Give six writer/directors six chances to do whatever they want with these iconic characters. It's a great idea for a series that can't just repeat itself as it will inherently feel nostalgic.
Replete with callbacks and nostalgic string-pulling - unaltered opening credits and all - the new X-Files is by turns exhausting in its pummeling paranormal mythology and mesmerizing for the same reason.
The first episode of the six foreshadows a compelling new series, with hints that it will ultimately knit together many of the show's touchstones, such as the abduction of Mulder's sister, The X-Files, Roswell and the origin of the show's Smoking Man.
Reminding audiences of decades-old disappointment probably wasn't the sort of nostalgia that was intended when when the notion of reviving The X-Files as a "six hour-event" was conceived, but, sadly, that's the impression.
There's every chance The X-Files's comeback run will improve... But this clumsy first episode leads you to wonder whether, in a wildly over-saturated TV landscape, there's room for a show which feels like little more than a beloved relic.
Regardless, hungry fans are probably thrilled to have the show back in whatever capacity. The smartest thing that this revival does is play to those fans, who will forgive its flaws, while limiting the run to a six-episode taste.
In the end, after the dust settles, it is nice to see these characters back. And to have "this world" back in our lives. Even if its heyday has come and gone.
Well, that was a decent bit of fun, even if it wasn't terribly believable from a character perspective. Or from any other perspective, for that matter.
