Case 07, File 01: The Sixth Extinction

AKA: The Mulder School For Gifted Youngers

The seventh season of a show is almost always a transitory period. Many well known shows (Parks and Rec, 30 Rock) called it quits at the end of their seventh season. Other shows that continued on had major shifts happen at the end of their seventh seasons; Larry David left Seinfeld at the end of their seventh season, Steve Carell left The Office at the same time in their show. And hanging over The X-Files Season 7, like the Sword of Damocles is the fact of David Duchovny's exit at the end of the season.

Case 06, File 22: Biogenesis

AKA: No TV And No Beer Make Mulder Go Crazy

There inevitably comes a point in a plot heavy series where, no matter how much you try to trim the cast or simplify the concept, the weight of all the stuff that comes before it will overwhelm it and two things will happen: First is that the ongoing plot will become completely incoherent to newcomers and the second is that, in order to keep the ongoing plot going without resolving it (because resolving it would end the series) you have to begin to pull more and more outlandish stuff to keep it running. And I'm not going to say we've reached that point here. I probably will later in the review though, you should keep reading.

Case 06, File 21: Field Trip

AKA: I'm In The Goo!

"It was all just a dream" is a hard plot twist to pull off, and frankly most of the time, I think you shouldn't even try. Most of the time it tends to feel cheap, like an easy rug pull or just a way to keep its story from mattering in the long run, and even when you can pull it off, they tend to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Dream plots tend to work when them being dreams is an integral part of the plot, and when it's a way to explore a character's personality.