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I agree that this could be part of the problem. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe that two rather different but intelligent and thoughtful adults couldn't manage to act professionally and responsibly enough to not ruin their work relationship so seriously that it ultimately led to the demise of the show as we knew it. Since they got along so well for the first couple of years, something major must have happened that resulted in this irreparable breakdown that has been written all over my screen since mid season 5.

Obviously mileage varies, but it I had been on the receiving end of that message after having been half of whatever job I shared with the sender for eight years with this kind of ending of our work relationship, I'd feel disrespected and pissed off. The message would work for me if it had been SK's choice and she had walked herself, but under these circumstances, to start the message with yourself and how you want the show to go on for years to come after your co-star has just been dismissed, is inappropriate and rude, IMO, escpecially from a guy like NF who seems to have a reputation of being rather warm, supportive and caring.

I haven't watched the last couple of episodes and have fallen pretty much out of love with the show, but this makes me sad. And I can't even begin to imagine how SK must feel, given how invested she was in her character. Shame on whoever made that decision.

The time jump only reinforces my belief that they will kill Beckett off. Given how SK feels about the Beckett character, this scenario is not only devastating for the fans who care a lot about the character but almost feels like giving the actress the finger. Castle will have mourned offscreen for a couple of years and will be his bumbling idiot self in the premier and the significance of Beckett will be forgotten and ignored for the rest of the run of the show. New lows.

This is actually pretty plausible, IMO, especially the part with the old showrunner who had things more under control and who always came across as if he had more of a soft spot for SK than NF. So Beckett was much more front and centre when he was in charge and very much in the background once he had left. Nonetheless, if all of this was truly NF's doing, he must have felt extremely screwed over by SK at one point. Otherwise, given his reputation, this doesn't add up one bit.

I don't have any deep knowledge into the inner-workings of their relationship. However, it's been obvious (to me) from what I've seen onscreen that their personal relationship had to have deteriorated a lot over the last couple of seasons. To me, it makes a whole lot of sense that this issue is also (part of) the reason for SK's dismissal.The lukewarm sentiment of NF's twitter message completes the picture.

Season 8 Beckett and SK's unusually distant portrayal of her as well as the focus on Castle (without Beckett) sure seemed to indicate that. But why did ABC have to make it more dramatic than it already is by dismissing her prior to the show being renewed unless NF wanted a clean cut before even considering coming back. Whoever has a tell all book ready within the next couple of days can make some serious money.

Since most scenes between NF and SK have become painful to watch because of their IMO obvious rift, this news doesn't come as a surprise. I also believe that it was her or me on NF's part. Too bad for the people who still care. The fun and charming show I used to love deserved a better ending.

Uneven writing with LOTS of clunky dialogue is one of the first things that comes to my mind after watching. Overall, I think I *kinda* liked it, but like episode 1 it was too much story packed into too little screentime. I guess these two mytharc episodes were more or less what CC had in mind for the third movie, which would explain many of the flaws of these episodes and also the reason why Mulder and Scully were separated throughout this one only to be reunited in the end, which is so clichéd (in a movie) and also one of my major beefs with this episode. With more time, better writing and sharper dialogues the story idea itself would have worked better as a movie, IMO. The way it played out it felt callow and at times pretty ridiculous which made it hard to suspend disbelief. The pandemic idea was way over the top for the short time of a TV episode, and it would have worked much better while also being more in tone with the show if they had stuck to an increase in random unexplainable cases of viral diseases in various areas which could have marked the beginning of a possible pandemic that could have been explored further in the first three episodes of season 11 for example. As much as I still wish William hadn't been brought back as the key to everything, I want to slap the person who came up with the stem cell nonsense that William now has to save Mulder. That's actually daytime soap material level and made me cringe. Also Scully running around and later driving around with her in record time miraculously developed vaccine, just NO. Again with more time and context it could have worked in a movie but it didn't work for me in the episode. And two rather unpopular opinions it seems: I got really excited when Agent Einstein developed symptoms and hoped she would die. I didn't buy Mulder's sudden fighting skills and the whole scene felt very gratuitous and unMulder to me. Still, I don't care about all these flaws and letdowns too much, I got to see Mulder and Scully again, and that's really all I needed to be happy about the revival overall. Needless to say, I can't wait for the announcement of season 11 even if I have to sit through more endless mindnumbingly painful ramblings puked up by CC while on shrooms. Edited to add: CC in HR interview: "I was directing episode four, which aired as episode five, and I still didn't know how the series would end. I came up with it in the middle of that episode. In terms of prepping for the finale, I was very late." That makes sense, and it shows.

GA's twitter Q&A

Just like last time, I liked parts of the episode a lot and didn't care for others: Firstly, I really don't need to see the new agents ever again. Whenever they were on screen without Mulder or Scully, it felt like a waste of precious screentime. Agent Miller seemed nice enough and reminded me both of Tom Cruise's Top Gun character and Krycek at the same time, whereas Agent Einstein didn't work for me at all. CC's clunky writing felt very familiar and reeked a bit of desperation to present a special and extra meaningful story. I thought the ideas behind the story were interesting, and in more capable and less melodramatic hands the whole thing could have probably worked much better. Nonetheless, I expected it to be much worse to be honest, so I was happy enough with the outcome. Mulder's trip seemed over the top, but made sense in the context of his behaviour throughout the episode. Right from the beginning he gave off a psyched and fully re-energised vibe; there was no sign of beaten-down weariness any more. So again kudos to DD for this piece of character continuity and development within the 6-episode-frame by slowly leading Mulder from the darkness of depression back into the light(heartedness) and playfulness that's always been a part of his character. For me, one of the overall concepts of season 10 is that as much pain and loss as working on the X Files have caused both Mulder and Scully over the years, it's also the one thing they need to work on to be happy as individuals and together. Both have come to the realisation that it's where they belong in the world (to fulfill their destiny).

Agree to disagree. William was special, quite a few people were after him. Scully knew from personal experience what these people were up to and that they had infiltrated practically every governmental and non-governmental organisation. I can't remember how many of Scully's doctors turned out to be up to no good and in the Emily arc it was also established that adoption records had been tampered with. How she could be convinced that they wouldn't get to him right away wasn't addressed at all and didn't make sense to me. You're probably right that it shouldn't, and I certainly don't force myself to see it this way, it just happened. Theoretically speaking, yes, of course. And I'm aware, what I'm supposed to feel, but I just don't, no matter how much I try to rationalise it. I could feel for both Mulder and Scully in their dream sequences, but once they start talking about how 'they' had to give him up - when Mulder was not even consulted - everything feels hollow to me. But maybe there is hope once they stop talking about the act itself.

Accepted. Maybe I haven't made myself clear, but that's not what I meant to say at all. Mulder and Scully had sex in "all things", that's canon, spelt out by Jeffrey Spender. Mulder's paternity was established in Existence as canon. What I criticised was how Mulder and Scully ignored the elephant in the room onscreen for quite a few episodes once Mulder was back from the dead and saw a very pregnant Scully. At the time, it didn't feel true to the characters but rather seemed to be a deliberate decision on the writers' part to keep the audience guessing. When Mulder gave Scully the doll (can't remember the name of the episode anymore) they both seemed much more at ease with each other and the situation, and that's when the possible offscreen conversation came into play to make sense of the shift of behaviour. For me, Mulder and Scully, their relationship and their journey are the heart and soul of the show, and the way they have been portrayed in season 10 has been spot on, IMO. What they do and what they say makes complete sense to me and I enjoy every single minute of the ride and can't wait for the announcement of season 11. In season 8 the focus was different and some aspects of the writing didn't make all that much sense to me at the time. The adoption of William in season 9 was one of these writing choices that didn't feel true to the character of Scully (given everything she knew). If the story had made more sense back then and William hadn't felt like a plot device they needed to get rid of, I'm sure I'd feel differently about it now and could relate to Mulder's and Scully's pain much more. Unfortunately, I can't get past it, for whatever reason, which is too bad. As for the "true fans" vs "non-true fans, I don't get the need to categorise. TXF is my favourite show of all time, but there are storylines that I don't like/don't buy/don't care for. End of story.

No need to be rude and insulting. I stated my opinion and got a bit nostalgic, that's all.

Unfortunately, there was both. The offscreen sex was fine (in retrospect ;). However, the stupid "Who's the daddy"-angle once Mulder was back from the dead was tedious and unnecessary. I remember the heated discussions on the board about the ifs and whens of possible offscreen conversations between Mulder and Scully about Mulder's potential fatherhood as if it had been yesterday.

Question: How come TXF's season 10 overall rotten tomatoes rating is 57 % when the first four episodes have 61 %, 83 %, 100 % and 94 %? It bugs me to no end that they don't update the initial rating.

And here's a great read about the show that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside: Why I still love the X-Files

The ratings for the first episode have been extraordinary in both Great Britain and Germany. This makes me happy.

I liked various parts of the episode individually. However, the story as a whole felt uneven with quite a few cringeworthy moments, first and foremost, of course, "Fox"; that was just so OOC for Scully. The stronghold of the episode was everything MSR and everything Scully/Ma Scully, although the final scene was lacking because of the clunky dialogue. In the first bit of the conversation I didn't feel GA, which never happens. Given what she had to say, it's understandable though. And no matter how often she keeps stating otherwise, it was her and her (stupid) decision alone to give William up for adoption. Mulder didn't have any say in it, at least, that's what has been established as canon since "The Truth". All in all, the two storylines just didn't fit together, and the effort it took to mesh one with the other made the whole thing come off a tad artificial and contrived. My personal highlight of this episode was the way Mulder treated Scully: the way he was just there, looked at her, touched her, held her, talked to her, didn't talk to her, just let her be. Major kudos to DD for that portrayal, which struck a major chord with me. It's just like old times: MSR at its most powerful, a deep connection that doesn't need any words. So beautiful.

To me, what they have at this point and what I can see on screen has already transcended the romantic love stage. The deep connection they have oozes out of every meaningful scene they share and, fortunately, I can't detect any hint of a tease or will they/won't they in their interactions. It's settled, they love each other. Conversations between them why they didn't make it as a (romantic) couple and/or if they should get back together again feel completely out of place for these two people. So I hope, they will stick to looks and gestures for the rest of the episodes since any verbal declarations of love might come off totally cheesy, cringeworthy and generally inappropriate. I most certainly don't want to sit through another "Dearest Dana" and "Forever yours" incident ever again.

Loved it a lot for all the reasons that have been stated here numerous times. Darin Morgan has a true gift to combine the bizarre and the human condition. I wish he could write many more episodes. Also loved the change of energy in Mulder and Scully. Mulder felt much more like his old self and Scully felt almost volatile. Since both of their voices matched their energy level, I'm even more convinced now that the low and beaten down voices of the first two episodes were acting choices.

This. And also, I'm still perplexed by the fact that I couldn't care less that Mulder and Scully are not a *romantic* couple per se any more. Furthermore, I've realised that I don't need them to *get back together* either to be happy with the miniseries. The way their relationship has been portrayed in the first two episodes is all I need to enjoy whatever they throw my way in the remaining run. As somebody else has said: The heart is intact. Nothing else matters to me.

Latest numbers for episode one are now 20.3 million. This is crazy. https://twitter.com/patmunn/status/693103830611988480

If I remember correctly, it was a misunderstanding right from the start. The guy thought, Mulder wanted to pick him up straight away. He was reluctant. Mulder told him, he was trustworthy and they should go somewhere more private. Mulder thought the guy needed the privacy to talk and the guy thought Mulder wanted to have sex. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, they talked at the bar. Made perfect sense to me. And I agree with whoever wrote that the scene was put in there mainly to tell us that having been absent from investigating in social situations for so long made Mulder a bit rusty and clumsy. Sure they also went for the joke, but it didn't feel gratuitous to me.

I didn't mind the "no desk, no name plate" part. It was part of the nostalgic package just like the pencils, and I liked it. Canon at the end of season 9 was that William was Mulder's child and was conceived in "all things", GA's season 7 episode, where you can see how Scully gets dressed in Mulder's bathroom and looks at a sleeping (possibly naked) Mulder in his bed before leaving. This. I'm fully aware that the story is full of logical errors, but for some reason this one, to me, is much too glaring to get past it.