Well, the second greatest shown known to man has returned (Lost is the first in case you were wondering), and so far it has been a pretty interesting ride. But let me explain…
Some time ago, I first heard that the X-files was returning to television, and I thought to myself that this was perfect. The last film clearly showed that a two hour format after such a long break had its flaws. So it seemed that six episodes would be perfect for the show to establish itself with its already loyal fanbase while simultaneously attracting a new and younger fanbase.
I immediately began to rewatch the entire series on Netflix. Apparently, I had forgotten how wonderfully written and witty the episodes were. The show (starting mid-way through the first season) was actually far better than I had remembered it. Perhaps, this was because I picked up on a great many things that I had not previously noticed, but I digress.
By the time I had gotten through season three, the new episodes were premiering. My expectations at this point were pretty high. So I sat down with my good friend of many years, with whom I had already seen much of the original show (we’ll call him S19 to protect his identity), and we watched the show begin.
The first episode, which was a X-files mythology episode (in other words a story pertaining to an overall story arc as opposed to a standalone episode) happened very quickly. In my opinion, a little too quickly. We were quickly reintroduced to Mulder and Scully, exposed to their earlier work on the X-files, then shown how they had grown apart and where life had taken them up to that point. Of course, they are quickly drawn back into a new conspiracy (which unfortunately makes a lot of the old conspiracy inconsequential). Without going into too much detail, I will say that a lot more is thrown at us, and by the end of the episode, for some reason, the X-files has been reopened and we get our first look at an old nemesis of the X-files.
After this episode, I was a bit worried. While David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson seemed to fall back into their characters, the pacing of the episode was all over the place. But, it was their first episode back, so I figured that they had to work themselves back into form.
The second episode showed that indeed they had regained their form. This was a semi-standalone episode which dealt with the search for two different young people with possible powers. This episode quickly reintroduced some of the playfulness between Mulder and Scully’s characters, while at the same time bringing in some of the darker moods of earlier episodes. My only criticism here was the fact that the episode ended up in the air. Of course I am only halfway through the season so I have no idea if they plan to wrap that up.
Then came the third episode, that wonderful third episode, “Mulder and Scully meet the Were-Monster”. This was the episode I was waiting for. Those of you who are huge fans of the show, such as myself realize that there was a third season episode entitled “Jose Chung’s from Outer Space”, and depending who you ask, is arguably the best episode in the series. That episode was written by Darin Morgan, who also wrote and directed this episode as well. It was just a quirky and strange, yet surprisingly philosophical. It was by far the most X-file-y thing that they have released in at least ten years. It starts off as a typical monster episode, and then takes a drastic turn and gives us a very strange look at our own humanity, all before leaving us scratching our heads wondering if what we really saw actually happened within the show or if it was some strange dream dreamt up by one of the characters.
All-in-all the show has now surpassed most of my expectations. I just hope that the second half of the season can keep up the momentum of the first half. Only time will tell.
The Dark Side 