X-Files Season X
So I never watched an episode of X-Files before this, but I did watch the movies out of morbid curiosity. The first episode peaked my interest and made me want to continue watching the new season. Episodes 2-4 caught my interest completely, it scratched my sci-fi itch perfectly. It actually makes me want to go and watch the show in its entirety. The fight episode seemed out of place and a bit strange with using suicide bombing as it's main idea. It was the type of episode that you've seen in any other TV show post 9/11, but with loose sci-fi shenanigans attached to it. And now we get to the famously season finale to the show, episode 6. I knew going in that the final episode was going to be terrible, but I had to see it for myself. I've seen plenty of terrible season finales, the most recent was from one of my most beloved series, Showtime series "Dexter." This is spoiler territory so be forewarned. The episode introduced a unique idea in the fact that the human race post Roswell had their DNA tampered with. Essentially the government or (Cigarette Smoking Man) can kill humanity with the flick of a switch whilst saving a select few. This plays with the idea that humankind's fate was chosen for them. However, this unique sci-fi idea falls apart quicker than an episode of "Lost." Scully is stuck with trying to come up with a vaccine to the "illness" and spends the entire episode doing this. The rest of the episode is intertwined with a YouTube conspiracy theorist (Joel McChale) giving live reports on what is going on. Hid screen time was heavy for the episode and it was unnecessary, I didn't care about his opinions at this point. Mulder goes to confront "Ole Smokey" to find out why he sent someone to kill him. Mulder has a gun on him the entire time and could kill him at any time. Smokey reveals that he's doing this so he could play God or not play God? This is where it get confusing, there is no motivation revealed on why he wants to kill the human race, save for a select few. Mulder could kill him with little consequence as Smokey doesn't have any pros to why he should be kept alive. Scully eventually comes up with a vaccine that can cure the infection. Mulder is deathly ill and is saved from Smokey and taking a bridge where Scully finds him. She goes on to say that he is to far gone for the vaccine and will require stem cells from their (abducted by aliens) son. It's at this point the the season finale is just beginning, however I accidentally swiped the mouse and saw the runtime at 40:45-42:05. I immediately started getting upset as there is a lot to tie in in less than a minute of the final episode. After this a UFO appears to which everyone witnesses on the bridge including Mulder and Scully. The final shot focuses on Scullys face before cutting to black. That was how it ended, with a terrible cliffhanger. It had so much build up and potential to this final shot and they wasted it. This couldve been classified as laughably bad at this point if they had Mulder say, "I do believe." It missed that opportunity and it turned out to be the worst cliffhanger I have ever seen in my life. This season finale should've been spread over at least three episodes in total. It had so much potential to be good, to have those final moments of it being real. If it had ended like that we wouldn't be running the risk of the next season starting with a cop-out, such as people minds being erased to avoid witnesses of the UFO, leaving Mulder the only conspiracy theorist again. So much wasted potential, just a shame. Also so much anger. I wasn't even a die hard fan of the show and i feel sorry for the fans that were. What a terrible way to end a revival that people have been waiting for the past 15 years.