The tenth season of The X-Files is now over.
Cast and Crew Information
Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully
David Duchovny as Fox Mulder
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein
Robbie Amell as Agent Miller
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes
Written and directed by Chris Carter
Premise
Babylon: A terrorist is in a coma, but Mulder and Scully are called in to brainstorm ways to communicate with him anyway.
My Struggle II: The smallpox vaccination was actually designed to cripple our immune system at a specific time and leave room for a new, elite population.
High Point
“Nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted.”
Low Point
Mulder’s overly long drug trip.
The Review
This does push the conspiracy into new and original directions which were not a part of the public consciousness when the series first aired. I give it 4 out of 6.
The effects are still solid, be they physical, CGI, or makeup. I give it 6 out of 6.
The story in “Babylon” seems to keep flipping back and forth between supporting tolerance or racism. That of “My Struggle II” had little buildup, questionable character decisions, pure lack of forethought by FBI investigators who don’t search for a missing man by his cell phone, and a complete lack of resolution in what is clearly a bid for an eleventh season. I give “Babylon” 4 out of 6, and “My Struggle II” 3 out of 6.
The acting is solid across the board. I give it 5 out of 6.
The production is what we’ve come to expect from Ten Thirteen. Very solid stuff. I give it 5 out of 6.
The emotional response to “Babylon” is mixed because of the inconsistent message and the far-too-long drug trip. I give it 4 out of 6. The response to “My Struggle II” is not as strong, between the unfounded premise, cheap ending, and slap in the face to those doing great work on the comic series from Dark Horse. I give it 2 out of 6.
Overall, these are the two weakest episodes of the new season, with a 4 out of 6 for “Babylon” and a 3 out of 6 for “My Struggle II.”
In total, Babylon receives 28 out of 42 and My Struggle II receives 24 out of 42.
My high points of both are probably Einstein and Miller. Yes, they’re brash caricatures but it was fun to see Mulder and Scully react and interact with them. The sharp contrast showed how much Mulder and Scully had grown over the years.
And though I have to say I’d probably watch an X-Files spin-off with them, they’re too close to Mulder and Scully for it to be as interesting in the long term. It would feel too much like they were starting over at the beginning, rather than a continuation. Though it would also be hilarious to put Mulder in the AD Skinner role or even Mulder as the CSM replacement.
Given what they pulled in the finale at the end, there’s no telling what sort of world they’d be continuing in. The whole last episode seemed far too contrived. I would not have trouble believing that the TV show was more of a “war of the worlds” style bit and nothing happened outside of DC.
That whole zoom into the eyeball thing reminded me of Next (with Nicholas Cage). i.e. most of the episode is a “dream” sequence.
I usually have good “reset button” radar and it was going off the whole episode, so that wouldn’t shock me. I discounted it since it seemed to end in a way that didn’t suggest it would be reset, but you’re right, that could be it. Maybe someone was sending Scully a message about what was about to happen and how to stop it.