X-Files Revival Review (Spoiler Free)​

The X-Files series returned this January, after Season 9 ended fourteen years ago and seven years after the second film of the franchise X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Genre: Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Created By: Chris Carter

Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, Joel McHale, Robbie Amell & Lauren Ambrose.

Network: FOX

Average Runtime: 45 min.

No. of Episodes: 6

Release Period: 24 Jan. 2016 - 22 Feb. 2016

I am a huge X-Files fan and was extremely excited when I heard it was going to be revived. This series has been a part of my teenage years and follows me even now, throughout my adulthood. I started watching the series late due to the reasons that my parents wouldn’t let me watch it until I reached my 12th birthday, because they thought it was too scary and violent.

Mulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Anderson) are reinstated into the FBI, after right-wing online Vlogger Tad O’Malley (McHale) contacted Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Pileggi) with possible new information concerning the X-Files. Mulder and Scully meet with O’Malley and a young woman named Sveta, who claims to have been abducted by aliens and to posses alien DNA. When Scully examines Sveta’s and her own DNA she makes a discovery that will put everybody involved in danger.

I was very pleased with this season, because it brought back the typical X-Files series without trying to change the formula too much. We still obtained the mythology episode arcs that began and ended each season. We got a comedic episode called “Mulder & Scully meet the Were-Monster”, a personal tale episode, and a monster episode. All in all this was The X-Files as we know and love them! I really liked the voice-overs in the first and last episode, reintroducing us to the characters and giving a short synopsis of the last 9 seasons.

I did like the mythology in this revival, because it did mix-up a couple of story-arcs from previous seasons. It still has to do with aliens, but Mulder finds out early on that not all his theories were right. There are some plot twists and revelations in the first episode that will answer some of the questions. Although I generally like Season 10 I did miss the addition of action scenes in this and the subsequent four episodes, because while the tension build-up and mystery was well developed, it ultimately lacked of conflict that was used in previous episodes as a way to ease the pressure. The only episode we get to see Mulder fight was in the last one, “My Struggle II”.

The revival wasn’t perfect and one of the biggest issues I had with the new X-Files, was episode 5 “Babylon”. That chapter was a pile of steaming crap and a dishonour to series in general! It featured a clichéd view of an ethnic and religious group and an even more ridiculous plot to find the truth. Duchovny’s Mulder reminded me more of Californication’s Hank Moody than the likeable FBI Agent with a spiralling fantasy. Series creator Chris Carter directed that episode, which made it all the worse. My second issue was the fact that the episodes aired out of order, because Scully and Mulder’s personal history would have made much more sense if chapter four would have aired as the second episode.

Duchovny and Anderson were once again fantastic as Agents Mulder and Scully, and the characters seemed to have lived on and matured during their screen absence. They still had that mystery and freak vibe surrounding them and retained that great chemistry, which both actors had from the first season. One of the cast’s better additions was Robbie Amell, who was really likeable as Agent Miller, a mirror image of Mulder. While I liked Miller, I hope that the two younger Agents do not replace Mulder or Scully!

I might have been happy to see the two leads back, but I was seriously disappointed by the lack of screen time for FBI Assistant Director Skinner. Pileggi is one of the cast’s leads and simply appears for a couple of seconds in three episodes. I also disliked the character of Joel McHale, who played a rich conspiracy theorist Vlogger, simply because he is not a good actor and couldn’t convince me. The new addition I hated the most though, was Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein. She is Miller’s partner and the mirror image of Scully and while she had all of Scully’s scepticism as a scientist, she lacked the charm Anderson gave her persona.

Most of the episodes have been directed well and use solid cinematography. The effects can be a little iffy at times, especially in the first episode when they show an alien spaceship crash, but it is after all a TV show and not a movie. The only chapter I thought was poorly directed was once again Carter’s “Babylon”. Other than that I really enjoyed the camera work and effects of every other episode.

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Verdict: The X-Files Revival Series was a beautiful callback to my teenage years, which brought back two of TV’s best lead characters. Carter & Co. stayed true to the original for most of the time, creating intriguing and nostalgic chapters. Duchovny and Anderson were immaculate; both grew as actors and have delivered strong performances. I loved the cliffhanger at the end, because it hints toward a possible Season 11 - maybe with more episodes than just 6. I will give The X-Files Season 10 a 7.0 out of 10 and recommend anyone who is a fan of the series to watch it. I will do a full review of Seasons 1-9 and the two movies, along this year

So what did you think of the new season? Did you enjoy it, or have you been let down? Leave your opinion in the comment section and as always, thank you very much for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please make sure to share it.