hat distinguishes The Tourist's Guide to the Uncharted Territories from all the other Farscape fan sites out there? For one thing, it is extremely up to date, with comprehensive reviews of episodes coming out as they air. For another, it is one of the most enduring, a Web page that has been educating visitors about all things Farscape almost since the series premiered. This isn't one of those sites that looks beautiful and hasn't been updated since season one. No, site owners Kiki and Peri have a commitment to the series and its Web page that is breathtaking in its depth.
In terms of content, TGUT has everything a guest might expect—character and actor biographies, photographs of the principal actors in and out of makeup, fan fiction, convention reports and sound files. Its links page connects to a large but carefully selected group of relevant Farscape resources, including the official Jim Henson page for the show and other excellent fan pages of note. Its FAQ is indexed by topic, providing detailed answers to all those thorny canon questions. It is also laid out in such a way that viewers who don't want to be exposed to spoilers can easily avoid them.
It doesn't hurt, either, that TGUT is as friendly and orderly as its namesake is violent and chaotic. It features beautiful graphic design and site organization. Everything a visitor could want to find is easily accessed with a click or two, making the page a terrific place to pick up lore on the show, data about its cast and crew and a host of online articles and interviews.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—June 24, 2002
he X-Files is known for its inside jokes, most notably Chris Carter's propensity for scattering "1013" as cell, office and report numbers. But there are far more jokes than just a few dozen references to Carter's production company (and birthday), and the X-Files Inside Joke List chronicles them all.
Sections for each of the series' nine seasons detail hidden gems like characters named for friends, cast, crew and even family dogs. True fans might find their names listed in FBI reports, while those with a literary bent might be surprised at the number of references to Herman Melville's books. The total number of jokes chronicled—from homages to science-fiction authors to sly wordplays—numbers into the hundreds.
The episodes are only the beginning, though. The "He & She Said" section features common phrases by the series' leads, including Scully's classic "Mulder, it's me" and Mulder's (David Duchovny) various come-on lines to Scully. "X-Files Lists" tracks the number of times Fox dropped his gun, checked out porn or he and Scully traded hugs or kisses.
"Bathrooms" lists all of the grisly ways that series' victims have died while in the lavatory. "Outside-Inside Jokes" looks at the series from the outside, quoting references from other television series, comics, books and songs. As is the case throughout the site, the episode and season is given for each entry.
And finally, those curious about variations in The X-Files' signature "The Truth Is Out There" tagline or wondering what some of its more obscure episode titles mean will find complete rosters and explanations for both.
— Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week—June 17, 2002
ot a fan site, but rather an academic journal, Slayage is edited by the authors of Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. David Lavery and Rhonda Wilcox have five issues of this thoughtful magazine archived on their site, and they provide a much-needed tonic for any Buffy aficionado suffering due to the advent of the 2002 rerun season.
With a tight focus on analysis of Buffy, the lion's share of Slayage's content is articles, ranging in tone from dry to very juicy indeed. Topics include: teenage witches in popular culture, the show's trappings of vigilante justice, the assault on youth culture depicted in the third-season episode "Gingerbread," the show's genesis from its beginnings as a 1992 film, and online Buffy fan communities. Each issue also links to a couple of recommended essays from other sources. The sum effect offered to Slayer-starved visitors is several textbooks worth of inspiration and commentary on the show.
Slayage is not without a few other features, including a fully up-to-date episode guide. (While this lacks episode summaries, it indexes the various shows by season, title, writer and director, making it a useful research tool.) Another treat is a news section which announces new Buffy books and conferences. The Slayage links page is on the short side, but its contents are carefully chosen and provocative. Sprinkled with references to episodes great and small, this site injects new life into the show's already screened material, making it ripe for another viewing while fans count the days until the opening of season seven.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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