Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

I've been watching the X Files for the first time with my family. There are some episodes that are excellent, some that are average, a couple that weren't my favorite, but overall I've loved the series. This episode is maybe my favorite so far. The style, the acting, and the writing are top tier. You sympathize with Cancer Man even knowing he's not a good person. He's a great example of a shady morally grey character. He's all about business, not letting emotions distract him from getting the job done. However there are little hints throughout the episode that make you wonder if he really does care for some people and doesn't allow himself to show it, like him keeping a photograph of Mulder and his mother.

The second part of the episode is filmed in black and white and I love the feel of that section. The cinematography throughout the episode is wonderful as well. The man playing young Smoking Man strongly resembles his older counterpart, casting was very good. We get insight into his past, the people he works with, the scandals he was involved in and the deaths he was personally responsible for. The historical elements were entertaining and clever and added a lot to the story, reminding us that the government is far more involved in society than some may think.

This is probably my favorite episode so far, and it wouldn't have been possible without the rest of the show before it. The reason we care about this episode is because we're interested in Smoking Man as a character. We've seen him in the shadows, pulling strings behind the scenes and on screen. He often appears as an important but brief presence, reminding us that we're just as much in the dark about things as Mulder is. The moments of vulnerability in the episode, especially when Smoking man is writing his book, are perfect to show us that he is still human and deeper than we think- he's not always an emotionless robot.

One other interesting thing to note are his feelings towards Mulder. I believe he fancied his mother, the wife of his best friend and partner (Bill Mulder), and as a result was interested in their child. He probably saw potential in Mulder, Mulder reminding Smoking Man of his father. When Mulder started the X Files Smoking Man specifically stated that Mulder was under his supervision, making me wonder if he's subconsciously trying to protect Mulder as well as keep an eye on him. Even if he seems purely professional, he may feel some sort of attachment to Mulder, probably ignoring this, or trying to avoid these feelings. Maybe I'm wrong and he's just making sure Mulder stays in line, but I can't help but feel there may be some underlying feelings of protectiveness or personal interest rather than just professional interest. Either way, wonderful episode that explains some things and sets up possible future events. Smoking Man is a fantastic neutral character. The inclusion of the Lone Gunmen is always welcome. 10/10.

The coin is flipped, and this episode focuses on one of the show's main villains, Cancer Man. Here, we get an insight into his character, his past and presence, it's almost an origin story.

It's a hugely impressive episode, it has so much going on, even has a few different styles, and even manages to make you question what you think and think you know about Cancer Man, you could perhaps come away from this feeling a degree of sympathy for him. We learn just how powerful a man he is.

I can't help but wonder if this episode was written specifically to give Duchovny and Anderson a few days off.

The first segment, the one about JFK had the most time, and it was the best of them, supreme storytelling. The others were good, that first part was just captivating.

I'm watching this show properly for the first time, is series four considered one of the best spells? This is yet another classic, 10/10.

I enjoyed this episode - a nice view of the hollow nature of CSM's life - which was also shown in a previous show when Mulder tracks down CSM's apartment. "Look at me. No family, no life, a little power." he says then, and looked pathetic saying it.

My issue with this is that it contradicts a previous ep. (forget which, sorry) when we see a flashback to Roswell, 1947. CSM and Papa Mulder are already FBI agents then. It's clear from this ep. that CSM was still very young in the early 60s - so these two narratives are at odds.

Nitpicky, I know - but writers should try to keep the story internally consistent if possible.

In a nine-season long series, containing about 200 episodes, most episodes will be about the same quality. Some of the episodes however, will be merely crap - and very few, no matter how good the series is - or how good the rest of the episodes are, will be extremely good.

This singular episode S04E07, Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man is one of the best, if the not the best episode in the X-files universe. It creates a base both for the mythology - and the episodes seen before, and the episodes that are still to come in the rest of the episodes.

So, who is the Cancer Man / The Cigarette Smoking Man? That question is, at this point in the series not answered, but there are given some clues in this episode, that may not be the final answer. I will, however, not go deeper into that matter here - because I find it preposterous to leave any spoilers, for those of you who hasn't seen the series yet.

And if you haven't seen this episode yet, look forward to it with glee. It really is great.

'Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man' is one of the most interesting episodes, as it opens up the packground of one of the most sinister and enigmatic (recurring) characters of the series. The episoode is fun and sad at the same time. as we learn how lonely is the man in that sort of profession. This episode also gives the viewers another takes on some conspiracy theories (assasinations of JFK and Martin Luther King), and humorous take about how Academy Awards are rigged. We get to see how CSM got his start, and how he evolved to become such seemingly cold and calculating man who has much more real power than one can expect from such grey mouse looking official. We also learn the more human side of CSM when it is revealed that he had aspirations to become a science fiction author, and how cruel the publishing world is to new writers. By the end of the episode I even felt sorry for the guy.

The episode gave much more human dimension to CSM so it is much easier to understand (and feel) the character and what drives him. Great episode and great character study.