This episode was horrible, and it's not often I am moved to say that about an X-Files episode, even the M&S performance is usually enough to keep me interested. This gave me a headache, there were several periods of quick cuts between different scenes that went on and on with each scene lasting only a few seconds, it felt like watching a music video, not a TV show.
The plot was a convoluted mess. I can't even bring myself to speak of it.
Also I don't like it when they consantly make Scully a victim, she should be out there kicking ass, not laying in a hospital bed being saved by Mulder.
Bring on some standalones by different writers, PLEASE.
Agree totally.
So, I just caught up with the premiere last night. I did not like it at all.
For season 10, I thought like most people that it was a mixed bag with "The WereMan" being easily the best. "My Struggle part 1" was okay, and "My Struggle part 2" was poor, but this was a different level.
Not only was Part 3 bad, but it was boring, and too expository. In years gone by, the X-Files would spoon out information, never wanting to give away too much. Now, because there are only (supposedly) 9 episodes left, Carter tries to force a whole new narrative/conspiracy into two episodes. Now the characters sit in brightly lit rooms and have unendingly bad dialogue simply repeating what the other characters they are talking to already know. With rambling pointless voice overs and poorly shot, unexciting car "chases". Reyes might as well have been a brick wall or a cardboard cutout. Skinner was a badass for about 2 seconds but then gets nothing else to do. Plus the pacing and editing of the episode was so bad. If you are going to do an expository episode you should make it a bottle episode with an interesting (but cheap) framework - something like "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" or Community's “Cooperative Calligraphy”. Scully was totally sidelined and even when she tried to have some agency, she just got sidelined again for no good reason.
Though I will watch pretty much any X-Files they decide to put on the screen - because Mulder and Scully are/were some of the greatest characters put on screen in the 20th century and the show was so good back in the day - this one tested my dedication. Checking out the reviews online for the next 4 episodes (summary reviews are available) was the only thing that gave me hope and interest to keep going with season 11.
If I thought last season demonstrated that Carter should not be writing any more episodes, this one just confirms it. And if there was a writer's room on this show, this episode gives no indication of it (minus the whole retcon of Part 2 being potentially someone telling Carter that part 2 was crap).
And, really, you slit a guy's throat to stop him from attacking someone? Doesn't the FBI teach better takedown techniques than that? Dramatic, but sloppy.
Yeah, Mulder is an armed FBI agent. Pistol whip the guy or put a gun to his head or something! In earlier episodes, this would have happened, and then the guy would have turned out to be a super soldier or an ABH, would have kicked Mulder's ass immediately before being forced to jump out a window. More exciting and less throat-slashingly murder-y.