The X-Files: “My Struggle” Roundtable

More than a few of the Nice Girls could classify ourselves as X-Philes back in the day and we went totally nuts at San Diego Comic Con two years ago when they had the 20th Anniversary of the first season panel and it was first mentioned that the cast and creators were interested in doing a reboot.

A few months later, we first heard the news that there would be a short “event” season. The news only got better and better as it was revealed that most of the key cast members and writers would also be back. I, for one, spent the summer and much of the fall watching seasons 1-6 to remind myself of the major mythology and what I loved so much about the show. By this weekend, I had worked myself into a paranormal frenzy and could barely wait for the football game to end and the show to begin on Sunday.

Melissa, Liz and I weigh in on the first episode:

What did you think of the premise to get M&S back together?

Liz: It was fated. It wouldn’t be The X-Files without both of them working together. It wouldn’t be the same show. It would be Fringe!

Cay: It seemed kind of contrived – it’s been 13 years and suddenly the gang is all here at the beck and call of a conservative TV pundit? I’ll be honest, while I didn’t find the scenario that believable, I was so happy to see them back together that I wasn’t going to be that picky about plot! That may make me a bad critic, but it makes me a good fan girl, I guess!

Melissa: I’m with Cay, it was a bit contrived, but I don’t really care. I just want Mulder, Scully, and Skinner back on the case!

Why did Scully lie to Sveta about the alien DNA?

Liz: I think she was protecting Mulder and Tad. I think that if she refuted the evidence Mulder and Tad would discontinue their plans to expose the truth about what is happening.

Cay: It’s not that common for Scully to blatantly lie like she did to Sveta and Tad. Now I am a bit confused about whether it was what Scully said or if “they” really did get to her to make Sveta recant her alien abduction tale. When she later told Mulder that both her and Sveta’s DNA included alien DNA, I could only think back to a previous time that Scully had a similar finding, and then realized that EVERYONE had it, not just her. I assume this time is different?

Melissa: Didn’t she tell Sveta that after the first test? I assumed she thought the initial results were faulty and that follow up tests would reveal that Sveta did not, in fact, have alien DNA. Telling Sveta she didn’t have alien DNA seemed like a tactic to get her to confess that she was lying about being abducted.

Speaking of Tad, Scully was looking awfully comfortable with Tad there for a few minutes.

Cay: I sure hope she’d have better sense than to get involved with someone like him. Up until that point, her comments and body language suggested that she wasn’t buying what he was selling, but then all of a sudden they are sharing a drink in the back of his limo.

Liz: That part was kind of odd and never explained. Was she dating him? I don’t know. And then he was just gone. My eyes are crossing now. LOL!

Melissa: I guess that was to let us know that Scully is still a woman, despite her no-nonsense, super-professional demeanor? I hope Joel McHale reprises his role at some point during this limited series, so we can learn a bit more about their interaction.

Favorite line or scene?

Liz:  I think my favorite scene was when Skinner told Mulder and Scully that he’s reopening the X files. I kind of gave a little cheer. “We’re back!”

Cay: I liked the line where Mulder commented on how rich Tad had become pursuing aliens and commented “my pursuit has not been so lucrative”. Talk about an understatement, and a bit of an inside joke for the original fans who remember everything that he went through.

Melissa: Just seeing Scully, Mulder, and Skinner all in the same room again made me happy. Mulder’s conspiracy rant also made me smile; ah, memories!

Overall impression?

Cay: The plot was convoluted and also a bit contrived, but it was still nostalgic fun and I have high hopes for the next 5 episodes to bring back more of weirdness, the tighter plots and the witty banter that I came to love about the best episodes of the first 7 (in my mind there were only 7!) seasons.

Liz: I was confused a lot, but that’s not saying anything. I was confused while watching this show more than ten years ago! But I loved it nonetheless. Overall, it had the same look and feel of the original series. I kind of liked that Mulder looked like they dragged him out of mothballs, dusted him off and made him all shiny again, just like the series.

Melissa: It was as dense and convoluted and weird as I remember! The episode felt a little creaky, a little stiff, but I’m sure they’ll get back in the groove soon.

Watch new episodes of the The X-Files on Mondays at 8/7c on FOX!