The X-Files S10 E06: My Struggle II review

The X-Files Season 10, Episode 6 review by Dan Bullock. March 2016.

So here is the finale of The X-Files revival and with it, they’ve ramped up the information to take in and taut up the tension to the maximum. Looping in from opening episode My Struggle, they’ve unexpectedly brought back Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and thrown in Agent Miller (Robbie Amell), Agent Einstein (Lauren Ambrose), Tad O’Malley (Joel McHale), along with the addition of a proper, gruesome return for William B. Davis’ Cigarette-Smoking Man. We also got to witness a super impressive Mulder fight scene but all of his lurks beneath the beginnings of a worldwide contagion that’s slowly been sifted into our systems many years ago…

Before we dive into discussing the episode itself, I have to be honest and the series overall has hit both highs and lows. I think, in retrospect, Fox should have given them a proper 8-10 series run instead of 6 shows because Chris Carter and the team have tried to shove in as much as they could and it hasn’t always worked to fulfil its potential. On the other side though, I believe they’ve been way more successful than they hoped for but if we live in ‘what could have been’ then we’d be here forever and with finales, especially in the modern era of television, are something audiences love to have extreme reactions to.

My Struggle II is definitely adept but also flings a multitude of dialogue-heavy info at us. Although it’s understandable, both in concept and literally, it might have been more effective within a straightforward two-parter. Chris Carter co-wrote and directs the closing episode with scientists Dr Anne Simon and Dr Margaret Fearon to, I’d assume, bring forth some authenticity to proceedings as Scully and Agent Einstein end up explaining how these diseases can spread and also the fringe science that goes into manipulating our DNA.

While Scully leads the way, Mulder is somewhat second to everything that’s happening after he’s disappeared, so up steps Scully to find a vaccine for this super virus. She’s not on her own though, as Einstein assists to try and find a way to save everyone. The key that we go with is that Dana has a theory; she believes her DNA can be the saviour and confirms she’s got elements of extra-terrestrial in her. My Struggle II is intertwined with Tad O’Malley on his TV show sharing the real truths and revelations of what’s occurred direct with the internet world. I’m not a fan of explaining through news reports but his is relevant in this case and although it feels like a sideshow, it simply informs us all that things are getting worse. It’s a sensible idea but I think it could have somehow been tighter, more believable and less National Enquirer or Fox News.

Despite the odd reservations in places, I still have a deep connection to these lead characters and so in an age where it’s easy to switch off and find something else, I’ll stick with them through the thick and thin, much like they do for each other. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have given me over 20 years of adventures and continue to excel and invent with all kinds of stories which span so many genres effortlessly. I still, very much, believe in Mulder and Scully and this X-Files return has proven their chemistry is timeless and even if the entire series didn’t always hit the right mark, it still raised important questions that old fans and newcomers have wanted to discuss.

Before digressing further, which is difficult not to do after The X-Files has spent 14 years in the Canadian forest wilderness, let’s head back to the episode because once we hit that final scene, we’re on a bridge, the cars are stuck, Scully is fighting her way through to bring a vaccine to Mulder but has Scully arrived too late? As she points out to Miller, Fox is gravely ill and Dana states they’d need the stem cells of their child to help him but, of course, where is their boy William? No-one knows. And then before it’s all over, there’s more, something we’ve not really seen for a while. An emerging UFO from the darkness hits our remaining three with a beam of light and… credits! I understand that a cliff-hanger was a possibility for one of the greatest TV series of all-time but I honestly didn’t expect it here. Saying that, if the rumours of more new episodes are true, alongside the now genuine possibility of a third film – that’s been rumoured for a long time now – well, I’d see it and I’d watch them all.

The X-Files has been showing on Channel 5. For more information visit their site and to catch up on our entire X-Files blog head right here.

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