The X-Files (Season 4)

After the fantastic Season 3, Season 4 of X-Files definitely has its perks, but it makes some decisions that don't quite sit well with me.

Myth Arc: From Seasons 1-6, I think this season has the worst myth arc in the series. The premiere is a typically fantastic followup to the finale, with the shocking death of X and the reveal of the clone farms. However, the rest of the season is a bit shakier. The big myth two-parters (Tunguska/Terma and Tempus Fugit/Max) are both pretty dull and lack much in the way of grand revelations or high stakes action. But even worse is the "Scully gets cancer" plot which is an absolute waste of one of my favorite characters in TV. Gillian Anderson acts her heart out in these episodes, but the fact that she spends most of the season in a somewhat weakened state even though we know there's no way she can possibly die from cancer just doesn't work for me at all. The finale Gethsemane has a similar problem, as there's no way Mulder could have possibly killed himself at the end of the episode, but otherwise, I really like the premise of the government covering up alien life by painting it all as a hoax. It's probably the Syndicate's biggest victory in the entire series.

Monster Of The Week: The Monster Of The Week episodes fare a little bit better, but they don't quite reach the same heights as the previous season. There are some really weak outings in Season 4, particularly Teliko, The Field Where I Died, and El Mundo Gira. With Darin Morgan out, I really think Vince Gilligan did a lot of the heavy lifting this season, having written five episodes, all of which ranged from good to excellent (Unruhe, Paper Hearts, Leonard Betts, Memento More, Small Potatoes). This season is also well-known for the infamous Home episode, which is a violent and disgusting episode about an incestuous family. Personally, that episode absolutely grosses me out, but I can admit how gutsy it is for the show to go this unbelievably dark. As a whole, I think this is a solid lineup of Monster Of The Week episodes, but none of the show's best.

Still, even one of the weaker earlier X-Files seasons has its fair share of strong episodes:

Herrenvolk: As I mentioned above, I thought this premiere was a great followup to Talitha Cumi that absolutely should have been the season finale. The chase with the Alien Bounty Hunter is tense and action-packed, the reveal of the Samantha clone farm finally gives us at least a bit of headway on Mulder's sister, and X's death is surprising.

Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man: Easily one of the most iconic episodes in the series, Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man feels like an evil version of Forrest Gump, showing how the titular character was seemingly involved in countless conspiracies and assassinations. Aside from the episode's ambition and offbeat vibe, there's also just a lot of ambiguity to the episode, as it's never clear which parts of the flashback are real, if any of it is. 

Paper Hearts: With this episode, Gilligan deals with Samantha's disappearance better than any Myth Arc in the whole show. Roche is another fantastic and terrifying villain that spends the episodes playing mind games with Mulder, feeding him information on Samantha to escape his capture. It's an emotional episode that ends on another strong ambiguous note, where Mulder decides to stick to his beliefs and shoot Roche even if it means he won't know if he was right (Frankly, I'd prefer it be Roche than what really happened to Samantha).

Small Potatoes: This episode was the first time that Gilligan really leaned into the comedy with the X-Files, and it was pretty great. Most of the episode is fairly standard, though the face-shifting villain Eddie is pretty memorable. However, it's the final act that really made this episode iconic for so many fans, as Eddie disguises himself as Mulder to seduce Scully. David Duchovny's acting has always been the best when it comes to comedic episodes, and he's absolutely hysterical as Eddie.

Gethsemane: As I mentioned above, I do really like this finale. It kinda feels like a noir from its dark color grading, cynical tone, "Mulder kills himself cliffhanger", and the main premise about Mulder's faith being deconstructed and destroyed. Once again, it's hard to believe anything that really happens in this episode, but the slight shift in genre helps it stand out more than many of the other season finales.

Overall, Season 4 has a weak myth arc and an uneven lineup of Monster Of The Week episodes, but the premiere and finale are great and Gilligan really carries this season.

3/5 Stars