The X-Files (Season 6)

So this is going to be a weird review, probably the only time I'll be primarily reviewing a half of a season. The big problem with X-Files is that it doesn't really end. All of its attempts at a series finale either leave a ton of loose ends hanging (Fight The Future), raise a ton of entirely new questions (The Truth, the My Struggle episodes), or end on a massive cliffhanger (The End, Requiem). There's only one exception, however, as halfway through the show's sixth season, the main Syndicate storyline is completely resolved, making for what could have been the perfect ending.

Myth Arc: The first half of Season 6 mostly focuses on finally bringing the Syndicate storyline to an end since nothing actually happened in the movie. With Mulder and Scully still unable to reform the X-Files, they spent a lot of these episodes trying to solve mysteries on their own. It's a fun change to the status quo that harkens back to the start of Season 2, and I'm glad the show didn't give Mulder and Scully the X-Files division back right in the premiere. Halfway through the season, the Smoking Man escapes with Fowley (from last season) and kills Spender (also from last season), while the Syndicate as a whole is killed off by the faceless rebels. With most of the show's biggest loose ends abruptly tied and the overarching villain gone, you'd think The X-Files would be over, right? Wrong. It's pretty evident the movie was supposed to be the ending to the series only for Chris Carter to decide to just keep the series going further. He had so many chances to bring things to a close, but The X-Files never really did. This isn't even the only time something like this happens, as the Samantha storyline gets (unsatisfyingly) resolved halfway through next season as well, and yet the show just kept going. It just feels so sloppy and poorly thought out. The rest of Season 6 wouldn't have any other Myth Arc episodes aside from the finale which sets up an entirely new arc about an alien invasion, which just isn't as interesting as a government cover-up.

Monster Of The Week: With the show taking place in a new location, the much brighter California, Monster Of The Week episodes this season generally took a much lighter tone, with even "darker" episodes like Drive and How The Ghosts Stole Christmas still feeling pretty fun. I don't quite have as much of an issue with this as many others as X-Files has a pretty strong track record with comedy, but it definitely means the eerie vibe from the first five seasons isn't quite there anymore. Even on its sixth season, The X-Files really was still not afraid to experiment at times, from an episode based on the movie Speed, to an episode shot with long takes, to a bottle episode. Despite this, I think the general level of quality was really strong, nearly on the level of Season 5. The second half of Season 6 does have some weaker outings like Agua Mala and Alpha, but the first half is nearly flawless. I will say, however, that the body-swap episode Dreamland absolutely did not need to be a two-parter and dragged as a result. Otherwise, though, I think the MoTW episodes this season were still pretty great and have solidified themselves as the most reliably strong aspect of The X-Files even in the coming seasons.

Even in the first half of Season 6, there are plenty of episodes I think are great:

Drive: If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, I implore you to watch this episode. Not only is it another great Vince Gilligan episode, but it brings in Bryan Cranston as a guest star. Drive is a tense, fast-paced episode that definitely seems to have gotten inspiration from Speed, about a guy whose head will explode if he doesn't drive fast enough. I thought the decision to end the episode on a downer with Cranston's character dying anyway was a gutsy way to cement Drive as an X-Files classic.

Triangle: As much flack as I give Chris Carter for his plotting, I think he's a fantastic director who did a phenomenal job with Triangle. Not only does the show finally get to tackle the bizarre Bermuda Triangle, but Carter decides to shoot the entire episode in two long-takes, cutting between Mulder's perspective and Scully's perspective. There's a lot to like about this one, the nonstop action, the wacky perspective shifts, the 1939 shenanigans, the Mulder/Scully kiss, and that amazing climax where we get to see Mulder and Scully's perspectives at the same time. 

Two Fathers/One Son: I said it before and I'll say it again, the series should have ended here. It's a satisfying and action-packed ending to the Syndicate storyline that brings together as many disparate myth arc threads as it possibly could. The scene where the faceless rebels kill the entire Syndicate is stunning, and seeing Mulder and Scully get to rejoin the X-Files in the end could have been a perfect place to leave the two.

Overall, Season 6 is a really solid followup to the previous one with some really good Monster Of The Week episodes and a satisfying end to the Syndicate storyline at its halfway point. However, this halfway point was the last time The X-Files really got itself in order. From then on, the show would refuse to truly end, layering retcons on retcons on bizarre twists on a never-ending mythology, as the sloppy writing it would eventually become known for finally became a massive issue. For me, X-Files ended at One Son. Outside of a few fun MoTW episodes, it's really not worth it to continue onwards.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the X-Files seasons I've seen is:

5 > 3 > 6 > 1 > 2 > 4

My ranking of the X-Files finales I've seen is:

1 > 4 > 5 > 2 > 3

Favorite Episode: Jose Chung's From Outer Space