in at the closing shot. It just felt rushed and not sincere. Especially the bit where they hold their hands up at the chamber window, mimicking spock in star trek 2. Poor job and the xfiles at its weakest.

Why, God, WHY?!?!

[loudprincess · 1/10 · 10 April 2007]

"Jump the Shark" is one of those X-Files episodes I dread, not for any horribly tense or creepy moments, but for what happens to some of my favorite characters.

While the series is one of my all-time favorites, mostly due to great characters and the occasional dead-on one-liner, it's episodes like this one that made me stop watching.

*****SPOILER**** The Lone Gunmen are killed off in this episode. Ya know, I could understand if it served some greater purpose, but their deaths on the series only made their contribution to the show more hokey than they usually were already. Buried in ARLINGTON? Sure, they die defending their country, sort of, but these guys were meant to be the comic relief of the show, not the melodramatic crux. Mulder is still missing during this point in the series, and there's no hint later in the series as to how their absence personally affects him until their ghostly, cheesy appearance in the final installment. ****End of Spoiler

It's such a wasteful ploy in a series that prides itself on teasing the audience's taste buds.

Possibly the stupidest plotline yet

[pmicocci-18908 · 1/10 · 30 July 2021]

How do you "time" a viral outbreak to the second? How do you transplant organs from a fish to a human?

How does anybody come up with such dreck?!

Of course, if you believe a chip implanted in the neck of a woman can make her pregnant, I suppose you might believe anything.

At least the episode was appropriately titled.

Worst episode ever

[louisbierlein · 1/10 · 16 July 2020]

The worst X-Files episode. Acting is deplorable ( who tf is Jimmy?) Storyline uninteresting , new characters are lame, and for Long gunmen fans, the sending off is terrible, without gravitas, just quick and lame. They wrapped up the show without class. Rip guys.