The X-Files: Some “Familiar” Moments
Season 11, Episode 8
Tonight’s episode had some great throwbacks to days of X-Files past, but still some “meh” factor.
If you need a refresher on the season 11 premiere or were too wary to even watch, check out my thoughts here. For my thoughts on previous episodes: 11x02, 11x03, 11x04, 11x05, 11x06, 11x07.
The Wig Files
Here I will check in on Gillian Anderson’s Scully wig and see how it’s doing. Her season 10 wig was lackluster, but based on promos and behind the scenes photos, the season 11 wigs seem to be much better.
Still warming up to the short wig. But here’s my question: What was the point of switching to a new wig if we’re not gonna explain it? I need answers!!
Shipper Moment
A good 50% of The X-Files is wondering when Mulder and Scully will finally kiss and make-up. The show’s creator, Chris Carter, is notorious for insisting that despite having a child together and sharing a few on-screen kisses, Mulder and Scully are platonic. Obviously he’s wrong. This section will track the progress made on the MSR (Mulder Scully Relationship) front.
There wasn’t really one tonight, but there was something sweet and familiar (no pun intended) about the banter between Mulder and Scully. Mulder voices belief in hellhounds and the underworld, Scully asks, he elaborates, she regrets asking. The two of them standing over an autopsy table was a throwback as well. Reminded me of simpler times and better storylines.
It was also cute (albeit a little weird) when Scully thanked Mulder for backing her up with the local cops and his response was, “You’re my homie.” Who is writing this outdated slang into Mulder’s vocabulary?
Best Line or Exchange of the Episode
Depending on who wrote it, an episode of The X-Files can contain quite a few gems. The 10 seasons and 2 movies we’ve had before this point have given us iconic one-liners like “Mushrooms taste great on burgers, Mulder, but they don’t raise the dead,” and “Please explain to be the scientific nature of a whammy.” What does season 11 have in store?
No great one-liners in this episode. But Scully saying, “He’s potentially John Wayne Gacy with a monkey,” amused me because I love true crime and any reference to a classic serial killer.
Monster Mash
How does this week’s monster square up against the rest of X-Files canon? Mulder and Scully have seen some wild creatures over the years, from the Flukeman to clones to evil dolls. Season 10 didn’t have any strong monsters, so hopefully season 11 will rectify that.
The witchcraft thing has been done many times on The X-Files before, and all those times were far better than this one. This story is something I feel like I’ve seen a hundred times on every crime drama/procedural out there and nothing about the episode made it feel fresh or different.
The Bat-Crap Crazy Corner
This section will track the craziest thing Mulder reveals his belief in this week — and the dude believes in almost anything, no matter how many times Scully rolls her eyes.
Hellhounds, the Underworld, witchcraft (both ancient and modern), spontaneous combustion and dark spirits. All things Mulder has shown belief in before, but this time around he really went for it on the Hellhound thing. Points for commitment.
Loved it when Scully said, “As we’ve discussed before, people don’t just spontaneously combust.” He’s still trying to get her to budge on that one. And she sort of did, by the end.
William Dollar Baby
To those unfamiliar, William is the son Scully conceived despite believing she was barren after aliens conducted tests on her and took out her ova (I know, it sounds crazy). Mulder is his father and you can’t make me believe otherwise.
A woman asked Mulder if he had kids and he said “I have a son. He’s grown, though,” which shattered my heart into a million little pieces. We only have two more episodes for a family reunion! Get on it, Chris Carter. Do something useful for once.
Basement Analysis
I’m just gonna rant and overanalyze like Mulder does down in the basement.
I feel like I’ve been harshing, maybe unfairly, on this season because it’s not all I dreamed it would be. I didn’t even want it in the first place but it’s way better than season 10, which is good. I think what bothered me about tonight’s episode is that stories like this have been done before and I’ve seen this plot a million times, on shows both good and bad. A lot of these new episodes could be on any current procedural, nothing sets them apart. They don’t have that erie X-Files spin that make them a step above the rest, except “Ghouli” and maybe “Plus One.”
If you’re going to bring a show back but have lost that little bit of magic that made it special, why bother? At the root of all my issues with season 11, I’m still unsure what value this reboot has, if any.
Also, just gonna say: I was not expecting Randy Disher to shoot the pedophile in the face.
Classic, Just Classic
Mulder and Scully in the woods, Scully doing a medical exam, Mulder calling her a medical doctor, the banter over whether or not witchcraft is real… the storyline was underwhelming, but there were some great throwbacks in there that made it enjoyable.
Role Reversal
As much as things seemed the same tonight, there was also a slight shift. Scully sort of took charge of the investigation and profiled the killer, then worked with local law enforcement while Mulder connected with the victims in a softer, more vulnerable way. Many past X-Files episodes involving the death of children portrayed Scully as the one visibly hit the hardest by the case, presumably because of a little bit of sexism on the part of the writers (the woman has to be super sad when kids die, but tough men can handle it). It was refreshing for that to be different this time around.
Millennial Activist Mulder
Mulder’s commentary on how everyone is assuming the convicted pedophile who neglected to tell his neighbors about his past was a little preachy. Yes, the dude was innocent in the end. But I’m not really sure where this whole “people are judging him unfairly” thing came from. And the comments about how every town in America is like this? It sounds like someone was trying to make a statement but didn’t know how to do it. I was puzzled, to say the least.
