S10.E01: My Struggle

[shapeshifter]

The big thing I took out of it was that X-Files is really good at doing character stuff (for the most part), and one shot episodes. The conspiracy stuff? Boring, confusing, and, to me, just seemed really stupid and needlessly complicated. It was clear they had no real endgame, and were just throwing us endless parades of old guys in suites and vaguely defined aliens and tests. So, yeah, the conspiracy stuff here did not do much for me. I`m looking forward to the stand alone episodes.

Call me a silly optimist, but I'm hoping (having read no interviews) that CC will use this limited-episode run to repair the conspiracy arc once and for all.

 

 

Good point. Nothing with her medical career is logical, so I suppose we shouldn't expect the placement of the blood to be logical either. Hah. 

 

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I am that she's still working at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrows.  Ugh.

What bothered me was seeing identical blood spatters on her neck in what I think were two different scenes in the surgery. No?

The first time they showed the blood spatters I thought she was wearing a hippy necklace.

 

I would ordinarily agree with this if it were a show like....I dunno, L&O or CSI but I don't find it particularly egregious in a sci-fi/fantasy show like X-Files. There are plenty of ways to resurrect a presumed dead/mostly dead character here with some kind of advanced science or alien technology. I don't think it cheapens the original "death" or takes away the jeopardy. 

 

It sure did pique my curiosity as to how he managed to survive and I'm looking forward to them addressing this.

I would be easily satisfied with an explanation of this being an alternate universe, but I suspect fans and critics alike would cry foul if the end of episode 6 pans out through a wormhole to CSM's tombstone showing he died over 10 years ago.

[Glade]

As a casual viewer of the original series (who didn't watch the final seasons,) I was curious about this.  But I hated it.  I just don't care about all of that ridiculous roswell/abduction B.S.  Wasn't 9 seasons enough to crack that open?  Personally, I don't "want to believe" that ridiculous girl who makes me think of the film Mysterious Skin. It's all so white trash/middle american conspiracy theories.  It reminds me also of those quasi-news programs that used to run on the scifi channel during the 90's about 'paranormal' events.  Such smarmy amero-centric 90's burnout drivel... There is life on other planets, but they don't know or care about us. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Glade

[AntiBeeSpray]

Nobody's going to mention CSM mask ala Phantom Of The Opera? (Don't recall much from the latest seasons so if this was showed back then, I apologize)

I knew he was coming back but I like they left his name til the end in case someone was unspoiled. Lots of shows should learn from this.

 

Am I the only one who thinks Scully is whispering the whole time? I'm late with my rewatching and still on season 6, but she's using a normal tone there.

I was a little bothered about her not knowing (or at least say) the nurse's name. But then again, I've worked next to people for 2 years and a half and still don't know their names. We're only work-neighbours, but still...

 

Hopefully we'll get more Skinner now that the X Files are open again!

 

I'm not bothered about them not being together. I agree with everybody saying they should and those who understand why they're not. And for me this show works because we don't really see them being together. Give me some holding hands, hugs, etc in tough times but that's it. As much as I ship Mulder and Scully I don't want any sex or make out scene in this show.

Up to a point for me. I don't need to see them have sex either. Wouldn't be against a make out scene though.

As for the ep, liked it ok enough. But I'm hoping that CC's other entries aren't so exposition heavy.

[Bastet]

What bothered me was seeing identical blood spatters on her neck in what I think were two different scenes in the surgery. No?

 

I don't think they were identical; always in the same place on her neck, but the first time there was just a bit of blood (which led to me craning my own neck trying to get a good look and figure out what was going on) and the next there was more.

 

[TomServo]

Just stating for the record that when your story clearly shows a character dying (CSM in S9 finale) and then you bring that character back, it's lazy writing that insults the audience even as it undermines dramatic tension for any other character ever in jeopardy.

 

Unless CancerMan has a clone like all the Samanthas.  It's as likely as any other explanation this show comes out with.

[PunkyMouse]

Aaaaaaaaargh! Tivo messed up due to the football game and I didn't get this ep at all and it's not showing as repeating at any point! How do I see it before watching ep 2 tomorrow? I have been looking forward to this evening for weeks!

Do you have a Roku? I watched it today via the Fox app on the Roku.

[Princess Lucky]

Am I the only one who thinks Scully is whispering the whole time? I'm late with my rewatching and still on season 6, but she's using a normal tone there.

 

I thought maybe GA had a cold or something. I can't imagine that's an acting choice. It was a little distracting (and sexy, but still).

 

If I missed this, my apologies, but has anyone discussed Scully's "You know exactly what you're doing" comment to Mulder after she saw Sveta at the door?  It seemed to have a lot of vitriol....wasn't sure if we were supposed to take it as disgust over his total purchase of her crap or jealousy? Or both?

 

I also read that as jealousy. I must confess, at first I thought the porch scene took place at Sveta's house. I didn't realise Scully went to Mulder's house. That's why Mulder had to come out to talk to her, why he didn't just let her in, and why Scully was surprised to find Sveta there (I mean, d'oh, but I didn't get it during the first viewing). So, yeah, I think Scully was, at the very least, suggesting something like "you're more likely to believe hot young things" (and Tad O'Malley, lol). I mean, I don't know. Maybe she was saying "oh, of course you invited our latest case in your home, getting over-invested again". Hm.

[Miles]

What in the hell did I watch here? They threw everything at us but the kitchen sink. You can't just say in the course of one episode "everything we told you so far is wrong and here is how it really is". You have to build something like this over multiple episodes. Preferbly a season. Where did they get these writers? Kindergarten?

[DaynaPhile]

Is it possible to watch this show if you never saw any of the previous episodes?

I would say yes, but with the caution that there may be a lot of stuff that won't make sense.

[JodhaBai]

Oh did anyone else get an "Observer" vibe from the man with the black Fedora in the 1947 flashback?

 

Fringe was so often compared to Xfiles so I'd like to think that was Carters nod to the show :)

[Jac]

I enjoyed his episode a lot, it had its problems but the mere fact that Mulder and Scully are back was enough to make up for them, especially since we are getting some MotW's going forward.

On the positive side, the characterisation of Scully and Mulder was spot on. I felt that the way they interacted with each other and the world was exactly how two people who have become even more world weary and more sceptical with age and circumstance would act while remaining true to their broad world views.

I squeed out loud when Tad was discussing Kelly Cahill incident occurring in Victoria Australia, because my home state is now in the X-Files canon.

Sevta was neither here nor there as a character for me but the actress who was playing her was very good.

I don't completely hate Tad O'Malley, I don't particularly need to see him again either (even though I assume we will), he has filled his function, which was draw Mulder and Scully back to each other and to the X-Files.

On the negative side, the writing was a mess that could not be completely compensated for by good acting and characterisation of Mulder and Scully. It was alway going to have to expositiony to a degree to explain what had happened in the last decade and a bit since we last saw Scully and Mulder but there was far more exposition than was necessary. In nice way I appreciate it because it means we should be able to dive right in tonight, all caught up on what happened since the last time we saw Scully and Mulder but the flip side to that Is that the dialogue in this episode felt very inorganic.

Also, another layer of complication to the myth arc is exactly what the X-Files needed /sarcasm,

I've always thought that the myth arc should have ended after The Red and the Black in S6. That episode tied a lot of plots together and provided some satisfactory answers, the myth arc since that point has just been throwing ideas at a wall and seeing what sticks, regardless of how they connect, or don't to each other.

In spite of the flaws, I'm all in on this reboot.

Also, I think it is a good sign that Hulu servers are not coping with the amount of traffic attempting to access the episode.

I would say yes, but with the caution that there may be a lot of stuff that won't make sense.

That said, parts of the myth arc barely make sense to me and I've been a die hard fan since 1993. Edited January 26, 2016 by JacquelineLHope

[Sandman]

CTV has Sunday's episode online. I finally got to watch the rest of the episode.

 

It was annoying though that Mulder was acting like he couldn't trust Skinner. Like, he's gone to bat for you so many times, Mulder. Pull it together.

 

How many times has the Skinman saved Mulder's hide, as recently as the events of I Want To Believe? I'm beginning to think that Mulder has some form of late-onset ADHD (Alien Delusion Hyperactivity Disorder?) -- every couple of years he comes up with a new theory: "No, Scully, this time I've figured it out! Not like my crazy idea before -- this explains everything!"

 

The ugly-that whole conspiracy theory scene with ScullyMulder/McHale. I know critics LOL but it was so bad-like reading one of those far right websites. I honestly had to FF because I was so fed up. I'm now firmly in Team Scully camp. If I had to listen to yet another X is the key to everything speech..way to ruin a character, CC.

 

Seriously! I will always, always love Moose & Squirrel chemistry, but that conspiracy theory scene was straight-up bad. Is Joel McHale usually so flat-footed and dull? Not getting that guy's fame at all. Although even for CC, that scene was ca-lunky. And the shouty, seemingly all-caps scene on the porch preceding it wasn't good, either. And speaking of irresponsible and creepy links to far-right conspiracy wingnuttery? As episode titles go, "My Struggle" has to take some kind of prize for lowering the bar. Ick.

 

I was grinning like a goofball at the restored credits sequence, though -- now in HD!

 

That was fantastic. It was flawless. How she doesn't move one damn muscle in her face as every pore projects "What? I'm sorry, what? Little girl, you have no idea. I was being fucking abducted and chased thither and yon by mystery ghouls when you were in your little Ukrainian cradle, got it? This is going to hurt."

 

Damn. Not only can Sveta not read minds, she can barely read a room. Poor Scully -- she's still having to tell Mulder he's crazy on the regular, but at least this time around the perks include champagne.  The one thing I will never believe is that somehow Scully mixed up the tests. Yeah, no. Even in Our Lady of Perpetual Shadows, that's not going to happen. (That is one dark hospital.)

 

Oh did anyone else get an "Observer" vibe from the man with the black Fedora in the 1947 flashback?

 

I immediately thought that Black Fedora Guy was Young CSM.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Sandman

[Sandman]

Is it possible to watch this show if you never saw any of the previous episodes?

 

I would say yes, but with the caution that there may be a lot of stuff that won't make sense.

 

Of course, that caution still applies if you have watched every episode, so I think Lemons should be just fine.

[Prevailing Wind]

 

where my old AOL screen name?!

Mine was lpfeffa...in all caps, before I knew better. LOL.

[Prevailing Wind]

 

I have a special hatred for Low Moor. It is a hole in the middle of nowhere.

But it's relatively close to the Cat and Owl restaurant!

[Ghost of TWOP Past]

"How many times have we been here, Scully? Right here!"

 

Well, quite disappointing. 13 years later, they haven't been able to come up with any new material.

 

Do the people writing this show really not remember that we've already been down the storyline that humans are behind the skullduggery, using aliens as cover? That time, I believe there were no real aliens, whereas this time they're supposedly real but not responsible. But other than that, this is recycled material. It was fun to hear the theme music again, to see my characters again. But they're having the same conversations, again. Plus, an informant who seems to know all, but insists he will only confirm rather than just lay the story out. Again. Like Deepthroat, X, and I don't even remember who all. And the usual inexplicable plot holes, such as why did the DNA testing come out normal the first time and then showed alien DNA the second time? Are we to believe the first results were falsified? (Scully says she didn't believe them.) But if so, why weren't the second batch of tests also falsified? And The X Files have been re-re-re-opened. Again. Mulder finds an actual UFO, but loses it. Again. And another key-to-everything-in-the-X-Files, again.

 

"I want to enjoy. But I'm afraid. I'm afraid it's going to be more of the same." 

 

Scully: still hot. 

 

One question: why blow up the UFO instead of flying it away? Seems like a useful thing to have. 

 

Odd note about the title: in German, "My Struggle" translates to Mein Kampf.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Ghost of TWOP Past

[ParadoxLost]

One question: why blow up the UFO instead of flying it away? Seems like a useful thing to have. 

 

Didn't they call it an alien replicant vehicle or something like that.  I got the impression that its not a recovered UFO but something people who had been part of government programs using alien technology had built themselves to prove/expose the conspiracy theories.  So the government didn't need another one, they've got their own.

[DaynaPhile]

How many times has the Skinman saved Mulder's hide, as recently as the events of I Want To Believe? I'm beginning to think that Mulder has some form of late-onset ADHD (Alien Delusion Hyperactivity Disorder?) -- every couple of years he comes up with a new theory: "No, Scully, this time I've figured it out! Not like my crazy idea before -- this explains everything!"

This made me laugh. It is so totally true.

[Bastet]

And the usual inexplicable plot holes, such as why did the DNA testing come out normal the first time and then showed alien DNA the second time?

 

I was going to say, "Not to mention how quickly she got the results of entire genome sequencing," but apparently a new technique came out several months ago that can do it in 26 hours.

[Sandman]

Odd note about the title: in German, "My Struggle" translates to Mein Kampf.

 

That title was invoked deliberately. I don't think it's odd at all. It's just gross.

[baileythedog]

The biggest complaint I have about this episode isn't that it was convoluted (it really wasn't) but that it really just needed more time and space to breathe. If it were a two-part opener following just this storyline, it would have been killer. Obviously, I understand the 6-episode limitation and beggars can certainly not be choosers, but that is my number one complaint. (As a side note, commercial breaks do this episode no favors. It's literally been years since I've watched anything live with commercial breaks so that was a shock to the system as it is, but once my file from Amazon delivered, I was able to better appreciate the flow of the episode.)

 

My number two complaint is that some of the dialogue was certainly clunky, particularly between Mulder and Scully. ("The key to everything" is certainly an overused phrase at this point and probably a point of conversation that truly wouldn't go down between them anymore.  While I have zero objections to the place the characters are both at in life at this point, I have to compare the actual dialogue to that of IWTB where their character introductions and interactions were far more natural.  I feel as though CC struggled to get across the notion that M&S had this history, but had broken up, and here is a clue why, but now there's this new information out there and Mulder is somewhat ignited again.  I don't claim that anyone else could have done better because the episode had much work to do in order to get this kicked off, but I can't help thinking that some of that conversational dialogue could have been sanded down a bit.

 

The biggest question I have coming out of this episode is exactly how much of Tad O'Malley's schtick does Mulder actually agree with? His first glance of O'Malley's show ranting about the "lamestream liberal media and government trying to take your guns away" rightly has Mulder dismissing him as a showboating jackass. But just saying the magic words "UFO and Roswell" has Mulder too eager to meet him. (Again, this show needed some more room to breathe.)  I'm okay with Mulder re-assessing the alien experience on earth and the concept that it all might have been a hoax (and that the aliens themselves might have ultimately been benevolent) but I'd be really disturbed if Mulder went full on Alex Jones and was convinced anything and everything was a false flag.  Thank goodness Scully was there to add some reason to the discussion.  It has to be a first that her objection to Mulder has included words like "dangerously stupid" and "treason." 

 

Scully still works at that super depressing hospital where every procedure is some  Herculean conflict of morals and her every move is overseen by a gaggle of nuns. I wonder if the other female doctor that always gave Scully the side eye in IWTB still works there as well.  However, much Scully seems to drift to the most extreme needs of her young patients, I still am very unclear what her job actually is. In the last movie she was a surgeon.  In this movie she's assisting the surgeons--and getting blood all over herself after every procedure.  I didn't really see the point of highlighting that the disease of the missing ear she's working on is primarily suffered by Navajo children and then show kids on the screen that couldn't look less Navajo if they tried. 

 

I don't know if Svetta is dead because I know longer trust people blown up to smithereens to actually be killed, but I did very much like the actress that played her. I don't know if Tad O'Malley is really a slick cover for someone else or some other agenda, but I did very much like Joel McHale's take on him.

Some random thoughts:

 

Mulder is seriously trolling Scully in the parking lot, assuming that it was him writing "Don't Give Up" on the windshield of her filthy car. Scully last heard those words from the psychic pedophile priest in "I Want to Believe" and hated herself for listening to him. 

 

Best thing about CSM's reveal? That he sits in front of a fireplace with "Carpe Diem" engraved on it. Yes, Smoking Man, you seize the day. O Captain, My Captain.

There's probably a good reason why we've never previously seen an up close grey alien before -- if we had we'd have known a long time ago that they actually have butt cheeks.  That was seriously disconcerting.

 

She must seriously be an urban dweller because whenever Scully finds herself out in the country she assumes "aliens couldn't find this place."  Clearly that was the logic of adopting her kid out to a couple that lived in bumfuck, Wyoming. Scully lives under the delusion that aliens can't find homes that aren't on a neighborhood grid.

 

When Mulder was running around looking for Svetta, I so wanted him to slip and call her "Sveddy Balls" instead.  Just me?

[SmithW6079]

I would ordinarily agree with this if it were a show like....I dunno, L&O or CSI but I don't find it particularly egregious in a sci-fi/fantasy show like X-Files. There are plenty of ways to resurrect a presumed dead/mostly dead character here with some kind of advanced science or alien technology. I don't think it cheapens the original "death" or takes away the jeopardy.

It sure did pique my curiosity as to how he managed to survive and I'm looking forward to them addressing this.

I'm reminded of the episode of "The Simpsons" with Lucy Lawless, where she's answering questions about Xena -- anytime one of the nerds points out an inconsistency, she says, "A wizard did it."

[catrox14]

I'm reminded of the episode of "The Simpsons" with Lucy Lawless, where she's answering questions about Xena -- anytime one of the nerds points out an inconsistency, she says, "A wizard did it."

 

Heh, I'm one of the first people to point out inconsistencies.  Of course, I'm a Supernatural fan still, so perhaps I accept resurrections of beloved and not beloved characters as a matter of course. It also helps when I actually like said resurrected character LOL.

[DaynaPhile]

There will have to be some sort of resurrection explanation for CSM. He can't be a clone, otherwise he wouldn't be all trach and burned and sporting the 2016 model of the Phantom's mask.

I got the impression that Scully lied about what was on the first set of DNA results only because Tad and Sveta were there and she didn't want to tip her hand. The fact that she re-ran the tests was only because she wanted to confirm it again. Maybe I'm wrong? Did I miss a line of dialogue that said tests were mixed up? She still has the chimera cells/alien DNA in her body, right? She ran Sveta's to compare and see if she had the same thing, correct?

I'm still not sure what Sveta was lying about. That aliens did it? That the government did it? That it was all a lie? Sure hope it was worth it because, aside of getting toasted from above in the end, that needle jab must have hurt. ;)

[Taryn74]

Ep was available on Fox dot com already today, yay!  I was afraid I was going to have to wait a week.

 

I'll be watching again tomorrow by myself (because, that's what I do) but first impressions -

 

The 'cram every bit of exposition we can down your throats in as short a time as possible' felt very much like Redux I, which is not necessarily a good thing.  I understand why they did it, though, so I can overlook it.

 

She was only here for a short time, but I'm already having a love/hate trust/don't trust relationship with Sveta.

 

I didn't see anyone mention this yet, so perhaps I misheard, but did Tad really say he just wanted to see Scully again?  Don't go trying to put the moves on our girl, dweeb face.  It won't end well for you.

 

"She could be the key to everything."  Legit laughed-out-loud.  Oh, Mulder.

 

I'm surprised that I'm quite okay to having M/S separated.  It felt organic, as did all of Mulder's not-so-subtle digs at Scully.  He's still raw, no matter how many years it may have been, and she's still putting up with his jerky ass (though not completely letting him off the hook) because that's just who they are.

 

Did Skinner really say the office/files hadn't been touched (that he was aware of) in the past 14 years since M/S were on the X-Files?  Are we ignoring Doggett and Monica's existence now?  I'm hoping I misunderstood that part.

 

I've always liked the theory that CSM survived the bombing in The Truth because he's been at least partly supersoldiered, so it gave me a bit of glee to see him at the end in all of his face-masked glory.

 

The pics of Young!Samantha, etc were (as far as I could tell) the same actors we saw in the exposition at the beginning of Dreamland II, so I don't feel a need to call shenanigans.

 

How is it possible that Mitch Pileggi looks younger now than before?  Is a beard really that powerful?  Loved his new darker rimmed glasses.

 

It makes me sad that Mulder is so beat down, but I have to say I was grinning like a fool when he was in the bunker looking at the ARV.  He was starting to get his spunk back there, you could see it on his face.

 

Why is Scully acting surprised that her blood test results show that she has "alien DNA"?  Isn't that old news?  I don't mind them needing to bring stuff like that up for new viewers, but don't have her act shocked about it, and certainly don't have Mulder act shocked about it.

[Sandman]

I think the idea that Scully's DNA has been altered is new, actually. She's been abducted, impregnated, given birth to a kid (or two? I forget whether Emily was actually her baby), but I don't think the abductions or pregnancies were supposed to have mingled extraterrestrial DNA with hers. Until now, that is.

 

But I AM sure (well, pretty sure) that William was injected with some "cure" that made his secret super-powered hybrid nature ... er, go away, somehow. Or are we pretending that Jeffrey Spender also never existed?

 

Also, is it possible that I got a mytharc headache after only one episode?

Edited January 26, 2016 by Sandman

[Taryn74]

 

Also, is it possible that I got a mytharc headache after only one episode?

 

Heh.

 

I know the LGM (*sniff*) made a big deal out of her DNA being "branched" at one point, but maybe that is something different.  I may have to let this one pass after all.

[Sandman]

I'd forgotten about that one. And some of the "chimera" stuff, too, in fact. Ack. I feel like I should have reviewed the material. Maybe this reboot ought to have come with summary. Or a workbook.

[supposebly]

Well, that was...a bit boring and nonsensical.

Clunky exposition, terribly written dialogue, cryptic non-answers to questions. The KEY to Carter's writing. And the KEY to everything. To what exactly? What is everything? I never knew what that meant and it certainly doesn't mean much now. What HAS Mulder been doing all this time?

I seriously doubt Chris Carter knows what he's talking about which makes Mulder who has to spout this claptrap look like a nut job. And I'm not sure if that was the intent entirely. I liked the idea that life as a believer has worn Mulder down and stripped him down to what most people see in him. Reclusive, depressed and a bit ridiculous. And even his saving grace has left him, because let's be honest, what kind of a life would that be? That part I liked and it felt realistic. That Scully eventually just couldn't take it anymore. Not because she doesn't love him or doesn't respect him. Because it keeps repeating and doesn't lead to anything. So, maybe the reason this all felt so repetitive was because that was what Scully was running from. Or it really is just because Carter can't come up with anything new or can't even treat the old in a way that feels fresh.

 

I liked that Mulder seemed to emphasize with Sveta. I was glad Samantha didn't come up.

 

How does Skinner not age? Not advancing in the FBI agrees with him.

However that scene between him and Mulder didn't make any sense. Why was Mulder so antagonistic? It felt like some scene that they had played a few times before. Before they knew he was their ally. Bipolar on top of regular old depressions?

 

I never made it past season 6 in my rewatch, so I left the latter part of the mytharc in some recess in my brain where probably Mulder's files ended up. Which makes no sense that they would have been kept there for all those years anyway. I would have really found it funny if some janitor had stolen them and is now running a conspiracy website based on those files. A Lone Gunman 2.0 so to speak.

 

Gillian Anderson is life and I even liked Duchovny's acting. A first for me.

Edited January 26, 2016 by supposebly

[Taryn74]

I never made it past season 6 in my rewatch, so I left the latter part of the mytharc in some recess in my brain where probably Mulder's files ended up. Which makes no sense that they would have been kept there for all those years anyway. I would have really found it funny if some janitor had stolen them and is now running a conspiracy website based on those files. A Lone Gunman 2.0 so to speak.

 

Maybe Leyla Harrison made off with them and is doing just that.  Which, I would love.  I would love that so hard.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Taryn74

[DaynaPhile]

I didn't see anyone mention this yet, so perhaps I misheard, but did Tad really say he just wanted to see Scully again? Don't go trying to put the moves on our girl, dweeb face. It won't end well for you.

This is why I love coming here. Someone ought to tell him how it ended for the last person who flirted with half of the duo. Poor Agent Whitney. Not really.

And Scully should absolutely not be surprised that she has alien DNA in her red headed little bod. She found that out back in the Redux episodes with the ice core sample and mr scientist at the paleo-climatology lab. Having her blood drawn and then having a nice little shouting match with Skinner in the hallway. It used to be hallways, now the hot spot is porches apparently.

Scully seemed very....claustrophobic? Something like that. She kept wanting to run away. To get out of the limo, to get out of Mulder's driveway. Several time she said something to effect of "I need to get out of here". Like she was going to break down if she stayed. She seems very defeated the entire episode, so weary of being dragged back in. And yet, the conversation with Tad in the scrub room, that being on the X files was wth most challenging thing ever. She said something else besides challenging...I hope someone is going to transcript these eps. And screen cap them. I could screen cap them on my iPad if I knew what to do with the resulting avalanche of shots.

Edited January 26, 2016 by DaynaPhile

[millennium]

I am really hoping the Lone Gunmen make an appearance. Sure they died at the end of their series, but I am sure that could be worked around either in "flashbacks" or that they really didn't die.

'

There's a way they could have kept the Gunmen alive.   The story of the Gunmen's death was told by Morris whatshisface -- a professional liar and one of the most unreliable narrators in the show's history.   In light of that, the story could have been categorized as purely speculative, in the same vein as "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" or "Jose Chung's From Outer Space." 

 

Loved the opening UFO montage and the voice-over, it really set the mood.   A bit disappointed the wonder of it all was sort of thrown under the bus in favor of a more earthly menace. 

 

Sad to see Scully looking so pained and haunted.

 

The dueling exposition by Mulder and O'Malley felt like a rap battle.

Edited January 26, 2016 by millennium

[SmithW6079]

How is it possible that Mitch Pileggi looks younger now than before? Is a beard really that powerful?

Speaking as a beardsman, yes, a beard really is that powerful. We may even hold the clues to new antibiotics: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35350886

[Princess Lucky]

Is it possible to watch this show if you never saw any of the previous episodes?

 

I would say yes, but with the caution that there may be a lot of stuff that won't make sense.

 

That said, parts of the myth arc barely make sense to me and I've been a die hard fan since 1993.

 

Yep. I, too, have been a die hard fan since the first airing but there are things I don't recall with clarity (like, I saw Samantha and I was like, "oh yeah, something something starlight"). I think that up until Season 5 (maybe 6) the mytharc was cohesive. You could still follow along with relative ease. After that, it became way too convoluted (to the point where the series finale was a cluttered mess of them trying to address most of the countless questions). Hell, I even did a rewatch (about 3 years ago) and I gave up halfway through S6 and I still don't remember that much about the resolution.

 

I got the impression that Scully lied about what was on the first set of DNA results only because Tad and Sveta were there and she didn't want to tip her hand. The fact that she re-ran the tests was only because she wanted to confirm it again. Maybe I'm wrong? Did I miss a line of dialogue that said tests were mixed up? She still has the chimera cells/alien DNA in her body, right? She ran Sveta's to compare and see if she had the same thing, correct?

 

I agree that the first result was probably positive too, and Scully wanted to double check. And at the time I also thought she wanted to compare her own DNA against Sveta's, but then she seemed totally surprised and emotional when she "discovered" her own DNA was altered as well, and, I don't now what to tell you.

 

Heh.

 

I know the LGM (*sniff*) made a big deal out of her DNA being "branched" at one point, but maybe that is something different.  I may have to let this one pass after all.

 

I vaguely remember that as well, but not clearly (like I said above, heh). I mean, you'd think Scully would have tested herself at random in all these years, as soon as more advanced testing methods were developed. Or maybe she just wanted to let it go?

 

Lastly, what is alien DNA even? Wouldn't the lab techs at the hospital be all "omg what is this, I better call the authorities"? How did these test results read? Would the lab techs be all "hey, nameless nurse, take these nonsensical and suspicious results to this creepy doctor who used to do work for the government finding all sorts of alien stuff, no big deal!"

 

What I'm saying is, forget advanced testing, I wanted to see Scully using a microscope.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Princess Lucky

[WAnglais1]

It's on the Hulu, too.

 

I was a huge fan back in the day. I remember watching the first episode the first night and being enthralled.

 

Now? Not so much.

 

Email to CC:
 

"Wow...that was some clunky dialogue!

 

Thanks for making me look a lot better...

 

George Lucas"

 

I hope it gets better. Any Scully is good Scully.

Also, this was Mulder's "My Struggle." Scully gets her own episode with the same title.

 

[Lexxy]

So, I tried re-watching the show all the way through on Netflix and then got distracted by shiny things.  But there's something about this show I've never been able to grasp.  Mulder said something along the lines of, proof is hard to come by.  But in the short amount of episodes I did manage to watch, I feel like they proved the existence of aliens a hundred times (ok, exaggeration). 

 

But in the first or second season, Scully literally finds a bottle with a little alien in it.  That's just one example that I can think of but it seems like they've witness tons of proof over the years, and uncovered so many conspiracies, but now THIS is the real conspiracy and...oh I dunno, my head is confused.

[Taryn74]

But in the first or second season, Scully literally finds a bottle with a little alien in it.  That's just one example that I can think of but it seems like they've witness tons of proof over the years, and uncovered so many conspiracies, but now THIS is the real conspiracy and...oh I dunno, my head is confused.

 

Well, the problem is, proof is only as good as your ability to hang onto it.  Something ALWAYS happened to make any proof they found disappear.  Or, the few times they were allowed to get away with something, any "proof" they had in hand was actually a hoax.  THAT'S the never-ending battle these two have been fighting for over two decades, and what has finally worn them both down to the point that they just can't anymore.

 

Lastly, what is alien DNA even? Wouldn't the lab techs at the hospital be all "omg what is this, I better call the authorities"? How did these test results read?

 

 

Ha, I wonder that too.  Does nobody else even look at these results?  Are the tests being performed by a bunch of Neanderthals who have no idea of what they're looking at?  (Well....)

 

Ah, show.  I've missed you.

[Bastet]

Final adjusted ratings for this episode show just over 16 million people watched. 

[millennium]

So, I tried re-watching the show all the way through on Netflix and then got distracted by shiny things.  But there's something about this show I've never been able to grasp.  Mulder said something along the lines of, proof is hard to come by.  But in the short amount of episodes I did manage to watch, I feel like they proved the existence of aliens a hundred times (ok, exaggeration). 

 

But in the first or second season, Scully literally finds a bottle with a little alien in it.  That's just one example that I can think of but it seems like they've witness tons of proof over the years, and uncovered so many conspiracies, but now THIS is the real conspiracy and...oh I dunno, my head is confused.

 

And what about Fight The Future?  Mulder and Scully bailed out of an alien ship a mile wide in the South Pole.   Are we supposed to write that off an Alien Replica Vehicle (ARV) too?   There was also the alien who clawed its way out of a guy's thorax and then hid out among the cooling rods of a nuclear power plant.   How to account for that alien?

[catrox14]

Final adjusted ratings for this episode show just over 16 million people watched.

Wow. That's Walking Dead numbers awesome

[BkWurm1]

I would say yes, but with the caution that there may be a lot of stuff that won't make sense.

 

 

Of course, that caution still applies if you have watched every episode, so I think Lemons should be just fine.

That's me.  I watched every episode and both movies and even had a unauthorized book explaining the mythology of the X-files but I haven't rewatched anything since it went off the air and my companion guide only went through the 6th season (and I haven't seen it in fifteen years) and frankly, I only vaguely remember any of the big arcs.  I'm watching basically knowing that it's Mulder and Scully looking into weird conspiracy stuff.  I remember their personal history together more than I remember most of the plot lines.  And really, that's plenty. 

[millennium]

I kind of groaned in the opening when the unseen person sifting through the X-Files documents and photos produced 8 x 10 publicity shots of the Fluke Man, Tooms, and other Monsters of the Week.   It bent credibility just a bit too far.    I could maybe fanwank that the pic of Tooms was shot while he was in prison (although it didn't look like that).   But the Flukeman paused long enough for a color portrait?   When?  Where?  I understand the function the pictures served, but it seemed too contrived.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I kind of groaned in the opening when the unseen person sifting through the X-Files documents and photos produced 8 x 10 publicity shots of the Fluke Man, Tooms, and other Monsters of the Week.   It bent credibility just a bit too far.    I could maybe fanwank that the pic of Tooms was shot while he was in prison (although it didn't look like that).   But the Flukeman paused long enough for a color portrait?   When?  Where?  I understand the function the pictures served, but it seemed too contrived.

 

I agree with you there. But maybe they didn't have access to the originals for it?

[queenanne]

She must seriously be an urban dweller because whenever Scully finds herself out in the country she assumes "aliens couldn't find this place."  Clearly that was the logic of adopting her kid out to a couple that lived in bumfuck, Wyoming. Scully lives under the delusion that aliens can't find homes that aren't on a neighborhood grid.

 

I feel like this has something to do with reveals to her of aliens and their relationship to technology in the past...?  I admit that overall my mytharc is dusty.

 

Overall I was pretty happy with the episode.  I actually liked the intro with the photographs etc., a creative and low budget way to get away with exposition, even if FOX didn't require it it can't hurt to save some $$ on production.  

 

Speaking of which, I want to say that not too long ago some Hollywood insider type blogged it's all smoke and mirrors, and there's really no such thing as a "limited event series"; that said "limited event" and "special TV movie" type of displays, were secretly all "backdoor pilots", and that any show would turn back into an ongoing concern (cf.  "Agent Carter", "Galavant"), if the ratings for the "limited event" were high enough.  So I suspect there may yet be more X-Files in the future if all parties are willing.

 

I think we may yet find some creepy sort of conspiracy in Scully's hospital.  The sister in charge didn't strike me as quite ... all there in her little speech, no?

[TomServo]

I thought they were going for Ben Swann with the O'Malley character.

[Sandman]

My days as a 'Phile prompt me to suspect that the O'Malley character is actually part of the alien conspiracy.

[Sandman]

Sorry -- rerun.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Sandman

[ganesh]

The big thing I took out of it was that X-Files is really good at doing character stuff (for the most part), and one shot episodes. The conspiracy stuff? Boring, confusing, and, to me, just seemed really stupid and needlessly complicated. It was clear they had no real endgame, and were just throwing us endless parades of old guys in suites and vaguely defined aliens and tests. So, yeah, the conspiracy stuff here did not do much for me. I`m looking forward to the stand alone episodes.

 

And that's what got me banned at mbtv. Seriously though, I don't think this is overly radical, when we're talking "classic X Files" we're talking Tooms, Pusher, Home (*shudder*), Duane Barry, Clyde Bruckman, the one with Walter White. I don't get why there is a lot of flack for the second movie. I thought it was much more about what the X Files was than the first one. A lot of the alien episodes just sucked.

 

 

Call me a silly optimist, but I'm hoping (having read no interviews) that CC will use this limited-episode run to repair the conspiracy arc once and for all.

 

I actually think this might be the case. They showed Roswell, but then Mulder was like, so all the rest of that stuff, there weren't other aliens? Just the government using the technology from this one event. It's much much more interesting to me to unravel a conspiracy of powerful people trying to control the world, so when global climate change hits a tipping point, there on the inside and have all the resources. Plus, what really makes it a better story is that irl the Pentagon has said that climate change is the most important global security issue. 

 

You get too much into aliens, and I always wondered on the show, why did they never explain what the aliens wanted, why they came here, their motivations. They became a cop out for everything weird. Welp, aliens did it!

 

I'm sure many others have followed DD and GA in other stuff since XF. If you took some audio from an episode of S4 or 5, and some now and asked me to identify which was from the show proper, I don't think I could. I mean, stepping into Mulder and Scully was seamless. Then if you look at them. The mannerisms, they way they are with one another. Unbelievable that they just did miss a beat. 

 

Seriously, though, what a way to end. I was unspoiled about CSM: We have a problem. The X Files is reopened. End. 

That was just great.

Edited January 31, 2016 by ganesh

[wayne67]

I wasn't an X-Files fan so seeing the old credits was like... "hmm the same old credits, okay then".

 

Then it was all blah blah talking talking with nothing really going anywhere and Mulder making a whole bunch of assumptions about the "truth" based on no real evidence or research and it was nostalgia; Mulder off on a tangent claiming to know the truth again.

 

I'm not even sure if I can be bothered watching the next episode let alone the season if it's all this wanky clunky conspiracy nonsense. The latter seasons of X files was bad enough with that nonsense. I guess we'll see how bored I am now that Galavant is over. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I just binge-watched my way through the first 3 episodes and liked this one the least. I never cared for the alien mythology ones much in the original, so no surprise there. But I have to mention the thing I caught less than a minute into the episode that no one has mentioned: Roswell is in southeastern New Mexico, NOT northwestern New Mexico. That's a petty essential fact to screw up, considering how important that is to your mythology.