This is one of my favorite episodes. The dark tone, the impressive cast, interesting atmosphere, and the grounded nature of the plot all help pull this episode together in a memorable way. If they ever rebooted the X Files, I hope they would shift the narrative over to Japan / Asia and explore the alternate Colonization plot from another government's perspective. It could still be set in the 90's and a whole plethora of Asian mythology and horror could be explored.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
See that's how you could reboot the series. Keep it in the 90's, but focus it on a different country and culture. Great idea.
@ELEKTROSKANSEN
3 ай бұрын
No, no, I can not agree. You don't change a show completely while rebooting it. At this point why even call it The X Files if it would have such a different setting and focus? Why not make The Asian Files or whatever less joke-y name would be appropiate? Personally I have zero interest in that area of the world, so not only would I not watch it, but I'd also be nagging about "ruining my beloved show" too. And I bet I would not be the only one. Don't exploit a franchise, make a new one. Make a spin-off, if you have to. But don't change the core of the series. That's what they did with Star Trek in the 90s. They rebooted it with The Next Generation and it was at its core the same show as it was in the 60's: a crew and a starship exploring space. Then they expanded with a spin-off about a crew on a space station Deep Space 9, tackling other cultures and issues. And then they made another spin-off, Voyager, literally changing the quadrant of the galaxy where the show was set in - and they explored yet another cultures and different issues. That worked.
@AtticussAtticuss
3 ай бұрын
@@ELEKTROSKANSEN Don't worry. They aren't going to do it. The X Files are closed.
@Xegethra
27 күн бұрын
@@ELEKTROSKANSEN Yeah I agree, it would be different show altogether. There's so many countries in Asia, from the middle east to the far east, none of it would be X-filsey. Cool concept perhaps, but for another show.
@schulzbrianr
5 ай бұрын
I always like seeing big actors in their early roles, so I remember enjoying Lucy Liu here. James Hong is like Christopher Lee, just shows up everywhere. And BD Wong was absolutely incredible in Mr Robot.
@jarlwhiterun7478
5 ай бұрын
I miss Saruman
@dlaimer
5 ай бұрын
People talk about Fringe a lot, for obvious reasons , but IMO the true heir to The X-Files is Mr. Robot.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Anytime James Hong shows up, it makes me very happy.
@jasonvaughn4886
5 ай бұрын
Lucy Liu is really beautiful in this episode ! Great episode for the most part, love the Chinese vibe. James Hong is awesome as always, great character actor. It's an 8/10 from me.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
I don't think there's been a time where Lucy hasn't been beautiful and James Hong is always great.
@jasonvaughn4886
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview True, she's gonna be hot in her 60s ! James Hong is a great actor, but he always plays the scumbag for some reason.
@lucasbernard5304
5 ай бұрын
I never noticed the near lack of anything really paranormal in this episode. Yeah, I'd say a 7/10 is fair. Jose Chung's from outer space is one of my favorite episodes. I've probably watched it more than any other episode. Can't wait for your next video.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Next video will be up Saturday I think.
@Wednesday.the.Wook.
5 ай бұрын
James Hong is like the male Betty White, he is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Whatever happens we cannot lose him.
@dubuyajay9964
4 ай бұрын
"Ah...Detective Scully...I see you have...green eyes..." 👀
@Charles_Anthony
Ай бұрын
One of my favorite episodes of the entire series. So damn good!
@JBSpookyReview
Ай бұрын
I think it's pretty solid.
@luther1546
5 ай бұрын
I'm glad you said "Frankenstein's monster." If you had just said Frankenstein, I would have had to comment that it's Frankenstein's monster akshually.
@jojotheswede8444
5 ай бұрын
Naturally, it's the law of the land.
@JohnBelluci
5 ай бұрын
Wow you are so cultured and intelligent you just had to let everyone know you are
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Hahah next time I'm just going to say Frankenstein to rile you up.
@jarlwhiterun7478
5 ай бұрын
Wish there were more shows that could flip genres while having the same overall continuity and mythology. Black Mirror can do that, and Fringe was awesome, but I can't think of many others
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
There must be others, but I'm drawing a blank right now.
@MRGRIMZ89
5 ай бұрын
CAN'T WAIT FOR JOSE.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Saturday I think for that one.
@MRGRIMZ89
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview RIGHT ON!!
@Phil_Burton
5 ай бұрын
I remember this watching episode as a kid (the death by oven thing kind of freaked me out) but had not idea Lucy freaking Liu was in it.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
They made her look a bit younger and sick so she doesn't exactly look like herself.
@ann-mariebusby8369
5 ай бұрын
Perfect Timing As Always 🥰🥰
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much. I'm glad I was on time.
@jojotheswede8444
5 ай бұрын
Weird, grimey, a litte spooky and kinda interesting. Also surprisngly starstudded. Respect the HONG!
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
James Hong is the best.
@solideshalbwissen
5 ай бұрын
great stuff, ty
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it.
@usedscar
24 күн бұрын
That truck driver that you fladhed by was Kurt Russell!
@JBSpookyReview
21 күн бұрын
I think you're right.
@apedanger
5 ай бұрын
yay, just in time for bed, cheers :)
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Hope you enjoyed it.
@BreadApologist
5 ай бұрын
750 usd? Eh I need that to buy 1 oz of petrol in 2025
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Lmao it sucks I know.
@dlaimer
5 ай бұрын
Underwhelming plot with some cool visuals. If memory serves, it's the last episode with no supernatural phenomena in it until season 7 The Amazing Maleeni, but what makes it underwhelming for me is the lack of influence Mulder and Scully have in it, just like you mentioned, even though you pointed out that their presence kind of shifts the events in a certain direction. You have to admit, however, that the best episodes tend to put Mulder and Scully in more perilous situations than this, or have them actually intervene by getting involved with the people they are investigating and/or trying to help, or focus on their relationship with one another. One of the reasons Pusher is so awesome is that it pretty much does all of those things; same with Clyde Bruckman or Coprophages. As is, Hell Money is a rather competent, but mostly run-of-the-mill cop show hour that would feel at home on a horror themed CSI episode. Maybe a Law & Order: Superstitious Victims Unit spin-off.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Yeah Mulder and Scully at no point were ever in any kind of danger and you're right that this could have been an episode for just about any cop show at the time.
@jarlwhiterun7478
5 ай бұрын
I always think of James Hong as Cassandra's dad and the king fu fight he has on Wayne's World 2. And the typical forced diversity and inclusion botch made me literally lol
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
I love how everyone has their own memory of what they know James Hong from.
@NotQuite_Frogg
5 ай бұрын
Does the JB stand for Jack and the Beanstalk?
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
In high school it stood for Jizzle Bizzle... don't ask why.
@pfoutsmn
5 ай бұрын
It is a "good" one. Variety is the spice of the show. Where is the Wisconsin dogman episode.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Is there one? My memory isn't the best lol.
@pfoutsmn
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview no, just thinking of the most obscure cryptid I could come up with. It wasn't my best effort.
@dubuyajay9964
4 ай бұрын
01:05. Looks like masks for Chinese Opera. 01:45. Fun fact: Gweilo is a Chinese insult for Caucasians..."Ghost person." 😱 05:50. Odd, wood is a fifth element in Chinese Alchemy, along with the other (Western) Elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. Personally, I like to reinterpret this as inorganic solids, liquids, gas, plasma (the stuff the sun has, not blood), and either organic compounds or whatever energy or force that allows living things to, well, live. 06:52. No DNA testing? 09:32. I thought Vancouver had a Chinatown though. 09:44. Nvmnd. 12:44. Yeesh...what next...a funeral wreath at a wedding? 13:50. Is this where he got his frog DNA for his "dinosaurs?" 😂🤣
@JBSpookyReview
4 ай бұрын
This is definitely where he got the frog DNA for the dinosaurs.
@reaverofjillsandwiches
10 күн бұрын
At least I recognize the Asian cop from other stuff, but yeah. This is my pick for worst season 3 episode. Granted the previous episode wasn't great either, but far better than this.
@JBSpookyReview
9 күн бұрын
I'll take this over spooky Kitty cats haha.
@himeccms893
5 ай бұрын
Every TV series if they last long enough, must have an obligatory episode set in Chinatown and this is The X-Files' Chinatown episode. Another compulsory episode would be a one with Native American elements. I think these producers must have some sort of standard script template to draw their ideas from.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
With how many episodes they had to churn out, it's not really surprising.
@captaindouchebag1703
4 ай бұрын
Lucy Lui looks like she hasn't aged since this episode. Nice!
@JBSpookyReview
4 ай бұрын
Asian women don't age until they're around 80, then they look 100.
@dropkick79
5 ай бұрын
This was another one of those episodes that was way better on my initial rewatch. It's always fun to go back and not only catch actors you didn't recognize when you were young, but also find out your attention span may not have been as good as you thought. There are a few gems like this one I hardly any memory of. Aw hell, maybe it was Lo Pan wanting me to forget.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
It was definitely Lo Pan.
@michaelbillings3031
5 ай бұрын
This is one of my favorite episodes purely on James Hong and BD Wong.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
They're both great in this.
@stijnvantongerloo9122
4 ай бұрын
Jumped ahead in my channel watch for a sec 'cause I like this episode so much. 'Hell Money' doesn't contain a single supernatural/sci fi element (how rare is that for an X-files episode? 😮). But it's a super solid episode. The idea of the organ lottery is brutal. Many kudos to the guest stars who knocked it out of the park 🥰
@JBSpookyReview
4 ай бұрын
Yeah not exactly spooky, but I still think it's a good watch and the supporting cast are all excellent.
@viriathas9910
5 ай бұрын
This is a solid episode. I thought the sub plot with the father taking this terrible risk for his daughter's medical treatment made for a sympathetic motivation. It was also interesting that they highlighted the way that often times, immigrants are exploited by their own people when the come to the US (or other nations) under the guise of helping or representing them.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
I always feel so bad for Hsin. He just wants to help his daughter.
@pedigree98
5 ай бұрын
2:15 the writing on the door is 凶宅, which means "haunted house"
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much.
@AtticussAtticuss
5 ай бұрын
Spooky china town.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Aren't they all?
@MRGRIMZ89
5 ай бұрын
great video bro, thanks! ONE OF MY FAVS!!!
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@muldrake
5 ай бұрын
Love watching your reviews, spares me the actual (time-consuming) rewatch of the episodes. I also like how you sprinkle in some background information.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
I'm glad you're enjoying it. It's my favorite show and I just like talking about it.
@dustangel7668
5 ай бұрын
Props to you for not falling in the usual trap! It has always bugged me when people refer to the unnamed monster as "Frankenstein" (Spoiler alert! Unfortunately, X-Files will also be guilty of this in one of the future episodes).
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Haha I know better, I love the universal monsters.
@PharaohMan007
5 ай бұрын
I didn't even recognize BD Wong! I'm so used to him as Hugo Strange on Gotham now.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
I had no idea he was on that show.
@reaverofjillsandwiches
10 күн бұрын
I think this idea of hellmoney was used in the video game Fear Effect, which also used the idea of paper ammo, where you had to burn it to get the ammo you picked up.
@JBSpookyReview
9 күн бұрын
Oh that sounds like an interesting idea.
@TCTRACKX
5 ай бұрын
wait a min.. is that a 3 ninjas mask LOL
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
You know, I'll to look it up, because now that you mention it, it just might be.
@TCTRACKX
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview 😂🤣 x-files series is fire ... hopefully you can do a spin off are you afraid of the dark series
@WyomingGuy876
5 ай бұрын
Number 8 to like !!
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Thanks so much brother.
@parkeaudio1338
10 күн бұрын
I love this episode for the cultural stuff, James Hong is always a fun watch no matter what it is. The poor detective Choa wasn’t trusted by his colleagues or even his own community, it was a cool angle to explore
@JBSpookyReview
9 күн бұрын
It's a solid episode that I think just needed another round of re-writes.
@stevedenis8292
5 ай бұрын
Cartwright! Upon the many times watching I half expect to hear that called out as a tile is pulled out.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Hahah shit why did I not think of that.
@Charles_Anthony
Ай бұрын
Missed opportunity.
@deann6256
12 күн бұрын
The casting on this episode is 🤌🏼 perfection 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Omg ❤️
@JBSpookyReview
11 күн бұрын
The cast is really good.
@MRGRIMZ89
5 ай бұрын
TIS SONNY BONO SAN LOL
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Hahahaa
@Belzediel
5 ай бұрын
..isn't the idea that Foxington Muldo has, in his toolkit, an unerring ability to catch patterns thanks to his incessant reading of police reports? Could be wrong, and really, REALLY could be wrong, but I've always been under the impression that the vast majority of his time at work is taken up reading, because no one in the FBI will assign him cases just because he's available, even though he's got a know track record of excellence. I mean, I do not know because I can't watch this episode, but, isn't it Frequency Modulation puts himself into the investigation, rather than being invited? Of course, as is usually the case, could be that often the only way to show someone has amazing deductive powers is to show a lot of people who can't join the dots of who stole their sandwich even whilst discussing it with a chap eating that sandwich at that point in time, so.. "The predation pattern indicates a non-frenzied feeding of a large anurid. Didn't you get down the swamp and check out the marshes? Well, this was not a organ harvesting incident, it's no voodoo hudu and it wasn't a carnival monkey. It was a frog!" I've always liked the dead money thing, but, the idea is the fake money will pay debts for the dead person, but, no one has ever thought these debts would be paid off in the real world, so, against whom these debts would be levied is in question, and I like the notion that ghosts must be royal dumbasses in Chinese culture because what good would any money be, let alone fake money? S'like, you do have life after death, but, it's not a good life. XD OMG The UT thing is hilarious. Trust academia, if there's a way to be amazingly offensive they'll find it. "We're so amazingly anti-racist that for Chinese New Year we're all going to put in fake teeth, squint real hard and sing Ying-Tong Yiddle-I-po..." BD Wong just sounds dirty. Sure he's a great guy and all, just saying. Might be speaking french, so, BD reads more or less the same to me as 'hentai'. I maintain though that Hentai Wong wouldn't be a bad detective name... "All this animal does is ribbet, jump, lick it's own eyeballs, and make frogspawn, it's really a miracle of nature." "That's a four-incher!" "Five. You know how you can tell that, Hentai Wong, when you're in the swamp? It's twice as long from the middle to one end..." I just got a vision of an episode of Criminal Minds where they have a tall dark FBI agent and his short red-head partner turn up and try to tell the gang it's not a serial killer, it's the ghost of their dead surrogate mothers, or whatever, only to get blankly ignored. "You're gonna need a bigger kayak..." Yeah, so, no idea how you manage to keep pumping these out as quick as you do without gettin' sloppy, but, I'm just hopin' you're not gonna find something more important to do sometime soon. I swear, man, when the right tick tocks, you're gonna go shooting up in subs, havin' a huge and entertaining vault of shows is gonna do the business. In the meantime, I have tonsilitis and haven't eaten since friday, so, I'm gonna go make some really, really, strong tea. Tea you can stand a spoon up in. Manly tea. Army tea. Oh tea, here's a song about tea by my friend Paul - kzitem.info/news/bejne/xnuCrmSfr5epfnY
@dlaimer
5 ай бұрын
Finally someone talking sense on this comments section.
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Your comments always make my day. And I do my best to keep the quality up on my videos. They never really turn out how I would like and the writing and editing isn't the best, but I always try to get better. I'm just glad you're enjoying them.
@Belzediel
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview I am, I am, and are others, and in time, so will many, many more. Stay strong, JB, you are doing good work, strong work, the devil's wo... GOD's work... Or maybe Flukeman's work. Either way, going to work out in the end! 🙂
@Belzediel
5 ай бұрын
@@JBSpookyReview Don't you go letting that imposter syndrome creep in, buddy, that monster's a menace. Your videos are invariably amusing, interesting and bolted tight.
@JohnBelluci
5 ай бұрын
Great video dude. Just a note, episode title "El mundo gira" is in spanish and it's roughly pronounced "el moon-dogh jira"
@JBSpookyReview
5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much. I do my best to pronounce words that are foreign to me, but you'd be amazed how many English words I can barely say hahaha.
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