Editorial: Everything Wrong With The X-Files Event Series

This is a rant. A rant about The X-Files. A rant about Chris Carter. A rant about everything that went wrong. 

This script right here says that Chris Carter
and Fox want to cram six episodes worth
of story into one finale. It also says
you're suddenly psychic, Scully. 

Somewhere at sometime, this idea went awry. It's hard to say where. But, The X-Files comeback was not the graceful return to form that we expected. Instead, it was a fair little bit of nostalgia that took a wrong turn down Poor Acting Lane then sideswiped a busload of aliens on I Don't Want To Believe Street before being imprisoned in a hospital full of anthrax victims. 

As an avid long time X-Files fanboy, the idea of our favorite characters Mulder and Scully coming back was a breath of fresh air in a time when television continues to break new ground. Thinking that somehow they'd come back and make this fit in with all the awesome new things that hit tv on a regular basis, I was immediately sold on the premise. Sadly for me, this was a massive letdown. 

Knowing that they'd been gone for a decade and that Chris Carter was at the helm again, most of us were excited at the thought of a new, refreshed take on the mythology. At the onset of episode 1 of the event series, the conspiracy was given a hard reset that seemed like we would go in a new direction; one where Mulder became more skeptical and Scully was on the opposing side of her inherent traits as the one questioning her partner's typical belief system. The first two parts gave us a real shot at seeing The X-Files take on modern theories and the Alex Jones world we live in. At best, we got two parts quality, one part meta comedy, two parts awful, and a finale that compressed too much into one night. 

Me and Hank Moody are here
for your daughters.

Carter unabashedly tried recreate the way the old show used to run. He gave us some mythos episodes, a couple creature of the week chapters, and then My Struggle II that crammed an inexplicable amount of story arc into one of the most flawed X-Files episodes EVER. After leaving us hanging for three weeks, we were thrown back into the story at hand while Scully haphazardly concludes within a matter of seconds that the world is ending and she can stop it within hours. It just didn't work. Putting up with the satirical character of Einstein was just enough to push us over the edge of deeply reserved patience, but the handling of this concluding episode was a symptom of a show runner with no respect for his fan base and not enough time to pull off what he wanted to do. 

Much like George Lucas or Michael Bay, Mr. Carter is not always the best person at handling his own product. Over thinking what the fans might desire and a higher budget are not always a good combination. In the case of The X-Files revisit, Carter didn't recapture the dynamics or the long lost mysticism of my all time favorite show. In fact, he glossed over almost everything that made it so good to begin with. Again, having only six episodes to work with put this relaunch in a tight spot. Yes, I'm sure they wanted to see if the viewership would come back. And they did. But (and there's always a but), when you're on a limited schedule, trying to fit in alternate one-off storylines just doesn't work. Knowing that this was a special series with only six parts, the new alien conspiracy should have remained the central focus. 

Dude. Herpes blows.

Considering how last night's finale left off, it's easy to say that it will be back again. But, there are some major concerns that need to be addressed. Einstein and Miller cannot and should not be turned into the new Reyes and Doggett. No spinoffs. Yes, the duality of their characters adds a bit of humor to the show, but all in all, they failed. Lastly, if the idea is to continue this short run seasons, Carter needs to stick to his guns to keep focus on the roll out of the impending apocalypse plot line. He should also consider taking a back seat, allowing someone else to create and perfect the new vision of The X-Files. 

I won't lie. I'll continue to watch but I'm not saying I won't bail at some point. Last night felt like the failed Dexter conclusion mixed with a dash of The Sopranos ending. I love you Chris Carter. I love your creation. I love your characters. I love what you gave us. As a fan, I beg of you. Do better. 



I want to believe...you'll share this article. 
 
 
-CG