Humbug

Vince Gilligan must have swallowed a sword of pure comedic genius because this script is sharp. Scully casually dismantling gender norms? The humor is sharp, the satire is razor-thin (like the swords being swallowed), and even Mulder gets a rare moment of self-aware comedy ("Potato?")

Every actor in this episode deserves a standing ovation-no small feat (even for The Conundrum).

From the deadpan dialogue to the uncomfortably accurate portrayal of small-town weirdness, Humbug proves that The X-Files doesn't just do Sci-Fi mystery genre well, It also does high-calibre humour with circus-level precision. For that, its one of my favourite episodes in the whole series -"You'd be surprised how much men do too.

You gotta love it when The X Files steps outside of itself, going beyond the usual to do something different. In the episode "Humbug" we get to see an excellent example of that as it tackles the world of so-called sideshow freaks. Of course it does so with a paranormal slant, but that is patently downplayed here and the absurdity of some condition, of what is perhaps a super-mutant type,yet human, creature, is ran with in a very creative way. And, not that The X Files never injects humor, I mean the whole Lone Gunmen spin off certainly substantiates that, but here we get it at a frequency and at inappropriate times which only makes it more present in a low-key brilliant way.

The whole premise of the story is interesting as there really is a Gibsonton Florida which grew into a home away from the road for countless side show performers. Not only that, but the additions to the cast of town inhabitants and current "freakshow" performers is "spot-on" as far as adding mysterious credibility to an otherwise too outlandish story ( I personally usually like X-Files best when the stories have just enough credibility to be only improbable, not impossible). The performances of true-life "freaks" Jim Rose and The Enigma really nail down "Humbug" catapulting it into one of my top two or three season two episodes. The late, and truly great, character actor Vincent Schiavelli brings what he does best in his limited role here too.

All in all, this is an excellent episode that proves if guest writers, such as Darin Morgan who is credited here, are let to allow their creative juices to flow X-Files doesn't have to be constrained by anything alien related. Recommended.

not only on "The X Files", but just generally speaking of television. Rarely has such a twisted plot been so expertly handled and doused with some of the funniest humor you'll find just about anywhere.

The guest stars for this episode are phenomenal, especially Michael J. Anderson as Mr. Nutt (you might recognize him as The Man From Another Place on "Twin Peaks"). I don't want to say too much about the plot in case you haven't seen it yet, but it expertly keeps things under wraps until the final 15 minutes or so.

Direction, writing, sets, and acting combine to make this utter television perfection, one of the finest episodes you could hope to get out of The X Files. Unforgettable.

10/10

This is probably my favorite non-mythology episode. This series has more than its share of wacky and creepy characters, but this episode's a real showcase. Working my way through the full set on DVD, I'd forgotten that it came so early in the series. Both creepy and very funny, making good use of both David Duchovny's skilled delivery of Mulder's established quirky sense of humor, and letting Gillian Anderson display a few comedy timing chops of her own. And of course the late Vincent Schiavelli is excellent as always -- the world lost a gifted comedian with his passing. But the top honors go to Darin Morgan, for having the kind of strange mind that would think this stuff up in the first place.

'Nature abhors normality, maybe some mysteries are never meant to be solved.'

I loved this episode, it was a real change in tone and direction for the series. It was imaginative, it was different, and it was very, very funny.

Sometimes you watch an episode, and yes you're thrilled and entertain, but very rarely do you chuckle, if humour is overused, or is just plain bad it can be a disaster, here it works superbly well.

I loved the guest cast, we had some truly great performances in this episode.

It's very visual, with some great horror moments, I am unable to offer up any criticisms, or find any faults, this has been my favourite of Series two so far. 10/10.