Case 11, File 01: My Struggle III

 AKA: This Is Why You Plan How To Handle A Season Finale Ahead

The X-Files' odd mix of overarching story and episodic adventures means that the status quo has to be god, but it also can't feel like it's god. Mulder and Scully can get kicked off the X-Files, Scully can get abducted, the Conspiracy can get incinerated, but at the end of the day we have to get back to Mulder and Scully (or, I guess, whoever our agents are) fighting monsters. But when you reset us back to zero, it can't be too obvious that that's what you're doing. Cause if it is...hoo boy.

Case 10, File 06: My Struggle II

AKA: An Anti-Vaxxer's Worst Nightmare

If The X-Files is to keep grinding on, it has to maintain a fairly delicate balance; Mulder and Scully can't fail, precisely, but they can't succeed either. If the conspiracy fails, if aliens and supernatural monsters are revealed, then the status quo would shift so entirely, it would be basically an entirely different show. But if the conspiracy feels too all powerful, like Mulder and Scully's actions don't matter, then the show would just get depressing and boring. So you have to use a light touch, a scalpel, if you will. Which is why it's always so interesting to see Myth Arc episodes that just go ahead and use a Buster Sword.

Case 10, File 05: Babylon

AKA: I Did Not Want An X-Files Version Of 24

The X-Files went off the air, the first time around, in May of 2002, 9 months after 9/11. For the next 8 years, the threat of Islamic terrorism would be such a dominant force in the American psyche that we still use it as a shorthand for irredeemable evil to this day. The X-Files, being dormant for almost of all of that (except for the 2nd movie) meant that it missed the height of Islamophobia in this country. Not sure why they decided they wanted to take a swing at it though.

Case 10, File 04: Home Again

 AKA: Jiggity Jig? I Dunno Why It's Called That

The revival season of The X-Files has a weird relationship with its age. It wants to constantly call back to the original series, reference their tone and monsters and just let us have fun with Mulder and Scully again (let's not kid ourselves, these two seasons didn't get made because they had a bold continuation of the story that needed to be told, they got made because people were nostalgic for The X-Files). But it's also clearly aware of how much time has passed, how much the world has changed since 2002 and to its credit, it does feel like the show wants to move the story forward, engage with those changes. It just might find out that those two desires don't go together great.