In the 1990s, “The X-Files” was the ultimate cult hit. A weird, wonderful show about the supernatural, paranormal, and all-things-conspiratorial, the series introduced the world to FBI Agents Mulder and Scully, who worked out of the basement of the FBI building. Their thankless job involved looking into the unexplained, with Mulder longing to believe in the preternatural while Scully remained skeptical.
As the popularity of the show grew, so too did the popularity of not just Mulder and Scully but an entire gaggle of supporting characters. There was the infamous Cigarette Smoking Man; there was the mysterious Deep Throat; there was everyone’s favorite boss, Walter Skinner. The list grew with each season, with some characters becoming heavy fan favorites. Among those characters rested the Lone Gunmen — Melvin Frohike, the oldest member of the group who clearly has a crush on Scully; John Fitzgerald Byers, prone to wearing a suit; and Richard Langly, the grunge-enhanced member of the trio. These three weirdos were friends of Mulder, operating their own conspiracy magazine and glomming onto theories that even Mulder would find outlandish. If Mulder was a nerd, these three were dorks.
The trio was fun in small doses, which makes it kind of odd that they were eventually given their own (short-lived) spin-off series. And that’s where things get weird.