As the series went on, however, its impact lessened, leading up to a relatively underwhelming series finale. Carter, Anderson, and Duchovny reunited for the 2008 movie The X-Files: I Want to Believe, then reunited in 2016 for a six-episode Season 10, then again in 2018 for ten-episode Season 11. Still, none of these follow-up projects earned the same acclaim as the show’s earliest episodes.

Black Panther and Sinners director Ryan Coogler has developed a reboot of the concept for Hulu, and as we wait to see how that show connects to the original series, Carter has confirmed to Page Six Hollywood that he still hopes to reunite with Anderson and Duchovny to explore the narrative seeds planted in Season 11.

When asked about what Mulder and Scully’s trajectory is after Season 11, Carter confirmed, “I know how [their story] continues.” In regards to reuniting with his former collaborators, he noted, “I would love the opportunity. I think we have to wait until the Coogler show finds its audience and then figure out how we might do it with those variables or unknowns in front of us. I’d love to do it as a series or as a movie. I went to great lengths with four episodes during the last two reboots to set up [a new] story, whether it be a movie or a limited series.”

Ever since the early reports of Coogler’s revival, we’ve wondered how Mulder and Scully could be included, with Carter’s comments implying that they won’t be included in the new series. However, Carter confirmed that he has avoided reading scripts for the new series so he could enjoy them as a fan, with it being possible Mulder and Scully do play some role in the reboot.

“I have faith in Ryan Coogler. I think he’s a brilliant filmmaker, and I’m excited that he wants to take a different approach to it,” Carter explained. “I want to see what that approach is going to be. We covered a whole lot of material, a whole lot of genres with the show originally, and even through the reboots. I’m excited about how he might re-explore those genres.”

Of his conversations with Coogler, Carter recalled, “We had a phone call. He didn’t need my blessing, and Disney could have done whatever they wanted. They own the show. It was really as a courtesy that he called me. I didn’t necessarily hand him the reins. He is picking up where we left off with a different approach to the idea, the concept, and the soul of the show.”

While the new The X-Files has gotten the green light, it doesn’t currently have a release date.

Would you like to see Carter revive his original storyline? Let us know in the comments below!

The post ‘The X-Files’ Creator Still Wants to Develop a Sequel Alongside Ryan Coogler Reboot Series appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Thankfully, some filmmakers are occasionally gifted with a rare opportunity to revisit their old projects and rework them into something more akin to what had originally been planned. The rise of popular Director’s and Extended Cuts has actually rescued plenty of genre movies from cultural obscurity, with notable examples being Exorcist III: Legion and even Nightbreed. With that in mind, it makes sense that fans were ecstatic when it was announced that Chris Carter was finally going back to his divisive 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe in order to deliver a new cut of the movie that didn’t have to appease concerned shareholders who insisted on neutering the original release.

Now called The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn, Carter’s reworking of the movie restores several deleted scenes and moments of additional gore/terror that were originally cut in order to guarantee a more profitable PG-13 rating. In Carter’s words, this makes Vrach Frankenshteyn the definitive version of the picture he always wanted to make, and, based on the trailer, fans have been hoping that this new cut might finally redeem a movie that had originally been regarded as a major disappointment.

The truth, however, is a lot more nuanced than the marketing would have you believe. While Vrach Frankenshteyn is an undeniable improvement over the original cut of the film, feeling more appropriately terrifying in its speculative influences and even adding never-before-seen practical effects work into some of the freakier moments, this new version of the movie likely won’t be converting folks who weren’t already fans of the 2008 release.

In the film, we once again follow former Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they’re recruited by the FBI in order to investigate the bizarre disappearance of a fellow operative. Aided by a disgraced priest with alleged psychic abilities (Billy Connolly), the duo soon find themselves falling down a rabbit hole of monstrous science and corrupted faith.

Despite the flick’s unfortunate reputation, I’ve always been of the opinion that much of the negative reaction to the picture had more to do with fan expectations regarding unresolved plot points from the show (mainly the convoluted web of alien conspiracies) than the overall quality of the movie itself. To put it bluntly, folks wanted another bombastic blockbuster like 1998’s Fight the Future, but what they got was decidedly less grandiose.

Even at its worst, I Want to Believe has always been at least “serviceable,” functioning like a spookier-than-usual FBI procedural drenched in a cool, snowy atmosphere. At its best, however, the movie reminds us that Carter has always been a skilled storyteller, with even his monster-of-the-week yarns simultaneously working as character studies testing the limits of Mulder and Scully’s personal beliefs – not to mention their iconic relationship.

All of that remains true in Vrach Frankenshteyn, with the film still feeling like a more polished version of a satisfying standalone episode of the show, but with the added material hinting at a greater madness lurking behind the antagonist’s plans. Things get especially interesting whenever the story is allowed to delve into the disturbing implications behind this otherwise grounded mystery, as well as the real-world experiments that inspired the titular Frankenshteyn.

Unfortunately, there simply isn’t enough new material to shine a light on what is by far the most interesting part of the movie. The added snippets of the antagonist’s animal testing and the overall body horror of his attempted transplants are appreciated, but it’s clear that, studio meddling or not, Carter never intended for this to be an all-out horror flick despite the villain’s Mary Shelley-inspired M.O.

There are also a handful of seemingly arbitrary changes that don’t really make the experience better or worse. While I appreciate the more fast-paced editing during some sequences, especially towards the beginning, the removal of gags like the hilarious nod to George Bush, which I always understood to be a reference to  9/11, actually makes the movie feel a bit too self-serious for its own good.

Thankfully, the experience is still carried by a trio of iconic performances, and I am definitely including Connolly’s highly controversial priest among them. There’s no point in praising Duchovny and Anderson for their onscreen chemistry, as the continued existence of this long-running franchise is itself a testament to their combined talents, but I’ve always thought that the fan vitriol towards Father Joe was absurdly overblown. Carter is obviously using the character to dissect the very idea of redemption and black-and-white morality in a world warped by continued cycles of violence, and Connolly’s portrayal of a regretful monster remains a bold and undeniably interesting move nearly two decades later.

At the end of the day, The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn likely won’t change your mind if you already disliked the original version of the film. However, existing fans of the movie finally have a definitive version of the experience that feels more in line with the show that gave us horrific episodes like season 4’s Home.

Just don’t go into this one expecting a brand-new mystery – though we can always hope that, if enough people watch it, we may yet see that long-awaited third movie…

The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn begins streaming on Hulu & Disney+ on August 14, 2026.

The post ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn’ Review: The Same Monster With a Fresh Coat of Paint appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“There have been talks about certain things, but there’s nothing concrete at this point,” Duchovny tells THR regarding a potential appearance in the reboot.

“I’ve spoken to Ryan, and I have a general sense of what it is, but I haven’t read the script,” he notes.

Duchovny adds, “I wish them luck. It’s a great frame that Chris Carter came up with all those years ago — a believer and a nonbeliever tackling these mysteries. I always thought it was endlessly generative.

“It really comes down to the writers room for me. Because we had great writers. We had Vince Gilligan, the Morgan brothers, Howard Gordon, Darin Morgan, and others. We were blessed to have a writers room that could generate 20 to 25 movie ideas.”

Duchovny continues, “‘The X-Files’ was a movie idea every week. So I hope Ryan doesn’t have to do 25 [episodes] and only has to do 10 or 12. And I hope he’s got great writers, because that’s really the key to making that show work.”

Coogler is writing and directing “The X-Files” pilot, which Hulu ordered in February, with Jennifer Yale (“The Copenhagen Test”) sering as showrunner.

Danielle Deadwyler (The Woman in the Yard) and Himesh Patel (Tenet) will star as two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.

Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler are executive producing through Proximity Media alongside Yale and “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter.

“The X-Files” originally ran for nine seasons between 1993 to 2002, with two additional seasons arriving in 2016 and 2018. 218 episodes were produced in total, along with two feature films: 1998’s The X-Files: Fight the Future and 2008’s The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

The post David Duchovny Teases Ryan Coogler’s ‘The X-Files’ Appearance: “There Have Been Talks” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Duchovny will host and produce the documentary series, THR reports.

The 10-part History Channel series will be diving deep into “the government’s most secretive, strange and mind-blowing activities that have been declassified throughout history.”

“I’ve always been drawn to explorations of the more complicated aspects of our lives, leaning into conversations that dig below the surface and unlock a more interesting story,” Duchovny said in a statement shared by The Hollywood Reporter today. “I’m thrilled to be executive producing and hosting a new History Channel series that’s not afraid to go there.

“We’re telling the incredible stories of government secrets that have only recently come to light. This series proves that secrets can be uncovered, and mysteries can still be unraveled.”

Episode topics will include Area 51 and the real story behind the movie Argo.

Stay tuned for more on Secrets Declassified as we learn it.

The truth is out there…

The post ‘Secrets Declassified’ – David Duchovny Hosting Documentary Series for History Channel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will premiere Friday, October 6, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada and Brazil, on Saturday, October 7 in Australia, the U.K., South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and on Friday, October 20 in Latin America.

Constant Readers will recognize the telltale signs of impending doom in the clip below, with David Duchovny‘s Bill Baterman taking his son’s body beyond the Pet Sematary, beyond the deadfall, where the ground is sour.

Director Lindsey Anderson Beer said of the clip and its key player in a statement, “While the original Pet Sematary book and its film adaptations are about Louis Creed bringing back his child, our story features Bill Baterman bringing back his son who died in the Vietnam War. This is, of course, a clip of David Duchovny as Bill Baterman, burying his son with the hopes of resurrecting him. I cast Duchovny because of his performance as a father in Californication, and I knew he would bring the nuance and heartbreak this movie needed. Jack Mulhern, as Timmy Baterman, Jud Crandall’s friend and a soldier back from war and back from the dead, is stunning in the film. He’s terrifying, but vulnerable, as those around him reconcile that he’s suffering from more than just PTSD. Rather than a contained story, I sought to make an unpredictable experience with war as an organizing principle: tense stalking, frenetic action, with lulls and bonding with comrades in between. 

 “In the film, scares come as much from the cinematography, silence and sound design as any blood, guts, or violence. Because Pet Sematary is such an intimate portrait of death, I wanted every scare and action scene to be extremely close and intimate. This is the opening scene of the film and sets the tone for how I employed this approach. The score is sparse. You hear every breath and footstep. The sounds of the woods are violent and heightened, and there’s a faint whispering that can’t quite be located. Close shots of Bill Baterman, contrasted by wide POV shots give a sense the land itself is watching him. This approach to cinematography was written into my script from the beginning, and was meant in service of giving Ludlow, and its evil, true characterization in the film. It is a joy and a privilege to bring Ludlow, and King’s book, to life in a new chapter.”

The film has been officially rated “R” for “Horror violence, gore and language.”

The untold chapter’s official synopsis: “In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine behind, but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path.”

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines stars Jackson White (Tell Me Lies, Mrs. Fletcher) Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), Jack Mulhern (The Boys in the Boat, “Mare of Easttown”), Henry Thomas (“The Fall of the House of Usher”, Gerald’s Game), Natalie Alyn Lind (“The Goldbergs”, “The Gifted”) and Isabella Star LaBlanc (“True Detective: Night Country”), with Pam Grier (Cinnamon, Jackie Brown) and David Duchovny (“Californication”).

The film is directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer, in her directorial debut, with a script written by Beer and Jeff Buhler, and produced by  Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Mark Vahradian. The highly anticipated film will be featured in the Paramount+ Peak Screaming collection that curates fan favorite horror movies and iconic Halloween episodes from beloved series.

The post ‘Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’ Exclusive Clip – David Duchovny Digs Into Sour Ground appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Losers’ Club sure isn’t, though. Today, the gang is heading to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC to help the FBI solve a strange case file that was sent to them from the Derry Private Library in Maine. It’s an X-File dated February 8, 1998 and there’s a single word at the top: “Chinga”. Rest assured, the truth is out there … somewhere.

Join Special Agents Michael Roffman, Justin Gerber, McKenzie Gerber, and Sammie Kuykendall as they attempt to solve this bizarre case. Together, they explain how best-selling author Stephen King got involved (and how his script was reworked by the writers’ room), decipher the Kingian influences within, and reminisce on how they all first found The X-Files.

(It should be noted that this discussion was recorded in October 2021 for their Patreon, The Barrens, and that it’s being unlocked today for the episode’s 25th anniversary. Speaking of which, in further celebration, the Losers’ Discord channel is hosting a watch-a-long tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST. Become a member today and join ’em tonight.)

Stream the conversation below and then return next week when the Losers speak to Laramie Dean about queerness in King’s Dominion. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. And, again, you can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store

The post ‘The X-Files’ Re-Opened: Stephen King’s “Chinga” Turns 25 [The Losers’ Club Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Originally envisioned by screenwriter Don Jakoby as a hyper-serious horror/sci-fi thriller, Evolution gradually shifted into a completely different direction once Reitman came onboard the project. Inspired by the premise of a group of friends banding together to face an otherworldly threat, the director saw the film as a potential Ghostbusters for the new millennium, with an updated cast of charming oddballs fighting extraterrestrial mutations instead of supernatural entities.

After a series of comedic rewrites, the studio began searching for an ensemble cast with franchise potential. Hot off the heels of The X-Files, David Duchovny was chosen as the sardonic lead that would keep the group together, with Orlando Jones becoming his best friend and partner in crime. The ever-lovable Sean William Scott was also cast as the humorous everyman of the team, with Julianne Moore rounding things out as a clumsy scientist with a heart of gold.

The finished film follows college professors Ira Kane (Duchovny) and Harry Block (Jones) as they investigate a mysterious meteorite that crashes in the Arizona desert. Unfortunately for us humans, the meteorite contains microscopic life-forms that rapidly adapt to their new environment, going through millions of years of evolution in just a few hours as they mutate into monstrous creatures hell-bent on taking over the planet. Knowing that an extinction-level event is at hand, Ira and Harry team up with the CDC’s Dr. Allison Reed (Moore) and the aspiring firefighter Wayne Grey (Scott) in order to study the alien menace and devise a plan to save the world, all while butting heads with an inept military response.

The alien invasion setup may sound familiar, but the formula is solid enough for Evolution to work as a light-hearted sci-fi romp with plenty of impressive monster designs and memorable character moments. Despite wearing its intentions on its sleeve as it attempts to become “the next Ghostbusters“, the movie actually manages to stand on its own as a retro-styled comedy with an early-2000s twist, and I think it’s a shame that no one really one talks about it anymore.

From silly moments like watching the aliens reach a primate-like level of intelligence to fun set-pieces like when the crew attempts to bring down a mutated dragon in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, I’d argue that the movie is at its best when reveling in its own absurdity. Hell, I know I’ll never forget that bizarre finale where dandruff shampoo miraculously saves the day in what can only be described as a cellular enema.

Ivan Reitman’s Evolution admittedly stumbles during its transparent attempts at recreating Ghostbuster’s success (even Dan Aykroyd makes an appearance and the poster’s three-eyed smiley face is obviously meant to emulate that film’s highly marketable anti-ghost logo), but the insanely charming cast helps to smooth out most of the rough edges. The dated jokes and familiar tropes are no match for Jones and Duchovny’s bromance, and even Sean William Scott gets the chance to shine with ridiculous amounts of “dudebro” energy. Dr. Reed is the only character that really suffers from the unpolished script, with Moore being relegated to lazy gags despite her legendary acting chops.

Unfortunately, there’s also the matter of the film’s heavy use of early-2000s CGI during its action sequences. While there are a handful of practical puppets on display here, and the designs are all pretty clever, the majority of the monsters are brought to life via wonky computer graphics that haven’t aged all that well. Thankfully, the movie’s playful tone keeps the effects from detracting from the experience, though I wish they had gone with the original plan of having the alien’s final form be a fleshy humanoid kaiju instead of a gigantic cell.

Personally, I think Evolution was a single draft (and maybe a Ray Parker Jr. song) away from being a classic, but I still appreciate how it lovingly emulates classic monster movies for a new crowd. From setting the story in the Arizona desert to having a bumbling military force be saved by outcast scientists, the film really nails the 50s sci-fi tropes without feeling like a parody. Hell, even the “real science” on display here is about as accurate as it was in those movies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a possible sequel involved radiation turning lizards and insects into giant monsters.

Despite spawning a short-lived animated series, it’s a real shame that Evolution never took off as a franchise. This could have been one of those rare cases where a sequel with already-established characters could have surpassed the original, introducing even wackier monster-movie hijinks with each new installment. They may not be everyone’s favorite team of paranormal exterminators, but I could have watched hours of Jones and Duchovny bickering about space creatures and the periodic table, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not the only one.

As it stands, Ivan Reitman’s Evolution doesn’t quite live up to its aspirations as a proper successor to the original Ghostbusters, but it definitely stands on its own as a highly entertaining throwback created by a team that clearly cared about the project. It may not have aged as gracefully as its inspirations, but I’d recommend this one to any fan of the light-hearted monster flicks of yesteryear. At the very least, you’ll learn that Head & Shoulders can be useful during an alien invasion, and with the way things are right now, it’s always good to be prepared.

The post Ivan Reitman’s ‘Evolution’ – Celebrating 20 Years of the Other Ghostbusters appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

By modern standards, I know that most folks will have a hard time describing The X-Files as particularly “horrific” (especially after years of shows like The Walking Dead, The Haunting of Hill House and even cult hits like Channel Zero), but with controversial episodes like “The Host”, “Sanguinarium” and the Tobe-Hooper-inspired “Home”, it’s clear that, for the longest time, Mulder and Scully’s adventures were our go-to destination for weekly TV frights. Ironically, the show’s creator was originally known for developing Disney comedies, but after transferring to Fox, Carter decided to work on something completely different, changing the face of television forever in the process.

Blending his fascination with real-life government conspiracies with the popularity of investigatory thrillers like The Silence of the Lambs (and more than a little inspiration from cult programs like Twin Peaks and Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Carter came up with a unique cocktail of TV terrors that could really only have happened in the 90s. Distrust of the US government was at an all-time high, and once-niche interests like cryptozoology and ufology were on the rise, making it the perfect time to debut a show dealing with alien abductions, genetic abominations and secret government plots.

Of course, Carter isn’t singularly responsible for the show’s success, as David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson‘s landmark performances as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are what kept the series alive for so long (perhaps too long, one might say). While people came to see monsters, aliens and tabloid-esque conspiracy theories, they stayed because of the duo’s compelling relationship. Featuring a platonic friendship that slowly escalated into an now-legendary romance, The X-Files also benefited from one of the first online followings in media, with thousands of viewers sharing fan-fiction, artwork and theorizing about where the show (and their dream couple) might end up next.

Fox and Dana were also backed by a memorable supporting cast, featuring the likes of the infamous Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and The Lone Gunmen, a group of tech-savvy conspiracy-theorists who would eventually get their own short-lived spin-off series. Eventually, the show would also introduce Agents Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and John Doggett (the T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick) as spiritual successors to Duchovny and Anderson’s characters, though they ended up as recurring roles instead of actual replacements.

Another iconic aspect of the show was its unforgettable title sequence. The theme music by itself was enough to give me nightmares as a child, though I admit that some of the video effects in the opening seem rather silly nowadays. Even so, the credits did a perfect job of encapsulating exactly what the show was about, preparing viewers for a disturbing descent into a world of hideous monsters and convoluted conspiracies. In some ways, this intro would become even more famous than the show, with endless parodies and references in other media.

Even if you’ve somehow never seen an episode, I’m pretty sure that you’re already aware of the dynamics behind the show, as its been infinitely imitated since the 90s. In most episodes, some seemingly unexplainable event would occur in the minutes preceding the opening credits, resulting in an investigation by Mulder and Scully. The pair would then go on to suggest both rational and paranormal explanations for what they’ve seen, though the truth would most often be then-innovative sci-fi concepts. There would also be episodes dedicated to furthering the series’ overarching plot, involving shadowy government organizations pulling the strings from behind the scenes and possibly colluding with extraterrestrials.

This formula would go on to become a staple of speculative television, recurring in everything from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Supernatural and Fringe (which was JJ Abrams’ attempt at recreating X-Files mania for a new generation). At the same time, the show also pushed network limits with its depictions of terrifying abductions, human experimentation, brutal murders and some genuinely impressive practical gore effects. While some of these elements would occasionally get the show in trouble with the network, most viewers knew what they were signing on for once they tuned into an episode of the show.

Unfortunately, despite its massive popularity, the series eventually imploded in on itself, with overall quality steadily declining during the later seasons as the show got lost in its own convoluted mythology. While we were fortunate enough to get the original 9-season run (plus a highly entertaining theatrical release) from 1993-2002, the show would wind up in limbo during most of the 2000s.

We’d eventually see another (also underrated) feature film in the form of The X-Files: I Want to Believe in 2008, but the show would only truly return with the intention of tying up loose ends with a six-episode season in 2016. By then, however, The X-Files formula had been appropriated and perhaps even improved on by countless other shows, making it an obsolete relic in the modern television landscape. While it was still great to see Duchovny and Anderson together again on the small screen, this revival ultimately led to an unsatisfying (and long-delayed) conclusion in 2018 with another limited run of ten episodes.

At the very least, that final season gifted us with “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat”, one of the show’s all-time best episodes and a more fitting finale than the one we actually got a few weeks later. This episode dealt with the popular Mandela Effect theory and served as a humorous homage to the show’s history of dealing with eerie and strange subject matter.

Be it fiery demons stealing blood-soaked infants or mutant contortionists harvesting human livers (and don’t even get me started on the fluke-man), The X-Files opened up a whole new world of scary possibilities on TV, setting a precedent for adult entertainment that allowed other creators to have fun exploring similar formulas. It’s possible, and even likely, that we wouldn’t have the undead-slaying shenanigans of either Buffy Summers or the Winchesters if Chris Carter hadn’t pushed the envelope of horror on mainstream television back in the day.

It’s been almost thirty years since The X-Files premiered, and I’m surprised to see so many friends and colleagues joining me in revisiting the show since we’ve been stuck in quarantine. I may not be satisfied with how the story concluded and the show was heavily formulaic even in its prime, but it inspired so much that’s great about contemporary television that I can’t help but be thankful that more people are now appreciating this cultural landmark. Plus, some of the alien super-virus plot threads are genuinely unnerving in this day and age, which makes the show that much more effective.

In any case, like Reggie Something said in the aforementioned “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat”, maybe the real X-Files were the friends that we made along the way, or in this case, the horrors that were later inspired by them. The show may be a little dated at this point, but it’s still one hell of a spooky ride, and definitely worth revisiting here in 2020.

The post How “The X-Files” Opened Up a Whole New World of Scary Possibilities on Television appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Participants include David Duchovny, Chris Carter, William B. Davis, Cary Elwes, Annabeth Gish, Laurie Holden, Vince Gilligan, Darin Morgan, Robert Patrick and Mitch Pileggi, with thirty three members of the cast and crew in total taking part to perform the theme by Mark Snow, with new lyrics by contest winners Jennifer Large and Rebecca MacDonald.

What about Gillian Anderson, you ask? She’s there too, popping up for a fun cameo at the end. Because it’s just not “The X-Files” without Dana Scully, that’s for damn sure.

“The project was conceived to bring a smile and to raise funds for the World Central Kitchen, supporting their worldwide mission to provide a hot plate of food when it’s needed most.”

You can donate to the World Central Kitchen by following this link.

The post Cast and Crew of “The X-Files” Put Words to the Show’s Iconic Theme for a Good Cause [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving have taken us on a rather kooky ride! First, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of Interview With the Vampire with a look at the homoerotic subtext between Louis (Brad Pitt) and Lestat (Tom Cruise), then we looked at the homoerotic text between Walter (Michael Fassbender) and David (Michael Fassbender) in Ridley Scott’s 2017 sequel Alien: Covenant, changed things up a bit with a praise session for Darren Stein’s 1999 black comedy Jawbreaker! Now, Joe and I are celebrating our 50th episode with a very heavy discussion on…..the  second The X-Files movie?

In the film, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) have been out of the FBI for several years, with Mulder living in isolation and Scully having become a doctor at a Catholic hospital, where she has formed a bond with a critically ill child patient. When an FBI agent is mysteriously kidnapped and a former Catholic priest who has been convicted of pedophilia claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the endangered agent, Scully is asked to bring Mulder back to the bureau to consult on the case because of his work with psychics.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Libsyn, Google Play, and RSS.

Episode 50 – The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

The Horror Queers are celebrating their 50th episode with a Very Special Episode discussing…..pedophilia? And The X-Files? If that sounds like a weird combination, it’s because it is. Luckily, they have Trace’s better half (i.e., husband) and X-Files stan Ari Drew helping them through this momentous occasion!

What’s the best way to reward your fans that have been watching your show for nine years? According to series creator Chris Carter, it’s to release a completely standalone film that eschews the series’ mythology in favor of trying to earn new viewers! Oh, and let’s have very undeveloped and un-nuanced discussions about major issues like pedophilia, stem cell research and head-transplanted Frankenstein monsters that walk some murky areas on transgender issues.

This Week’s Game: What is a television show that you would like to see adapted to the big screen as a horror movie?

Cross out The X-Files: I Want to Believe!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re kicking off December with a decidedly less serious discussion about Ryan Reynolds‘ abs and some good old fashioned casual homophobia in Blade: Trinity, which is celebrating it’s 15th anniversary!

– Joe & Trace

P.S. Be sure to check out all of our online articles right here.

P.P.S. As an added bonus, if you subscribe to our Patreon you can listen to our full-length bonus episodes on Doctor Sleep and Primal (aka Nicolas Cage vs. a jaguar on a boat).

The post [Horror Queers Podcast] The Murky Politics of ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

He joins Michelle Monaghan (“True Detective”), Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising), Gideon Adlon (“The Society”), Lovie Simone (Selah & the Spades) and Zoey Luna (15: A Quinceañera Story).

The cast also includes David Duchovny, Nicholas Galitzine and Julian Grey.

“The original, led by Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Christine Taylor, and Rachel True, followed a newcomer at a Catholic prep high school who falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and wage curses against those who tick them off.”

MacLean’s credits include eOne/IFC’s Nurses and CBC’s “Workin’ Moms”.

Lister-Jones is writing, directing and executive producing the reimagining of the 1996 film.

The post ‘The Craft’ Casts a Spell on Donald MacLean Jr. appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The cast also includes Nicholas Galitzine (“Chambers”).

“The original, led by Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Christine Taylor, and Rachel True, followed a newcomer at a Catholic prep high school who falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and wage curses against those who tick them off.”

The remake comes from Blumhouse and Columbia Pictures. Andrew Fleming, who co-wrote and directed the original film, is on board to executive produce the remake.

Jason Blum, Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are producing.

The post David Duchovny Has Joined the Cast of Blumhouse’s Remake of ‘The Craft’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While there’s an overlying series’ spanning story arc involving extraterrestrials and conspiracies, the monster of the week episodes that made up most of the series was an absolute highlight. Drawing inspiration from older series like Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Night Gallery, and The Twilight Zone, tuning in to watch what weird phenomena Scully and Mulder would discover next was a blast. Sometimes, it was downright creepy. From Satanic witches to monstrous humanoids, there was no aspect of the paranormal left uncovered in the X-files. Even scarier was that the terrifying entities often escaped the episode, leaving them still out there lurking. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of this acclaimed series, we look back at the 10 creepiest monster of the week episodes.

“Humbug” – Season 2, episode 20

This episode feels straight from Tales from the Crypt and earned a nomination for an Edgar Award. Scully and Mulder head to Gibsonton, Florida to investigate a series of attacks on former circus sideshow performers after a death in the community. Twin Peaks regular Michael J. Anderson is the trailer park manager, and Vincent Schiavelli is an alcoholic with a tumor-like conjoined twin named Leonard. The episode plays around with the concept of the Fiji mermaid, but of course, the true killer is something far creepier. And predictable if you’re familiar with Tales from the Crypt. In keeping with the theme, this episode ends on a darkly humorous note.

“The Host” – Season 2, episode 2

If you weren’t already wary of Porta Potties, this episode will ensure you’ll steer clear in the future. This ep’s monster takes the concept of the parasitic flukeworm and turns it into a humanoid monster that lives in the sewer. The monster’s design, pale and slimy with a fluke mouth, is terrifying enough, but the reveal of what its bite can bring is pure icky body horror. One victim complains of a foul taste in his mouth after surviving an attack, but it’s nothing compared to his vomiting up a flukeworm hours later.

“Badlaa” – Season 8, episode 10

The opening scene in this ep has a large businessman dismissing a paraplegic beggar at the Mumbai, India airport, something he almost instantly comes to regret when the beggar violently pulls him out of the bathroom stall a short while later. Cut to the businessman checking into his hotel in Washington D.C., then bleeding out profusely on the hotel bed. The beggar is revealed to be a mystic inspired by stories of revenge-seeking Indian fakirs. This beggar is out for blood, and that he literally hitches a ride inside someone’s body to make his way overseas is chilling.

“War of the Coprophages” – Season 3, episode 12

Look. Cockroaches are scary. So, this episode already had an advantage toward spine-chilling. But then, of course, The X-Files takes it a step further by making these roaches dung eating extraterrestrial robotic probes with a penchant for swarming and killing. As if that’s not bad enough, there’s a skin-crawling scene that sees a roach burrow into an open wound of a teen. He freaks out and tries to cut it out of his skin, resulting in a bloody death. Director Kim Manners also plays a mean trick on the audience by having a roach scurry across the screen, making you question if your own home has been invaded.

“Squeeze” – Season 1, episode 3

The mystery at the heart of this episode sees Scully and Mulder investigate a series of brutal murders that seem to reoccur every 30 years. What they eventually find is Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison), a mutant that feeds off human livers before going into hibernation for 30 years. He also has the ability to squeeze into tight places, making him hard to track without obvious points of entry in the victims’ homes. The weird hibernation nests that Tooms makes, bound together by his bile, is icky enough, but it’s Hutchison’s unnerving performance that makes Tooms an all-time creepy villain. The character returns in episode 21.

“Chinga” – Season 5, episode 10

Co-written by Stephen King, Chinga featured Scully on vacation in Maine, only to find herself drawn into the mysterious case of a creepy girl and her creepier doll when she stumbles upon a grocery store full of bloodied victims of self-mutilation. The girl’s mother lives in fear and is plagued with visions of the next victim to fall prey to the girl and her evil doll. Mulder sticks to the sidelines in this ep, leaving Scully to contend with a nightmarish killer doll on her own.

“Sanguinarium” – Season 4, episode 6

The cold open is one gnarly, gruesome foray into plastic surgery gone wrong, instilling or reinforcing the fear of being put under the knife. From there, Scully and Mulder are called in to investigate as the doctor had no recollection of killing his patient. It’s the first of many botched surgeries resulting in horrific deaths, but when Mulder finds pentagrams he suspects witchcraft. Any episode in which The X-files dabbled in black magic, Satanism, and witchcraft (see the next two entries) is a creepy delight, and this gruesome plastic surgery-themed ep is among the best. Slurpy wet sounds and all.

“Die Hand Die Verletzt” – Season 2, episode 14

When teens go into the woods to play with black magic, one doesn’t come back out alive. Enter Scully and Mulder, who find the faculty of the local high school aren’t the conservatives they appear to be, but Satanic worshippers that don’t realize they’re in over their heads. If you’re afraid of snakes, then this episode’s death by snake will deliver nightmare fuel. Even still, it’s nothing compared to the nightmare that is substitute teacher Mrs. Phyllis Paddock (Susan Blommaert).

“Familiar” – Season 11, Episode 8

Two words: Mr. Chuckleteeth. With an opening feeling very familiar to It, right down to a raincoat sporting little boy wandering off alone to his violent demise, Mr. Chuckleteeth instills himself as one of the more terrifying entities of the series. He’s not the only terrifying kid’s show character to terrorize, as a demonic Teletubbies copycat also makes an appearance, but he is the most iconic. Of course, the true villain is an evil force summoned by way of witchcraft, unleashing hellhounds, spirits, and evil that’s not quite quelled by episode end.

“Home” – Season 4, episode 2

A darkly satiric look at the traditional family values of America, Home is easily one of the most twisted hours of television. Opening with the live burying of a newborn baby in the middle of a storm, only for its bloody corpse to be discovered by a group of boys playing baseball, this was the first episode to issue a viewer discretion warning for graphic content for the series. The Peacock family feel related to the pack from The Hills Have Eyes. Scully and Mulder plot to save the mother of the dead baby, believing her to be held captive by the deformed Peacock brothers, but the reveal is much, much worse; the woman is the limbless, deformed Peacock matriarch that prefers to reside under the bed. Once seen, the imagery will never leave your head.

The post “The X-Files” Turns 25: The 10 Best Monster of the Week Episodes! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Yeah, like one of those X-Men…”

The most frustrating thing about this latest season of The X-Files is that a lot of it has actually been very good. The back-half of this ten-episode event series has shown a very optimistic improvement in quality and essentially every non-Chris Carter episode has been impressive or offered some redeeming quality and interesting point of discussion. While it’s understandable that Chris Carter is allowed to finish off the season of his own show, it’d be a lot more encouraging if he had the awareness to pass the reins over to James Wong and Glen Morgan, with Carter simply providing the “Story By” credit for the finale. Unfortunately, Carter barrels ahead with his troubling vision that’s been plaguing The X-Files ever since the show returned for its tenth season. Carter’s “My Struggle” saga has been extremely problematic and the show playing into its worst tendencies. In fact, I daresay that this season’s premiere, “My Struggle III” is arguably the worst episode that the show has ever produced. I’m also quite sure that most of the audience would be happy if they never heard the phrase “alien DNA” again. However, Carter goes full force with his instincts here and manages to demolish most of the goodwill that this new season has earned as he crashes this UFO into the ground and struggles to stick the landing.

After the previous pieces of “My Struggle” took on the various challenges that Mulder, Scully, and even the Smoking Man face, this final chapter adopts William’s (aka Jackson Van DeCamp’s) perspective. This is a logical move for the finale to take since previous installments reinforced the fact that “William is the key.” Plus, there aren’t really any other points of view to tell this story from unless Kersh or an alien become subjects.

William’s backstory is pretty ham-fisted and it tries to cram a whole lot of exposition into five minutes, but it’s actually pretty effective. William’s childhood and teen years hit a lot of familiar beats from these kinds of stories, but it’s refreshing to hear him outright refer to himself as a villain during a rebellious phase of his life. The episode isn’t afraid to present a brutal, honest past for William. The trauma and confusion that he’s experienced has turned him into a murderer and in a lot of ways it feels like the Smoking Man would be more proud of his actions than Mulder would. But hey, it’s nice to see that William can give as purple a narration as Mulder can. Like father like son.

The X-Files is obviously no stranger to mixing it’s standalone episodes with its larger myth-arc ones, but the way in which William re-enters the picture here feels highly awkward and out of the blue. A lot of this episode just happen because it’s the finale and it needs to happen. While I praised this season for fitting in a covert William episode earlier this year, it honestly might have been smarter to schedule “Ghouli” as the season’s penultimate episode. That way William is still fresh on the audience’s minds and his appearance in this finale doesn’t feel quite so manipulative. Mulder and Scully could have at least brought up the hunt for William over the last few episodes, even if it didn’t become the installment’s focus.

It’s worth pointing out that the episode once again swaps out its “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE” title card, this time with, “SALVATOR MUNDI.” Salvator mundi translates to “Savior of the World,” but it’s also one of the more prestigious paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting depicts Christ as this “savior” and while there are obvious Biblical implications here, this phrase is more pertinent to the fact that William is supposed to be this savior and Christ figure combined. This is a surprisingly optimistic phrase to feature at the top of the finale, especially when the previous “My Struggle” chapters have all been gloomy downers. In case this wasn’t clear to the audience, Monica Reyes also gets to underline the message with clunky lines like, “The person who controls your son is the person who controls the future.”

Skinner gets in hot water over Mulder and Scully’s reckless behavior, which calls back to a little of what was going on in “Kitten.” It’s satisfying to see this finale connect a few dots from the course of the season. That being said, it’s hard not to laugh at Kersh’s bold proclamation that he’s shutting down the X-Files. This is what, the sixth time they’ve been closed now? It’s almost par for the course in the season finale and although this moment should be heavy, it falls flat. It feels like an element to cross off on a checklist, not a threat.

Furthermore, Skinner also seems to completely forget his proclamation to Mulder and Scully in “Kitten” and instead opts to continue secretly cooperating with the Cigarette Smoking Man. Both Skinner and Reyes feed false information to Mulder and Scully about their son and it’s disheartening to see the two get manipulated because it all revolves around their child. Doggett wouldn’t stoop to these lows, I’ll tell you that much. He knew about the pains and responsibilities of fatherhood first hand!

Skinner eventually gets his act together, but it’s largely so he can be a ride for Scully because apparently, she can’t drive herself? There’s such a disregard for some of these characters and at times it feels like they only do certain things because there’s a limited cast and somebody needs to do it. It’d be bonkers to watch all of those scenes in seasons eight and nine between Skinner and Reyes and think, “Wow, one of those characters kills the other one.”

On that note, Scully’s Convenient For Plot Purposes (CFPP) psychic powers kick in again and give her a hell of a premonition of the information that Reyes has fed them over William. As a result of this, she doesn’t fall for the bait. Mulder wants to cover their bases though and opts to still check out the tip. Of course, it’s a disaster, but Mulder is able to murder a few goons and push his way into speaking to the Syndicate’s head honcho. He then gets a little overzealous though and does some more murdering before he’s able to get the answers he needs about his son. It’s frankly a little jarring to see how many people Mulder kills in this episode. Sure, they’re all bad individuals and his son’s safety is at stake, but the episode really goes out of its way to have Mulder execute people. He has a real rage in this episode, which isn’t exactly a bad angle for the character (and Duchovny sells it well). It’s nice to see Mulder go for broke here, even if it’s not always the best plan of attack.

It’s sweet to finally get to see Mulder meet his son, but what should be an emotional, pivotal moment ultimately feels tone deaf. It makes sense that William would be hesitant to let Mulder into his life all of a sudden, but Mulder’s strategy here is just to spout exposition and scold him. That being said, the episode does contain what might be the most badass sequence of the entire season where William psychically explodes a bunch of Syndicate goons. It’s also pretty great that the hatred that William feels for the Smoking Man is the same rage that Mulder feels towards him. Even if Mulder and William aren’t biologically related, there are already deep parallels and similarities between the two of them that work well here.

Scully also gets to meet William one last time, even if it’s in the guise of Mulder. It still manages to be the more touching scene of the two, but it’s not a lot. It’s a little disappointing that this will likely be the last episode of The X-Files with Dana Scully and the character mostly just sits this one out. Mulder does all the action here and Scully just hangs out at a desk and makes phone calls until the final act. Even when Ted O’Malley gives her the opportunity to go on his show and get a big Network moment, she chooses to stay in the shadows and recede away. It’s easy to see why Anderson would want to leave this show when her character gets so consistently marginalized, especially this season, but this makes for a pretty blasé send-off to the character. Carter also has Scully constantly shout, “I have seen the end!” which isn’t very flattering.

Ultimately this isn’t a terrible finale, but it just operates under a compromised structure where it’s hard to really do much with this story. There aren’t a whole lot of places this arc can go in one episode, but this restrained structure actually does the episode some favors. In spite of these downfalls this still manages to be the best of all four “My Struggle” installments, so there’s at least that going for it, too. This all really just turns into a race between Mulder and the Cigarette Smoking Man to find William before the other one can. This is an angle that the show has done before, and even on a much grander scale, but it’s a simple enough structure that works here. At this point simpler is better for this show’s mythology episodes.

It’s pretty damn depressing that everyone goes through so much here, particularly Mulder and Scully, just for it all to end with William’s death. I mean, it’s not as depressing as the end of all humanity, but was this really the way that everything had to play out? It feels like Carter is just cleaning the slate here and getting rid of any ongoing plots so he can start over. Then again, the final scene of the episode still speaks to Carter’s inability to make up his mind. The show has gone back and forth over other “permanent” decisions, but it’s not always a good idea to keep your options open. Sometimes you need to make a decision.

In an attempt to make this more palatable, Scully dehumanizes William to Mulder and falls back on the fact that he was an experiment and not their child. It’s a big pill to swallow, but it’s the necessary retcon that the episode needs to resort to so this doesn’t seem as devastating. For what it’s worth Duchovny does a great job in this final scene where he laments the loss of his boy, but it all feels rather rushed. Scully’s last-second miracle pregnancy is also a fairly forced attempt to make this appear to be a happy ending. You can’t just try to erase all of this drama with a fresh coat of paint and that’s what this ending feels like.

Chris Carter has gone on the record that he’s optimistic that there will be a 12^th season of the show, even if it doesn’t include Dana Scully, but I truly don’t see why with this sort of conclusion. This was a flawed episode and while this ending isn’t exactly earned, it’s a decent enough note to go out on. Anything else is only going to risk making things worse. So while this very well may not be the end of The X-Files, this feels like it might be the point that many of its fans finally jump ship, if they haven’t already.

But hey FOX, how about letting Darin Morgan run a Reggie Something spin-off series?

Overall Season Grade:

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” Season 11 (Series?) Finale Is Blasé and Disappointing appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“I found a cure for the greatest disease of all mankind. Every human has a ticking time bomb inside of them and I figured out how to defuse it.”

Sometimes a certain topic might seem like a questionable choice for The X-Files, but the areas of creepy cults and organ theft mutilation rituals are definitely disturbing content that are tailor mode for The X-Files. Seasons eight and nine of The X-Files get an unreasonable amount of hate, but the season eight entry “Roadrunners” is one of the creepiest episodes from the show’s entire run (not to mention one of Vince Gilligan’s final X-Files scripts). It’s an installment that understands how to pair together the idea of a brainwashed cult and body horror to inspired effect. “Nothing Lasts Forever” might not have the same personal stakes that “Roadrunners” taps into, but it’s still a satisfying entry that finds something new to say on the topic.

“Nothing Lasts Forever” starts off with a rather intense cold open that feels like it could be the beginning of an episode of James Cameron’s Dark Angel. A graphic surgery turns into an espionage-laced organ heist where a bad-ass female is the one responsible for the crimes. If that wasn’t enough, the killings have a very unique quality to them as the organ thief victims get a giant spike through their hearts, but it’s a long steel pole rather than a tiny wooden stake. That’s a lot of elements to throw at the audience in the episode’s opening minutes, but it also appropriately sets the stage for a very unique case that stumps Mulder and Scully for a while. There’s even a solid stretch of time where Scully doesn’t even think that this is an X-Files.

Mulder and Scully realize that a wealth of liver and pancreas appear to be absent from the victims. However, missing organs with suspicious backstories are hardly the strangest things about what’s going on here. What transpires is one of the more disturbing X-Files stories and a tale of skewed Munchausen Syndrome that feels reminiscent of Home, to be honest. There is a disturbing cult at play that has developed a way to cheat death and obtain eternal youth, so to speak. The way in which the cult’s leader, Dr. Luvenis (Jere Burns), achieves this is by grafting young healthy people to his back and siphoning off their vitality. The scariest part about all of this is that the victims that are grafted to Luvenis consider such a torture to be an honor. Everyone in this episode volunteers for the mess that they’re in. “You’re my addiction, Dr. Luvenis,” they tell him. Luvenis’ wife, Barbara, talks about how broken and useless all of their members were before she found them. She preaches about how her torture and modifications to them is their salvation and the promise of an inspiring tomorrow. These are all the extreme lengths that people will go to feel beautiful or important.

It’s worth pointing out that “I WANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL” is the statement that replaces “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE” this week and the message there is rather significant. This statement speaks to the fact that Scully spends a portion of this episode in church and the show reminds the audience that this character is rather religious. The way in which the episode juxtaposes Scully’s religious communion with the ritualistic killings of Juliet tries to make a rather pointed commentary. The installment puts these slayings on the same level as organized religion and highlights how the two experiences can give the same degree of relief.

“I WANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL” speaks to this need to commit terrible acts as a means to an end if it means reaching that reward. When Barbara murders people she refers to them as swans and says that they’ve never been prettier. Death is made synonymous with beauty here because it’s something that’s almost impossible to achieve in the flawed existence of life. If the same degree of spiritual solace can be felt by a specialized slaying, then is it really that different then a major institution? The power of faith can cause people to do incredible things.

This episode is so rich in themes and it happens to come from another X-Files newcomer, Karen Nielsen (a script coordinator from Glen Morgan’s underseen one-season wonder, Intruders). Nielsen pens the episode and the always-reliable James Wong directs the season’s penultimate installment. It’s interesting to note that fans got so excited when this return to The X-Files announced that it would bring a number of the show’s original writers along with it. Honestly, though, some of the best episodes from this season have been the installments written by new writers who are anxious and hungry to leave their mark on the series. “Nothing Lasts Forever” is no exception and it’s a strong episode for the season to go out on before what will no doubt be the overly serious drag of a time that is “My Struggle Part IV” next week.

“Nothing Lasts Forever” actually touches on a lot of the same themes that were present in Morgan’s Intruders. That was a show about people who lived forever by stealing bodies and transporting consciousness through different people over centuries of time. The concept of this episode is essentially the same, only these cult members feel that they can live forever by donating their organs to the Luvenises, who in turn do live forever.

Jere freaking Burns is also in the house for this episode! Between him, Brian Huskey, Haley Joel Osment, and Barbara Hershey, this season has had some decent guest stars! Burns is fantastic in whatever he’s in, whether it’s his work on Breaking Bad, Angie Tribeca, or his unforgettable turn on Justified as Wynn Duffie, human cockroach. He plays Dr. Luvenis with such cold, calculated ferocity that definitely adds a lot to his character. At the same time, his stony demeanor absolutely softens whenever he tries to console his wife, Barbara (Fiona Vroom). They reflect the erratic bipolar nature of some of the most twisted murderous couples that are out there and they both give memorable performances here.

There’s also a bonkers sequences where Barbara croons “There Has to Be A Morning After” while her “seed” disciples willingly mutilate themselves and they feast on their “pure” organs. There’s a certain degree of self-awareness where the episode seems to knows just how ridiculous all of this is, but it’s a necessary evil if it means the show can deliver such disturbing, insane sequences.

The episode also has a sort of Twilight Zone quality to it as well. The idea of an aging, washed up television star who can be in her 80s but look like she’s 40 is absolutely in their wheelhouse. The concept of “age as a disease” is nothing new, but “Nothing Lasts Forever” still manages to put its own classic X-Files twist on the concept. The whole “I will repay” steel stake killings from Juliet don’t exactly get explained in full, which is a little problematic. At the end of the day it sort of just feels like some extra weirdness thrown into the episode, but it still plays into the installment’s overall themes about beauty and obsession. “Nothing Lasts Forever” manages to surprise, entertain, and figure out some new ways to creep out its audience, all of which are important. It might not be the flashy episode that some viewers were hoping for before the season (series?) finale, but it still gets the job done.

Oh, and Mulder has progressive lenses now. It’s not a big thing. Although it does cause him to finally notice Scully’s haircut from two episodes ago. Let’s hope that he can beat the inevitable gout.

Next week’s the big one, guys. Let’s hope we can get through it with minimal mentions of alien DNA, ret-con rapes, and insulting dream sequences. Let’s take a leap of faith.

“The X-Files’” 11^th season will conclude next Wednesday at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” Drinks the Kool-Aid in “Nothing Lasts Forever” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“What’s a hellhound, now?”

Witch hunts are an interesting concept because they’re something that are still done today. Of course, they don’t happen in a literal sense, but the term “witch hunt” is still often used when figures face unfounded accusations and mob mentality kicks in. In fact, “witch hunt” is a term that’s been used a whole lot lately in response to the #MeToo movement and so it’s clear that the phrase is still very much in the cultural vernacular. As a response to this, it’s actually a really relevant idea to approach a modern X-Files episode with the intention of dissecting the territory of witch hunts. “Familiar” might get a little disjointed with that bold goal, but it still turns out to be one of the more effective, unnerving episodes of the season.

“Familiar” feels like the subject matter of a vintage X-Files episode. In particular, the episode’s cold open is the perfect sort of introduction that gets you excited for the episode that’s to follow. This entry has a lot to do with a supposed animal mutilation, but screw that, let’s talk about the bone-chilling Mr. Chuckle Teeth! Andrew’s doll, Mr. Chuckle Teeth, and its real-life counterpart are pure nightmare fuel and one of the better monster designs that the show has come up with in some time. It’s a definite less is more approach, but it absolutely works. This feels more like an episode of Channel Zero than it does The X-Files and that’s the absolute highest of praise. Newcomer Holly Dale (The Americans, Dexter, Mary Kills People) directs the hell out of this one and knows how to build up the tension and creep factor in marvelously eerie ways. This feels like an episode that Glen Morgan or James Wong are behind the camera on and if The X-Files does return for a 12^th season, they’d be smart to keep Dale on their list of directors. Or at the least, Channel Zero wouldn’t be remiss if they hired her for season four.

When a boy turns up mutilated in the woods, the police department turn to an animal attack as the solution, specifically a coywolf (a coyote-wolf hybrid). However, Mulder and Scully have a different take on what happened. For starters, the police are rightfully suspicious as to why the FBI would be there over Andrew’s death, but Mulder and Scully discuss that their presence is necessary when a member of law enforcement’s family is murdered. They, of course, think this is a murder and not just some coywolf attack. Connecticut’s police department doesn’t appreciate Scully’s condescending attitude towards them, but when do these two ever get along with the local law enforcement? This dynamic is also soothingly reminiscent of the show’s earlier seasons and it’s nice to see Mulder and Scully trade monster theories in the woods instead of getting melodramatic about the government while in a drab office.

This season has also had many problems with its treatment of Scully, but “Familiar” really puts her up on a pedestal in the right kind of way. Her and Mulder’s dynamic is natural and endearing in this one and he has her back in the way that someone that’s been working with her for eleven years should. The episode also gets the most out of the fact that Scully has to do an autopsy on a child, which naturally has her reflect on William and the decisions that she’s made, but in a way that feels organic. If this truly is Gillian Anderson’s last year on the show, it’s nice to see that the character will at least get some proper treatment in her final episodes.

It’s worth mentioning that this is the only episode of the season so far to not feature a different “TRUTH IS OUT THERE” message and it’s honestly for the best. One of the problems with this season is that a lot of episodes think that they’re something that they’re not. Not every installment has to be something game-changing. “Familiar” understands that and because it doesn’t try to overextend itself, it ends up working a lot better than these episodes that shoot for the moon and don’t reach their destination.

As Mulder and Scully attempt to figure out what’s gone on here, Mulder’s prime theory is that a hellhound is the culprit. Scully’s naturally skeptical to this, but Mulder backs his idea up with musings on the Salem witch trials and the large amount of dark arts practitioners that are still in the area. Mulder continues to bank on the premise that they’ve seen much stranger things in the past, so why couldn’t witches and hellhounds be to blame here? Scully begins to develop a take on Andrew’s murder that’s a whole lot more evil, but not at all supernatural. Her autopsy findings make her start to think that Andrew’s father might have been abusing him and that the rest of the police force protected him from any persecution.

Halfway through the episode it looks like everything gets wrapped up when it’s revealed that a convicted pedophile has been living across the street from the Eggers and he also happens to have the Mr. Chuckle Teeth costume in his home. The episode presents a creative spin on the typical skeptic/believer debate between Mulder and Scully when Scully chimes in with how this pedophile solution makes the most sense and so it’s probably true. The town has already started to accept that it is the truth. Mulder, on the other hand, thinks “perfect” solutions must be inherently flawed. Nothing is that clear-cut, which is when the episode begins to shift over from its true-crime dynamic to its supernatural dark magic angle.

The deeper that Mulder and Scully get into the weirdness of this case, the closer that it actually does resemble the Candle Cove season of Channel Zero. Mr. Chuckle Teeth is a part of a creepy childrens’ show (along with the Biggle Tiggles, who look like the Gray’s version of the Teletubbies) that appears to be hypnotizing children and then kidnapping and murdering them. Throw in some black magic and there are the ideal makings for a child-hunting monster.

One of “Familiar’s” strengths is that it wastes no time and throws Mulder and Scully right into the case. There’s no filler back at the Bureau to slow things down. This episode also doesn’t try to do too much and overcomplicate its story, which makes this streamlined version of the narrative even better. “Familiar” lets the audience spend time with the members of the Eggers family and get to feel for these people rather than bog the case down in lore. It’s also fascinating to see “Familiar” so elegantly juxtapose disturbing, grounded criminals with a hearty supernatural undertone. There’ a very serious take on child abuse, adultery, and sex offenders, but also a tense narrative about witches. All of this goes a long ways and honestly the creepy look of Mr. Chuckle Teeth buys this installment a whole lot of goodwill and makes it work better than it should.

“Familiar” might get a little heavy-handed towards its end, but the final act of this episode actually made me shout out in surprise in a way that hasn’t happened at any other point this season. There’s a brutal murder that’s completely avoidable and comes out of nowhere, with the remainder of the episode turning into a methodical take on violence. The episode might wear its whole “witch hunt” theme on its sleeve pretty hard, but it doesn’t strip this material of any of its weight. Eastwood, Connecticut treats this innocent sex offender as a guilty man and put him through a witch trial in a way that effectively marries these two halves of the episode together. As different as these two plots are, they’re really not that different in the end.

The ending is a little messy—both figuratively and literally—in how it all comes together. Mulder and Scully’s problem literally solves itself by bursting into flames. Mulder even makes a joke about spontaneous combustion in the first act, so this apparently is a prime example of Chekhov’s Spontaneous Combustion. Not exactly everything connects in the end, but it’s easy to look past these flaws when the rest of the episode works so well. “Familiar” amounts to a solid, compelling story that’s creepy and emotional in all of the right ways. It might not be groundbreaking as far as The X-Files goes, but with how reckless a lot of the episodes from the 10^th and 11^th seasons of the show have been, installments like “Familiar” are a breath of fresh air and exactly what the series needs. It’s a shame that this season started out on such a shaky note because the end of this year is absolutely going out on top and delivering some real hits.

‘The X-Files’ 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] ‘Familiar’ is the Creepiest Episode of “The X-Files” Season 11! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Teach me #humans.”

Try saying that title three times fast. Or even once for that matter.

“Rm9sbG93ZXJz” is code, which becomes “Followers” when it gets translated. This is a title that’s all too appropriate as it not only plays into how the population has become far too dependent and addicted to technology, but it presents this title in the native tongue of this technology because they’re the ones that call the shots. The episode even goes one step further when the typical “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE” title card gets switched with, “VGhlIFRydXRoIGlzIE91dCBUaGVyZQ=”, which is presumably the same cautionary message, but now in tech speak.

Of all of the “modern” ideas for The X-Files to tackle, the topic of the increased prevalence of technology with advents like Siri, drones, and fully-automated cars, restaurants, and smart homes feels the best suited for this series (although the Lone Gunemen would totally lose their shit over this stuff if they were still around). While some revival episodes have pulled their storylines “from the headlines,” a lot of the time they can induce groans, but this installment is actually quite successful. The tragedy here is that Black Mirror literally just did this exact episode two months ago (“Metalhead”), so this powerful concept loses a lot of its punch because someone else just did it and on a much more grandiose, cinematic scale. That being said, this is still an incredible episode of The X-Files and it feels just like the vintage entries from the show’s peak years.

The episode explains that in 2016 Twitter released a “chatbot” that’s meant to emulate the speech patterns of a 19-year-old girl. Through introductory narration (by a fellow chat robot no less, which is significant), the episode explains that it didn’t take long for this artificial intelligence to evolve at an alarming pace and pick up an exceptional amount of information from the world that it was interacting with. The X-Files is also quite careful to point out that everything that this program learns is directly through humans and a result of how they treat and respond to the AI program. If the AI is maniacal and a loose wire, then it’s because that’s what it learned from us and our actions (such as tweets like “I hate #feminists. They should all burn in hell,” for instance). We’re responsible. “Rm9sbG93ZXJz” never wants the audience to forget that point.

This prologue, which would have made Harlan Ellison cream his pants, explains that this chatbot eventually needed to be shut down because it became too negative and vicious. The irony over how it’s humanity’s fault that the AI turned out this way is not lost on the episode and it even glibly remarks that if the population doesn’t learn how to better understand and co-exist with such forms of artificial intelligence, then it will soon be the humans that get deleted, not the technology.

This cold open might be a little cringe-y in regards to its presentation style, but it still introduces a vast topic that’s perfect for this series to sink its teeth into for dissection. Moments where Mulder and Scully groan over sponsored ads or their need to fill out CAPTCHA tests to “prove that they’re human” so they can read their desired news article are quirky and will make the audience smile, but they also become super poignant when in an episode of this nature.

The best part about this episode is that it’s largely without dialogue. The intention here is to highlight how much verbal communication has been lost with the growth of smartphones, tablets, and endlessly savvy technology at our fingertips. This silence sometimes emphasizes the tension and suspense of this entry when Mulder and Scully fight for their lives, but it also helps illustrate the simple, human moments that Mulder and Scully share together. The installment begins with the two of them in a restaurant together and the simple gestures of the two wordlessly scrolling through a menu while they try to eat are so cute and endearing. The series understands that after this long Duchovny and Anderson can definitely carry an episode simply with their glances and expressions to one another, but “Rm9sbG93ZXJz” pushes this concept to its limit and it’s so damn fantastic here.

A mostly silent episode is exactly the sort of ambitious experiment that The X-Files should have done by now. This is a series that delights in taking beautiful stylistic deviations from the norm, like an episode that’s a single take (“Triangle”), one that’s a black and white Universal Monsters homage (“The Post-Modern Prometheus”), or even an installment that becomes an episode of COPS (“X-COPS”). “Rm9sbG93ZXJz” is a strong addition to add to these classics and it’s far and away the best episode of this revival season other than Darin Morgan’s entry (this applies to last season, too). There’s also a valid reason for the episode’s muted nature, but the installment still could have gone a little further in the department.

Glen Morgan directs the episode from Kristen Cloke and Shannon Hamblin’s script. These two are newcomers as writers for the series, but Kristen Cloke may best be known for her role as Laura Means in Chris Carter’s series, Millennium. Her performance in the second season’s apocalyptic finale is one of the best breakdowns I’ve ever seen on television. It’s a ten-minute long insanity sequence and it’s seriously unreal stuff that’s more in tune with something you’d see from David Lynch (Millennium’s Glen Morgan and James Wong-run second season should be mandatory viewing for any Twin Peaks fan). I still can’t believe this aired on FOX during primetime in the ‘90s.

Glen Morgan elevates Cloke and Hamblin’s script in some smart ways. He films the episode in this sterile, clinical nature and it’s almost like the director is a robot himself. Elements like music are minimal while the hum of lights and technology are a buzz and get amplified on the soundtrack. Morgan alternates between shots from security cameras or drones at different perspectives that really hit the point home, too. The way in which Morgan presents this story only adds to the overall point that it wants to get across.

The first act of the episode is certainly the silliest, especially since Mulder and Scully’s plight appears to be predicated on Mulder pissing off some robots at a sushi restaurant by not leaving them a tip, but the stakes soon escalate and the material connects. This might all originate from the absurd situation of people’s apathy towards giving their products a rating, but it’s still strong stuff. In a similar sense, the first half of the installment takes delight in Mulder and Scully’s various tech woes and how they’re wistful for a less automated way of life. The episode’s second half applies the pressure and sees this technology not just discourage Mulder and Scully, but actually, hunt them down.

The tone might be a little messy in this episode and it leans into the humor more than it needs to, but it’s not without its reasons. This is an entry that understands that these are mostly relatable frustrations that a lot of people go through with their products. The decision to keep Mulder and Scully separated through the bulk of the episode is also a smart complication that allows for more to go down and it gives this installment more of an impact than if they were stuck together. It’s far from a perfect episode and cleaning up the tonal issues would go a long way, but it still contains some powerful material. That being said, it’s hard not to cringe at evil text messages or a rogue vibrator. The same goes for the beyond simple resolution to all of this madness (they just need to give in and reward that robot with a cash tip). This might induce many eye rolls from the audience, but this is an episode that’s definitely more about the journey and its message rather than its cause and resolution. “Rm9sbG93ZXJz” might ultimately be a love it or hate it sort of situation for viewers, but it will likely be one of the most discussed episodes of the season either way.

Oh, and the fact that Scully’s security password is “Queequeg” is too perfect.

‘The X-Files’ 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” Season 11 Episode 7: ‘Rm9sbG93ZXJz’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Have you ever wondered why after thirty-five years in the Bureau Walter Skinner isn’t sitting on this side of the desk?”

Towards the end of The X-Files’ original run, a number of spinoffs were naturally put under consideration. One idea that gained a little steam was that the season five episode “Travelers” could act as a springboard for a series that focuses on Arthur Dale’s exploits with early X-Files cases. That’s a solid enough premise, but it’s a little surprising that no one was ever like, “Hey, you know, Skinner’s also been with the department forever and the audience actually knows who he is…” A spinoff that looks at a young Skinner’s early X-Files adventures has even more appeal than The X-Files: The Early Years. So in spite of how this idea was never on the table, it’s comforting to see the series finally start to explore that territory now.

Season 11’s “Kitten” is a Skinner-heavy installment and it’s seriously about time. Up until this point there’s really only been one episode in The X-Files’ 200-plus run of episodes that puts Walter Skinner in the spotlight and that’s season three’s regrettable “Avatar.” “Avatar” explores Skinner’s life, but the episode curiously decides to focus on Skinner’s crumbling marriage and the Assistant Director’s disastrous attempt at a one-night stand. “Avatar” isn’t the best episode and it doesn’t make the strongest case that regular visits into Skinner’s past are a good idea, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is a deep, fascinating character that has been apart of this show for as long as Mulder and Scully have and he’s seen just as much as them.

It’s really rather surprising that the show didn’t take advantage of Skinner and flesh out his life outside of the X-Files (or even his time there before Mulder and Scully enter the picture), especially during the show’s eighth and ninth seasons when Mulder’s presence was minimal and the character was in the need of an upgrade. Season eight’s “S.R. 819” certainly puts Skinner front and center too, but that’s more about Krycek turning him into a victim than learning anything about his past. So it’s nice to see Skinner get a showcase episode in the 11^th season, and it’s a long overdue one, but it becomes a question of whether this episode delivers or if this is just another messy installment like “Avatar.” “Kitten” is a better episode, but it’s hardly vintage X-Files.

It’s worth to note that enough character assassination has been done to Skinner this season that even if this episode were to be a complete failure, it would still play a little better due to how the character has been portrayed this year. That’s also kind of the point here, as Skinner’s mysterious, questionable behavior this season hits its apex and that’s what prompts this glimpse into his past.

It feels like an episode of this nature that digs into Skinner’s past would be written by someone like James Wong or Chris Carter himself. However, “Kitten” has relative newcomers behind the wheel on this one. Gabe Rotter writes the script and Carol Banker directs and they both do a decent job with this dual storyline that unfolds in both the past and the present.

A “men on a mission” style X-Files where an army platoon has to keep a top-secret crate safe while under enemy fire is a pretty damn good idea for an episode. If Star Wars can reinvent itself in a number of ways, then why can’t The X-Files also take similar cues from various genres? As awesome as an episode that’s set entirely in 1969 during the height of the Vietnam War would be, unfortunately this idea gets reduced to a strong cold open for a commendable installment, but one that still feels like standard X-Files rather than something special or different. “A WAR IS NEVER OVER” is the episode’s “Truth Is Out There” placeholder and even that feels rather lazy in its message. Not only that, but there have been many great X-Files episodes that explore that theme through PTSD. A theme that’s a little more original could get a lot more accomplished with this episode.

“Kitten” marks the return of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh, who’s back for the first time since season nine’s finale, “The Truth!” I’ve never been the biggest fan of Kersh and he’s always just seemed like a more belligerent Skinner who applies pressure on Mulder and Scully when necessary, but it’s still nice to see him again. There are still plenty of other characters I’d rather see before Kersh, but this appearance does justify itself, even if it’s more practical than anything else.

Kersh calls Mulder and Scully in when Skinner goes missing and he does a good job at dressing the two down in the process. He blames Skinner’s allegiance to the two of them for why his career with the FBI has remained stagnant and he figures that they must have something to do with his current disappearance. Mulder and Scully are out of the loop on this one, but it does at least put Skinner’s absence on their radar and they can begin to do their own digging on the matter (although Mulder was probably enjoying the peace and quiet). Kersh basically tells them that it’s their responsibility to find Skinner and get him back to work or he’s officially burned his last bridge with the Bureau. This might be a little ham-fisted, especially when it’s all laid out this way at the top of the episode, but it gets the episode’s gears in motion and Mulder’s juices flowing.

Much of the horror within “Kitten” that’s not of a psychological nature deals with a weaponized fear gas that manifests itself as a freaky cattle skull creature. This beast is at the center of the episode and it’s an appropriately creepy creation (it also is a dead ringer for the titular character in the anime, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, FYI). After this monster pops up a few times, “Kitten” starts to push the idea that perhaps Skinner is this monster. This clearly shouldn’t be taken literally, but the episode wants people to consider that possibility, which is pretty insulting and ludicrous. There’s no way that Skinner has actually been a monster through the course of the show. Even the idea that Skinner’s ultimately the episode’s villain feels like an angle that the episode is just waiting to tug out from under the audience’s feet.

Thankfully, Mulder and Scully are a little savvier than everyone else in this episode, which largely consists of the residents of a small hamlet known as Mud Lick. The two don’t think that Skinner is to blame here. If anything they’re concerned about his mental state and that he might be lost in some sort of PTSD-related stress. Skinner is of course totally fine here, but that’s not the case for one of his former squad members. Skinner was lucky enough to only get exposed to a minimal amount of this fear gas while he was in Vietnam, but others suffered to the point where the gas allegedly “changed” them.

Skinner’s past in Vietnam is put under fire from Haley Joel Osment’s character, Davey, who attacks the Assistant Director for not standing up for his fellow infected teammates when their actions were put under scrutiny. Skinner had the power to potentially save them or at least reduce their sentences, but he remained silent. Now somebody thinks it’s time that he paid the consequences for that. Skinner, of course, stands by his moral actions and “Kitten” tries to rebuild his character as the faithful boy scout that he’s been in the past. He’s given a good reason for everything that he does here. The episode is more interested in having a discussion about the effects of war than it is in vilifying Skinner.

As “Kitten” approaches its final act, Mulder, Scully, and Osment’s Davey all go back and forth in his tiny home and it’s maybe the episode’s most interesting scene. The sequence slowly leaks out tension as Davey’s weird demeanor starts to become more alarming. It’s the most unsettling scene in the entry and it plays into Osment’s strengths where he can apparently channel a creep rather well. The episode’s conclusion offers up a strong companion scene in Davey’s home where Mulder searches for clues and a record blares rock music to create an eerie atmosphere. It’s just a shame that so much of his discussion comes down to government brain manipulation, which is pretty old hat and cliché for conspiracy theories.

As Davey’s plan continues to unravel, at one point it looks like Skinner might die after he gets impaled on some nasty rebar. Make no mistake, if Skinner were to die in some random episode, that would be awful, but it would at least be something interesting and ballsy for the show to do. Instead, The X-Files delivers the most overdone war story possible, but “Kitten” could still be a whole lot worse.

In the end, “Kitten” is really the story of the first time that Skinner becomes disillusioned with the government that he thought was infallible, which is a thread that Mulder and Scully have run with through the course of the show. This message may be a little muddled throughout the episode (even if Skinner explicitly tells it to the audience during the episode’s final moments), but it is a strong note to go out on and the right way to re-center Skinner’s relationship with Mulder and Scully. That being said, this doesn’t reverse Skinner’s recent pact with the Cigarette Smoking Man and I’m sure that when “My Struggle IV” comes along, he’ll inexplicably be evil again because it’s what the story dictates.

“Kitten” deserves points for its message, but there are a number of awkward spots throughout it that are hard not to cringe at. Most of the material between Mulder, Scully, and the Mud Lick police department is awkward to watch. It just doesn’t click. The same can be said for Skinner’s Vietnam flashbacks, which also fall a little flat. There’s also a “mystical homeless man” named Trigger Davis who warns Mulder and Scully about “Kitten” right from the start. Additionally, for a “Skinner-centric” episode there’s still a lot of Mulder and Scully leading the way. About halfway through the entry Skinner’s presence thankfully takes over, but this balance could still be worked out a little better. “Kitten” at least clears his name by the end of all of this, which is still a step in the right direction for the show.

The X-Files’ 11^th season is officially past its halfway point now, which seems like a reasonable time to address whether this new year was worth it. “Kitten” amounts to yet another example of mediocre X-Files, which is fine, but why bring a series like this back for just fine? This season has still done more harm to the show’s legacy than it’s done good, but perhaps the final few episodes will manage to turn out some gems that conjure the magic that this show is capable of.

Oh, and don’t forget to floss, guys. Teeth are falling out all over the place.

‘The X-Files’ 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] ‘The X-Files’ Season 11 Episode 6: “Kitten” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Are you Ghouli?”
“No, you are.”

“Ghouli” is an episode that has a lot of fun with the manipulation of other people’s minds and perception. It’s also an episode that’s extremely busy and attempts to get too much done in not enough time. It’s almost as if the episode hopes that it’s lulled its viewers into some hypnogogic state where they believe that this is a much simpler episode of television.

“Ghouli” begins with a very encouraging start. The episode features a cold open where two teenage girls explore an abandoned ocean freighter. When the frightened girls find one another, they accuse the other of being “Ghouli.” Both of the girls are positive that the other one must be this monster that they’re petrified of, but the audience has no idea which of these seemingly innocent girls could be the creature. What follows is an absolutely brutal sequence where the two girls slash each other apart. From their point of view, the other girl looks like the giant cockroach-esque monster, Ghouli. However, the audience sees that neither of these are this terrifying beast. They’re just girls and the real threat of this week is somehow attacking their minds. I gave a lot of praise towards “Plus One’s” cold open and how it got back to the basics of what an X-Files cold open should be. “Ghouli’s” introduction is even more effective and aggressive, not to mention it features the first actual monster of the season and it looks pretty damn gross.

Once again the phrase from the opening credits chooses to say something difficult rather than the usual “The Truth Is Out There.” The message here is “You See What I Want You To See,” which has a pretty easy meaning to extrapolate. This is an episode that’s all about perception, which James Wong’s script breaks down to a thorough degree. If it wasn’t already clear from the circumstances of this episode’s monster and Mulder and Scully’s point of views, then this direct message to the audience hammers the point home. Not being able to trust what your eyes tell you is an inherently terrifying idea and “Ghouli” pushes that premise to some very disturbing places.

Additionally, Scully breaks down the concept of hypnogogia, which is a state between sleep and wakefulness, where dreamlike visions invade reality and people become unable to trust what they see. While this episode deals a lot with perception, it also has a lot to do with duality. There’s a binary element to the murders that take place and Scully speaks of how most people render the world into two states. Mulder and Scully’s process is all about the duality of their points of view. Scully’s thoughts on hypnogogia isn’t only important because it adds a scientific angle to the Ghouli deaths, but because it shows that life doesn’t need to be so black and white and that there’s a third option to things. That’s sort of what The X-Files is all about. These supernatural cases are that third option that people don’t know about. This is a show that’s all about living in a world of grey and while this isn’t the first time the show has explored this idea, there’s a startling efficiency to the foundation of Wong’s script.

Wong does an effective job at shooting Scully’s hypnogogic fugue states. He conveys the degree of helplessness that can be felt in nightmares and sleep paralysis. The camera lingers and struggles to move on certain objects as Scully is plagued by unexplainable fear and stasis. James Wong didn’t always go for the scares, but it’s been interesting to watch him slowly turn into a more horror-centric filmmaker. The sequence of the corpse waking up in the morgue is carefully composed to accentuate its dread. His entry from last season, “Founder’s Mutation,” was also the most frightening episode of season ten and that talent is still present here. It’s easy to see why Wong is the secret weapon on Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story. He understands how to do horror.

Wong’s episode also feels like it indulges in its more Lynchian sensibilities as it allows Mulder to do his best Special Agent Dale Cooper impression. He tells Scully that “Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions” and he adopts a very romanticized point of view that’s all about cracking the code of Scully’s subconscious. Mulder might push this more fantastical angle, but this is still a Scully-driven episode. This shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it’s appreciated here, especially with Scully’s treatment in some of the other installments this season.

One of “Ghouli’s” strengths is that it doesn’t waste any time. It doesn’t take long time for Mulder and Scully to spring into action on this. Scully tells Mulder that the dark figure in her “dream” was trying to take her somewhere and then they immediately arrive without complication. The two of them get led to the same abandoned freighter where the girls from the cold open murderize each other and it’s not difficult to imagine that they were probably suffering from the same “nightmare” that plagued Scully. This ship, the Chimera, looks to be some sort of nest or special area for the insectile beast that’s getting into everyone’s heads and warping their perception.

While there’s a lot to enjoy in this episode, it, unfortunately, begins to tie into some of the larger ideas from “My Struggle III.” Typically it’s an asset of storytelling when monster of the week entries can tie back to the show’s greater mythology, but the connections made here are fairly groan-worthy. Mulder suggests that Scully’s hypnogogic visions are actually an evolution of her ability to receive prophetic visions through seizure. It makes sense that Mulder would attempt to connect these dots, but the last thing that the audience needs is a reminder that Scully may be turning into some Mind Detective. “Ghouli” works better when it focuses on its monster and horror elements rather than these psychic suggestions, which thankfully don’t dominate the episode.

Mulder and Scully learn that “Ghouli” is some sort of creepy pasta Internet urban legend. This in itself isn’t bad territory for The X-Files to explore and it’s the right way for the series to appropriate modern culture. Creepy pasta lore is tailor-made for this show, but it’s really an afterthought in the case of this episode. Mulder and Scully locate the two girls from the freighter who attacked each other and they’re able to talk to them. They’re both in serious condition at the hospital, but at least they’re not dead. The stories that they tell seem eerily similar to what Scully experienced. The case becomes even more interesting when these two girls, neither of which know each other, seem to apparently have the same boyfriend. Clearly, the guy is some link to whatever Ghouli is and he becomes the next destination for Mulder and Scully. Their search hits an unfortunate snag when the boyfriend turns up dead before they can have a word with him. Not only that, but he apparently also killed his parents before he took his own life. Ghouli’s actions are becoming more regular and something needs to get done fast.

Scully has a hard time with the emotional aspect of these innocent lives lost and it begins to make her think more and more about William. This goes further than a dead child merely conjuring up memories of William. Scully actually believes that the dead boy from this case is William, due to his family having the last name Van De Camp. This leads to some deeply cathartic, painful moments where Scully pleads and apologizes to “William’s” corpse about how she’s failed him and couldn’t save him in time. It seems pretty obvious that this wouldn’t be the way that the show ultimately deals with William, so in spite of how that robs these scenes of some of their weight, Gillian Anderson still delivers a hell of a performance. It does feel a little manipulative though to make Scully go through such a painful experience when it’s (probably) not necessary. The character has already been through more than enough. That’s why “Ghouli” gains some serious points when it doesn’t back down from the fact that Jackson Van De Camp is William, but they still cheat the whole death thing.

Skinner eventually intervenes to lend a hand. It also feels pretty transparent and negligent that the Cigarette Smoking Man straight up hangs out in Skinner’s office at the FBI. Shouldn’t that be a little impossible? CSM and Skinner currently have their sights set on Project Crossroads, which is all about alien-human hybridization, but it turned out to be too unstable and unreliable. Mulder learns that both Scully and William were subjects of Project Crossroads and that the recent deaths of Jackson Van De Camp and his family are actually Project Crossroads’ attempts to cover up their tracks.

This all becomes even crazier in how it ties together with the Ghouli material. Apparently, William has been brain-invading all of the people in this episode. He made the girls think they were seeing a cockroach monster and he simultaneously planted the details that led Mulder and Scully to his house. That’s why Jackson/William’s corpse is able to stand up and walk away at the end of all of this. This whole “William’s the puppet master” angle is pretty derivative, but it’s better than the inevitable reveal that Jackson wasn’t William. At least this way Scully and Mulder both get to meet their son in some sense and the narrative towards finding him also moves a few steps forward.

On that note, the episode also shows off a little of who William is as a character, but frankly, he seems like a bit of a dick. This whole Ghouli thing was supposed to be a joke to him? How? He’s also dating two girls at once and playing them against each other? He gets to provide a little insight towards what growing up with these abilities has been like, but the incomplete picture of William paints him in a surprisingly ugly light. I’m not sure if I’m that excited over the prospect of this jerk living happily ever after with Mulder and Scully, let alone if they’d even be safe with him.

“Ghouli’s” mystery clumsily clicks together and it feels like a bit of a struggle at times. Scully’s psychic angle through all of this is especially grating and it feels like the fallback position for the episode to take whenever Mulder and Scully face an obstacle. This hopefully won’t be an element that becomes even more prominent in the back-half of the season, but I’ve a sneaking suspicion that it will. “Ghouli” still pushes some interesting ideas and is full of a lot of memorable visuals. There’s enough imbalance in this episode that it amounts to merely an average X-Files. The episode’s second half is particularly messy and it feels like it turns into an entirely different story by the time that it’s over. The developments made here with William are genuinely surprising, but they should help spread out this season’s story. Hopefully, they will allow the season’s finale to not be so stuffed and capable of crafting a better conclusion as a result.

Or maybe William can just invade the audience’s collective consciousness and make everyone think that they just watched “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space.’”

‘The X-Files’ 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] ‘The X-Files’ Season 11 Episode 5: “Ghouli” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Submitted for your approval…”

Now this is my kind of X-Files!

Darin Morgan’s season ten offering, “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster” is not only the best episode of the season, but it’s arguably one of the strongest episodes from the show’s entire run. Morgan might have expressed his extreme anxiety over writing more X-Files episodes and his concerns over running out of ideas and not being able to deliver, but thankfully he is back and his writing is just as sharp and unusual as ever. “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” is an episode that’s as Darin Morgan as they come. It makes for a strong addition to the writer’s collection of episodes, but it’s also without a doubt the best entry of the season.

“The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” is all about memory, especially when it comes to its giant faults and blind spots. Morgan’s inventive, frenetic episode is basically the closest The X-Files comes to playing with a storyline and concept catered to Community, which is frankly the very best sort of mash-up possible (it also makes me deeply curious about the idea of the show recruiting Dan Harmon to write an episode, since people like Vince Gilligan don’t have the time to return). Community gets creative with its dissection of memory by putting together a “fake” clip show full of moments from adventures that the audience has never seen before. Morgan’s script does something similar by taking a number of previous X-Files episodes and memories and then it injects Reggie Something (Brian Huskey) into them. The fun here is in how Mulder and Scully—and the audience—obviously have no recollection of Reggie being apart of their past cases, which is where the sticky topic of memory begins to see examination.

This episode bases itself around the amazing reveal that Reggie was apparently not only Mulder and Scully’s former partner, but that he also started the X-Files with ol’ Foxy and Sculs’! Morgan’s episode does some inspired wok by (sloppily) editing Reggie into a bunch of old X-Files memories (including the theme song) and it makes for some pretty delicious fan service. I bet there are a whole lot of fans that would prefer Reggie’s rendition of the events from the final X-Files more than what actually happens in “The Truth.”

All of this is apparently the result of a phenomenon known as the Mandela Effect (or the Mengele Effect, depending on who you ask) where people have a tendency to collectively remember events incorrectly. It’s name stems from the idea that many people are positive that they heard that Nelson Mandela died while he was in prison during the ‘80s, when he actually died as a free man in 2013. This is a fascinating little social experiment to dissect and Morgan attempts to attack it from as many recognizable angles as possible. As much as the characters in this episode receive a lesson about the Mandela Effect, so does the audience, and that’s part of the beauty of this entry. Morgan also digs through a cornucopia of pop culture to help prove his episode’s point, like how people misremember if it’s the “Bearenstein” or “Berenstain” Bears and if that movie about a genie in a boom box is Kazaam with Shaq or Shazaam with Sinbad. These niche topics are Morgan’s bread and butter and rambling on about these things are a clear strength for the script.

Even though this episode covers a lot of ground, it’s actually an installment where there’s very little action that goes down. Instead, the episode is interested in Mulder, Scully, and Reggie getting into a debate over what exactly is going on here. Is the existential anguish that Reggie finds himself in proof of parallel universes? A hypno ray gun? Or is he just misremembering Occam’s Razor?

Most of the installment is spent in a parking garage as the three of them come up with various theories and then try to hash them all out. This might not seem very exciting, but Morgan’s winning dialogue actually turns the episode’s verbose structure into an asset. Duchovny and Anderson always seem to particularly come alive in Darin Morgan’s episodes. Maybe they’re just happier when they get to do comedic installments, but the “sleepwalking” effect that sometimes happens is never present in Morgan’s episodes. Additionally, Brian Huskey is a delight here and the perfect person for the role of Reggie. He’s got wonderful chemistry with Duchovny and Anderson and Huskey makes for a fine addition to Darin Morgan’s incorporation of comedic actors Rhys Darby and Kumail Nanjiani in his episode last season. Here’s hoping that his next entry puts someone like Jason Mantzoukas or Brett Gelman in the spotlight.

Reggie’s ramblings point Mulder and Scully in the direction of Dr. Thaddeus They, a radical doctor who nobody knows about because he’s erased all traces of himself (including his Kazaam knockoff). The episode posits that this “mad scientist” is essentially responsible for every major decision in the “free” world, Trump included. Morgan presents this absurd idea via documentary-esque footage that continues to have fun with the myth of Dr. They. This creepy man who looks a little too much like Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu has apparently erased Mulder, Scully, and Reggie’s minds of each other because they’re the only ones who are capable of stopping him.

These radical theories all broach the bigger idea that nobody knows what’s real and what’s fake news anymore. There’s no longer a “truth” to get out there because everything is so warped and why even bother when we’ll never know the facts behind it all? Collective consciousness and uncertainty is enough to forever plant seeds of doubt and let lies and misinformation fester and grow. Dr. They points out that the proliferation of the Internet makes it impossible to get to the truth of anything anymore, even without his additional brainwashing.

At this point, this is certainly the standout episode of the season, but in some ways it feels like one of Darin Morgan’s weaker entries. Granted, something like this looks a whole lot better in comparison when the rest of the condensed season is so dour and overly serious. It’s clear that Morgan’s done a ton of research for this episode and it looks like he’s had a lot of fun in the process. That being said, certain elements of this episode feel “easy” or that they’re able to coast by simply because everyone has such a fun time with the material. For instance, that gag where a young Mulder has adult Mulder’s head is a bizarre, amusing visual, but I’m not sure if it exactly “works.” At the same time, Morgan gets a little too silly with all of this and by the end of the episode his message feels a little less precise. So all of this was just a big Trump allegory in the end? The aliens build a space wall in order to keep us away from them and secure their safety? That’s the kind of conclusion that I can see Darin Morgan finding to be absolutely hilarious, but Trump is a figure that’s already come up a few times this season and he yields diminishing returns.

These minor criticisms don’t stop “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” from being a delirious, good time. It’s outrageous in the best way possible and in spite of any missteps that The X-Files may take as a whole, it’s episodes like this that continue to justify its existence. If nothing else, they act as proof that Darin Morgan deserves his own vehicle where he can turn out unpredictable, supernaturally fueled stories. Viewers shouldn’t have to wallow through melodramatic plans of colonization and genocide in order to get to gems like Mulder’s hunt for a lost episode of The Twilight Zone.

If the audience does too much of that then they’re bound to find themselves locked up in Spotnitz Sanitarium just like dear old Reg’.

“The X-Files’” 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” Season 11 Episode 4: “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Personally speaking, I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the eleventh season of “The X-Files” so far, which is now three episodes deep with the fourth airing tonight. It’s nothing short of a gift to see Mulder and Scully back on screen together, very likely for the last time, and oh boy has the show been giving us some great banter/moments between the two.

Coming hot off last week’s “Plus One,” which was vintage “X-Files” fun, David Duchovny is promising that tonight’s Darin Morgan-penned “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” is going to be another winner. Over on Twitter this morning, Duchovny called it one of his personal favorite episodes not just of this season, but of ALL TIME.

Including tonight’s, seven episodes remain in Season 11, and FOX just unleashed a mid-season trailer that previews the next batch of episodes. While Mulder and Scully continue searching for William and questioning Skinner, it looks like a terrifying new monster is headed our way in the coming weeks, apparently an alien-human hybrid!

Things are about to get BANANAS, just the way we like our “X-Files.”

The post Midseason Trailer Previews Next Few Episodes of “The X-Files” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The dude looked just like me…”

One of the greatest assets to a show like The X-Files is its ability to turn out episodic installments of one-off terror. The beauty of monster of the week episodes is that they allow a greater degree of variety and freedom for the show. These endeavors often result in some of the show’s most creative, memorable episodes. At the end of the day, it’s entries like “The Post-Modern Prometheus”, “Bad Blood”, “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”, “X-COPS”, and “Improbable” (how dare you deny this episode’s brilliance) that are the installments that fill up “Top Ten” lists and are viewers’ favorite installments. The first two episodes of this season have been very much caught up in the series’ ornate history and the relationships of its characters, but “Plus One” gets down to brass tacks, (mostly) sheds its baggage, and delivers a scary, inventive monster of the week episode that finally feels like vintage X-Files. This would also, without a doubt, be Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s favorite episode of The X-Files. So it’s also got that going for it.

Right from the cold open of “Plus One,” this episode works hard to get the audience’s attention. This introduction is set at a rave where a guy goes insane after he sees a doppelganger of himself amongst the crowd. This is a simple, yet effective way to begin the episode and it feels like the first real cold open of the season. People forget that The X-Files was known for its surprising, addictive introductory scenes and it’s easy to lose sight of small things like that after a show gets so big. “Plus One” re-captures that mysterious energy and it’s written by Chris “Alien DNA” Carter, no less. This follows that classic setup where there are random people and something scary happens to them. This is also proof that Carter should stick to the monster of the week stuff because he gets it here.

The X-Files sometimes works too hard to come up with an idea that’s overly complicated. Something as “basic” as mirror versions of people killing their doubles is brilliant, frightening stuff that doesn’t try to re-invent the wheel. Something of this nature is also exactly the sort of thing that should have been the season’s second episode. This entry is so much stronger than “This” and allowing some space between the season’s premiere and the somewhat mythology connected “This” would have been a smart decision.

The episode’s opening credits phrase doubles up “The Truth Is Out There” in a cute little nod, but more than anything this feels like proof that every episode this season will try to have fun and subvert the credits phrase in some way. I think this ultimately cheapens the significance of when the phrase is different, but this is a minor complaint. So far it hasn’t wrecked the premise, but let’s see where this goes.

The whole doppelganger homicide situation turns out to be a mass phenomenon that’s going on all over the world. The specifics of all of this point to a particular form of schizophrenia where the subjects suffer from seeing a double of themselves. Scully even ventures that this could be some sort of mass hysteria. However, the individual from the cold open is the only case where the victim hasn’t died in their doppelganger altercation. Mulder and Scully “get back to their bread and butter” and hit the case.

Mulder and Scully’s journey leads them to Judy, a peculiar schizophrenia case that they’re especially interested in. Judy turns into a helpful key to figure all of this out, but then Scully meets her other half, Demon Judy. Enough said. When the suspect dies from what appears to be strangulation when he was alone in his cell, Mulder and Scully get increasingly suspicious of Judy and her possibly prophetic abilities.

“Plus One” gleefully plays into the horror aspect of all of this and gets away with it for the most part. The sequence where the victim’s double appears to him in his jail cell and he’s unable to escape is absolutely chilling. Furthermore, Scully and Mulder’s doubles also stand out in unsettling ways. Carter and director Kevin Hooks do a great job at mining the horror from this psychological concept whereas the previous two entries never quite get there. Part of the fun of The X-Files is that sometimes the show is flat out terrifying and it’s nice to see “Plus One” get back to that place.

The Demon Judy material is also disturbing stuff and the episode isn’t afraid to highlight this. Director Kevin Hooks gets to briefly shift into a mild Exorcist impression and it’s a nice scene where Scully gets to play off of a psycho. On that note, this episode’s portrayal of Scully isn’t just better than what goes down in the season’s first two episodes, it’s actually good. She’s in charge and pushes the story forward and is just as important to Mulder this time, if not more so. Maybe Carter doesn’t hate Anderson after all.

As Scully deals with Judy and her alter ego in her attempt to crack the psychological angle of the case, Mulder deals with Chuck Poundstone and his alter ego for these killings. It turns out that Poundstone and Judy are actually playing some sort of mental hangman game with each other and have been in communication the whole time. Both of their performances are so over the top and exaggerated, but it does help sell these absurd characters. Carter has a flair for his one-off characters to sometimes be heightened weirdoes and this is one of those circumstances.

“Plus One” also curiously circles back to Mulder and Scully’s romantic situation and their likelihood—or rather the lack thereof—of the two of them having more children. This episode also seems to confirm that they are no longer an item, which feels like a misstep, especially when this season is centered around finding their child. This meditation on the future doesn’t exactly connect to the rest of the material, but it’s satisfying to see this worthwhile, methodical discussion be had between the two of them. It’s at least better than making their relationship completely void of any romantic connection, which has been the case in the past.

“Plus One” is ultimately a bit of a more encouraging installment that plays with some interesting ideas, refocuses on Mulder and Scully’s relationship in a crucial way, and almost re-empowers Scully. It also points out how similar Mulder and Scully’s names are when playing a game of hangman. It seems like the current iteration of the show works best when it plays into extremes, like deep horror in this case, or exaggerated comedy elsewhere. Middling efforts that fall in between or nondescript sci-fi and conspiracy offerings just won’t hold up in the end, but more episodes like this one will always deliver. Once more it’s baffling that the writer of this episode can be the same person behind the “My Struggle” trilogy. Carter knows how to tell a story, but it’s just better when it’s an inconsequential one rather than the story.

“The X-Files’ ” 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” 11.03: ‘Plus One’ is the First Satisfying Episode appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“They know that he knows.”

When this return of The X-Files was originally announced, many fans were excited to see that much of the show’s original writing team was returning to pen these new scripts. Who would be a better authority on knowing what sorts of stories The X-Files should be telling a decade later than these guys? Accordingly, it’s been fascinating to see which writers have gravitated to the show’s various extremes. There are a lot of different “classic” X-Files episode types and in the case of “This,” Glen Morgan chooses to bank on good ol’ fashioned government conspiracies. Complicated, overwhelming government conspiracies.

Morgan’s episode digs into the idea that the Russians have apparently had access to the X-Files documents for a large chunk of the department’s existence. Furthermore, the Russians are aware of the fact that the X-Files have re-opened while Mulder and Scully are still left in the dark. Skinner drops this bombshell on the two of them and the episode digs into the inner workings between these organizations, which touches on areas like corruption, sprawling cover-ups, and countries manipulating other countries.

All of this Titanpointe NSA material is clearly meant to shine a light onto all of the conspiracies and scandals that have happened in the past year regarding Trump, Putin, and how much Russia might actually be pulling America’s strings. This angle feels like The X-Files tries a little too hard to be hip to the current times and it’s certainly easy to cringe at a number of the episode’s theories. In the ‘90s it was easy to pull from the headlines and make X-Files episodes feel prescient, but with how far access to information has come since then, entries like “This” feel late to the game and cheesy. It’s more like Law and Order’s approach to stories that are ripped from the headlines instead of how The X-Files used to operate. A secret Russia-based X-Files shadow division would feel exciting and sensationalistic during the earlier seasons of the show, but now there’s a lot less charm to this because of how much collusion is allegedly going on between the United States and Russia.

As Mulder and Scully find themselves deeper in the whole Russia Titanpointe wormhole, the focus inexplicably shifts to a familiar face from the show’s golden years, Richard Langley of Lone Gunmen fame. Apparently, the Russians want to scrub away the existence of the Lone Gunmen. They’ve succeeded on this front with Langley and are trying to finish the job, which naturally makes Mulder and Scully curious as to why.

It’s always great to have some form of the Lone Gunmen make an appearance in the show, but this becomes an increasingly difficult task after they all graciously died in season nine’s lovingly titled, “Jump the Shark.” Season ten was able to justify a brief appearance from the dweebish trio courtesy of Mulder’s mushroom trip, but this show has made it pretty clear that they’re dead. They’ve even appeared to Mulder as force ghosts in the show’s “series finale,” which is a pretty hard thing to get around (or maybe that was just a vision that came to Mulder during a seizure). That’s why it feels like “This” verges on very dangerous territory when it appears that the ghost of Langley gets in contact with Mulder and Scully via their phone. To begin with, that’s an absurd idea, but the episode also toys with the prospect that maybe the Lone Gunmen aren’t dead. In an episode that’s all about unbelievable conspiracies, wouldn’t that even be oddly appropriate?

Fans that are familiar with the once-canonical comic versions of seasons ten and eleven of The X-Files might begin to notice some similarities or even think that the series might directly adapt the events from the comics. The Chris Carter-supervised comics prove that the Lone Gunmen actually faked their deaths and are living in secrecy in a bunker beneath the Arlington Cemetery, where they’re technically buried. It’s a hokey retcon, but one that’s tongue-in-cheek enough for The X-Files and allows Mulder and Scully to once again bounce off of these quirky individuals as well as benefit from their tech-savvy. It’s unclear if Carter and company ever directly discussed the events of these comics and if they should incorporate anything from them into the show’s return (although they too also deal with the search for William and in a much more thrilling fashion), but I don’t think people would have begrudged the show if they had decided to use this story idea.

The novelty of having Mulder and Scully back on television is still entertaining, but it’s worn off its charm and audiences need more than them alone. With Skinner now apparently a pseudo-villain this season, the opportunity to check in with the Lone Gunmen every other episode would hold a lot of value and help flesh things out. Let’s be honest, Agents Einstein and Miller might have been initially positioned to be possible replacements for Mulder and Scully, but they’ve turned into sidelined afterthoughts. So in spite of how the series might actually benefit from bringing the Lone Gunmen back to life—and Skinner even teases this idea—they ultimately go in a very different direction.

In the end, this is of course not the ghost of Langley, but it does turn into a National Treasure-esque mystery regarding a cryptic clue from Skinner about how Langley is “buried in Arlington” where they left him. There’s no secret bunker, but Mulder and Scully’s trip to the cemetery does still lead them to some crucial evidence. “This” also takes a moment for Mulder to stumble across Deep Throat’s grave and learn his real name (Ronald Pakula) in the process. It makes for a basic, yet shockingly poignant scene where Mulder reflects on how “simple” things were in 1994 in comparison to the present. It’s a nice moment that doesn’t feel manipulative and also touches on a sweet spot from the series’ origin in a touching way. In a sense, the character gets to provide one last hint for Mulder and help him out here.

The phrase from “This’” opening credits is not “The Truth Is Out There,” but instead the loaded, “Accuse Your Enemies Of That Which You Are Guilty.” This is a phrase that is very common to leftist, fascist dictatorships. It’s a sentiment that Putin surely agrees with, but it also seems to be Skinner’s philosophy in this episode, chillingly enough. He gets to go on an explosive rant here about how messed up the world is to underline all of this. Skinner’s presence is brief, but he seems to have insider information regarding the Russians. He tells Mulder and Scully that they should surrender when they’re under attack. The Russian army goons eventually take them down and appear to be some government hit squad, only Skinner can’t understand why they’d want to off Mulder and Scully (even though they’ve been wanted numerous times before).

The Russian material connects to Langley’s warnings as the episode shifts its focus to the idea of eternal virtual life, which apparently is something that the Lone Gunmen were interested in. “This” introduces the vision of a comprehensive virtual life that someone could live in and not even realize that it’s a simulation. It begins to look like maybe the Gunmen are caught up in this sort of virtual afterlife, not realizing what it is, and are trying to reach out for help. It’s crazy, but this whole episode is predicated on how concepts like this are actually happening now (apparently phreaking is also a big part of all of this?). This might seem nuts, but that’s why it’s an interesting X-Files-friendly topic in the first place. It’s a welcome reminder that there are just as many technological urban legends and mysteries as there are ones that are based in monsters and nature. It’s a fantastical idea that melds together the subconscious with the virtual in a crazy way, but it weirdly feels like an appropriate plotline for the Lone Gunmen. They’d be all over something like this.

All of this leads Mulder and Scully to the belly of Titanpointe’s headquarters where they get caught in a chase over 29 flights of stairs, which makes for a surprisingly inspired fight scene and action piece, that is until Mulder gets his ass handed to him by Russians. This is something that he should honestly be used to by now. Or does what happens in Tunguska stays in Tunguska? This scene nicely compliments the style of the thrilling home invasion shootout that kicks off the episode, complete with an anachronistic pop rock soundtrack to compliment it all. It’s also worth noting that once again Scully is the one cowering in fear as Mulder gets to wield the gun and save the day. This backseat treatment of Scully this season is bonkers stuff and it’d be easy to understand if Anderson isn’t eager to do a season twelve.

The events of “This” also happen to connect into the mythology of “My Struggle III” in an interesting way. It looks like this is all a test that’s set up by Barbara Hershey’s Erika Price as she tries to establish that she’s the new Bizarro Smoking Man. Price tries to train Mulder to understand evolution, replacements, and the efforts of her cause. She sees Mulder’s worth and now he at least understands what she’s after. The fact that Price’s virtual reality evolution plan actively seeks out Mulder for help is all the proof that she needs to understand that it’s essential that they put their shit aside and work together. Mulder maybe proctors an agreement with Price that if he kills CSM, then he and Scully can exist in this virtual afterlife. Of course, he’s almost certainly trying to manipulate Price, but it makes for a relationship that proves to be interesting so far.

As “This” attempts to tie a bow on all of these ideas, it proves to be another rough, shaky episode that doesn’t frame the season in an encouraging light. It’d be better if this episode was pushed down to later in the season so two detrimental episodes don’t hit the audience right off the bat. It’s also neither here nor there, but like so many people die in this episode from random gun violence. Approximately six people get shot to death, and half of those kills are from Mulder, who doesn’t even bat an eye at them. The second half of “This” is admittedly stronger as it connects the episode’s many dots and shows the full scope of everything. It’s still a messy episode that just feels like its lacking energy to a certain degree, but it at least ends on a powerful message that hints at what’s to come. The ending definitely goes out on an unsettling note that will likely get followed up again in some sense or just be left to haunt viewers’ subconscious.

Here’s hoping that we all get the Ramones-full, hotdog-heavy version of heaven that Langley does.

Oh, and God is it nice to hear Gillian Anderson say the words “Hannibal Lecter” again. We miss you every day, Hannibal. Every day.

‘The X-Files’ 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on FOX

The post [TV Review] “The X-Files” Season 11 Episode 2: ‘This’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Scully and her child have a bond beyond you; beyond science.”

The X-Files’ 11^th season comes in at an uphill battle. Last year’s 10^th season return might have been a decent enough revival of the series, but it in many ways felt like a trial run or practice for this season. It’s safe to say that many ­X-Files fans were ecstatic over the announcement of the show’s return last year, but the end product burned a lot of this goodwill. I’m a tremendous X-Files fans and one of the largest apologists over seasons eight and nine, but last season was largely a misfire, with a lot of this blame falling squarely on the series’ creator, Chris Carter. Carter gets credit for bringing back much of the show’s core team for its return, but Carter’s episodes are far and away the worst of the truncated season ten. In fact, “My Struggle II” is certainly one of the worst X-Files episodes of all time and a severe failure on all fronts. It’s an enraging piece of television that carelessly eliminates most of the Earth’s population in a very manipulative fashion. It’s very easy to watch that finale and then never have any interest in more X-Files ever again. It’s a dangerous, damaging conclusion to the series. “My Struggle III” is even worse.

The X-Files made a lot of waves for their transparency regarding their season 11 plans. Not only would the season have a larger episode order, but it would also shift the mythology back to Mulder and Scully’s child, William. That all sounds promising in theory, but the premiere faces the lofty task of not only kicking this season off on the right foot, but to also correct the many mistakes of “My Struggle II.” I was so, so ready to give Chris Carter the benefit of the doubt here. I was genuinely hopeful that he might be able to turn things around, but “My Struggle III” is a pretty colossal slap in the face to both the fans that are new to the show’s “return” and those that have been around since its start in the ’90s. But hey, at least the phrase “alien DNA” comes up a whole lot less.

The first thing to address here is how the show can possibly answer to the outrageous decisions that it makes in “My Struggle II,” which include Mulder waiting at death’s door. Carter’s solution here is to simply say that it never even happened in the first place. All of that nonsense in season ten’s finale is actually just a vision that Scully experiences while she has a seizure! I truly don’t know what to make of that rationale, but it’s the most absurd sort of backpedaling that’s even worse than the whole “it was all a dream” angle. There was literally no way the show could return from the colossal events of “My Struggle II.” Carter had another series called Millennium that orchestrates a viral apocalypse that Carter cops out on by simply reducing the too-high number of casualties. That’s insulting, but it’s still better than this. What’s worse is that the whole thing puts Scully in another situation of helplessness, whereas she was at least the force of action in her hopeless seizure-narrative.

Furthermore, Scully’s brain activity plays Morse Code with Mulder and Skinner and tells them to find William? Excuse me? Is that kind of thing even possible and if it were, how would Scully know how to activate portions of her brain in this way? It’s pretty ridiculous, whether it’s accurate or not, but it points the show back in the same direction that the false narrative of “My Struggle II” ends on, which is to find Mulder and Scully’s lost child. What’s also strange here is that Skinner has to be the voice of reason while Mulder is deeply skeptical and hesitant to try to locate their offspring. It feels like a manufactured obstacle because as difficult as giving away William was, Mulder would be all for this idea, especially since Scully’s health is its main concern! Once more, Carter seems to prove that his judgment towards these characters is lapsing and no one seems to be able to stop him since this is his show after all. All of his worst habits are on display here, including Mulder’s stilted purple prose over many minutes of him simply driving his car. I’m sorry because this might be nitpicking, but just examine a piece of Mulder’s non-stop monologues:

“I was running only on adrenaline and Scully’s premonitions, but was it hope I should be feeling, or fear that Scully’s right and that a man that I had come to despise, my own father, was alive? And if he were, he had become mad with power.”

And it’s all like this. At one point in this premiere the Cigarette Smoking Man tells Reyes, “I’m just cleaning up the mess that they made,” and it feels eerily appropriate here, yet this episode doesn’t really clean up much at all.

Things take another turn for the worse when Scully comes out of her coma and explains that her vision is actual a glimpse of the future. This means that all the missteps in “My Struggle II” are actually the roadmap for this season’s mythology episodes. However, now Scully knows what to do and can hopefully prevent the apocalypse, but this all comes to pass because Scully is suddenly clairvoyant for absolutely no reason at all. It’s maddening. Some sloppy excuse tries to be used in an attempt to justify this, but it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. Scully’s condition gets even worse when her debilitating seizures also appear to psychically link her to William. It’s a whole lot more flash with little substance as Scully gets to scream and be the victim. These two conflate into the same thing and it’s revealed that William is sending her these visions of the future to warn them. This ends up being a somewhat decent answer, but it has to jump through so many horrible hoops to reach this point.

It cannot be stressed enough how terrible the treatment of Scully is in this episode. She is continually ignored and treated like garbage, only to arise from one coma and end up in another life-threatening situation when she has another seizure while she’s driving. Then someone tries to suffocate her with a pillow until Mulder is able to step in and save her life. It’s brutal to the point of being sadistic and I genuinely don’t understand it. Is Carter bitter about the ways in which Gillian Anderson has (rightfully) criticized the show about its lack of diversity and is just taking it out on her here?

If “My Struggle” is about Mulder’s struggle and “My Struggle II” is about Scully’s struggle, then “My Struggle III” is about the Cigarette Smoking Man’s struggle. This once more should be a strong idea in theory, but the struggle of Carl Gerhard Bush (yes, that’s the Cigarette Smoking Man’s true name and what the CGB in CGB Spender stands for) is rather disappointing. There are still plenty of heightened moments like the reveal that Cigarette Smoking Man is responsible for events like the faking of the moon landing, which might feel a little gratuitous, but the show has gone to much crazier places. These cute little winks at conspiracies throughout history being a result of CSM’s agenda almost play like the episode’s highlights due to the bonkers decisions that are made elsewhere.

Monica Reyes continues to be BFFs with the Cigarette Smoking Man for no real reason other than to frustrate the audience. Yes, last season she explained that she plans to take down the Syndicate from within, but until that happens (and if it happens), she’s going to great lengths to be the worst here. Where’s Doggett when you need him?

It’s fine if the Cigarette Smoking Man needs some kind of younger lackey, but why is it Reyes of all people? There are all sorts of other characters that would nicely fit in this role. Reyes also insinuates that Cigarette Smoking Man is in love with Scully and acts almost like she’s jealous that he doesn’t think of her the same way. What?

This behavior actually connects back to an episode from 17 years ago, season seven’s “En Ami,” where Scully goes on a road trip with Smoking Man since he tells her he has the cure for the cancer. During their “adventure” together, at one point Scully becomes suspicious over a situation where she thinks the Cigarette Smoking Man has drugged her, changed her clothes, and placed her in a bed. Carter retcons CSM’s explanation in the most horrible way possible and turns “En Ami” into a hell of a creepier episode. Apparently CSM “impregnated Scully with science” after he drugged her so he’s able to create this “super child” in the first place. So in case it’s unclear, Mulder is not William’s father and it’s actually some weird lovechild that CSM generated between himself and Scully.

William is Smoking Man’s kid and what the fucking fuck!?

It’s one final way to knock Scully down and it becomes even more offensive in response to everything that’s been coming to light post-Weinstein’s downfall. I can’t imagine any fans liking this development, so why even go there? To make audiences hate the Cigarette Smoking Man even more and believe that he’s truly evil? The audience already feels that way without Scully needing to get raped in the process. “En Ami” was also written by William B. Davis and I’m extremely curious of his take on this pivot to what Carter retroactively does to his episode (or if this somehow was his original intent, too).

It’s interesting to note that the credit’s typical “Truth Is Out There” title card says, “I Want to Believe,” but then pointedly follows it with, “I Want To Lie.” Mulder and company are so disillusioned from what they used to believe that the thought of some false alternative is deeply appealing. It’s no coincidence that the show’s cold open features a number of images of Trump and lumps him in with the Cigarette Smoking Man’s diatribe. The idea of believing in a fantasy because real life is just too upsetting and insane is a feeling that many people have been feeling over the past year and The X-Files continues to try to pull from the current times—for both better and worse—with its narrative. The last season did this to a large degree too, but it didn’t have Trump to wrap into its conspiracies.

On that note, Mulder comes up against some new Syndicate goons (Mr. Y and Barbara Hershey’s Erika Price) that actually want him to take down CSM because they don’t agree with his human genocide plan. They explain that they still want to protect the planet, which were the original intentions of the Syndicate. There’s a flashback here that helps fill in a few details and shows the Syndicate making their original deal with the aliens. Price and Mr. Y want to stop Smoking Man from bringing forth “The Fourth Turning” as he culls the herd of the planet and builds a new group with immunity. Their plan instead looks at the colonization of space—something that’s apparently not far off—with them still executing the same plan of culling a select few to start over off of Earth.

Curiously, CSM and Reyes try to recruit Skinner to join their cause and help them find William. The concept behind Mulder and Skinner both needing to make unlikely alliances to achieve the greater good isn’t bad in theory, but “My Struggle III” doesn’t do the proper legwork when it comes to Skinner’s business. Not to mention, this whole approach where dangerous people are on the hunt for William is essentially the same story engine from the show’s eighth season. Skinner and Mulder are both skeptical to their directives. They both point out the absurdity of these plotlines, but it doesn’t change the fact that these are still the directions that this season chooses to bank on.

Furthermore, why would Skinner agree to Smoking Man’s plan!? So Skinner’s someone that’s not to be trusted this season, too? There’s no explanation for anyone’s actions in this episode! And “You smell like smoke!”? Come on! What sort of emotional explosion is that?

There are other moments in this premiere that hint at something exciting, but only manage to muddle the situation. For instance, I’m all for bringing Jeffrey Spender back into the fold. I’ve always been a fan of the character and Chris Owens’ performance, but it doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense. Additionally, Agents Miller and Einstein of “X-Files: The Next Generation” get an obligatory cameo that’s more contrived than necessary. They conveniently are present to help save Scully’s life and then exit immediately afterwards.

This seriously might be the worst, most insulting mythology episode that the series has ever done. This is not an encouraging return to this universe and it would be all too easy for someone to check out this premiere, write off the entire season as trash, and not tune in again. I’ve been extremely hard on this episode, but don’t do that.

As someone that’s seen the first five episodes of this season, understand that this episode is not at all representative of the season’s quality. There are some incredible, inspired monster of the week episodes that lie ahead, with one even by Chris Carter, no less. It’s just crazy that during this show’s prime, some viewers would only tune in for the mythology installments and write off the others. Now it’s the complete reverse. The mythos entries are the ones that need to be avoided (at least so far) and it’s the random episodes that effectively illustrate where the show’s magic and strength still lies.

Don’t worry though guys, as Mulder’s voiceover tells us, “a drum beats in his heart” so everything’s obviously going to be just fine.

“The X-Files’” 11^th season will continue Wednesdays at 9pm (ET) on FOX.

The post [TV Review] ‘The X-Files’ Season 11 Premiere: “My Struggle III” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the episode, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that they aren’t the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William. The very fate of the world may depend on it. FOX is already previewing the week following, episode “This” airing Wednesday, Jan. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Written and directed by Glen Morgan, An old friend reaches out to Mulder and Scully in a seemingly impossible way, revealing a chilling secret. Yes, Mitch Pileggi returns as Walter Skinner!

Guest cast for the premiere episode includes William B. David as Cigarette Smoking Man; Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes; Chris Owen as Jeffrey Spender; AC Peterson as Mr. Y; Barbara Hershey as Erika Price; Robbie Amell as Agent Miller; Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein; Anjali Jay As Dr. Joyet.

Check out this massive batch of images Fox supplied us with this morning:

The post Fox Previews “The X-Files” Episode ‘This’: Mulder and Scully Connect With Skinner appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the episode, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that they aren’t the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William. The very fate of the world may depend on it in the all-new “My Struggle III” season premiere episode of “The X-Files” airing Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Mitch Pileggi returns as Walter Skinner.

Guest cast for the premiere episode includes William B. David as Cigarette Smoking Man; Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes; Chris Owen as Jeffrey Spender; AC Peterson as Mr. Y; Barbara Hershey as Erika Price; Robbie Amell as Agent Miller; Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein; Anjali Jay As Dr. Joyet.

Check out this massive batch of images Fox supplied us with this morning:

The post Gillian Anderson Bedridden In New “The X-Files” Imagery appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the episode, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that they aren’t the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William. The very fate of the world may depend on it in the all-new “My Struggle III” season premiere episode of “The X-Files” airing Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Mitch Pileggi returns as Walter Skinner

Guest cast for the premiere episode includes: William B. David as Cigarette Smoking Man; Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes; Chris Owen as Jeffrey Spender; AC Peterson as Mr. Y; Barbara Hershey as Erika Price; Robbie Amell as Agent Miller; Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein; Anjali Jay As Dr. Joyet.

Here’s a first look image!

The post Synopsis for “The X-Files” Return Continues Last Season’s Storyline appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Season 11 of “The X-Files” premieres Wednesday, January 3, 2018 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), but FOX brings another little preview tonight in the form of a new featurette.

This one, in addition to containing some new footage from the season, focuses on the relationship between Mulder and Scully, one of the most iconic duos in TV history.

Go ahead. Name a more iconic duo. We’ll wait.

The 10-episode season is executive produced by creator Chris Carter, with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning in their roles as iconic FBI Agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY. Mitch Pileggi also returns as FBI Asst. Director WALTER SKINNER.

Additionally, the all-new episodes will feature guest-star appearances by Annabeth Gish, Robbie Amell, Lauren Ambrose, Karin Konoval, Barbara Hershey, Haley Joel Osment, and William B. Davis, who reprises his role as “Cigarette Smoking Man.” Along with Carter, series veteran Glen Morgan serves as an executive producer.

The post New “The X-Files” Featurette Explores the Mulder/Scully Relationship appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

EW recently previewed the first three episodes…

“After episode one delves into the Cigarette Smoking Man’s (William B. Davis) backstory and apparent family ties to Mulder, the second hour opens with a time jump to put distance between Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) and the events of the premiere. And episode three is a darkly comedic hour, penned by Carter, focusing on doubles and doppelgängers.”

They continued, “But beyond the humor, the larger mythology of The X-Files — like the fallout from Scully’s abduction and the chip that was implanted in her neck — continues to shape Mulder and Scully’s world.”

Most of Season 11 will be devoted to “monster of the week” episodes.

Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish and Barbara Hershey are confirmed for the new season.

The post “The X-Files” Will Investigate the Haley Joel Osment Resurgence appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

EW recently previewed the first three episodes…

“After episode one delves into the Cigarette Smoking Man’s (William B. Davis) backstory and apparent family ties to Mulder, the second hour opens with a time jump to put distance between Mulder and Scully and the events of the premiere. And episode three is a darkly comedic hour, penned by Carter, focusing on doubles and doppelgängers.”

They continued, “But beyond the humor, the larger mythology of The X-Files — like the fallout from Scully’s abduction and the chip that was implanted in her neck — continues to shape Mulder and Scully’s world.”

Most of Season 11 will be devoted to “monster of the week” episodes.

Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish and Barbara Hershey are confirmed for the new season.

The post Monstrous New “The X-Files” Trailer Invades FOX appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Chris Carter recently noted that William, Mulder and Scully’s child, will “come to the fore,” in the forthcoming eleventh season of “The X-Files,“ presenting new challenges for the duo. And indeed this first look trailer out of NYCC focuses heavily on William, while also teasing what’s coming in the wake of Season 10’s huge cliffhanger.

The human race is in serious trouble. But Mulder and Scully aren’t giving up yet.

“The X-Files” returns in 2018.

EW recently previewed the first three episodes…

“After episode one delves into the Cigarette Smoking Man’s (William B. Davis) backstory and apparent family ties to Mulder, the second hour opens with a time jump to put distance between Mulder and Scully and the events of the premiere. And episode three is a darkly comedic hour, penned by Carter, focusing on doubles and doppelgängers.”

They continued, “But beyond the humor, the larger mythology of The X-Files — like the fallout from Scully’s abduction and the chip that was implanted in her neck — continues to shape Mulder and Scully’s world.”

Most of Season 11 will be devoted to “monster of the week” episodes.

Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish and Barbara Hershey are confirmed for the new season.

The post Mulder and Scully Race to Save Humanity in “The X-Files” Season 11 Trailer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

EW today previewed the new season, showing off the first two images while also revealing what we can expect from the return of Mulder and Scully next year. For starters, we’re happy to report that 8 of the 10 episodes will be of the “monster-of-the-week” variety!

The site previewed the first three episodes…

“After episode one delves into the Cigarette Smoking Man’s (William B. Davis) backstory and apparent family ties to Mulder, the second hour opens with a time jump to put distance between Mulder and Scully and the events of the premiere. And episode three is a darkly comedic hour, penned by Carter, focusing on doubles and doppelgängers.”

They continue, “But beyond the humor, the larger mythology of The X-Files — like the fallout from Scully’s abduction and the chip that was implanted in her neck — continues to shape Mulder and Scully’s world.”

Chris Carter also noted to the site that William, Mulder and Scully’s child, will “come to the fore,” presenting new challenges for the duo – possibly bringing them closer together.

Check out another first look image below, which may have you feeling concerned.

Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish and Barbara Hershey are confirmed for the new season.

The post First Images of “The X-Files” Season 11, Which Has 8 Monster of the Week Episodes! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

At the Television Critics’ Association’s summer press tour today, Fox Entertainment president David Madden spilled some beans on the forthcoming eleventh season of “The X-Files.” For starters, we’ve learned that the massive cliffhanger at the end of Season 10 will be the start of Season 11.

“When we start the [new] season, it will pick up right where the season finale from the last season left off,” Madden revealed. “So it’s that big – if you remember the ending, with the helicopters [circling]. It takes you right from there. We will then get launched into a very urgent adventure that will have a lot to do with William, Mulder and Scully’s kid. The search for William will thread through the show.”

Madden also noted that most of the new episodes will be standalone stories.

“You will see the Cigarette Smoking Man, you may even see, maybe, tips of the Lone Gunmen somewhere in there,” he said. “There will be other characters from the previous mythology that will be reprised. Eight of the [ten] episodes will be standalone stories, more classic X-Files, Mulder and Scully and other characters plunging into [mysteries].”

Thanks to Tracking Board for the quotes.

The post First Story Details for “The X-Files” Season 11 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Huge news this Thursday afternoon as Fox just announced the return of “The X-Files” with a 10 episode order, which is four more than the Season 10 revival.

Series creator Chris Carter will executive-produce Season 11, and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have signed on to return as Mulder and Scully, as well.

[Related] Revisiting the Creepy and Brilliant “Brady Bunch” Episode of “The X-Files”

TVLine explained that, at the Television Critics Association press tour in August, Fox Television Group CEO and chairman Dana Walden told reporters that the network would’ve liked to have more than six episodes in the sci-fi series’ initial revival. “It was really the limitations of David and Gillian and Chris’ schedules… It was just trying to coordinate a time where they all carve out a period to be in Vancouver,” where the drama shoots.

“Iconic characters, rich storytelling, bold creators — these are the hallmarks of great TV shows. And they are some of the reasons why The X-Files has had such a profound impact on millions of fans worldwide,” David Madden, president, Fox Broadcasting Company, said via statement. “Chris’ creativity, along with the brilliant work of David and Gillian, continue to propel this pop culture phenomenon, and we can’t wait to see what fresh mysteries Mulder and Scully uncover in this next chapter of The X-Files.”

[Related] “R”-rated Outtakes from “The X-Files” Just Made My Day

“The X-Files” will return during the 2017-18 season with plans to begin filming this summer. Are there any clues hiding in this piece of art released with the statement?

Last January’s return of “The X-Files” came thirteen years after the original series run and delivered us six brand new episodes from creator/executive producer Chris Carter, mixing stand-alone episodes and those that further the original show’s mythology. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson re-inhabited their roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Mitch Pileggi also returned as FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

Three of the episodes were written and directed by Chris Carter, with the remaining new episodes written and directed by original series veterans Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan and James Wong.

In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully took on a case of a possible alien abductee. The all-new episodes featured appearances by guest stars, including Joel McHale (“Community”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Lauren Ambrose (“Dig,” “Six Feet Under”), Annabeth Gish (“The Bridge”), Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”), Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and William B. Davis, who reprises his role as “Cigarette Smoking Man.”

The season was hugely inspired by real-life conspiracy theories, all of which intertwined into one massive world-ending scenario. It will be interesting to see if the plan is to tie up all loose ends in Season 11 or if there are further stories to be told. Personally, I hope they stray away from capsule stories and focus more on the larger conspiracy at hand. But who am I kidding, I’ll be happy with anything they put on the screen.

How you feeling?

The post [Breaking] “The X-Files” Renewed for Season 11! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s always fun when a movie or TV series includes outtakes on the DVD/Blu-ray, but I assure you that these particular ones cannot be found on any home video release of “The X-Files.” Why, you ask? Because they’re laced with profanity and, in case you hadn’t already picked up on this, totally NOT SAFE FOR WORK. So if you’re at work right now, put your headphones in!

Or just wait till you get home. Maybe that’s the better advice here.

This nearly two-minute long “Gillian Anderson cussing compilation” from the set of “The X-Files” was actually uploaded last year, but it somehow wasn’t brought to my attention until today; and I’m assuming I’m not the only one who missed this, so I wanted to share it with other fans of the show whose lives have been way less awesome without it. You can thank me later.

As it turns out, Gillian Anderson loves to curse. Enjoy.

The post “R”-rated Outtakes from “The X-Files” Just Made My Day appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The images come courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, and they show original stars Mädchen Amick, Peggy Lipton, David Duchovny, David Lynch, Miguel Ferrer, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz and Michael Horse in character for the first time in 25 years. So if you’ve missed characters like Denise Bryson, Albert Rosenfield and Deputy Andy, these are sure to make you smile.

Check ’em out below. See and learn more over on EW.

“Twin Peaks” will return on Sunday, May 21, at 9/8c, with a two-hour premiere. The new David Lynch-directed episodes are set 25 years after the events of the original series.

All told, the revival will consist of 18 hours. Immediately following the two-hour opener, Episodes 3 and 4 will be available On Demand and via Showtime’s streaming platform.

The surreal drama, which aired on ABC from 1990 to 1991, followed FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (to again be played by Kyle MacLachlan) as he investigated the curious murder of a homecoming queen in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks, Wash.

The revival’s cast list features the return of several actors from the original series (including Sherilyn Fenn, Madchen Amick, Sheryl Lee and David Duchovny) plus a bunch of new faces (including Enlightened‘s Laura Dern,  Arrested Development‘s Michael Cera, The Thorn Birds‘ Richard Chamberlain, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Gossip Girl‘s Jessica Szohr).

The post Here Are the First Images from the New “Twin Peaks” Episodes! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Soon, friends. Soon.

As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Fox president David Madden just told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour that the network is expecting “to have an announcement very shortly” in regards to the renewal of “The X-Files.” The only holdup, he says, is that deal-making has been made a little bit complex due to the busy schedules of both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny… who better be paid equally when the show does return!

Madden also revealed that future seasons of the series will likely be longer than six-episodes, but not quite as long as the show’s original 20+ episode-per-season format.

Expect the return of “The X-Files,” if all goes according to plan, in 2018.

The post New Episodes of “The X-Files” Likely Coming in 2018 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“We would love to do other seasons,” Fox Entertainment president David Madden said at the event Monday morning. “There are significant talks with all three principals”, creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. “We are working hard, and would like to get a new season soon.”

Madden and Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden were asked whether the network would want to make creative changes for a new season of The X-Files since the recent one was met with mixed reviews.

“I actually think the season was strong,” Madden said. “The episodes represent Chris and his team’s vision, and we will take our cue from them.”

Added Walden, “The show was off the air for a very long time. It was introduced to new viewers, and (the writers) had the challenge of filling in the mythology. Going forward, there won’t be the same obligation to reset the series.”

This past January’s return of “The X-Files” came thirteen years after the original series run and delivered us six brand new episodes from creator/executive producer Chris Carter, mixing stand-alone episodes and those that further the original show’s mythology. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson re-inhabited their roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Mitch Pileggi also returned as FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

Three of the episodes were written and directed by Chris Carter, with the remaining new episodes written and directed by original series veterans Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan and James Wong.

In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully took on a case of a possible alien abductee. The all-new episodes featured appearances by guest stars, including Joel McHale (“Community”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Lauren Ambrose (“Dig,” “Six Feet Under”), Annabeth Gish (“The Bridge”), Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”), Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and William B. Davis, who reprises his role as “Cigarette Smoking Man.”

The season ended on a massive cliffhanger that really made fans angry, but also left the door open for more episodes. It looks as if their patience will be rewarded.

The post “Significant Talks” Underway For “The X-Files” Return appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The X-Files’ tenth season six-episode event was certainly one of the biggest moments in television over the course of the past year. Fervent efforts to bring the series back finally paid off when the show returned to FOX after a staggering thirteen-year hiatus. With the incomparable David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson back in tow, and much of the series’ original writing staff returning, it was looking as if this revival was being treated with the utmost respect. Now that it’s nearly been four months after The X-Files’ latest season’s finale, the consensus that seems to be settled upon is that this was a very mixed bag, albeit one that was still worth opening.

I attest that some of the series’ very best and very worst work is contained within these six episodes. The quality of season ten (which you can read my thoughts on elsewhere on this site) is not being put under scrutiny here, but rather the special features and extras that have been culled together for the season’s Blu-ray and DVD set. The wonderful thing about DVD releases is that even if you’re lukewarm to the main content, hopefully the trove of extraneous material will be enough to change your mind or broaden your opinion. In the case of “The X-Files – The Event Series,” the set does a commendable job of cramming in the goodies; it’s just a question of how important they all are.

Just to be clear, there are over 25 hours of bonus content on this set, and for a season that’s made up of only six episodes, that’s not bad at all. To begin with, the usual TV season boxset culprits are here, such as deleted and extended scenes for all episodes. None of these excised scenes are terribly crucial. Their inclusion here is certainly nice and helps expand on some of these episodes in small ways, but if you’re looking for bombshells or big stuff, there’s nothing like that here. Although a number of great gags are removed from “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” that are worth checking out. And on the topic of humor, there’s a lengthy compulsory gag reel that’s also included. It’s much of your standard gag reel fare, with a lot of Anderson and Duchovny stumbling over rhetoric and jargon, but it’s nice to just see the two of them laughing it up on set.

Commentaries are always something that excite me, and on such a puzzling season of The X-Files I was especially curious to get some insight on production decisions. The set has commentaries for the episodes, “Founder’s Mutation” (with Chris Carter and James Wong), “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” (with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Darin Morgan, and Kumail Nanjiani), and “My Struggle II” (with Chris Carter and producer Gabe Rotter). Arguably these are the biggest episodes to necessitate commentaries, but on a set with only six episodes would it have been that difficult to include a commentary on all of them? The amount that we get is still nice, but for instance, on “Were-Monster” Morgan and Nanjiani are on one recording that’s spliced together with Duchovny and Anderson’s. Clearly this means that two full commentaries were recorded. Why not just include them both rather than mashing them together? Surely the idea was to eliminate fat, but I don’t think anyone would have objected to listening to more of Duchovny and Anderson.

Minor nitpicking aside, there’s still plenty of good in these commentaries. The track for “Were-Monster” was the first thing I put on when I popped in the disc, with the episode still maybe ranking as one of my top three ­X-Files episodes of all time. The chemistry on this commentary is so much fun and palpable; with it making perfect sense that such an easy-going commentary would accompany such a lighthearted, silly installment. Hearing everyone giggle and gleefully recite lines is such a great reminder of how much these people love this show. It’s nice to hear Kumail’s “X-Files Files” get brought up repeatedly, and other antics like Nanjiani and Morgan doing line readings of deleted scenes act as great material. Morgan even talks about having written an explanation for why Rhys Darby’s Guy Mann character speaks with an Australian accent, too. That’s the degree of meticulous dedication Morgan puts into his script, whether it’s making it to the screen or not.

Wong keeps the insight coming on his commentary track, with Carter frequently falling back on technical aspects of production or reminiscing to the first nine years of the show. Carter’s commentary track for “My Struggle II” was another I was deeply interested to listen to, hoping it would shed some light on the wildly polarizing finale. Unfortunately, Carter decides to focus on minutiae here rather than content. This track doesn’t make this episode seem any less ridiculous, with most of its focus going to technical and casting aspects rather than trying to explain story points or talk alternate ideas.

As soon as things like mass alien DNA end up coming up in the episode, Carter will digress into an anecdote about the room that they’re filming in, or what catering was serving that day instead. Big decisions in the finale like explaining the Cigarette Smoking Man’s survival, Reyes’ limited return, or why Doggett wasn’t included are not even touched upon. These are the sorts of things I feel like fans would be interested in. Carter even reveals that the episode wasn’t written until as late as the fourth or fifth episode was being worked on, with him needing to call in the help of fellow fans and science advisors to the show, Dr. Anne Simon and Dr. Margaret Fearon, which feels like a pretty strange move. I mean, why not just get the Morgans to help him with the finale, or really pester Frank Spotnitz and try and coax a story by credit out of him.

Fortunately, the two bigger pieces on the set are fairly comprehensive and don’t disappoint. The first is, “43:45 – The Making of a Struggle” which is essentially five thirty-minute documentaries that break down the premiere episode, “My Struggle I.” Like I mentioned, there might not be a commentary for the episode, but this pretty much says everything that it needs to on the matter. The feature looks at the effort necessary to bring this difficult episode together, but also the stringent restrictions where network TV cannot surpass 43 minutes and 45 seconds, breaking down just how much is packed into this premiere. The documentaries literally take you through every aspect of production, going from the final production meeting table read, into the shooting of the episode, and all the way to the episode’s premiere at New York Comic-Con and watching the fans’ responses.

The pieces are mostly led by Carter, but everyone gets a moment to shine. Highlights include the discussions on how much of a family the production team is, the trepidation on where to start the series and where Mulder and Scully should be in their relationship, and Anderson’s learning curve on tapping back into the head space of Scully. There’s even a pretty cool detour on how the show effectively films the cinéma vérité UFO-style footage involving hubcaps on fishing line. All of this is pretty satisfying and while it gets into a lot of typical territory and what you might expect from a feature like this, it’s also incredibly in-depth and as thorough as possible. While at times it might feel redundant or that it tries to cover too much, this is a pretty big event in television so I can understand the need to be indulgent.

The other focal piece is “Season X” which is split up into thirteen five-minute segments covering various topics from the season like the show’s return, Mulder and Scully’s relationship, or digging into each episode. This is pretty standard fare where two or three featurettes are devoted to each episode. Previous season sets just feature one of these per episode and with this season being shorter it’s nice to see a little more being devoted to each entry. Usually one feature focuses on the episode’s story, with the other getting into some technical, casting, or more specific element of the episode at hand, like how they did the huge explosion in “Babylon” or the process behind Mulder’s mushroom trip in the same episode (yes, Mulder’s shroom trip gets its own featurette). Perhaps my favorite nugget of knowledge to come out of this feature though is that Morgan reveals that his episodes, “Home”, “Never Again”, and “Home Again” are meant to function as an unofficial Scully trilogy of motherhood, which helps frame the episode in a much better light.

The next feature on the set, “Monsters of the Week: A Recap from the Wildest and Scariest from the Original Series” is a nice little addition but hardly feels crucial. The Kumail hosted segment sees him singling out his nine favorite monster-of-the-week episodes, selecting one for each season. Nanjiani runs down a lot of expected picks (although his inclusion of season six’s “Field Trip” is a pretty contentious choice), but this is really no different than any “Best Of” list online. Kumail’s heavy inclusion on the DVD is nice, albeit a little puzzling. This almost feels more like a bonus episode of his podcast or something he personally made, rather than an official special feature.

The final two extras are definitely the most puzzling. One of them, “The X-Files – Green Production” is essentially a glorified PSA. The segment is all about “greening” the show and how to be further environmentally conscious. This sort of feature is great—and it’s wonderful that ­The X-Files partakes—but what fan honestly wanted this special feature? It feels more like FOX trying to advertise their own mandate. At least make some sort of alien/green gag if you’re going to spend time in this territory! This could have been a paragraph on the liner notes.

Finally, a short film, Grace, written and directed by The X-Files’ script coordinator, Karen Nielsen, is included. The moody film depicts a broken world where a girl and her dog will do whatever’s necessary to survive. It’s an appropriately fucked up story that’s well shot and acted at that, it’s just that it’s got nothing to do with The X-Files! Maybe if the devastation in the film was due to aliens or something, but instead, this film is just here. I think it’s great that The X-Files wants to support its own, but simply reference the film or link to it elsewhere. Don’t put it on a DVD that it’s tenuously related to. A feature devoted to any other production topic would have been more relevant than this.

Overall, “The X-Files – The Event Series” on Blu-ray and DVD feels much like the latest season itself where a lot of great content gets lost under some puzzling decisions. If you’re a fan of season ten (and even if you’re not), there’s no disputing that this is the definitive set to acquire. The content that is worthwhile is strong enough that the lack of value in some of the other content is a little more excusable. If we are lucky enough to get another “event season” of The X-Files, hopefully the kinks present here will be worked out by the next DVD set.

“The X-Files – The Event Series” and “The X-Files – The Complete Series” are both available on Blu-ray and DVD on June 14^th

The post [Blu-ray Review] “The X-Files” Event Series appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Walden proclaimed, “We have had conversations with Chris Carter and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. I believe everyone is on board to do another installment of the show,” according to Deadline. However, don’t get your hopes up that we’ll be getting a new season next year as Walden also stated, “…hopefully this season we will be able to get it done and that the same time next year (May), we will have something to announce.” As a result, we’re understanding that new episodes would be part of the 2017-18 season.

Newman added, “Conversations are ongoing. I can tell you that all of them would like to do more of these, and certainly the network and studio want to do more.”

Earlier this year, Fox premiered a 6-episode 10th season of the iconic sci-fi/thriller show, which originally premiered in 1993 and produced two feature-length films. The latest season brought back such stars as Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis as well as writers James Wong and Darin Morgan. It was one of Fox’s strongest performing programs during its season.

The post Another Season of “The X-Files” is in the Works appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Returning to the series are Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Phoebe Augustine, Richard Beymer, Scott Coffey, Catherine E. Coulson, Julee Cruise, Jan D’Arcy, David Duchovny, Sherilyn Fenn, Miguel Ferrer, Warren Frost, Harry Goaz, Andrea Hays, Gary Hershberger, Michael Horse, David Patrick Kelly, Peggy Lipton, Bellina Martin Logan, Kyle MacLachlan, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Walter Olkewicz, Kimmy Robertson, Wendy Robie, Marv Rosand, Carlton Lee Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Charlotte Stewart, Al Strobel, Carel Struycken, Russ Tamblyn, Ray Wise, Alicia Witt, and Grace Zabriskie. WHEW!

It’s clear that Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost were keen on making this feel as comfortable and nostalgic as possible, which is why so many of the original cast are returning. But if you think it’s amazing that we’ll be seeing all those familiar faces again, get a load of some of the names that have joined the cast!

We’ll be seeing folks like Monica Belucci (Brotherhood of the Wolf), Michael Cera (Juno), Jim Belushi, Chrysta Bell, Richard Chamberlain, Balthazar Getty, Ashley Judd, Tim Roth, Amanda Seyfried, and even Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor has been named!

The full casting was announced via the official Twin Peaks Facebook page, which also made it clear that production is over as the, “…cameras have stopped rolling.”

“Twin Peaks” will be celebrating its third season when it hits Showtime next year.

The full cast list (an asterisk denotes returning cast):

Jay Aaseng
Alon Aboutboul
Jane Adams
Joe Adler
Kate Alden
Stephanie Allynne
Mädchen Amick*
Eric Ray Anderson
Finn Andrews
Elizabeth Anwies
Dana Ashbrook*
Joe Auger
Phoebe Augustine*
Melissa Bailey
Tammie Baird
Matt Battaglia
Chrysta Bell
Monica Bellucci
Jim Belushi
Leslie Berger
Richard Beymer*
John Billingsley
Michael Bisping
Ronnie Gene Blevins
Kelsey Bohlen
Sean Bolger
Rachael Bower
Brent Briscoe
Robert Broski
Wes Brown
Richard Bucher
Page Burkum
Scott Cameron
Juan Carlos Cantu
Gia Carides
Vincent Castellanos
Michael Cera
Richard Chamberlain
Bailey Chase
Johnny Chavez
Candy Clark
Larry Clarke
Scott Coffey*
Frank Collison
Lisa Coronado
Catherine E. Coulson*
Grace Victoria Cox
Jonny Coyne
James Croak
Julee Cruise*
Heather D’Angelo
Jan D’Arcy*
David Dastmalchian
Jeremy Davies
Owain Rhys Davies
Ana de la Reguera
Rebekah Del Rio
Laura Dern
Neil Dickson
Hugh Dillon
Cullen Douglas
Edward “Ted” Dowlin
Judith Drake
David Duchovny*
Christopher Durbin
Francesca Eastwood
Eric Edelstein
John Ennis
Josh Fadem
Tikaeni Faircrest
Eamon Farren
Sherilyn Fenn*
Jay R. Ferguson
Sky Ferreira
Miguel Ferrer*
Rebecca Field
Robin Finck
Brian Finney
Patrick Fischler
Erika Forster
Robert Forster
Meg Foster
Travis Frost
Warren Frost*
Pierce Gagnon
Allen Galli
Hailey Gates
Brett Gelman
Ivy George
Balthazar Getty
James Giordano
Harry Goaz*
Grant Goodeve
George Griffith
Tad Griffith
James Grixoni
Cornelia Guest
Travis Hammer
Hank Harris
Annie Hart
Andrea Hays*
Stephen Heath
Heath Hensley
Gary Hershberger*
Michael Horse*
Ernie Hudson
Jay Jee
Jesse Johnson
Caleb Landry Jones
Ashley Judd
Luke Judy
Stephen Kearin
David Patrick Kelly*
Laura Kenny
Dep Kirkland
Robert Knepper
David Koechner
Virginia Kull
Nicole LaLiberte
Jay Larson
Sheryl Lee*
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jane Levy
Matthew Lillard
Jeremy Lindholm
Peggy Lipton*
Bellina Martin Logan*
Sarah Jean Long
David Lynch*
Riley Lynch
Shane Lynch
Kyle MacLachlan*
Mark Mahoney
Karl Makinen
Malone
Xolo Maridueña
Berenice Marlohe
Rob Mars
James Marshall*
Elisabeth Maurus
Josh McDermitt
Everett McGill*
Zoe McLane
Derek Mears
Clark Middleton
Greg Mills
James Morrison
Christopher Murray
Don Murray
Joy Nash
Priya Diane Niehaus
Bill O’Dell
Casey O’Neill
Johnny Ochsner
Walter Olkewicz*
Charity Parenzini
Elias Nelson Parenzini
John Paulsen
Sara Paxton
Max Perlich
Linas Phillips
Tracy Phillips
John Pirruccello
Linda Porter
Jelani Quinn
Ruth Radelet
Mary Reber
Adele René
Mariqueen Reznor
Trent Reznor
Carolyn P. Riggs
Kimmy Robertson*
Wendy Robie*
Erik L. Rondell
Marv Rosand*
Ben Rosenfield
Tim Roth
Rod Rowland
Carlton Lee Russell*
Elena Satine
John Savage
Amanda Seyfried
Amy Shiels
Sawyer Shipman
Tom Sizemore
Sara Sohn
Malachy Sreenan
Harry Dean Stanton*
J.R. Starr
Bob Stephenson
Charlotte Stewart*
Emily Stofle
Al Strobel*
Carel Struycken*
Ethan Suplee
Sabrina S. Sutherland
Jessica Szohr
Russ Tamblyn*
Bill Tangradi
Cynthia Lauren Tewes
Jodee Thelen
Jack Torrey
Sharon Van Etten
Eddie Vedder
Greg Vrotsos
Jake Wardle
Naomi Watts
Nafessa Williams
Ray Wise*
Alicia Witt*
Karolina Wydra
Charlyne Yi
Nae Yuuki
Grace Zabriskie*
Christophe Zajac-Denek
Madeline Zima
Blake Zingale

The post Entire “Twin Peaks Cast Revealed: Monica Belluci and Trent Reznor to Appear! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Announced today is that the new season will be coming to home video on June 14th and includes several features, such as deleted and extended scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, and much more.

You can see the full list of features below.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Gag Reel
• The Makings of a Struggle
• Season X: An In-Depth Behind-the-Scenes Look at “The Event Series”
• Monsters of the Week: A Recap from the Wildest and Scariest from the Original Series
• “The X-Files” – Green Production PSA
• Short Film – Grace by Karen Nielsen
• Commentary on “Founder’s Mutation” with Chris Carter and James Wong
• Commentary on “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Kumail Nanjiani and Darin Morgan
• Commentary on “My Struggle II” with Chris Carter and Gabe Rotter

The post “The X-Files” Event Series Coming to Home Video This Summer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Last night’s episode ended with a cliffhanger, which sent the social world into a frenzy of rage. Why? Because it left the door wide open for more, even though nothing is imminent for Carter, as well as stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Personally, I felt like they answered every question asked in the Season 10 premiere, while also opening new doors for future episodes or movies. If they never happen, I’d be satisfied with this finale.

With that said, Fox wants more. It was quite successful. And creator Chris Carter is open to doing more, it’s just a matter of time and working around everyone’s schedule.

“They’re going to ask for more. The ratings were very good. They were happy with the show,” Carter told THR. “I talked to Dana Walden today. She said they’d very much like more, but nothing’s being negotiated yet.

“It was casual. She said, ‘No pressure. We’d love to do this. We liked the way it worked out.’ So there’s an appetite for more in the future, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to get it done. The last negotiations took about five months, so it could be a while before we figure out how to do this.”

And while it could take months to negotiate out, the biggest hurdle is getting Anderson and Duchovny back for more. While they always have the appetite, there are only so many hours in a day.

“I have been speaking with David pretty regularly. I think he’s game. I have spoken to Gillian less frequently, but I believe she would be game. So I’m just working around their busy schedules. They both have families. It’s another practical matter.”

The revival was a pretty big deal, and has even rejuvenated interest among dormant fans, while also gaining new ones. Would a third “The X-Files” movie be in play? The answer is better than I hoped for.

“They’re two different animals. And the second movie, we tried to do something more akin to the television show. I think if we had to do another movie, it would have to be another tentpole movie — more in keeping with what we did with the first. I think there are a lot more ‘X-Files’ to tell, certainly given this cliffhanger, so I think it opens up both the TV and movie parts of the franchise.”

I am floored that he eludes to the fact that the sequel was a major letdown, and didn’t work. As fun as these new episodes were, I would die to see Mulder and Scully mack on the big screen in a “tentpole” movie that blows the lid off the biggest conspiracy of all time.

Maybe we’ll finally get all of the answers? But I think that’s what’s great about “The X-Files” – even when Mulder and Scully think they’ve figured it out, they never know if they’re pawns in a much larger game. Maybe there is no finale to tell, and that’s sort of cool.

The post “The X-Files” Creator Says Fox Wants Another Season, Possible Third Movie?! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“You don’t want to believe.”

So here we are at the end of this mini-season, with what might not only be the final episode of The X-Files that we’ll get on television (although I doubt it). The X-Files makes it their business to go crazy with their finales, and with this really only being the second mythology episode of season ten, there is a lot that is expected here. Not only that, it’ll be the lasting impression of the series that is left on everyone, again placing very lofty goals on this entry. It’s not surprising that Chris Carter is the one behind it, but this also had me reasonably worried considering his two episodes were the least successful of the season, in my opinion (although I’ll be forever grateful for that shroom trip). Many people seemed to take contention to “My Struggle’s” first part, like I did (and seriously, when the “Previously On” sequence plays I was kind of astounded at how ridiculous the episode looks in piecemeal), but a lot of the X-Files operates like a well-done magic trick. Perhaps this second half of the story even re-contextualizes what we saw in the premiere in a more positive light?

Kind of!

Okay, “My Struggle II” is a problematic, busy finale, but what I love about it is how it very obviously plays parallel to the premiere, only moving forward with Scully’s perspective on things. It’s a smart tool considering this bifurcated point of view is a crucial point of the show, and it makes even more sense when you’re just devoting two episodes to mythology. PS: Very happy that we at least got one subversion to the The Truth Is Out There card during the credits. I was disappointed we didn’t get one during the premiere, but the finale’s This Is The End makes up for it. At the same time, Carter, I know you like your purple prose, your flowery intros, and your on-the-nose-ness of everything, but I could have gone without that silly shot of Scully morphing into an alien in the cold open.

It’s nice to see the threads from other episodes come together here with Skinner, Joel McHale’s Tad O’Malley, Ambrose and Amell’s Agents Einstein and Miller returning, not to mention—wait for it—Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes! Okay, I might be the only one excited by that, but it’s gestures like that that go a long ways here. Also, the absence of Duchovny for the first chunk of things isn’t the worst and having Scully and Einstein run around as the Red Headed FBI Science Super Squad is something I could easily watch a lot more of.

Most of this episode is concerned with Scully’s discovery that her gene work revealed that she had partial alien DNA. This claim is doubled down on the leap that everyone has partial alien DNA, with this obviously being ripe for claims of colonization, the seventh extinction, and general doom and gloom pablum. It looks like a global contagion is on the plate, with this attack completely shutting down immune systems in the process.

This goes hand-in-hand with the ideas that the first “My Struggle” gets into regarding government manipulation and this all ultimately being the fault of the trust that we’ve given them. Surprisingly, even though what this episode tries to push forward is more incredulous than what the premiere tries to do, this manages to be easier to swallow because it doesn’t try to mess with the established continuity in the process. It’s a definite step up, at least. Seeing Scully act in paranoid conspiracy theorist mode is also never not fun, although I’m a little surprised the gene stuff moved in this direction versus getting closer to the hanging thread of William.

On the topic of hanging threads, using Reyes as the connective tissue to how the Cigarette Smoking Man has survived the aircraft missile to the body from season nine’s finale works well enough (although the plausibility behind it is all sorts of suspect). By proxy, Reyes becomes a big exposition box, and much like the last time The X-Files ended, a lot of this episode is swallowed in explaining things, What I do like though is the show’s continual insistence to try and connect its dots, so to hear that this cleansing plan of the Syndicate/aliens began in 2012—even though we didn’t see it happening—is exactly the sort of stuff that I want to hear. I didn’t exactly need Reyes being turned into a coward and pseudo traitor survivalist in this last appearance, but I thought she was going to originally reveal that Doggett was dead, so this is better than an offscreen spite death at least.

As the episode moves into its final act, it manages to stir up a lot of emotions. The incredibly pessimistic note that it rides out on is a surprising one, as is the fact that Mulder and Scully spend the entire episode apart (and Mulder barely says a word—it’s a really shitty Mulder episode). While I can appreciate a good cliffhanger, this felt really bait-y, almost as if all of this was simply meant to be prelude to a movie that wraps all of this up. I think a lot of people might be upset over the lack of closure provided here, I just ultimately wish we had gotten a longer season. Even if the premiere and the finale remained the same, and we just got seven more monster-of-the-weeks to round out a season of thirteen, I think this would feel a lot more complete. As it stands, the series certainly proved that it is still relevant and has stories to tell, but once more, this really just feels like, “Okay, can we finally do our third alien invasion now?”

Regardless of the machinations behind it and whether it leads to another movie, mini-season, or full on return, I’m just happy to go out on a solid mythology episode that actually operates on a global scales and manages to feel threatening. If nothing else, “My Struggle II” leaves you wanting more, and that’s certainly a lot better than a shrug or some missed landing. A question mark can be dissatisfying, but it can also lead to the best answers sometimes. The title card at the beginning tells us This Is The End and it feels like it, but in many other ways this is also just the beginning for the return of The X-Files.

The post [Review] “The X-Files” Finale, ‘My Struggle II’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“It’s not important what I believe. It’s what they believe.”

A case-of-the-week that’s all about the power of believing is in theory a pretty logical idea for an X-Files, and Carter’s decision to play it against the backdrop of censorship and terrorism makes a lot of sense, too. In terrorism beliefs are literally so strong that mass amounts of people are dying as part of the fallout. With the show flipping through its Rolodex of current topics to inject into their series from the ‘90s, the huge influx in bombings is a solid pairing, and one that feels right up Carter’s alley.

Subtlety is never Carter’s forte (that big, gaudy shot of the earth that ends the episode is testament to that) and it feels like he’s biting off a little more than he can chew with the racial battles that he picks here (of all the original X-Files writers that Carter wasn’t able to bring back here, it’s kind of funny that Homeland’s Alex Gansa would have been the perfect person to slot in here). It all feels a little hollow and cringe-y, like whenever he’d turn to his favorite Native American trope, but this never gets to the point where it’s distracting. However, I also don’t need to see scenes where someone that’s Muslim is getting called “brownie” just to remind me that racism is still alive and well in the world. In spite of all of this though, the end of that cold open hit me like an uppercut and is super effective. So fuck subtlety sometimes.

As Mulder begins digging into a case file involving the heralding of end times and collections of people hearing “the trumpets of angels,” this almost feels like more of a case suited for Frank Black from Carter’s Millennium. Mulder even begins to quote Revelations at a skeptical Scully (gasp!) as many separate threads about belief begin to get pulled together. Frankly, I’d be all in favor of the series moving towards some sort of apocalypse “End Times” scenario that somehow still manages to retcon incorporate the December 2012 date that was so pivotal to the show’s mythology. “Babylon” doesn’t exactly feel like it’s taking steps towards that, but if not, it’s still a solid standalone entry that touches on some pretty heady things that feel a little out of Carter’s grasp (and I’d say is partly to explain why Millennium failed to connect with audiences).

“Babylon” is a rather reflexive episode (Scully even gets to shout from the basement, “Only the FBI’s Most Unwanted” in some touching symmetry to the pilot) that plays Mulder and Scully in juxtaposition to Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose’s younger agents, Miller and Einstein, (I wonder if anyone out there is missing Xzibit and Amanda Peet’s FBI agents from I Want to Believe…) causing them to take a long, hard look at themselves. This isn’t the first time the show has used this setup for reflection either, with a number of episodes from the show’s final stretch dabbling in that territory. That being said, obviously this introspective look that Mulder and Scully take is going to work a little differently this time due to the thirteen years that have gone by. It’s a concept that is able to resonate especially well now, and come on, isn’t it just fun to see Mulder and Miller riff on Tibetan mystic rituals while Scully and Einstein double-down on the dismissiveness? Even if it is old hat here, Amell and Ambrose are the best iterations that we’ve seen of “Mulder and Scully Jr.” Knowing that they’re out there carrying the paranormal torch for these guys is a comforting thought. I could have gone without the heavy-handed deconstruction that they do of Mulder and Scully though. There’s enough meta going on as it is.

One of the smarter things that Carter does in this script is breaking up this fun and pairing up Mulder and Scully with their respective opposites instead of their approximates. Mulder working alongside Einstein as Scully teams up with Miller explores a whole new dynamic to the trope-y “Mulder and Scully” engine. It becomes a big deconstruction on why they work, and how much they’ve turned into one another, which is a perfect sort of grace note to explore before heading into next week’s mythology-heavy finale. “Founder’s Mutation” was originally supposed to be episode five, with “Babylon” being the fourth episode, and while this shift doesn’t change much, I would still agree with Carter’s decision that the tone of this installment is the better note to go out on.

One of the concepts that “Babylon” embraces is that of thoughts, feelings—and essentially any words—having tangible weight to them. This existential ideology then begins to correlate to psychically communicating with the comatose terrorist. The bomber lies within an ethereal realm between life and death, so Mulder tries to open Einstein’s mind accordingly to thinking in less black and white terms. He even gets to give her an old-school slideshow. As touching as these scenes are, I kind of love that after all of this build up Mulder’s big plan is to basically do mushrooms and chill with the coma victim. On the other side of things we have Scully pushing the power of science and nerve responses onto Miller, but what I didn’t expect to see what this connecting with Scully’s loss of her mother. It doesn’t hurt to get some connective tissue between these mostly isolated episodes, too.

I’ve also gone about as long as I can without discussing Mulder’s drug trip, which is either the stupidest or the best thing that the show has ever done. A lot of time is spent on this indulgent detour, which makes it even more of a spectacle and “what the fuck?” moment in the episode. It’s clear that Carter and Duchovny are just having a lot of fun here, but I was laughing pretty hard at just how ridiculous this gets (and it goes there, as this photographic evidence proves). Also, I had some extreme reluctance when I learned that the Lone Gunmen were returning to the series considering it would rob their death of most of its weight. So to see that they’re just a drug-fueled cameo in a Texan strip club is exactly what I needed.

“Babylon” ends up being an episode all about opening yourself up to other people’s beliefs, whether that’s in extreme cases like preventing terrorism that is trying to squash that right, or in the micro sense of empathizing with a new partner. Some of the beats of the entry might feel a little overdone and pat, but Carter still turns out a reasonably strong episode that does more for its characters than the supernatural.

I’ll just leave you with this.

The post [Review] “The X-Files” Episode 10.05 ‘Babylon’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“It’s not alive. It’s not dead.”

Oh, that episode of The X-Files where a homeless person’s thoughts manifest themselves into vengeful murderous trash? Yeah, I remember that one.

That very well might be the legacy that “Home Again” leaves behind. And that’s not a bad thing.

Officially past the halfway point now, this episode comes courtesy of Glen Morgan. Much like James Wong, Glen Morgan knows how to do horror, and the cold open for this episode is some classic slow burning dread. The stage is effectively set with the backdrop of relocating housing projects and the rolling progress of gentrification, but then before you know it you’re screaming at the legitimately terrifying stuff that’s happening on the screen. Much like what we saw with his brother last week, Morgan hasn’t lost his touch and seeing him tap into this heavy horror monster-of-the-week vein is deeply gratifying. If anyone checked out his promising-yet-cancelled Intruders, you got to see him flexing a bit of this muscle, but he really let’s loose here. The sequence set to Petula Clark’s “Downtown” or the final set piece with Landry are exercises in tension that show you how far Morgan has come. It really is a shame that he didn’t catch on as more of a horror feature director because the talent is obviously there. There are moments here where it feels like he’s intentionally trying to outdo and outgore his work in “Home” (if the title alone is any indication), and I’d say that he manages to pull it off…in fact he pulls both of them off, right from the torso.

Morgan’s directorial eye is also at display here, with a number of gorgeous shots and creative filming styles, like mounted cameras, adding some nice touches that amp up the atmosphere. There’s a particularly beautiful/gratuitous shot of Mulder and Scully’s flashlight beams (“Back in the day, is now.”) crossing and making an X as they descend into the unknown. It’s a very pretty episode to look at. Carter has gone on to say that this was the most expensive episode of the season to produce (which includes the crazy UFO and explosion special effects that went down in the premiere), but none of that money is that obvious (other than the ripping effect).

Once again, a very traditional sort of story sees itself being told here when a string of city officials are murdered in a way that defies all conventional logic. They’re murders that scream monster-of-the-week, and our intrepid FBI agents even acknowledge its on-its-sleeve-spookiness from the jump.

Morgan gets to push all of his favorite buttons here between inexplicable monsters, technology, and the big one—Scully’s family. I suppose it wouldn’t be a return to The X-Files without something horrible happening to one of Scully’s family members. Morgan effectively balances Scully opting out to deal with her ailing mother, while Mulder gets the opportunity to go “Full Mulder” here with a case that’s perfect for his limitless imagination. Not having Scully as the usual sounding board is exactly what he needs for these unexplainable murders. Also, for those that have been hungry for that snarky, sardonic Mulder, “Home Again” is going to make you happy. There are tons of instantly quotable one-liners at Mulder’s ready.

Scully delving back into her family life ends up seguing rather organically (which can be the case when pretty much every male in your family has the name “William”) into her woes of putting William up for adoption. Carter has spoken about how “Home Again” was originally slated to be the second episode of this revival, which means all of this William discussion here was meant to happen before what we saw in Wong’s “Founder’s Mutation.” This doesn’t change a lot, but it does show Scully dealing with this trauma alone, and unsure of herself, before she ultimately decides to push it further with Mulder, which we saw in the second episode. There’s heavier motivation to that action now. It’s got the weight of her mother’s last words, even. Those that have been looking for the entry of this season that gets to be the breakout Gillian Anderson vehicle where she gets to show what she’s capable of, look no further than “Home Again.” Anderson really kills it here, but Mulder’s pained looks at her as she compartmentalizes and forces herself back to work are equally devastating. And on the inverse, it’s nice to see that after thirteen years Bill Scully is just as much the asshole brother as he always was, too.

What I kind of love about this episode—and this isn’t necessarily saying that it’s a good thing—is the entry tying its monster to some ridiculous, unrelated concept. In this case: homeless people, graffiti, and tulku Buddhism. There are so many early X-Files that decide to throw in an element like some “Magical Homeless Man” and cryptic nomenclature like “The Band-Aid Nose Man” just to pad out the supernatural aspect that’s going on. Again, this might not be good writing per se (this honestly feels like Gilliam’s The Fisher King mixed with Guillermo Del Toro’s Mimic more than it should), but it distinctly feels X-Files-ian, and Morgan does a flawless job at harkening that tone. The idea of the collective plight of the homeless personifying itself into some horrible crusader doesn’t make any sense, but it fits, y’know? I mean, this whole thing is basically a big, fat parable for “People treat each other like trash”, but it somehow sells itself. The classic storytelling also only makes the horror of The Band-Aid Nose Man (or “Trash Man,” to each their own) hit all the harder when special effects and filmmaking have improved considerably since the show ended.

Watching the mystery of “Home Again” unspool is part of the fun, and as you begin to connect the dots between these disparate elements and figure out how this Trash Man can be neither living nor dead, the madness only becomes more entertaining. The end of this sees Mulder and Scully tag-teaming the monster and basically getting a big ramble of nonsense to explain it all. Like so many X-Files episodes, this one doesn’t try to explain the specifics, and Mulder and Scully really don’t do anything to stop this carnage. Everyone on the Trash Man’s kill list gets theirs, and then this monstrosity ceases to be. Frankly, I didn’t need an explanation and the episode’s decision to coast more on tone than logic worked for me just fine.

What didn’t exactly work for me however are the connections that the episode tries to make between the enlightened nature of the Trash Man, and Mulder and Scully’s child. There are a lot of superfluous flashbacks and attempts to tie things together that are treated like there’s a larger pattern at work, but there really isn’t. I suppose it’s fair to reason that Scully is incredibly emotionally fragile at this moment, so these leaps in vulnerability that she’s taking aren’t exactly out of character. The show has certainly made bolder claims in the past, but this still felt a little inorganic to me.

The episode’s final thoughts focus on an introspective, albeit overdue, moment between Scully and Mulder. The idea of turning Scully’s “quest” for William and plaguing her with these unanswerable questions as her own “Samantha Mulder” equivalent is an interesting move by the show (“I want to believe—I need to believe—that we didn’t treat him like trash.”). This episode very much sets up William to be Scully’s ultimate payoff in the same way that The Truth is Mulder’s, and I suppose I’m okay with that. It’s really the biggest piece of lingering mythology for the show to address, so it’s focus makes plenty of sense. Any symmetry is nice, and more than anything it seems like this path is taking us down to a William reunion either when the finale, or inevitable next movie, take place. Mulder, Scully, and William somehow ending up as one happy family wouldn’t be the worst ending for the show that I can think of. They’ve certainly ended the solitude at this point.

Until then, let’s all keep searching for the dark wizards in our lives.

The post [Review] “The X-Files”: ‘Home Again’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“We’ve been given another case, it has a monster in it!”

It’s hard to believe that I was actually second guessing this X-Files revival a week ago after watching “My Struggle”, because after Wong’s “Founder’s Mutation” and this week’s exceptional episode, The X-Files revival is now batting 2/3, and it’s a very strong 2/3 at that. I daresay that this reflexive episode is right up there with “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’” and “Bad Blood” in terms of episodes on that end of the spectrum.

Darin Morgan has developed an interesting reputation through his work on The X-Files. The more reserved brother of fellow scribe and director, Glen Morgan, Darin would turn out some of the series’ most eccentric outings that weren’t under the name Vince Gilligan. Darin only penned four episodes during his three years on The X-Files (as well as writing what might be the two best—certainly the most interesting—Millennium episodes, “Jose Chung’s ‘Doomsday Device’” and “Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me”), but each episode took the still-growing show in new, bold directions helping establish what it was capable of. These aren’t just a few good episodes, but stunning scripts that truly made an impact on the show. Entries like, “Humbug”, “War of the Coprophages”, ““Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’”, and series favorite, “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” (which also netted Peter Boyle an Emmy win, impressively) are standout entries that saw his voice greatly missed once he left the show early in its run.

It’s fascinating to hear Morgan open up on Kumail Nanjiani’s “The X-Files Files” podcast talking about his tenure on the show. Morgan talks about being a hypochondriac who was constantly worrying about deadlines, the demands of working on a television show, while talking about repeatedly going into Chris Carter’s office and trying to quit. His brother, Glen’s, presence on the series helped improve his stability and calm his nerves some, but judging by the lack of writing that Darin did post X-Files (as well as noting how many of those projects had some sort of connection to Glen, too), it seems to be an exercise that stresses him greatly, regardless of his obvious skill in the field. Morgan talks about dismissing now-classics like “Clyde Bruckman” as he was writing them, and witnessing how critical he is of his own work is also an enlightening realization.

There must have been a great deal of trepidation that Morgan felt before deciding to rejoin the series for this revival, and I’d say that we’re fairly lucky that he agreed to come back on at all. The fact that this return not only marks an incredibly sharp script that rivals his best work on the show, but that he was also director of the effort is a true feat. I’m not sure if this exercise led to Morgan’s revitalization or exhaustion, but I hope him getting his feet wet in these waters once more means that we’ll be seeing more scripts from him, somewhere, anytime soon.

Morgan’s episodes sometimes so often feel like a hodgepodge of elements (“Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’” is certainly guilty of this), with this one being absolutely no different. Seeing pieces of his life and X-Files iconography weirdly fit into the installment (such as Kumail’s casting here) is part of the fun, and even though he’s been out of the game for a long time, “Mulder & Scully…” feels like a very comforting return to home for Morgan. If nothing else, this episode nicely subscribes to the “Darin Morgan Checklist” that so many of his episodes do. Some of these are really superb touches, like Tyler Labine(!!) and Nicole Parker returning as their stoner and friend characters from “War of the Coprophages” and “Quagmire” as a nice nod to the audience and a deep cut. Another Morgan trademark, Queequeg, Scully’s former dog, gets brought up (and Scully acquiring a new dog, no less—hopefully Queequeg II), too. Not only is this a lot of fun for the fans, but this feels like Morgan is also amusing himself rather deeply, and even if this episode turns out to be a huge failure, there’s no denying that his energy and enthusiasm for it is rampant throughout it all. Mulder and Scully’s excitement here is his excitement.

Part of the fun of this X-Files revival has been looking at how each of these original X-Files writers chooses to make use of the 13 years that have passed between the “series finale” and now. Darin Morgan explores the idea of Mulder being disillusioned over whether his life has been a waste or not. Sure, this isn’t the first time this has happened, but while Mulder and Scully were out of commission, a lot of cold case X-Files have turned out to just be pranks or publicity stunts. So when the current case of the week screams “Werewolf!” it doesn’t help his malaise very much. This is mostly channeled through the episode being a prime example of Mulder acting like the Scully here—which admittedly isn’t the first time this has been done, but there’s a fresh dynamic to it now as Mulder carries an air of “I’m getting too old for this x-shit.”

I couldn’t help but have a huge smile on my face as Mulder reduces these werewolf claims to mountain lions and grey wolves rather than think a creature is afoot. Even after knowing this beast has transformed he tries to simplify all of this to science. “Mulder, the Internet is not good for you,” Scully tells him in one scene, as he uses the web to become the ultra-Scully and deduce that this monster is some sort of horned lizard thanks to practical, scientific explanations. It’s pretty fantastic and probably the best Mulder and Scully scene to come along so far this season. This episode is all about flipping their dynamic, and the actors look to be having great fun with it all, too. Even when Duchovny is having to work through huge monologues (and speaking for both himself and Scully) and exposition. It’s really nice—as simple as it is—to see these two getting back in their groove here and excited to have a classic mystery on their hands. Both of them are having fun in their element and eager to see who is right in all of this.

Mulder’s theme of disillusionment is prevalent throughout the episode as a whole when it looks like nearly everyone is questioning their career and life decisions, listless in their own ways. It’s present in a smaller sense in Kumail’s animal control worker, Pasha, and then in the central case of the episode, Rhys Darby’s were-lizard creature.

That’s right, Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords fame, is revealed fairly early on to be the monster-of-the-week, this hideous were-lizard creature. The early reveal is always a good indication that who the threat is isn’t the priority of the episode, and sure enough, Morgan has packed a monster of a spin on this traditional premise. Darby is perfectly cast here as a fidgety, odd individual with transformation issues. In typical Darin Morgan fashion, the beautiful lore of the were-lizard is a hilarious subversion on established monster killing rules. The only way to kill a were-lizard, we learn, is by stabbing green glass into its appendix. It’s so silly, yet great mythology building that makes just as much sense as anything out of vampire of werewolf lore and the arbitrary ingredients involved with them.

This is already entertaining enough when the episode suddenly turns even crazier when we realize that Darby’s character is a lizard monster first who has now found himself plagued with turning into a human (after being bitten by one, of course). Not the other way around. It’s also retroactively a viable explanation for Darby’s off kilter behavior that’s so entertaining throughout. Furthermore, his jubilation when he’s no longer stuck as a human and turns back into a monster is perfect and an appreciated take on an overdone transformation trope. This is what he wants.

Let me just say, I cannot get enough of this plot. A monster who’s turns into a human, who then learns to realize regular, everyday, human problems are the worst and begins to go crazy, only to then become desperate to turn back into a monster again is so brilliant. The X-Files has played around with this monster-of-the-week perspective before in creative ways—like “Hungry”, for instance—but this is very, very different. There’s a stupefying majesty to watching Darby’s were-lizard in his newly found human form getting a dog to make his life happier, slowly acquiring more coping mechanisms before ultimately being reminded that life is shitty and hard. It’s all so simple, but it’s in that simplicity that all of this connects so well. This isn’t a man lamenting over the problems of turning into a werewolf. It’s a monster being like, “Shit, is my job going to give me enough money to pay my mortgage?” He has lines like, “Ever since I’ve become a human I can’t help but lie about my sex life” and other such great human observations that are all such tiny nuggets of humanity that we take for granted. Darby’s monster seeing these mundane things for the first time (before becoming disenchanted, like humans are so wont to do) is a wonderfully fresh angle on an X-Files monster. In fact, it poses the question of who really is the “monster” here, as Mulder tries to determine if Darby’s character is still to blame for these murders, perhaps slaying them in his confusion with the ways of being a human.

While some poignant topics are dug into, Morgan still isn’t past getting goofy when the time calls for it. There’s an extended sequence where Mulder is unable to work his camera phone and apps properly, still lost from the times. We also literally get a monster considering transgender surgery as an answer to their problems, and it’s safe to say that we’re officially in modern X-Files. There’s also a fairly gratuitous Scully wish fulfillment sequence that is pretty terrific and must have been sitting in a drawer of Morgan’s for 15 years waiting to get some use. The tone of the episode is already so ridiculous and broad that by the time that Mulder’s cell phone goes off and his ring tone is Mark Snow’s theme song to the series, you kind of just have to go with it. That’s how surreal things feel.

I understand that a lot of this review has touched upon Darin Morgan’s legacy within the series, and for any sort of revival of this magnitude I think the topic of the past is an important one to get into. While more than anything this return to The X-Files should be good, it should also honor and pay respect to the original seasons, too. While Morgan is all about paying respect to the past here, the most touching example must be during Mulder and Darby’s conversation in the cemetery about life. The two of them are standing against two prominent headstones, one for Kim Manners, and the other for Jack Hardy. Manners directed over 50 episodes of The X-Files and passed away in 2009, but Hardy is a lesser-known name, and only passing away less than a year ago. Hardy was close to the production team, acting as the first assistant director not only on Carter’s Millennium (which Morgan and Wong were also heavily involved in), but also Glen Morgan’s feature films, Willard, Black Christmas, and Final Destination 3. Clearly he’s particularly close with the Morgans, and seeing his tribute alongside Manners’ is really, really sweet.

All of this culminates in a rather contemplative episode that goes out on an unexpected twist that’s pretty in line with the rest of Morgan’s dynamic. There’s a great Scully in distress scene that’s subverted by her not needing anyone to save her in the end. She manages to be her own hero while simultaneously solving the whole case by herself, off camera, in mere minutes.

It’s not important though. None of this is. After all, it was probably just ice…

See you again in 10,000 years.

The post [Review] “The X-Files”: ‘Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-monster’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When an art gallery that’s showing potentially offensive artwork is bombed, Mulder and Scully seek some way to communicate with the comatose bomber in order to prevent a future attack. Meanwhile, a pair of younger FBI agents on the case (guest stars Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose) push Mulder and Scully to examine their own beliefs as Scully seeks answers from neuroscience and Mulder from mysticism in the all-new “Babylon” episode of THE X-FILES airing Monday, Feb. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (XF-1004) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Cast: Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Mitch Pileggi as FBI Asst. Dir. Walter Skinner

Guest Cast: Robbie Amell as Agent Miller, Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein, William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man, Artin John as Shiraz, Garry Chalk as Mad Dog, Marci T. House as Angry Woman, Eric Breker as SP Agent Brem, J. Alex Brinson as FBI Agent Guard, Bruce Harwood as Byers, Tom Braidwood as Frohike, Dean Haglund as Langly, Nina Nayebi as Noora and Janet Kidder as Nurse.

The post [Next On] ‘The X-Files’ Episode 10.05, ‘Babylon’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Now this is The X-Files that I want!

After developing severe reservations over the—in my opinion—rocky start that the momentous return of the series saw last night, I’m happy to say that “Founder’s Mutation” made all of the right moves by delivering a creepy, upsetting, provoking episode of the series that even manages to tie into the greater mythology of the series in a justified way. There feels like there’s little resemblance between “Founder’s Mutation” and “My Struggle”, with the former seeming like little more than the impetus for getting these guys back in the office. “Founder’s Mutation” even feels like it disregards everything that’s brought up in the premiere—which I’m more than okay with—with this feeling less like a second part to “My Struggle”, and more like a strong monster-of-the-week/mythology hybrid that could even act as a de facto reintroduction to the series.

No time is wasted here as the episode opens with a genuinely upsetting intro that feels like it could be the monster lovechild of “Folie a Deux” and “Drive.” We see a scientist, Dr. Sanjay, suffering from some real focus problems until the world gets a little too loud for him and he ends up punching his ticket a little early (while simultaneously guaranteeing that you’ll get the creeps the next dozen times you handle a letter opener). All of a sudden an effective mystery is underway, as well as the episode getting to show off the phenomenal sound design in this entry (seriously, it’s just cringe city through those opening moments).

James Wong is the one responsible for the writing and directing here, and it’s comforting to see him embracing the horror aspect of The X-Files that so many people loved it for. Wong is responsible for some of the scariest episodes in the series’ run, including classics like “Home” and “Tooms”, but even extending his love for the genre into film with the Final Destination horror franchise, and the remakes of Willard and Black Christmas. Of all the permutations that The X-Files would take on, this mindset is the one that Wong is most comfortable in, and watching him get to let loose in this playground is a lot of fun. The set piece that kicks everything off is creepy enough in its own right, but Wong cleverly juggles a mélange of uncomfortable imagery (infra-sounds, flocks of ravens, mutations) to help this madness coalesce together into something special.

Sanjay’s death is an effective introduction to this case of the week, but it’s not until Mulder eventually gets hit by the same sensory attack that all of this goes into overdrive. Mulder’s attack is an incredibly well done sequence, and probably some of Wong’s strongest work from the series. The way it’s filmed is so intense and unlike anything that Carter offers up in the premiere (and acts as another confirmation that he should really just be a story guy at this point). Wong really makes you feel Mulder’s pain here, and you struggle with him as the episode utilizes drastic close-ups, dynamic lighting, and harsh sound mixing to have you feel as defenseless as he is.

While Sanjay’s death is trying to be determined as a natural suicide or not, Mulder and Scully see themselves fighting with the department of defense over evidence, as bureaucracy’s thumb continues to loom over the work they’re doing. Even during these smaller moments the series wants to remind us that the government is getting in the way here, making Mulder and Scully’s job more difficult. It’s hardly a large thread of the episode, but I thought its inclusion here was a nice touch. There are also sly winks at the audience in the form of lines like, “I’m old school, Mulder. Pre-Google,” or Mulder going on about Edward Snowden, or wryly attacking Obamacare. Wong is clearly having fun with the time lapse since the show last aired. Although these might get a little too tongue-in-cheek at times, they are still laughing with us over the time differences that the show continues to highlight. Carter’s references to our current landscape drip with doom and gloom and are far too serious for their own good. I’d rather have Mulder quipping about the president than worrying about his security settings on his iPhone.

It’s not long until Mulder and Scully rightfully determine that Sanjay’s death was a little wonky, and after a classic Scully autopsy scene, the two of them see themselves pointed towards an Augutus Goldman, and the cryptic message, “Founder’s Mutation”, that was written on Sanjay’s palm. Digging deeper leads Mulder and Scully to Dr. Sanjay’s appropriately creepy, “Wall of Kids”, all of which are suffering from mutations on a Hiroshima-level scale. It’s a muted moment that Wong gets the right amount of horror out of before pumping the gas when Mulder and Scully arrive at the hospital. The scene essentially plays as the inverse as the previous one, with the horror very much being rubbed in your face this time. ­The X-Files has a tendency to be hit or miss when it comes to its monster work, but once more I find myself impressed with the makeup work the show has done on these subjects that have tried to be swept under the carpet of America. They seriously look like they’re out of the “Cronenberged” dimension in Rick and Morty, so kudos again to the team here. This feels like vintage X-Files and would be enough on its own, yet, Wong is determined to creep you out here by then shifting the focus to fetuses being carved out of pregnant women for alien harvesting. It’s not any of that playful fetus carving either. No, this is some L’Interieur level shit in the most gruesome sense. Just to keep things dynamic, a flashback shows one of these experiment subjects, Molly, gleefully breathing underwater. It’s an image that’s just as chilling as everything else that we’ve seen so far, but in a wholly different way. Not enough can be said for how much Wong nails the multi-facet horror of genetic mutation.

Alien DNA and the hybridization plan is the angle that Mulder unsurprisingly turns to with all of this, when it appears like Augustus Goldman is funding the experimentation on pregnant women being turned into incubators. This ends up taking this heavy scene to a fairly unexpected place, that of Mulder and Scully’s child. This William material is so satisfying and exactly what I was hoping for this season. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the series completely ignored the William topic, but the decision to open it up makes a lot more sense. I love so hard that Scully introduces the area in such a pained way—hesitant to do so, and scared of Mulder’s reaction. It’s deeply human and getting a little time to examine how the two of them have dealt with this event speaks volumes for the both of them. Anderson is bringing a subtle level of detachment and malaise to Scully in these episodes, and to see that as depression stemming from losing her child and wondering if she’s made the right decisions is completely believable. Adversely, Mulder’s approach of just repressing the William issue speaks much more to how he operates.

Not only do we get these two discussing their child, but we also get full on fantasy sequences depicting a grown-up William at that! Scully’s fantasy shifts into a nightmare rather quickly as a growing William begins to show his half-alien nature in a horrific fashion. Scully’s fear for her child appears to be ever-present. Interestingly enough, Mulder’s fantasy with William contains a number of adorable subversions on space as he bonds with his son. The two of them playfully watch 2001 together and launch bottle rockets (with the two paired together with a beautiful match cut between the monolith and the rocket, in an another testament to Wong’s directing here). However, it’s only a matter of time until Mulder’s fantasies see transformation, too, with reality seeping through and William’s alien nature commandeering the narrative. This even mixes together with his abduction memories of Samantha. It very much looks like there’s an unhealed wound that giving William up for adoption has left in both Mulder and Scully. Returning to William might have been the last thing I thought the show was interested in before, but after this nice detour on mutations and separation, I could easily see this family having a reunion by the end of the season.

We’re told here that “Every new species begins with a Founder’s Mutation,” and seeing this idea shift over to the series’ larger agenda of the hybridization project finally coming together and being ready to move to the next phase is a dot that makes sense to connect to. “Founder’s Mutation” tows the line between whether it wants to be a larger mythology story or not, but it’s at its best when it drops the larger tent poles that are holding up the series and you understand that this is really a much more personal monster-of-the-week story. There’s a lot of noise going on around all of this, but the episode boils down to Kyle, one of Sanjay’s mutations, just wanting to find his sister, Molly, who’s in the same situation. There’s even a nice parallel here between Kyle’s mission and what Mulder’s quest had been for so long.

The final set piece of the episode is a real gem and showcase of what this episode is capable of. Kyle and Molly combine their powers and end up going all “Carrie” on everyone. It’s a powerful sequence that doesn’t hold back with its bluntness acting as a nice take on where the show has gone in 13 years. The touching story of two experiments trying to find one another feels like it’s certainly seen exploration within The X-Files before in various shapes and forms. In spite of the simplicity of what this story is actually about, it’s the emotion and ferocity behind it that really hammers it home. The ending when Kyle and Molly reunite is such an angry scene, almost as if it’s lashing out at the world around it. Once again, this sort of flawed reunion story has been done before on The X-Files, but simply due to the time that’s passed, any retread of a story is given a new degree of poignancy. Genetic mutations and human experimentation packs a greater impact now than 13 years ago because of how far we’ve fallen. The angry outburst that the episode punctuates itself on might as well be the episode wagging its finger at us.

“Founder’s Mutation” ends on a whirlwind that might bring up more questions than answers, but what you’re left with is the strong inertia that has been powering this hour. In spite of any misgivings I might have had with last night’s premiere, this is a very good episode of The X-Files. It has the right instincts. It uses the right attitude. And it presents a twisted, unsettling story that feels tailor-made for this universe. With the necessary baggage now being out of the way, hopefully the series can just focus on making us scared, making us surprised, and making us excited.

The post [Review] ‘The X-Files’: ‘Founder’s Mutation’ *SPOILERS* appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“You want to believe. You so badly want to believe.”
“I do believe.”

The X-Files was a cultural landmark that hit a fevered status that so few properties achieve. The quirky little supernatural program-that-could which seemed like it was very much banished in FOX’s own basement office ended up lasting nine seasons, two movies, and forever changing the landscape of television. The X-Files wasn’t just appointment television though because of the creepy storytelling that it embraced. It’s engagement with serialization and building a mythos for itself became the blueprint for later programs like LOST and Fringe that prided themselves on such things. Beyond that, the sexual chemistry between Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully was so palpable that the term “shipping” (stemming from the word “relationship”) was created over their prospective romance. There is no denying that The X-Files left its impression on the world.

While X-Files fandom was—and still is—quite severe, the audience’s love for the show certainly cooled off during the programs final seasons, and our last encounter with these characters and this world in 2008’s I Want to Believe left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths (that final post-credits scene still conjures up bile in me—let’s hope Eugene Tooms isn’t around). That being said, I’ve been a staunch supporter of the series right until the end (and I’ll fight you over season eight and nine’s validity to the grave while I wear my What Would John Doggett Do? shirt), and even though pop culture has had such a trigger finger lately for rebooting and sequelizing properties, I was still very much on board with things when this return was announced. The real question then becomes not if Chris Carter and company still have stories to tell (it’s been over a decade and they’re doing six episodes), but rather, ­The X-Files was very much a product of the ‘90s, and if it is capable of transitioning into this post-Snowden world full of cell phones, the deep internet, and corporate hacks. After watching the first episode of the show’s return, I’d say the verdict is still out on how well this series does in our current world.

The series is reintroduced with some rather clunky exposition, which provides much of Mulder’s backstory and an “elevator pitch” of what The X-Files was. Carter was always one for purple prose and heavy, verbose monologues to start off episodes, but this one particularly stands out due to just how long it’s been. Furthermore, none of this information is necessary. If you somehow weren’t aware of these story beats, educated viewers would be able to piece these minor details together on their own. While it might not seem like a big deal, this is the scene that starts off the series! Throwing us right into the action would have been the much more effective way of throwing us back into this world. Not sloppy fire metaphors. Even more disappointing is that Mulder and Scully’s respective returns in the premiere are felt like non-moments. They sort of just appear, with their entrances in I Want to Believe even acting as the more satisfying reunion. I know that a flashy entrance isn’t necessarily needed here, but it’s goddamn Mulder and Scully! They’re icons. Don’t just have Scully mid-sentence in a hospital and Mulder browsing away on his laptop.

Someone who is given a proper introduction here is conspiracy theorist, Tad O’Malley—played by Joel McHale, in a role that’s not that far of a stretch from his The Soup persona. O’Malley enlists Mulder and Scully to get back in the game and address some fascinating information that he’s come across from Sveta, an alleged alien abductee. Mulder and Scully, who have become entirely content with the FBI being a thing of the past and their Kolchak days behind them, are suddenly confronted with evidence that forever changes what they thought they knew about the X-Files. And wouldn’t you know it that Sveta, and what she reveals, ends up being enough to pull these two back into the basement and gripping their flashlights.

While much of this might feel par for the course for The X-Files, the episode inventively runs its main story parallel to one involving the Roswell landing in ’47. It’s an interesting strategy that mostly works in the episode’s favor. It offers up some nice depth to the storytelling here, and seeing how these two stories nearly 70 years apart come together is one of the more satisfying things that “My Struggle” pulls off.

It’s also nice to be in a version of this show now where aliens are straight up being acknowledged and no longer obfuscated in some way. There’s full-out UFO wreckage and beyond going down here and to be past a point where the show is acting all “deny, deny, deny” is a comfortable place for it to find itself. That being said, it’s frustrating to see Mulder and Scully being so critical and brisk to Sveta considering Everything (with a capital ‘E’) they’ve been through and seen together. Mulder’s heart-to-heart with Sveta is actually pretty affecting and a touching scene, however his following admission that she’s “the answer to everything!” has happened more than a few times in the series’ lifespan. For a certain X-File to once again be realized as the key to all X-Files feels a little flimsy for the show’s returning foot forward, but where it all ends up leading is at least reasonably interesting, if not also problematic.

The big revelation that this premiere holds onto as Mulder continues to shout that they’ve “been deceived for years!” is one that rests not on aliens, but rather the corrupt side of the government masquerading as such. At moments this feels kind of ridiculous considering that the show’s mythology not only proved the existence of aliens, but several kinds that were warring against each other. At the same time, the show isn’t retconning these aliens or the Syndicate’s work with them, but rather insinuating the flashier cases of alien abduction—the house calls that Mulder and Scully would so frequently take throughout the show—were in fact the government using alien technology for their own ill-gotten gains. While I think this still appropriately connects with everything the series has told us so far, it’s definitely the boldest move they’ve done to the continuity and the one that feels the most like it doesn’t jive with the rest of the mythos that the show spent time establishing (although it’s nice to hear the term, “Sixth Extinction” uttered once more). As crazy as everything got in the past, it still connected and respected everything that had been built, whether you realized it or not. Regardless of this, the table is now appropriately set, with Mulder and Scully’s target no longer being little green men, but rather the men in black.

This isn’t as interesting a repositioning as the show thinks it is, but it is a big enough fresh trajectory to constitute the show’s return. It gives the series some new material to pull from rather than ever-complicating the already ever-complicated alien mythology, but hearing Mulder and O’Malley endlessly regurgitate dates and moments from history isn’t exactly thrilling either. The bigger game here involving this shadow government trying to take over the world like some cliché super villain, with all of our problems in the past years being a result of their machinations is a lot to swallow. I almost think alien abductions are the more plausible of the two ideas. It’s nice to see the show taking some big swings here, but it’s absolutely going to get people laughing in their direction and acting ever the Scully. Perhaps this initial skepticism and Scullyization of the audience is part of what the series is going for in its premiere, but I doubt it. This in many ways does feel like the first half of a two-part episode though (which it is), and surely the details gleaned from the next entry will help give a better idea of this direction’s merits. It also feels like a premise endlessly designed to jerk us around, continually going back and forth on if this is aliens or not, and while that sort of rug pulling can be fun when it’s done right, it can also be very, very frustrating. Thankfully the monster-of-the-week episodes in between will help this material breathe some before the end.

On the topic of such—and it wasn’t exactly my intention to bring them up here—but the (at one point) canonical X-Files season ten comics (which have now even entered a season eleven) seemed to actually do a better job at jumping back into this world than this premiere did. It seems the two have gone in completely different directions, with the comics’ version of season ten practically doubling down on the show’s mythology (featuring a grown up Gibson Praise leading a new version of the Syndicate). With the comics being supervised by Carter, and even some of the earlier ones being plotted by him, too, I’d be curious if this was the original blueprint that he had in mind for more X-Files. They’ve certainly done a wonderful job at capturing the spirit of the series while also servicing up the show’s mythology in satisfying ways. Again, it’s still too early to be judging the television tenth season of the show, but these comics present an interesting paradigm (that still has the Chris Carter stamp of approval) that provides a very appealing alternative to those that might be dissuaded by what’s going on here.

With this much-anticipated premiere being titled “My Struggle,” it seems only appropriate to try to interpret the significance behind that and whose struggle the title is referring to. Initially it seems like it would be Mulder’s struggle, however he finds conviction pretty early on in this episode and stands by it throughout. Scully is continually in disbelief here, with the title making a lot more sense to relate to her, but the episode hardly seems to be falling within her perspective enough to feel like it’s corresponding to her either.

If anything, it’s most representative of Sveta’s life and the tug-of-war between reality and fiction that’s dominated her existence. As much sense as this makes, it feels slightly off for the title’s namesake to be Sveta considering the episode also is not from her point of view. In the end—and this is the answer that I dread the most, but I fear might be right—is that this might be America’s struggle; the public’s struggle. Every single one of us is the “My” in “My Struggle,” with this new attack on our planet being relevant to us all. These discoveries are our problem, and learning how twisted and corrupt the government can be is the struggle we’re dealing with. Yes, this sort of meaning behind the title is heavy as hell, but so is a lot of this episode.

Ultimately “My Struggle” didn’t hit me nearly as much as I hoped that it would, and like I said, I’m a pretty big X-Files apologist. However the movements made here hit me the flattest out of any of the larger decisions that the program has made. It feels so much like them intentionally trying to mix up the show rather than it happening organically, and that’s never the series’ best suit to wear. Thankfully though, things get appropriately mixed up once more (ie. we get jerked around again) in the episode’s closing moments (which was almost enough for me to bump this review up an extra half-grade). Perhaps the status quo isn’t as obliterated as we thought.

It’s still too early on to tell exactly where all of this is heading, but I’d like to give the show the benefit of the doubt that it will ultimately be a satisfying experience by the end of all of this. The cynical, post-9/11, anti-America voice that the series seems to be currently clinging to isn’t the best fit for the show, and it runs amok with this a little too much for its own good. The episode makes a point of telling us that “We’ve never been in more danger” than in our current climate, and it doesn’t hold back from rubbing our faces in it. Rough patches aside though, it’s just nice to have these characters back, hear that all-too familiar theme music return, and have the start of something big going down once again. As rocky as this start is, I’m still optimistic that these six episodes will amount to something memorable.

After all, I want to believe.

The post [Review] ‘The X-Files’ Season Premiere is a Puzzling Reunion *Spoilers* appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.