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The X-Files S10 |OT| The Truth Is Still Out There - Mondays 8/7c

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Solid episode despite some crappy dialogue. I'm pissed how they ended it because we have no assurance the shows is coming back for season 11.

Overall, the 6 episodes were enjoyable and it was good to have the X-Files back. I'd rate each episode as follows:

1. Good
2. Great
3. Awesome - Top 5 for me
4. Good
5. Mediocre - Mulder tripping was the best part of it.
6. Good

I feel 100% the same way.

Also, if Fox had aired the fucking episodes in fucking order, the entire season arc would have made actual sense.

Haven't seen episode six yet but so far, let me get this straight... did they retcon the conspiracy?

Previously, it was very much a case of the syndicate serving the colonists to save themselves. The date for colonization was set. Now apparently the whole conspiracy is just people using alien technology to control others, no mention or reference to the very very real colonization plot?

I'm clinging on very little evidence that the conspiracy is still there, or at least will be re-retconned back in. There is support for the idea that colonization is still a thing, most notably in a quote where Chris Carter says that they plan on going into why Mulder's alien DNA did not save him.

So, the way I see it, they will probably do something like "we're trying to kill everyone so the aliens have nobody to take over". Which would be clever.

The "2012 was the start date" line, however, does not give me much hope.

Chris Carter seems to have had the same writing style trajectory as Steven Moffat.

It really sucks that Carter forbid Joe Harris from doing anything major with colonization or William in the comics, since s10 and s11 in the comics have been fucking amazing.

things that a season 11 absolutely needs

12-15 episodes

Morgan and Wong as showrunners

Rob Bowman

some fresh writers

Gilligan

.

Damn.
 

bndadm

Member
I am not sure this retcons the colonisation plans. I think that was always the original plan but after they were wiped out CSM had to fight the Super Soldiers. Somehow they have been dealt with, I guess, so now CSM is activating this weapon, or has turned into one.

I can stretch my imagination enough for it to fit. But honestly I miss the Super Soldiers. They were menacing at least and played on the cant trust government angle better than this malarkey.
 

Jobbs

Banned
This whole weird season and terrible ep 6 ending are an example of a creator being given too much control.

Flashes of greatness but flawed and broken... And ending on a total utter complete shameless cliffhanger when we have no idea when or whether there'll be any more episodes. I wouldn't even end on such a cliffhanger if there was a guaranteed next season. We don't have to be treated like idiots. Have some resolution to the episode then leave a little something intriguing to lead into the next.. We don't have to be fucked with in order to watch another season
 
The X-Files invented the cliffhanger, though. It's kind of their thing.

Well, they didn't invent it, of course, but they did them so well that cliffhangers became something that had to be epic events.

We don't have about the season three cliffhanger. That one was shit.
 

Jobbs

Banned
Cliffhangers like this are terrible, represent bad writing and the assumption that your audience is impulsive and stupid -- most of the show's writing does not seem to assume that, though, so it's at odds with itself
 

Jobbs

Banned
2 and 5 were the only episodes I enjoyed very much. I was really hoping the whole mini series would be more like 2, but we only got one like 2.
 

SeanC

Member
A pretty bland way to go out. I actually liked the cliffhanger, that very much felt like an old-show move.

Everything else in the episode was pretty bad. Even Anderson herself, who is always great, seemed too caught up in the medical speak to really get us invested. Not her fault, bad dialogue all around.

Directing was also very awful. The final act felt simultaneously rushed yet moved slow somehow - the music being upbeat and fast yet we're still standing around. Like moving through molasses.

Episodes 2 - 5 were solid. 2 and 3 still being my favorites for complete opposite reasons (and done well for those reasons, one a good drama and the other comedic). An ok comeback but I think it's safe to say that the worst thing about the X-Files might just be Carter himself. He's always been a conspiracy nut but Episodes 1 and 6 were just soapbox mouthpieces for him - even moreso than his episodes of the old series.
 
I'm sure there's going to be a segment of anti-vax people emboldened by this episode. Chris Carter seems to have transitioned from parody to embracing conspiracies. There was always a sliver of revelry in them which I can appreciate, but Carter has gone off the ranch. And his writing has gone off the cliff.

I guess one of the few positive moments of the finale is that a cliffhanger probably signals another season. I will remain optimistic, but if they bring back Miller & Einstein I'll be skipping those episodes.
 

sc0la

Unconfirmed Member
Garbage. The plot to the last episode was Resident Evil bad, kept waiting for CSM to talk about total global saturation.
 
The story was hurt from being squeezed into 2 episodes but overall I didn't think it was bad, at least it was way better than episode 1.
So we're totally getting another season with M&S right? I was really surprised to see it end with such a cliffhanger since I thought a new season was still up in the air.
 

locke_21183

Neo Member
I totally got that this was retconning the conspiracy and suggesting that CSM's plan all along was to use the biological weapon angle to trim the population, with alien DNA taken from the body at Roswell providing them with the means of keeping the chosen few alive.

Which I guess is interesting, but there's so many moments from Seasons 1-9 that it's hard to reconcile with this. I've watched them all recently and the "Two Fathers" / "One Son" episodes stick out. CSM tells Mulder the entire myth-arc. I guess he could just have been lying, to further the alien angle as a mask to what he was doing. But what did the Syndicate mean when they kept mentioning 'colonisation' - was CSM lying to them? And what happened at the end when they all get set on fire? The neatest way to make this work might be to say that the aliens were all along trying to *save* us. I have a feeling that's what the appearance of the space-ship at the end of Season 10 means.
 
I liked the season, though the main story being confined to just two episodes was a pretty weird decision.

Really want another season or movie. And I'm glad to see some love for James Wong. I was afraid the Dragonball disappointment was gonna hurt his image, but luckily X-Files fans know what's up.
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
What the hell happened in that last episode.... The fight scene was awful. I don't even know what to say, it was kind of disappointing overall as a season, but if they do a 13 ep run for next season it won't feel as rushed hopefully.

The show should really just turn into monster of the week primarily IMO if they keep making this
 
Yeah, the fight scene WAS terrible. They really fucked up the direction of that. Whoever had the smart idea to speed it up should've been fired.
 

liquidtmd

Banned
What the hell happened in that last episode.... The fight scene was awful. I don't even know what to say, it was kind of disappointing overall as a season, but if they do a 13 ep run for next season it won't feel as rushed hopefully.

The show should really just turn into monster of the week primarily IMO if they keep making this

It should, as its what it does best. However the mental script writing required to get back to that status quo from that cliffhanger will be silly
 

Nekofrog

Banned
yeah i dont ever see a return to monster of the week greatness after that

it'd take a writer totally out of his mind dropping the biggest info dump possible summarizing multiple different random events into one confusing whole that leaves you unsatisfied, annoyed, and possibly angry

anybody know a writer who can do that
 
According to Chris Carter not only is Fox on board but David and Gillian are on board as well and it's just a matter of making it work with everyone's schedules:

http://m.ign.com/articles/2016/02/24/x-files-creator-chris-carter-says-fox-wants-more-episodes

Nice!
They should've scrapped the terrorist episode and given the mythology 3 episodes instead. The pacing would've been better and that mediocre episode wouldn't exist.
I really loved the other 3 motw episodes though and the main plot gets a pass from me despite its issues so I think the season was well worth it and I'm really looking forward to more.
 

BFIB

Member
Yeah, the fight scene WAS terrible. They really fucked up the direction of that. Whoever had the smart idea to speed it up should've been fired.

I like how Mulder goes to suplex city and gets right back up. Also, when did he learn hand to hand combat like that? Way out of character for him.

Just like the last movie, I'm going to forget that My Struggle 1 and 2 ever happened, and focus on the MOTW episodes. To me, the series finale is the end of season 8. Ended on a good note.
 
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the entire season was total garbage. Didn't enjoy one episode. Heartbreaking.

I can't be alone on this.

I liked the Trash Man one. Otherwise it has been really uneven. I'll allow that the Campy lizard man one has charm, but it was waaaay to self-referential for me. The rest have been meh to bad.

I've seen in this thread that people who think this is parody don't really know/love the X-Files, but I stand by the assertion that parts of this mini-series have felt like a fan made hackjob, from the acting to the dialogue to the straight up 90's stereotypes of the LGBT community and Muslims. It was great to have it back, but it was about as bad as it could have been and still be passable. Of course, I want more though.

I like how Mulder goes to suplex city and gets right back up. Also, when did he learn hand to hand combat like that? Way out of character for him..

It felt like Chris Carter had just watched The Bourne Identity and thought it was still the new hotness.

So the only good episode was the last one.

what are you talking about, who are you talking to? .gif
 
Also, if Fox had aired the fucking episodes in fucking order, the entire season arc would have made actual sense.

There is no order in which this season's mythology is anything but nonsense.

I actually think it was smart of Fox to bump the arguably mediocre Home Again to make way for what to me were the two best episodes of the season (critics were shown the first three episodes). Some damage control was needed after that premiere and whatever one may think of Founder's Mutation, it was the most "classic X-Files" episode of the lot which made it reassuring at a time when many people were unconvinced about this revival.
 
what order were the episodes supposed to be aired in?
They were produced in the order:
My Struggle
Home Again
Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster
Babylon
Founder's Mutation
My Struggle II

But like others say, it doesn't matter. There is no writer's room on the X-Files. Everyone pitches an idea, and then goes and writes the episode for that idea. There's no overarching plot or co-ordination between writers.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
They were produced in the order:
My Struggle
Home Again
Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster
Babylon
Founder's Mutation
My Struggle II

But like others say, it doesn't matter. There is no writer's room on the X-Files. Everyone pitches an idea, and then goes and writes the episode for that idea. There's no overarching plot or co-ordination between writers.
There must have been some though, because the episodes that didn't deal with mythology dealt with their son. Probably the Were-Lizard episode is the only true stand-alone one.
 

Beefy

Member
In what way?

I forgot about Trashman so that becomes the best. The others were just bad imo. Which made the last one actually look good even though it wasn't. I just found they had a boring story line or was way over the top (acting wise). I just hope it comes back for good and gets a decent writer. As a whole I would give the series 5 or 6/10.
 
What the hell happened in that last episode.... The fight scene was awful. I don't even know what to say, it was kind of disappointing overall as a season, but if they do a 13 ep run for next season it won't feel as rushed hopefully.

The show should really just turn into monster of the week primarily IMO if they keep making this

It should, as its what it does best. However the mental script writing required to get back to that status quo from that cliffhanger will be silly

Nah fuck that. The MOTW episodes are fun and sort of relaxed in a way, but the show needs higher stakes in the form of the mythology backbone imho.
 
/shrug I actually thought the fight scene between Mulder and the CSM agent was really well choreographed and shot well.

It was a bit out of place but I was thinking "shit I didn't know Mulder could do that" and it was still fun as hell to watch.
 
/shrug I actually thought the fight scene between Mulder and the CSM agent was really well choreographed and shot well.

It was a bit out of place but I was thinking "shit I didn't know Mulder could do that" and it was still fun as hell to watch.

Agreed. Are you people trying to find things to hate? Another good episode.
Only shit episode was the first one.

Best to Worst

Were-Monster
Babylon
My Struggle II
Founder's Mutation
Home Again
My Struggle

By all means, go back to shitting on the season. Don't mind me.
 
Bring back the black oil. Why didn't they just develop that instead of this Alien DNA bullshit.

And what the hell at those cornfields from the movie? And the genetically modified wasps?
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Agreed. Are you people trying to find things to hate?

Seriously.

Bring back the black oil. Why didn't they just develop that instead of this Alien DNA bullshit.

Because the Black Oil isn't something that wants to work with the human population. AFAIK it's antagonistic because it's an ancient alien(™) parasite thing.
 

BFIB

Member
Bring back the black oil. Why didn't they just develop that instead of this Alien DNA bullshit.

And what the hell at those cornfields from the movie? And the genetically modified wasps?

Its probably best to turn your reasoning off to the mythology arc. After it was revealed that Mulder's sister was a "light being", I was done.

I still love the show though, no matter how much Carter brings down Mulder and Scully on the mythology arc, all I need is a MOTW (like X-Cops), to bring me back in.
 
Could you expand on this a little?

Correct order is:

1,5,3,4,2,6.

The airing order was NOT the problem here.

Yes it was. If 5 was episode 2, it would have fed a hell of a lot better into Mulder's moral dilemma of 3, and if 2 was 5, the pacing and agency of 6 would have made a lot more sense, as would have the arc.

Would it have fixed the writing? No. But would it have fixed the season arc? Yes.

There is no order in which this season's mythology is anything but nonsense.

The emotional arc of the characters and the lead-ins to other episodes =/= mythology.

Yeah, the fight scene WAS terrible. They really fucked up the direction of that. Whoever had the smart idea to speed it up should've been fired.

Yeah, that whole episode was shot from the perspective of a high school film student.

Its probably best to turn your reasoning off to the mythology arc. After it was revealed that Mulder's sister was a "light being", I was done.

She was still abducted, but became a ghost after she ran away when she returned.

Because the Black Oil isn't something that wants to work with the human population. AFAIK it's antagonistic because it's an ancient alien(™) parasite thing.

Yeah.

The Faceless were the good aliens. The Black Oil was the bad.
 

.JayZii

Banned
I really enjoyed Founder's Mutation and The Were-Monster. The rest were okay, but kind of bland. The mythology-heavy episodes were never really my thing, anyway.
 

RangerBAD

Member
I feel like the real plot of the season was dealing with giving their son away. Familial bonds. A mother's love. All things that tie back to their son. And now they literally need to find their son.
 

BFIB

Member
I feel like the real plot of the season was dealing with giving their son away. Familial bonds. A mother's love. All things that tie back to their son. And now they literally need to find their son.

That's what the movie should have been years ago. Finding William, and preparing for the impending invasion.
 
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