The X-Files (2016) | TV Series Review

A spoiler-free look at the ‘The X-Files’ limited series

When you are discussing the revival of the most iconic television show of the 90’s, it is important to establish where you, as a critic, fall in line as a fan of ‘The X-Files’. Are you one of those die-hards whose patience was stretched to the point of snapping like a rubber band by the end of those final two seasons sans Mulder? Or were you one of the obsessives, who contemplated Scully face-tattoos even after that abysmal ending the series endured way back in 2002? Me – I’m the latter.

Yes, the series finale disappointed me. To the point that I will never watch it again – nor should you, because it’s worse than an alien probe. In fact, I was so pleasantly taken with the most recent movie (2008’s ‘I Want To Believe’) – and especially the final after-credits shot of Mulder and Scully floating away in tranquil waters – that I had accepted ‘Believe’ as the final chapter in the adventures of my favorite paranormal crime-fighters. It was the happy ending every fan needed.

So when Chris Carter and FOX announced plans to hop on this current nostalgia train chugging down the TV tracks and revisit a series I hold almost as close to my heart as my own children, well, I was more skeptical than if Dana stumbled into ‘Independence Day’. ‘Why?’ was the nagging question burning a hole in the back of my mind, why is this even necessary? Flash forward several months as I gazed intently at the FOX pilot screener of this new 6-episode limited series, while I listened intently as the simplistic brilliance of Mark Snow’s timeless theme once again enveloped my television screen, and instantly my question was modified to a resounding ‘Why NOT?!’

As the premiere – airing January 24th on Fox and cleverly titled, ‘My Struggle’ – opens, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has relegated himself to exile. Having spent a lifetime attempting to prove an alien conspiracy directly aligned with the abduction of his sister, perpetrated by the very government he worked for, apparently took quite the toll on our hero. It also has caused a convenient rift between Fox and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), for as the series starts, these two are no longer together enjoying a tropical paradise.

Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) reaches out to Scully to get Mulder back in the action, as a woman by the name of Sveta (Annet Mahendru) has new information which could prove to be the final piece of this long-gestating puzzle. Coming along for the ride is TV host and conspiracy enthusiast, Tad O’Malley (Joel McHale). Tad has vetted Sveta and feels he can offer even more to this chase by providing a global outlet for the ever-elusive truth to finally reach the public’s ears.

Of course, Dana is initially reluctant to assist – and this notion of her character is a bit tiresome for fans, as we have already witnessed everything that she has, therefore Scully should believe in Bigfoot by now with no debate – but at least Carter had enough sense to position this hesitation as coming more from a fear of the abyss this pursuit provides, as opposed to mere skepticism. She relents, naturally, and Scully and Mulder are off to the races, once again investigating a clandestine cabal who will stop at nothing to protect their nefarious agenda.

Duchovny IS Fox Mulder, nothing has changed. His entire career has become defined by his dry, sardonic wit and it returns to form like a well-worn, perhaps slightly disheveled, glove. Anderson – who established herself as an amazingly versatile actress both during and after the series wrapped – returns to once again cement the dignity and grace this reworking needed to survive. This show depends on both actors to work (as the last two seasons of the original series clearly established), and the moment we see them both together onscreen for the first time in years – get your umbrella ready, kids, because it’s about to rain tears of joy.

The key to this limited series is whether or not you can get on board with Carter’s modified vision of ‘The X-Files’, and specifically how their plight now relates to the modern world. This new view changes the show for all of us, and while I will not spoil the direction it heads, be prepared to have your mind blown as everything you believe to be true in this convoluted tale thus far is turned completely on its head. I give Carter credit for bravely redefining his own show (and especially for also respectfully addressing ‘2012’), it cannot be easy for any parent to change a course that had been so meticulously plotted for years. He commits to his redefined vision, and like a slobbering sycophant, I have strapped myself into the Chris Carter Express and am firmly braced for the remainder of this ride – wherever it might lead.

The additional two episodes screened for critics that follow – beginning the show’s regular Monday timeslot on Jan 25th – take two vastly different paths to arrive at that same sentimental sweet spot of a destination. The first, ‘Founder’s Mutation’, is a typical old-school monster-of-the-week episode that mimics the early years, as Scully uses science to curb Mulder’s seemingly absurd explanations for an apparent suicide. As the case moves forward, exposition gets cranked to an 11 as we learn about covert experiments and gene mutations, all while fans are treated to a resolution of sorts on one of the more polarizing storylines of the initial series.

By the time we get to ‘Mulder & Scully Meet The Were-Monster’, everything feels like 1993 again. Darin Morgan – who wrote some of the most acclaimed episodes in the show’s original run, including ‘Jose Chung’s From Outer Space’ – returns to blind us with absurd laughter once again. After a hysterical opening where Mulder FINALLY begins to question some of his beliefs in the more preposterous myths on Wikipedia, he and Scully are called upon to investigate a murder that goes beyond anything they’ve dealt with before. This is classic ‘X-Files’ camp – which astonishingly manages to serve as an insightful commentary on the human condition –  and it’s also an instant classic. By the end of this 3rd episode, I was already painfully dreading the day ‘The X-Files’ closes its files on me yet again.

Ultimately, you really read all of this to know one thing – does ‘The X-Files’ still work? The short answer is yes. HELL yes! Did the show need to return? Nope, not really, and the entire thing could have just been a cash grab by FOX to juice up the network (though nothing here justifies that sentiment). As a fan, though? I. Don’t. Care. I loved it, every second of it, and these first three episodes managed to do what that Phantom Menace-ish finale never once pulled off – it brought a wide-eyed grin to this fanboy’s face.

And like Fox Mulder himself, after all of these years of ups and downs have passed – I’m still smiling.

 

Editor’s Note: You can listen to either our Premiere Episode Reaction Cast or our Complete Series Discussion at the applicable links

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider