The X-Files (TV Series) Sunshine Days (2002) User Reviews

No, he's dead as a hammer.

[Muldernscully · 7/10 · 3 December 2007]

Sunshine Days is an enjoyable, light-hearted episode to take in before the serious series finale. People think it's out of place, being right before the finale, but who says you have to have a serious episode before the series finale?

It's funny to see Reyes know a lot about the Brady Bunch, and funnier seeing Doggett's looks at Reyes for knowing such stuff. Doggett makes the illogical leap in this episode that turns out to be true. Doggett says that he's "finally getting the hang of this job". I think this line is intentional irony by Vince Gilligan to show that Doggett was just settling into his role as the X-Files was being canceled.

Scully's autopsies at time turn into the comic relief for the episodes. I like her "well-nourished" line, referring to the corpse. It's cool to see the agents using a high-tech web-cam to communicate with each other, instead of just a cell phone. I don't think they've used a web-cam since the Lone Gunmen used it once. Scully also gets high-tech with a headset recorder during her autopsy.

Michael Emmerson does a fine job as Oliver Martin. It's interesting to see that Doggett doesn't go through the roof like the other two victims, a sign that his power is decreasing(a good thing for Doggett).

I don't like to see Scully and Dr. Rietz's selfishness in wanting to study Oliver. Sure, it would give Scully proof, but no one wants to be a human lab rat. Even towards the end, you see the disappointment in Scully's eyes when they decide that it's best not to use Oliver as a human freak show.

Another problem I have with the episode is that once they discover that Oliver has this power, they just whisk him off to DC to study him, totally dropping the murder investigation. No mention of it. Sure, Oliver didn't have total control of his powers, but there are still two deaths two account for. The guy needs to be charged with manslaughter at least.

And finally, Bud Bundy. I loved seeing David Faustino in the role of Michael. He is a riot. It's too bad that he had to bite the dust. If he had stuck around the episode for a while longer, I might have given this a higher rating.

Overall, Sunshine days is a decent episode, but nothing extra-special. Vince Gilligan does a fine job writing and directing the final Monster of the Week episode which just about wraps up "the story of two lovely agents".

The "Episode" of the X-files.

[tdunlavey-802-525091 · 9/10 · 18 October 2013]

This is The Last Episode. The Truth episode is kind of like a movie capping Mulders life's work.

This is a very sweet tribute episode to the whole series. Very light hearted and fun, a silly science case. Scully actually gets to prove the phenomenon, albeit briefly, she pulls it off.

As the camera pans across Reyes's and her face while the controlled specimen is showing his "talents" is just perfect. I laughed out loud at the smile on Scully's face. 'like yes, maybe i was loyal to Mulder because I cared So Much. Maybe I found the sight work fascination, but really...my true scientific and personal reasons for sticking to the x- files is for this moment right here'. Very Good of the writers to place this moment in the series.

I disagree with another reviewer here who complains that they shouldn't be using the guy as a lab rat and that even Scully at the end shows disappointment and that it was unkind. I think the reviewer misinterpreted the scene outside the hospital room. It's Scully 1. missing her son and realizing how much more important family is then science 2. She actually says this out loud about how all the nine years before being more about that realization then her ever getting actual Proof.

She wasn't disappointed about not getting her evidence, She was letting it Go...That's why she was being emotional! Hello...

Any true fan of the x-files. -I mean fans that get the subplots of the show, not just people who like Mulder and alien conspiracy stuff. I'm talking about people who get that the whole "I want to believe" statement was a desire that Both Mulder and Scully held, though their visions were different (aliens vs god) and the writers of this show worked very hard at trying to make them One. Who know the Scully character well and the premise of the show well-should enjoy this episode.

Also, I'm pretty sure Scully's head gear during the autopsy scene was play on some of the stuff that Dana Scully's character were in the first few seasons. they did a lot of retaking previously done shots in the x- files to be cute I guess. Remember the old days.

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this job.

[Sanpaco13 · 8/10 · 9 May 2007]

Ah Sunshine Days. What a great episode. I really don't have much bad to say about this episode. I often hear criticism for it because of its placement in the series (ie right before the finale) but this doesn't seem like a valid reason to me to not like the episode. Luckily I first saw this episode as a rerun and so I only saw it as a stand alone which is exactly what it is. And a good one.

I really enjoy Michael Emmerson's performance although it was strange seeing him on a show other than Lost. He really is a great actor and if I had a TV show I would try to cast him in at least one episode. I was a little unnerved by the greediness Scully showed. I mean the guy was dying but it seemed that she was upset only because she wasn't going to get her Nobel prize.

Overall I liked the idea of this episode and enjoyed the guest stars. Reyes didn't completely annoy me either so I have to give this episode a 7/10.

Still brings tears to my eyes..."we owe it to the world..."

[brian-wiz · 10/10 · 27 May 2019]

The proof. Scully's face when Oliver takes them to...and when Skinner is...well, no spoilers here.

Almost finished with season 9...hoping for an episode like this closer to the end of season 11 as well as I know I am in for a bittersweet ending.

Season 9 is better than I recall...especially near the end. And significantly better than almost anything currently on television.

"What I witnessed was freaksville, man!"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 31 August 2017]

I found it interesting that Agent Doggett was able to experience the Oliver Martin (Michael Emerson) home in both it's unaltered state and again as The Brady Bunch house. Usually you'll have a character only able to see a weird perspective in one way so as to leave others in doubt of their credibility. I also thought it was pretty cool for him to state that he was 'finally getting the hang of this job', a neat tribute to the unconventional approach one had to take for these X-Files cases.

As another reviewer mentioned, I too was bothered a bit by Scully and Dr. Rietz (John Aylward) wishing to make Oliver Martin, the former Anthony Fogelman, into a human guinea pig. It seemed out of character for Scully, simply because of all the paranormal experiences she'd experienced in the past without ever coming to the conclusion that those subjects should be put under investigation. What about characters like Audrey Pauley ('Audrey Pauley'), Darin Peter Oswald ('D.P.O.') or Eddie Van Blundht ('Small Potatoes')? They would all have been good test subjects too, to understand their unique capabilities?

But I do agree with those who were left puzzled by the fact that there were two dead victims, the result of Oliver's unintended levitation powers who went through the roof. There was no accounting for those deaths, a plot element left to simply wither away so everyone watching should just forget about.

It was interesting to note at the end of the show that Doggett had finally come to terms with his past and the death of his son, that moment when Agent Reyes took his hand and he didn't shirk away. That was a big personal leap for him. I also got the biggest kick out of something he said when both Scully and Reyes expressed their knowledge about events that occurred in episodes of 'The Brady Bunch'. In the not too distant future as I write this, I would expect that some character on some new program would be saying the same thing about 'The X-Files' - "Why are people still watching a thirty year old TV show?"

A: Silly MOTW, B: The series' penultimate episode, C: Why?

[lnvicta · 6/10 · 12 August 2015]

Sunshine Days is a reasonably fun episode about a man who can essentially morph the matter around him to whatever is in his head. He also happens to be a fan of the Brady Bunch, so he chooses to spend his time with them, in his head, and it becomes a reality. It's some form of psychokinesis that isn't fully explained but hey, it's the X-Files - anything's possible.

The episode itself is fine. It's a decent season 9 effort with a few humorous parts and a feel-good episode overall, but a couple things I can't shake off.

A: Why is Doggett just now getting the hang of the job? It's been two years, he's seen his fair share of the paranormal and has solved such cases many times over, but now he says he's finally comfortable in the X-Files? Leading into my next point...

B: Why was this the penultimate episode? After the increased quality of William and Release, Sunshine Days sticks out like a sore thumb. I know it's supposed to be a bittersweet farewell to monster-of-the-weeks, but in the context of the show it makes no sense. Mulder isn't around, it's a standard X-Files case in every aspect - nothing about this episode sticks out to me as "remembrance" material, let alone a precedent to the series finale.

C: Why in the hell would three intelligent FBI agents bring a man with unexplainable, obviously dangerous psychokinetic powers (as in he killed two people) into a federal building? Let alone that ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Skinner would allow this man in his office, or that he'd let this guy PICK HIM UP WITH HIS MIND AND DO FLIPS? And Scully and Reyes are just sitting there smiling watching while Skinner's life is literally in the hands of a stranger with superpowers.

The verdict - this episode should have aired sooner. Not that it really matters, it's an average episode, but tonally it would have fit much better somewhere in the middle of the season or even towards the beginning; definitely not leading up to the series finale. Sunshine Days amounts to a decent X-Files episode in a lackluster final season, and not much more than that.

To Me, The Most Memorable Episode Of The Series

[StuOz · 8 April 2018]

My childhood was spent watching endless re-runs of "The Brady Bunch" so this hour hit me right where it was meant to: a total knockout!

Outstanding plot and just as outstanding casting!

There seems to be a mixed opinion on if this is a comedy or drama. Some would laugh-out-loud at it and that is all good and well. But I personally found it strange and a little creepy, for example that moment when the kid peeks into the house and finds the family all seated at the table...this just struck me as wonderfully weird and not amusing at all. Perhaps it depends on how strong your imagination is, that is probably what will decide how you take this?

Whenever I think of The X Files - this episode springs to mind.

'The Mozart of psychokinesis.'

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 1 December 2022]

Connecting a, to b to c.

Doggett and Reyes investigate two very strange deaths, guys that broke into and claim to have seen The interior of The Brady Bunch house.

Ten out of ten for originality, this is like no other episode from the show's illustrious history, a plot like no other. It manages to find the balance of humour and drama, with an element of surrealism thrown in.

I bet several laughs and crazy ideas were thrown around in the story planning, almost as if the question were asked about mixing in the most unexpected show.

There were some funny moments, I loved the distain on Doggett's face as he scowled at Scully and Reyes for being fans of The Brady bunch, they certainly didn't look the type, but you never know.

Michael Emerson was excellent as Oliver Martin, a suitably creepy performance.

Really enjoyed this, and excited for the next one, 8/10.

X-files ending as +-files

[leplatypus · 10/10 · 11 May 2013]

This is the first time I watch this final season. As it was aired in France in 2002, the year I started working full-time, maybe that's the explanation of my skipping even thought i have already slow down since 7th season. All i knew about this last one was that Carter said that audience left massively since the first episode and never came back. Sincerely, I understand:

The mythology is the worst ever! The two parts are hard too fill, the plot is unintelligible (super soldiers are alien invaders or human experimentation) and our famous paranormal show has become a shameful soap: too much romance, too much family ties: after the parents, the siblings now it's a baby run. And i didn't mention the stupidity of mentioning Fox over and over and building scripts around him absent! The collective death of the lone gunmen was moving (so far the best moment of this season) but their funeral was mishandled (not a thought for Mulder) and the next episode ("william") is the stupid proof that dead can come back. I don't talk about Duchovny directing but about this poor Jeffrey Spender!

Next, the loners are a bit more interesting but the dynamic has also degraded from last year. Actually, this season is a crowded house: along the new duo, you must add 3 directors, plus a multi caps Scully (mother, teacher, friend, lover, paranormal expert, autopsy help). But the real pity is the fact that this octopus team aren't investigating paranormal as they have become the paranormal: this year, forget the deep scripts, a lot of episodes takes either Dogett ("john doe", "release), Reyes ("4D", "hellbound", "Audrey Pauley") as the "x" factor.

Considering this, the big finale isn't the crap I expected and it's rather a good surprise and a decent effort from Carter. Sure, even if we have heart for aliens, spaceships and paranormal, there a lot of absurdities as well (breaking in and out of governmental places, Fox's charade trial, some leftover in the big explanations of the mythology).

But, a few hints before and the last scene are exactly what I came to conclude as well charting this show: aliens would be a monumental revelation but the divine is far ahead!

First, it's an evidence: if aliens have birth us, who birth the aliens? Next, the show has enough mixed paranormal with faith, god, devil, angels and demons that Carter just couldn't escape by ignoring those two realities. In a way, after 9 years and a few pounds for them, as Scully has become Mulder and vice-versa and they rejoice, Carter also rejoices those two sources of paranormal.

So, what conclude about this show: maybe that Carter has fantastic ideas but is an average achiever. Talking about the scientific limits and a dark democracy is precisely what we need today: So, we owe him really much to be the first and only one to expand the "truth" in any way possible. But, in the same time, he lost himself by making conspiracies over conspiracies and he had some poor choices also (the relationship angle, the soap content, Vancouver leaving, the funny loners). But, for all those years, he built an outstanding and devoted production as well: an incredible cast and a crew worth of any movies, with a special mention to the late Kim manners!

My final episode pick may appear strange: "Sunshine days": not the best episode of this season (9.12 was better for example) but it's the perfect wink about what I have just talked. Since 10 months, I was alternating my two best TV shows ever: one season of "x-files" with one of "married with children". And this last loner has Budrick Bundy as guest-star… I want to believe

A to B to C

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 25 April 2012]

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this Job."

This, the last ever "Monster of The Week" Episode of The X-Files - Unless you count the Film "I Want To Believe" — is an Alternate Reality view of an X-Files 10th Season that could have happened. Didn't happen. For a number of reasons, number one being the fans of the show had all but abandoned Chris Carter, as did the Fox network.

To put it bluntly, "The X-Files" was a Clinton Administration show. Our Entertainments, or, the ones we are allowed to watch, reveal the kind of leadership the country is under.

And one of the things we have in this country is FREE SPEECH, meaning I should be able to write my review about this episode without fear of someone "running to daddy." This is my take on this episode and on this series, the country was right at the beginning of an oppressive cycle, ergo, this series, which was still a good series, did not survive into that cycle.

One thing I have NEVER ever done was complain about anybody's review, regardless of how much I disagreed with it or how much it offended me personally.

So I am going to re-write this review, and hopefully it will be left alone. My review of "I, Robot" was deleted in this debacle, and it is not there for me to see and repost.

As this is the very last MOTW, I wanted to reflect on the bittersweet ending of a series that was part of our lives for most of a decade. The X Files, for most of 8 years, reflected an Administration where we had NO WARS, our economy was good, and there were no issues like the issues being fought about today. Now, somebody does not like me saying this, but it's true. But you can keep your complaints to yourself.

This show, and this episode in particular, was the very end of the an era of unprecedented Economy and Freedom.

In the 90's - The decade of The X Files: Far Away were the Conspiracies of The X-Files - At least in Real Life: But they served as DIRE Warning for the Administration to come-Those episodes showed us what could happen.

This last MOTW shows where the series would have gone, had there been a 10th season. The X-Files like Law and Order, could still be on the air today.

It was one thing to have Fox Mulder and Dana Skully flush out Government Conspiracies, Shadow Governments, Alien Abductions, from 1993 through 1999. But Chris Carter was NOT allowed to make any new shows, or even any movies, until 2008. And so this was the last "humorous" episode. After this, there was no Sunday night where we could watch these shows and forget about all of it.

While I blame the so called X-Files fans for not standing with Chris Carter as he wanted to move his show into a new era, I also find it Highly Likely that The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen were yanked - For telling the TRUTH too clearly.

This episode here, is the last "Humorous" X-Files show, and in of itself is good, and a clear direction on where the show could have, and should have, gone.

The Fox Network which now had to Pander to puerile interests, and even Carter Himself - Were forced to GIVE UP their unique and entertaining Storytelling, after this particular episode. Because Darkness was Falling Fast.

It is very interesting, that in the last 4 years of a new Administration, the Torch has been passed to new writers, producers and shows, and now we have the freedom to not watch Reality shows if we so wish.

It really is simple, from A to B to C. At least Dogget was able to start following X-Files logic at this point.

Save some time

[pmicocci-18908 · 1/10 · 3 August 2021]

Watch the late '60s series "The Invaders" - it has all the paranoia and ambiguity, but it will only take two years of your life. It's every bit, if not more, plausible, and far less self-important. And with far better lighting.

Of course, that might cheat some earnest souls of seven years (not counting two cinema fílms and a flacid reboot) of the sweaty time. And, God, how they love Mulder!!! How could David what's his name ever compete, even though they drafted him into a couple of episodes that sort of didn't explain Mulder's disappearance, but still left room for fervent circle jerks.