Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
It was a dense episode, and one that had Mulder and Scully kicking a lot more butt than they used to. It made the episode feel exhausting, but in a good way.
It suggests that things are looking up for season 11. Just because the characters are dreading the future doesn't mean the audience should dread following them there.
Morgan, to his credit, achieves some stirring visuals, especially in a parking garage meeting between Mulder, Scully and Skinner, finding endless angles through which to convey a sense of paranoia and surveillance.
Part of "This" feel a bit like a standalone episode edited down to fit into a mythology entry, which can be frustrating. And yet the more I think about it, the more I appreciate what it achieves.
Last week's sloppy premiere got season 11 off to a rough start, but the state of The X-Files is looking much brighter after this Glen Morgan-penned (and directed) hour.
"This" is so much better than last week's premiere. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are even more on point as Mulder and Scully that I had flashbacks to seasons two and three.
