The X Files Season 11 Review: A Fitting Sendoff To A Great Series

"he X-Files" has always been synonymous with conspiracies, alien abductions, government cover ups and all other manner of strangeness. Season 11 does not disappoint with ten new episodes. The season is book-ended by "My Struggle" Parts 3 and 4 (which I personally found to be the least interesting-- but more on that later). The list includes:

My Struggle III- We learn that the events of season 10's finale (a global pandemic caused by the Spartan Virus as Fox is near death and Dana is stuck on a bridge with a UFO overhead) did NOT occur. They are just the delusions of a woman having epileptic seizures. Dana and Fox's miracle child William is still mankind's salvation though. Off they go in search of him. Oh and Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM or Carl Gerhard Bush if you prefer) is very much still alive and behind every conspiracy in US history (JFK's assassination, the moon landing, Roswell, etc). That's one busy guy.
This- A nefarious group headed by Barbara Hershey plans to take a few select people off-Earth when the end comes. They also have a number of people trapped in a virtual prison (including Langly of The Lone Gunmen). Added bonus: There's a super fun gun fight at the beginning of the episode. Its great to see Fox and Mulder kick ass (even if they are eventually abducted anyway).
Plus One- Psychic twins play a game of hangman with the names of people they dont like. And yes that is Karin Konoval who played Mother Peacock in the most infamous episode of The X-Files "Home". Remember she was the mutant amputee under the bed? I'm still freaked out about that one.

The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat- EXCELLENT! My favorite episode of the season and possibly one of the best of the series. "TLAoFS" explores the Mandela Effect (in which a group of people share a memory of an alternate past which did not occur). A guy named Reggie shows up swearing he used to be their partner. Added bonus: See here for their fantastic encounter with an alien who's had enough of LYING humans. In fact, the aliens are building a "beautiful wall" just to keep us away from them.
Ghouli- Dana and Fox's son William makes an appearance and he's a dangerous kid (given that he's an alien/human hybrid). He was secretly fathered by CSM (not Fox) and carried to term by Dana. William (adopted name Jackson Van De Camp) can shape shift and move objects with his mind. Both the government and various crazy cults are after him. Excellent Emmy-worthy scene by Anderson as she cries over who believes is dead son.
Kitten- A Skinner-centric episode that was flat IMHO. I'm here to see Fox and Dana . Haley Joel Osment makes a creepy appearance.
Rm9sbG93XJz- The title apparently means "The Truth Is Out There" in Base 64. This is my second favorite episode of the season and is without dialogue for the most part. Fox and Dana have a date night at an automated sushi restaurant. It all goes downhill from there because Fox doesnt not tip the robots... and they really want a tip.
Familiar- A spooky "who dun it". Since the title is "Familiar", witchcraft is obviously involved. Children die as freaky Mr Chuckleteeth runs amuk in Connecticut.
Nothing Lasts Forever- Organ harvesting and a strange cult lead by a has-been movie actress. Easily the goriest of the season 11 episodes. Barbara reminded me a of Elizabeth Bathory (who bathed in the blood of her victims to stay young). Eating organs also seems to work since Barbara is 75 years old.
My Struggle IV- Everything comes to a head. Fox shoots Mr Y and Williams splats Barbara Hershey into a million pieces with his mind. You should know by now that the kid doesnt want to be found. The death toll continues to mount as Agent Monica Reyes is shot by Skinner, who is then run over by a car. In the finale CSM waxes on about "creating William". He even shoots his first born son Mulder (but it's actually William in disguise). William survives because he's immortal. The real Fox in turn shoots CSM (who falls into the harbor and floats away). Is he actually dead? The CSM has more than nine lives so I wouldnt put anything past him.

The season followed it's usual pattern of mythology episodes with "monster of the week" stand alones thrown in between. There's also at least one humorous episode. "The Lost Art Of Forehead Sweat" is BY FAR my favorite episode of the season. Reggie trying to convince Mulder and Scully that he's always been part of the team was hilarious. They even insert his image into some of the most iconic scenes of the series.Too funny!

The mythology episodes leave to be a little to be desired at this point. Yes, there are government conspiracies to destroy and/or take over the work. Yes, aliens are involved. Yes, they are multiple groups. Yes, William is the key to everything. The problem is we've seen it all before so it doesnt have the kick it used to. It's time to move on.

In the final scene we learn that Dana is again pregnant (as Scully says "it's MORE than impossible" since 1. She's 54 years old and 2. She was never supposed to be able to have kids in the first place). Will our favorite FBI agents settle down with a child and gently settle into retirement? It would be interesting to see how a child raised on Mulder's conspiracy theories and Scully's skepticism turns out.

Grade: 4 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). "The X-Files" has some missteps but all in all I liked the season-- and I definitely enjoyed it more than season 10. Has the show aged after 26 years? Yes, but everyone clearly acknowledges that fact. Mulder and Scully discuss how much longer they'll be able to keep this up. I feel season 11 is a fitting place for the show to end (especially since Gillian Anderson has announced her exit). Even the show's tagline "The Truth Is Out There" is a bit passe at this point. Is anyone even interested in the "truth" these days? I'm not so sure.