MovieChat Forums > The X Files (1993) Discussion > So I FINALLY watched the revival

So I FINALLY watched the revival

posted 3 months ago by M1sterDoct0r (4423)
9 replies | jump to latest

The original run is still one of my all time faves. Even after the subpar later seasons.

Was hyped when the revival was announced. But I only managed to watch the first 2 episodes. I was going through some personal stuff at the time & just put the show off "for later"

Well, 8 years later, I guess the time finally came. Here are my thoughts:

Season 10 was a chore to finish. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I had to force myself to finish it. I mean they gave us one of the absolute best episodes in, "Mulder & Scully meet the Were-Monster" but almost everything else was trash.

Even Gillian & Duchovny looked so damn bored & it showed in their performance. The "mythology episodes" were STILL the worst aspect of the show. The cases ranged from unwatchable to pretty ok.

The addition of discount Mulder & Scully was annoying & unnecessary. Same with conspiracy nut guy.

I absolutely HATE what they did to Reyes & the fact that they brought back the cigarette man. It's like they don't know what to do without him! Fuck that guy!

Season 11 was SURPRISINGLY pretty damn good. I had zero expectations for it after the shitshow that was season 10.

But it genuinely felt like classic X Files. Gillian & Duchovny were back in their groove. They were both GREAT! I especially loved Mulder this season. Duchovny seemed to be having so much fun.

I enjoyed every single X file case in season 11. "The lost art of forehead sweat" is one of the finest episodes the show has ever produced imo.

But it wasn't perfect. With the exception of the single William episode, "Ghouli", The mythology episodes dragged the show down. Which is something that plagued the show as it went on in its original run.

[–] Keelai (34969) 3 months ago

I watched one revival episode and gave up. The show wasn't the same anymore.

[–] M1sterDoct0r (4423) 3 months ago

I would recommend just one episode from season 10. "Mulder & Scully meet the Were-Monster". It's legit classic X files

And the case of the week episodes of season 11 are honestly are pretty darn solid.

It's the show's main mythology stuff that's (still) shite

[–] Keelai (34969) 3 months ago

I'll keep those episodes in mind for the future if they pop-up on the tube again.

[–] Snoopy828 (585) 3 months ago

Agree season 11 was better than 10. But overall, I'm hugely disappointed to Chris Carters entire approach to this revival show. His plan was to have his movie trilogy. But after I want to believe bombed (it was a POS) he kept going on and on about his third movie to close out the show/series. He was never going to get it.

So instead, they give him an episode order for a small season. My initial thought was that if approached correctly could've been a cool little mini-series about the alien invasion of 2012. But instead, what does CC do? He decides to retcon the mythology once again in a lame hail Mary attempt to prolong the original series. I made a thread about this a while back in that I feel Chris Carter is that drunk guy at the party with no self-awareness that the party ended hours ago yet is still trying to keep it going. He should've taken a page out of his buddy Vince Gilligan's book and given the fans a definitive ending overstaying his welcome.

Hypothetically if he made a small mini-series about the invasion and delivered the goods it could've ended on top. It could've undone all the damage done by Season 9 and I want to believe and had X Files go out on top. Instead, the show I love went out on a whimper. It still pains me.

[–] Snoopy828 (585) 3 months ago

I absolutely HATE what they did to Reyes & the fact that they brought back the cigarette man. It's like they don't know what to do without him! Fuck that guy!

^^ yes the cigarette man was dead. That was lame as hell. Reyes I actually love what they did with her. I was never a fan of the agent Reyes character as she always came off as Mulder 2.0. Here I was actually intrigued by what they had done with the character. However she was barely featured, they did nothing with her turn, and it was so underdeveloped it made me angry.

Oh and then they unceremoniously killed her off

[–] M1sterDoct0r (4423) 3 months ago

Exactly! That's what I despised. They just made her CM's henchwoman. And absolutely nothing more.

Her role coulda easily been filled with a no name character & it wouldn't change a fucking thing

They could've easily just NOT brought back Cigarette man & just made Reyes the new baddie.

But nah, the writers are OBSESSED with him everything has to connect to or lead back to him!

[–] M1sterDoct0r (4423) 3 months ago

I want to believe is one of the biggest wastes of money I've ever seen. I mean you get a freaking X files movie & THAT is what you do with it?

Also, Chris Carter sucks at endings. He sucks at handling the larger mythology. He, as evidenced by the show as it went on, had absolutely no idea what to do with or how to end the alien plot.

Should've just abandoned the whole alien shit & done a bunch of X files cases & just ended it at that.

[–] Snoopy828 (585) 3 months ago

Personally, I think the show should've ended with Season 8. I am a huge defender of Season 8. Loved it from start to finish and the ending of that season I thought was perfect. If they were never going to properly wrap up the mythology, then I would've been just as content with giving the characters their proper closure.

Mulder and Scully finally get their happy ending (baby and all), Krycheck dies at the hands of Skinner, Doggett and Reyes take over the x files, Doggett going after Kirch, and the lone gunmen live on. Fade to black and call it a series.

[–] M1sterDoct0r (4423) 3 months ago

That really sounds like a satisfying ending.