The X-Files is over and we’re not ok. Let’s talk about it.
The X-Files season finale had an intro like no other. “My Struggle II” opened up with a recounting of Mulder and Scully’s journey through the paranormal and spooky. Photos and clips helped us remember their first time meeting, her kidnapping, and the repercussions that haunted her for years because of it. It even threw in a little unsettling foreshadowing with Scully transforming into an alien before our eyes. (Now that was spooky!) It was the most appropriate way to set up the Spartan virus and what it was about to do to everyone on screen. The pace was quick throughout this episode, not a moment wasted as the virus took down all in it’s path, including Mulder and Miller. Despite Mulder and Scully being separated for most of the episode they kept on fighting to survive for the most important people in their lives, each other. (And I guess the human population too. But mostly each other.)
The Good
- Agent Scully getting down with the science. There is nothing that I love more than watching her get into her ‘science’ mode. She didn’t care how many times she had to run tests on her DNA as long as this got to the people who needed it, specifically Mulder.
- Agent Scully driving her car on the sidewalk and somehow managing to get through bumper to bumper traffic. This might be the most unbelievable part of the episode. Not even ambulances could’ve gotten through that gridlock. But somehow Scully succeeded where all else failed. BAMF.
- Agent Mulder kicking ass. Now I know he got beat up pretty badly and spent half of the episode laying about…but that fight scene was H-O-T! We’ve seen him fight people off before but never with this much precision. Follow all that up with a cut scene where he confronted Cigarette Smoking Man and you’ve got a winner, ladies and gentlemen! Extra points for being protective of Scully.
- Agent Miller and Einstein. Last episode I was a little hesitant about these two. With Einstein’s medical background, skeptical nature, and cute as a button partner who wanted to believe everything, I thought they were going for replacements of the originals. They proved me wrong in this episode. These two were willing to go the extra mile for Mulder and Scully and proved to be strong allies. I hope to see more of them in the future when The X-Files returns.
The Bad
- Cigarette Smoking Man returns. If there was one character I really wished died ages ago…it’d be him. Nothing seems to take this man down. Not a crazy explosion that twisted his body and not a virus from hell. Really wonder what it would take to finally put this man down?
- Tad O’Malley in everything. First off the actor, I just can’t take him seriously. Everything comes off as a sarcastic ploy by Jeff Winger while playing one of Abed’s games. Second of all, where is he getting his information? How is he still on air after all the claims he’s made? You would think the bad guys would take him off air quick. They don’t want their evil plans out there. But none of that happens. Tad just somehow knows absolutely everything about who, what, where this all started. His entire set of theories, which turned out to be true, felt unbelievable and too fast paced.
- The Spartan virus execution and explanation. It was a soft explanation to a global catastrophe that spanned back years into The X-Files mythos. More hints about this storyline should have been dropped throughout the second, third, fourth and fifth episodes of The X-Files. Instead we had what felt like a two-parter that was disconnected, one episode at the beginning of the season and one at the end. Honestly had to spend about fifteen minutes explaining it to my mother when it finished.
The Weird
- The lesions, sores, and symptoms that people were experiencing. The first sign of the sickness, on that random guys shoulder, was an odd color, shape and size. Was I wrong in thinking that it looked a bit grey? Like he was changing inside?
- Why was Monica Reyes working for the Cigarette Smoking Man? What did she get from it? It was cruel to put her in such a position and then give no explanation why she was so out of character.
- The same unidentified flying object that killed Sveta in part one of ‘My Struggle,’ appeared at the end of the episode. It hovered over Scully, Mulder, and Miller with it’s harrowing light illuminating them. Of course they’re not going to kill them, because a Season 11 has to happen, but it’s a scary way to leave us hanging. Trust me, my mouth was dropped open, eyes staring unblinkingly at the screen as it all faded to black. *pours more wine* Not going to get over that ending anytime soon.
Overall I’m glad that The X-Files returned to our screens. It was lovely reminiscing with friends and family about the things we loved about this classic show. Could it have been better? Yes. Would I have liked it to be a bit less disjointed? For sure. But it’s worth it all if it brings Mulder and Scully back into our lives and if it generates new fans of something I’ve loved since I was little. The amount of viewers, reviews, and mentions of The X-Files across social media (including that ridiculously edge of your seat ending) guarantees that this won’t be the last time we hear that eerie intro or see that iconic red hair.
The truth is out there. (And so is William.)
The X-Files will return?
P.S. It’s Dana Katherine Scully’s birthday today, February 23! Happy Birthday!
