Is The New Season Of 'The X-Files' Any Good? Here's What Early Reviews Are Saying
I WANT TO BELIEVE (THAT IT'S GOOD)
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When "The X-Files" joined the TV revival trend two years ago, creator Chris Carter and company struggled to figure out just what to do with six new episodes and a boatload of old mythology to honor. Season 11, premiering January 3 on Fox, has some more breathing room. Critics have already seen the first five episodes — aside from Darin Morgan's installment (because when hasn't he amazed us?), is "The X-Files" worth watching again in 2018? Here's what the reviews say:

The Season Opener, 'My Struggle III,' Is A Misfire

Following up on the events of the Season 10 finale (to some degree), the Chris Carter-written-and-directed installment is our re-entry point into the show's completely tangled mythology, but the storytelling is messy and unfocused. In addition, it ends with a reveal that won't endear the show to longtime fans, and (depending on how the show follows up on it) could prove deeply problematic.

[IndieWire]

Of the five episodes made available to review, the season 11 premiere is by far the weakest. There are some questionable story choices, but I want to believe Carter and his team of writers know what they're doing here. 

[E! Online]


The Next Four Episodes Are Much, Much Better

The best advice one can give fans for the latest run of the Fox favorite is don't be dissuaded by a premiere that's going to be one of the most divisive episodes of the series ever produced. Things do indeed get to a place of wonder by the midpoint of the season.

[Forbes]

While "My Struggle III" was a bit of a stumble, the other four episodes are strong outings in The X-Files lore. The standalone episodes serve to further both the overarching conspiracy storyline and the dynamic between Mulder and Scully in a way the first revival season failed to do.

[E! Online]

Mulder And Scully Are In Fine Form This Time Around

Anderson and Duchovny's chemistry has rarely been better in the 20-plus years they've been playing these characters. While, during much of Season 10, they seemed a bit hamstrung and subdued by the fact that both professionally and personally, their characters were no longer involved, Season 11 allows Mulder and Scully to stay on the same page.

[IndieWire]

Duchovny and Anderson are more at ease in these five episodes. There's more banter and more flirting, should that be the thing you watch The X-Files for.

[The Hollywood Reporter]

The force that keeps The X-Files buoyed is the same thing that made it a hit the first place: the chemistry between Anderson and Duchovny, and that translates to the spark between their characters. The two seem more engaged with the material this time around, from an intense action scene to the comedy aspects that have always been a part of the series. Who knew Mulder using slang, like the non-word "adorbs," and Scully calling somebody "bro," both somewhat ironically, would work?

[E! Online]

Darin Morgan's 'The Lost Art Of Forehead Sweat' Is Another Instant-Classic Episode

It's a Darin Morgan offering and that means it's truly bizarre in the best way possible. The episode may or may not include the phrase "leprechaun taint" and several mentions of the Shaquille O'Neal flick Kazaam. Need I say more?

[E! Online]

It is, like most of Morgan's classic episodes ("Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," "Jose Chung's From Outer Space," "Humbug"), a potent mix of comedy and tragedy, simultaneously spoofing the series' most iconic elements while offering a genuinely melancholy spin on both the series and the larger state of the world.

[UPROXX]

With a cast of characters that includes someone named Reggie Something — played by terrific veteran comic actor Brian Huskey — "Forehead Sweat" is subversive, smart, intricate, bizarre and, above all, hilarious. It's also a vivid demonstration of why "The X-Files," after all these years and all those aliens, still deserves our attention and sporadically, even our love.

[Newsday]


Just Accept That The Clunky Mythology Stuff Will Probably Crop Up Again In The Remaining Five Episodes

At its best, "X-Files" always was an anthology with Dana/Fox as the common thread. The alien conspiracy business was bait held just out of reach, always with the promise of some sort of profound resolution. But, with a nod to Pete Townshend, we should all pick up our guitars and play — but won't get fooled again. The mythology arc is absolute rubbish.

[Newsday]

Anybody hoping for more consistency from The X-Files in this latest resurrection should probably get used to this being what the series is. Since the show is Carter's baby and he isn't going anywhere or loosening up on the reins, you either find the bursts of inspiration and spookiness worth the plodding stretches of perfunctory mythology or you don't.

[The Hollywood Reporter]

The X-Files season 11 sets out to tell a complete story and is halfway to accomplishing that. There may be no perfect end to this story, but it's a huge win for fans that they're allowing the smaller character moments to shine (even Mitch Pileggi's Walter Skinner will get a backstory!), when relationships often were overlooked because the monsters or aliens were so blinding.

[Den of Geek!]​

All In All, Season 11 Has Already Outpaced 10 In Quality

What's striking about watching The X-Files in 2018 is just how rejuvenated it feels. While it's never going to hit the heights of the third or fourth season from the original series (which aired from 1993 to 2002), the 2018 iteration is a damn sight better than the 2016 one, which boasted some solid installments but also felt like a show in danger of chasing its own tail so rapidly that it might burrow straight down into the Earth.

[Vox]

It's not peak, season three X-Files, because too much time has passed, too many stories have been told, and the world is too different from the one in which Mulder and Scully first partnered. But, the mythology episode aside, it's much better than it has any business being, particularly given what we got two years ago.

[UPROXX]

That great thing about having more episodes this season (ten vs 2016's six) is there are more opportunities to create the kind of episodes that made the original series such a runaway cult-hit.

[Forbes]

TL;DR

Season 11 so far isn't flawless, but it's a lively, character-focused affair that feels far more unified than we'd ever anticipated, a massive improvement over Season 10 that gives us genuine hope for the second half. For the first time in a while, we're truly excited to see more.

[IndieWire]

Watch The Trailer

 

<p>Mathew Olson is an Associate Editor at Digg.</p>

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