The X-files Season 11 TV Review

The X-files (1993-2018)
Season 11 - 10 episodes (2018)

Rent The X-files Season 11 on Amazon Video
Created by: Chris Carter
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi
Rated: TV-14
Watch the Season 11 trailer

Plot
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.

Verdict
I want more classic episodes, and these just aren't. I ended up watching Season One's Jersey Devil after completing this season and that episode is a contrast. It moves at a slower pace, adding to the sense of danger and fear. The newer episodes never slow down enough to even let you think about what could be lurking around a corner. It definitely helps that in the early seasons Mulder and Scully have defined roles, the believer and the skeptic. In this season, they don't have that rift.
This always feels a few steps below parody, and it frequently gets silly. Mulder and Scully seem to know the pop culture relevance of the show, and this is them revisiting it in some kind of sketch. I like that more X-files episodes exist, but I don't like these episodes.
Skip it.

Review
Season 10 was a revival that was billed as a one off mini-series. Check out my X-files mini-series recaps.  I was excited to see the show again despite my misgivings. While no episode was even above average, it was a fun nostalgia trip. Unfortunately the series was brought back for another season. It's not coming back for a season 12. Gillian Anderson has stated she will not reprise her role which is a favor to all fans.

The mythology episodes of season 10 were easily the worst and that's the same for season 11. This season had a couple of good ideas like The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat and Rm9sbG93ZXJz, but the series as a whole is too action focused. It causes the tempo of the series to be much quicker, never giving it a chance to be creepy. Duchovny and Anderson seem to be having fun in their reprisals, but their performances are caricatures. This season isn't far from being a parody. I long for the slowly unfolding, spooky episodes that treated wild cases seriously. That's what sold the show. The reboot, both seasons, is just too comical. It's frequently too silly. As overbearing as the mytharc episodes are, Nothing Lasts Forever is my least liked episode this season.

Episode 7 - Rm9sbG93ZXJz

The automation episode was a great bottle episode, but it's artistic, a change of pace that completely upends the formula of the monster of the week episodes. It's strength is that it's an outlier. It's my favorite episode, despite having a different tone. It takes small tech frustrations and cranks them all the way up for comedic effect. I appreciate that the episode captures how isolating technology can be. This one reminded me a bit of Black Mirror.

Scully

Mulder and Scully's son plays a reoccurring role this season. I didn't like that in the original run and I don't like it here. The mythology began to spin out of control during the first run and the additions in these two seasons helped nothing. The strangest thing about this season is that in episode one Scully is concerned with the end of the world, we then get eight episodes in between where that seemingly doesn't matter until we wrap up that story with the final episode.

Mulder

This season starts with a mytharc episode which reveals that the finale of season ten was just a dream. It's difficult not to notice the episodes are sponsored by Ford, at least I assume so with prevalence of the brand. There's a lot of voice over and the reveals go beyond suspension of disbelief. It's just silly.

Reggie, the forgotten Special Agent.

Episode four focuses on the Mandella Effect. I love the idea, but the episode inserts Reggie, the third special agent we all forgot, into previous episodes and the theme song. Again, the tone of this show is my issue. This episode has the strongest idea and the most comical execution. There's even a comic book villain. Somehow the government was using the effect, I forget how.

The two additional seasons are a slick reboot of the franchise that misses what this show was. I don't like the focus on action, and the writing isn't as strong as it should be. Skinner appears in a few episodes. Mulder and Scully distrust him because of plot convenience. I couldn't figure out whether Mulder is an FBI agent or not. I didn't check because it doesn't matter.

This season has some interesting ideas, but they aren't executed well. Most of the mysteries are government related and not unexplainable events. This is a modern reboot for 'modern tv audiences' with all of the pitfalls that would bring, namely a focus on action and comedy while reducing the spookiness. This show felt like the cases could be real. They were just a step away from reality. This season the cases are ridiculous. Since they don't feel connected to reality they lose any source of fear or anxiety.