I knew something was amiss with the new X Files but until the third episode I couldn't exactly work out what it was. At first I thought it was poor pacing and a tired David Duchovny that made the show seem less interesting and less fun ... and while that is still somewhat true the primary problem is this;
The XFiles is now a comedy. A bad, cheesy comedy for all of the wrong reasons. It seems that somewhere along the line the people responsible for the Xfiles revival have decided that monsters, aliens and conspiracy theories are all a little bit embarrassing. To be sure the idea of a grown man (now 50ish) believing in such things is silly ... it always has been. But the original series tackled this somewhat silly premise with a seriousness that gave it charm. It was exciting to watch, bit by bit, as Mulder's childish fixations on fantastic beings and situations are justified - his tenacious quest for the truth, no matter how crazy, was serious business. The fact that Mulder believed in monsters was absolutely embarrassing to all of those around him ... but the unabashed presentation of these monsters, aliens and conspiracies as, ultimately, truth (Or as close to truth as the XFiles can get) is what made the XFiles exciting. As a result the show itself was never embarrassing. There was a belief and commitment to the fictional world of the XFiles from the creative folks behind the series.
This is glaringly absent in the new series. Particularly this episode. The script writers seem embarrassed. Mulder doesn't speak the way Mulder would speak - he speaks the way a script writer embarrassed by silly monsters and aliens would talk. In fact - EVERYBODY talks that way in this episode. Why? Because, clearly, the premise of the XFiles has been declared embarrassing and unfit to be presented seriously (Similar to the original Evil Dead). As such it has been retooled as a comedy that seems self-aware of how cheesy it is. It's no wonder David Duchovny seems to really not want to be in front of the camera every time we see him.
This is probably long-winded but I was really excited to see the XFiles making a return and I'm very disappointed by what I have seen so far. I do hope the series picks up but it seems like this is a conscious choice to take the series in this direction. Fox Mulder deserves so much more than this.
The XFiles is now a comedy. A bad, cheesy comedy for all of the wrong reasons. It seems that somewhere along the line the people responsible for the Xfiles revival have decided that monsters, aliens and conspiracy theories are all a little bit embarrassing. To be sure the idea of a grown man (now 50ish) believing in such things is silly ... it always has been. But the original series tackled this somewhat silly premise with a seriousness that gave it charm. It was exciting to watch, bit by bit, as Mulder's childish fixations on fantastic beings and situations are justified - his tenacious quest for the truth, no matter how crazy, was serious business. The fact that Mulder believed in monsters was absolutely embarrassing to all of those around him ... but the unabashed presentation of these monsters, aliens and conspiracies as, ultimately, truth (Or as close to truth as the XFiles can get) is what made the XFiles exciting. As a result the show itself was never embarrassing. There was a belief and commitment to the fictional world of the XFiles from the creative folks behind the series.
This is glaringly absent in the new series. Particularly this episode. The script writers seem embarrassed. Mulder doesn't speak the way Mulder would speak - he speaks the way a script writer embarrassed by silly monsters and aliens would talk. In fact - EVERYBODY talks that way in this episode. Why? Because, clearly, the premise of the XFiles has been declared embarrassing and unfit to be presented seriously (Similar to the original Evil Dead). As such it has been retooled as a comedy that seems self-aware of how cheesy it is. It's no wonder David Duchovny seems to really not want to be in front of the camera every time we see him.
This is probably long-winded but I was really excited to see the XFiles making a return and I'm very disappointed by what I have seen so far. I do hope the series picks up but it seems like this is a conscious choice to take the series in this direction. Fox Mulder deserves so much more than this.