X-files reboot?

On the contrary, I set ridiculously *low* standards for the episode going in. It should have been very easy for the episode to be so-so and I would have walked away thinking it wasn't too bad. But, even setting the bar so low, this was just *bad TV.* Maybe some superfans are locked into really wanting to like it. But as both an X-Files fan but also being able to have an objective eye and take a step back, all of this new X-Files reboot, Seasons 10 and 11, has been *bad TV* and bad writing/directing across the board. A few of the stand-alone episodes have been somewhat better. Nothing in either of the new seasons has approached the best of the original run.

But the problem isn't the so-so standalone episodes as much as Carter, who clearly intermittently has either *no vision* for how this show is supposed to go, or a really hackneyed vision for it that doesn't work either for the show's own mythos or for making good TV in general.

This show would never have received a greenlight from Fox had they submitted the same scripts but changed the names and made it a new show instead of X-Files. This only got made because of the iconic nature of its original run, and Carter is just not up to the task to make good TV anymore. As I said, he could stay on as some sort of advisor to help new writers understand the genesis of the characters and all of that. But Carter writes bad dialogue (this was a problem to some degree in the show's original run, but wasn't as bad, and was overcome by energetic acting performances and a good team reigning Carter in), seems unwilling or unable to not run the show's mythos around in circles, with the only deviation from those circles being *dropping* entire plot lines.

I won't link directly, but do a quick Google news search and you'll find that Gillian Anderson is not being particularly subtle in recent days about her clear dislike of the direction of the show and the finale in particular. I don't expect her to return unless they pay her twice what Duchovny makes and promise to bring in a new showrunner.

Carter did "X Files" and then did stuff like "Harsh Realm" and the never-picked-up Amazon pilot "The After." Someone like Vince Gilligan went on to do "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad." I know Fox could never get Gilligan back to run X-Files (he'd cost too much and he's too busy), but man what they need is someone who is good at their craft to run the show.

It's all probably moot, because I think it's too late. The ratings were worse this season than last. I can't imagine Fox greenlighting more episodes, with ratings on the decline, awful reviews of the newest episodes, and Anderson not returning. Maybe, *maybe* Fox would pick up a short season on the cheap, and/or a streaming service would. But there's a point at which the project would become too low-key and lacking in prestige to where Duchovny might not sign on either.

Remember also that back around 2002 when the show was nearing its end, Carter said he could foresee doing another ten seasons with new actors/agents, not involving Scully or Mulder at all. So Carter could attempt to sell essentially a soft reboot of the show to a streaming service.

Some have suggested Carter is setting up a possibility of a new show fronted by the William character, which sounds AWWWFFFFULLL.

 

Splendid disc, don't forget the hidden tracks

 

Finally started watching this season.

Darryl

 

Been sick recently (sinus) & recently fell asleep watching episode 5 Ghouli.
Don't know if it was my meds. or the episode.

Darryl

 

Re-watching some of the earlier series, there were a lot of episodes that just don't come off well now. As I said, I enjoyed most of this series. I went in with hope rather than expectations and I don't despise Carter to the extent that I'm not prepared to enjoy the show. And I could care less about the alien conspiracy thing. It should have been wound up ages ago. Conspiracy against Mulder, I can take, however. The first episode, I really didn't like. Most of the others, I did. It was far better than the previous series. My one complaint was that many of the episodes could have developed the story a bit further and seemed about ten minutes too short.

 

Jesus, the final episode sucked.

 

understatement.

 

Even Gillian Anderson is all but literally saying it sucked. That's pretty bad. Duchovny and Anderson stayed pretty mum about the quality of Season 10, even though I find it hard to believe they didn't realize it was sub-par.

 

What is she saying, specifically?

 

I power-watched through the season. First and last episodes were a chore -- though I never really did like the alien conspiracy episodes in comparison to the standalones -- but there were some real gems in between that highlight how fun the series can be and the acting chemistry between Anderson and Duchovny.

 

Whoever runs her Twitter posted a tweet of her saying "Boy, do I hear you," and a GIF of a disappointed Scully. It was just paying lip service to some fans who were whining. She gave an interview not too long ago where she said she has no idea how to use Twitter and she has a woman in L.A. who handles all of her online media. And yet, fans still think it's real. And Twitter is probably the worst place you can go to to get a feel for public opinion, and yet our news media is doing it constantly, because they are lazy.

 

Just watched 'Rm9sbG93ZXJz'
So far a bit better than last season.
Can't recall a single episode from Season 10.

Darryl

 

*Any* explanation of how CSM survived that would've been preferable to nothing.

If by some miracle they decide to do a 12th season, I'm sure he'll show up unscathed yet again.

 

Thankfully we have Hulu to watch the first seasons on repeat. I watched a few episodes of each of the new seasons when they premiered and I felt they were awful. I wanted to reboot to be great but oh well...

 

I haven't watched Better Call Saul but doing a "prequel" is a handy way of un-dead-ing characters like Gus Fring. Of course this would be more problematic for a show that debuted a quarter-century ago, but they can do amazing things with CGI.