Having finished the current seasons of Treme and Doctor Who, and caught up on Mad Men, I have finally decided to crack down and finish The X-Files.
Let’s face it: No show can possibly make it to an eighth season and still be fresh. The X-Files had a great run — after a shaky first season, it reached levels of inspired brilliance from seasons two through five. Then, as can be expected, the writers started running out of ideas.
This season, they had to deal with David Duchovny only being around for a handful of episodes — which forced them to completely retool the show. Some of it worked (Robert Patrick is a great actor, and he brings fresh energy to the role of Agent Doggett), some of it didn’t. At this point, the most interesting aspects of the ongoing series mythology have either been wrapped up or have been retconned so many times it’s impossible to keep up.
However, the strength of the show has always been the standalone episodes, and there are some good ones here. As expected, Gillian Anderson is flawless. So, whole I’m not exactly champing at the bit to watch season nine (and it’s going to take me a while to warm up to Monica Reyes, the bland chain-smoking psychic agent that they inexplicably threw into the mix), I’m ready to see the series through to the end.
Rating: B-
