Case 8.5, File 04: Like Water For Octane

AKA: Oh Shit, I Just Realized I've Never Seen Like Water For Chocolate

One of the core issues The X-Files (and by extension, The Lone Gunmen) has to work around is that the heroes can't actually win, which is a bigger problem than you might think. Mulder and Scully (or Doggett or Reyes) can't actually get proof of aliens or monster, and the Lone Gunmen can't get real proof of their various conspiracies, or the world will change in ways the show isn't willing to deal with, so the series has to walk the line of having a satisfying story, while still maintaining the status quo, which is hard to maintain.

Case 8.5, File 03: Eine Kleine Frohike

AKA: That's Some Real Bad German

Three or four episodes in is usually the point when a series can stop setting up its character dynamics and worlds and just get down to the business of what we're going to be doing week to week, and as such can usually function as something of mission statement; 3 episodes in was The X-Files hit Squeeze, which is one of the best early episodes. So now that we've got our basic setup (with Jimmy added to the crew) it's time for us to see what the show is going to try to be.

Case 8.5, File 02: Bond, Jimmy Bond

AKA: There Are Just People With The Name "James Bond" Out There, Right?

One of the first things a spinoff has to do is get its own cast up and running. Leeching too heavily or too obviously off the main cast can cripple both shows, as you're pulling too much from the original's fabric and risking falling prey to existing cast dynamics. It's worth noting that one of the more successful spinoffs of the 21st century (Angel) only pulled one other main character, and a tertiary character a bit down the line. And even if The Lone Gunmen wanted to pull characters from The X-Files, it just plain doesn't have that many secondary characters it can spare. The writers have to create their own cast from scratch.

Case 8.5, File 01: Pilot

AKA: There's No Jokey AKA I Can Do Here That Isn't Way Too Dark

Spinoffs are, in the modern TV era, kind of in a weird spot. TV execs love them, and not just because they used to soft test new TV show concepts in other shows (seriously, look up how many spinoffs Happy Days had). It seems like a foolproof way to make a new show; Take an element people like from an existing show, and build a new show around it. In practice it's not that simple. Often times the element in question was only ever really functional as part of the larger ensemble and just because people like it, doesn't mean it's enough to anchor a full tv show.

Case 08, File 14: This is Not Happening

AKA: Holy Shit, Mulder's Off The Spaceship

Although it seems in retrospect that Duchovny's return to The X-Files was as inevitable as the tides, when the Season Seven finale was written, they were trying to thread the needle of creating an exit that would let them bring back Mulder if they could reach an agreement with Duchovny while also keeping him away without having to explain too much if the agreement fell through. But when they managed to get Duchovny secured, they all knew they couldn't keep giving him cameos and flashbacks forever; Eventually they'd have to figure out how to bring him back to the main plot.

Case 08, File 13: Per Manum

 AKA: Is An It's Alive Reference Here Too Esoteric?

While I've been pretty obviously bummed out about Duchovny's departure from the series, it's nothing compared to what the series has been going through. The series is caught between the desire to move on and make a clean break from the Duchovny era and feeling completely lost without the actor and relationship that used to be the anchor that they could build scripts around. And while that's not necessarily the worst place to be in, their terror to move on has led to them failing to actually build on what should be the new core partnership.

Case 08, File 12: Medusa

 AKA: All Of My Attempts To Write This AKA Turned Into Covid Jokes

One thing that I think helped The X-Files gain so many fans and stay so popular is that, while its primary influence is horror, that's not the only thing it draws inspiration from. Romance, comedy, action, and especially thriller are all big parts of its DNA and what that means is that, depending on what you want out of an episode (or depending on what your actors strengths are) The X-Files can probably find something for you.