The Truth Is Not Out There

Maybe it’s part of a conspiracy to make us not believe?

Fox has announced they’re bringing back The X-Files, a move I’m unsurprised by after the finale of the six episode special. And something that after watching those six episodes, I do not want.

When I was a kid, I watched the X-Files with no lights on,dans la maison, hoping the smokey man was in this one. I loved everything about it. I loved the hunt for truth. I loved the chemistry between Mulder and Scully. I wanted to be besties with The Lone Gunmen. And although I fell off around season seven, I was still excited when Fox announced the six episode special. My husband and I started rewatching the old episodes on Netflix in anticipation. We turned off the lights to watch the newest episode….and I was disappointed.

Back in the 90s, the show made sense. Conspiracy theories weren’t something we came across on Facebook everyday. We didn’t see truthers and birthers and anti-vaxxers all over the place. It made the show feel edgy and fresh. It made me feel like I was in on a secret. And most importantly, it made me think. This latest continuation though? It was like reading the wall of that crazy guy you kinda knew in high school’s Facebook page, down to “the government is giving us diseases through vaccines.”

I could have probably gotten past that, just suspended disbelief for an hour and pretended I was still a kid sitting in the dark hoping to be scared. But the chemistry between Mulder and Scully was all off. I just, didn’t believe it anymore. I wanted to believe. I just couldn’t.

I’ll probably give this continuation one more try. To see if it gets better. To see if Mulder and Scully can get some of that old chemistry back. I’m not optimistic. It’ll likely be back to Netflix for me.