I don't think Chris Carter thinks Mulder and Scully have to be back working for the FBI in the old basement office - he steadfastly refrained from doing that in IWTB… but the vocal critics seemed to want the old status quo. I'm sure FOX will have had plenty of notes on the new series, chief among them to restet Mulder…

Got to disagree. The X-Files just wouldn't work as a set of standalone MOTWs without the mythology spine to give it some weight and importance - it just wouldn't make sense for Mulder & Scully to be investigating random monsters again without a greater purpose bringing them out of retirement. Previous mythology…

Just because Tad O'Malley is trying to convince Mulder of his theories, doesn't mean the series is saying it's true. He's clearly an unreliable character who is SUPPOSED to come across as one of the lunatic fringe. Whether all, or even part of what he claims turns out to be valid remains to be seen. Even Rance…

You can't go wrong by lowering your expectations! I'd argue that the mythology holds up a lot better than people give it credit for though - the S8 arc in particular is excellent. In any case, you couldn't really launch a new series with a MOTW, it just wouldn't work. You need a big kick starting event to bring…

Carter didn't direct the finale, the late great Kim Manners did. I Want to Believe was co-written with Frank Spotnitz and is hugely underrated for my money. Even if you weren't keen on the story, you can't deny it looked breathtaking in the snow. Seems harsh to dismiss Carter when he wrote and directed such…

Well, that's one reading, but I think it's very unfair. There's nothing in the content of the film that passes any kind of judgement on the characters' sexuality, and you could have made them a heterosexual couple without changing a line of dialogue. Contrast with the extreme comic stereotype of Steve and Edie in…

But the film never once even comes close to suggesting anything like that.

That would only be a problem if the movie implied a causal relationship between the abuse and the victim's sexuality. It does not, in any way shape or form. Gay people are no more or less likely to be victims of abuse than anybody else. If anything, it was refreshing to see a married homosexual couple who were…

How is it offensive? The transplant is solely about survival, not gender or sexuality. They targeted people with a rare blood group who might be viable for transplant, solely so Franz would live - they weren't making a designer body just because they could. No one was claiming it as an ideal scenario or a perfect…

Yet Mulder chooses to come out of hiding, risking his safety to save an innocent FBI agent and almost dies to stop the killers. Scully goes above and beyond to pioneer a radical surgery to save her patient. Neither selfish nor passive. Confused how anyone could read it that way. Agree that it's probably for the…

It's such a mature, intimate little horror movie. It was never going to be a popcorn blockbuster on a shoestring budget, especially given the ultimatum issued by the studio ahead of the looming WGA strike. To its credit, the film eschewsed all generic expectations and told a story that had grown up along with its…

Season 8 was a return to form, breathed fresh life into the show with Robert Patrick.

Nah, Season 7 was worse.

You're by no means the only one.

Annet Mahendru and Kumail Nanjiani guest star, amongst others.

"The same government that brought us Amtrak…?!"
"…not to mention the Susan B. Anthony dollar."

Watch the pilot, Gehenna, Lamentation, Powers Principalities Thrones and Dominions - as harrowing and affecting hours of television you're ever likely to see on a broadcast network.

I haven't seen the premiere yet so I can't argue specifics, but it's still the least straightforward episode to write of the new series. Any other standalone can start from scratch and do anything it wants, hit the ground running with a unique story and not have to worry about servicing any other agenda. The premiere…

A pair of Jehova's Witnesses and Mulder and Scully's stunt doubles beat the crap out of each other. At least it's not dull.

Personally, I'd take a fresh, committed and energised Doggett over a half-arsed Mulder phoning it in. Reyes never quite established herself as effectively - the Scully/Doggett partnership always worked better for me. There's not much in it, but the one thing that edges S9 out over S7 for me is the darker, scary tone,…