TBH - this was a pretty good farewell for Mulder and Scully. It could have been more - but if this was the last time we ever see them on screen this was a fitting way for them to be seen. I don't care what anyone says, this was a very respectable final image of the two after their over twenty year journey together as the characters. I hope to see them back one day - I'd love a season 12 - but if it ends here we got two seasons with a handful of good X-Files episodes and a final moment that was a decent way to end it all.
45 Reviews
"What if this is our last good chance?"
classicsoncall7 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not going to be as harsh as some of the reviewers for this episode and the entire final season (if it is final, you just never know with the X-Files). The show had a dynamic run for at least the first seven seasons, and I was a pretty devoted fan throughout. The finale here had you coming out with the same kind of ambiguity and lack of closure that was a staple of the series, and did offer the prospect of a continued run if the principals are somehow able to come together. It would be interesting to take a poll - is the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) really dead, dead, dead, or is he comic book dead? Will Scully and Mulder find true happiness in a relationship riddled with controversy and false starts over the course of their twenty five year relationship? Will Scully carry her pregnancy to full term or will some other conspiracy intervene? The way the series was written, anything could happen and the possibilities are endless. But I would be content if the X-Files simply ended right here and basked in the glory of television history. Farewell X-Files, it's been a fun ride.
I'm confused.
x-2329322 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Been a long time x-fans,I never truly understand the main plot of the show.I don't see mulder as a cold-blood killer,and what the hell Scully is doing the whole time???
skinner killed Monica,be killed by CSM,whom shot William,be shot bu mulder.And mulder killed who the hell know the fat guy is.???I just don't see the connection here,where is the virus anyway?
the only one I can understood is Krush,the rest of them are going crazy,bubbling some BS and do the chasing whole time for god knows why.
I love X-files ,but I can't believe this is how it ends.
I don't understand the hate
pmcguireumc31 December 2020
Just finished watching the final episode. I loved it! I know I am in the minority on this, but considering the characters have aged and all that has gone on, I thought it was a very good episode and a very good ending. Everyone survives and they grow and yeah there is some sadness but, in the end it is an episode in keeping with the characters growth. After all, the episode centered on Mulder finding peace in a purpose. I thought it ended with that so that being said I thought it was a pretty good episode.
way too fast paced/not how you end a series
alienf3tus22 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What an incredibly sloppy wrap up. It was just so convoluted with all these time jumps in the first half of the episode with too much info coming at you fast.
Has way too many action and sequences again, much like the last episode CC directed. I think this could've worked a lot better if it was split into two episodes or was double length like the season 9 finale in 2002. This entire episode is just a cat-and-mouse chase with literally no payoff at all.
So much in this seems pointless. Like why was Erika Price or Mr. Y in the series at all? Why did Jackson feel the need to prove that he had powers to that truck driver? Completely unnecessary. On the same note, his powers were so incredibly cheesy. Watching people randomly explode was just over the top and laughable.
The dialogue was also so cringe worthy and clunky. Drink every time Scully says "I know how it ends". I actually ironed when she tells muller that he's in "grave danger". Like seriously? Also, Scully has been built up over the years as this incredibly intelligent and respectable character, which was proven in the original run a countless number of times. Given this, why was she written so dumb in this? Like at the end on the docks, why didn't she know she was talking to William disguised as Mulder? She knows he can do that, so why didn't she realize it was him? There was no actual wrap up between them, she just decides that William was never meant to be and the episode ends.
Everything in this just didn't feel like it was really happening because everything happened so fast and abruptly. Everyone is just killed off suddenly and the characters seem to just accept it an move on instantly. Come to think of it, by the end of the episode, Mulder and Scully don't even know that Skinner or Reyes are dead. Speaking of, did they even actually die? what? why? its just so sudden I couldn't process everything happening. All these characters were so meticulously created 30 some years ago, just to have such meaningless deaths? I'm not buying it.
So much in this seems pointless. Like why was Erika Price or Mr. Y in the series at all? Why did Jackson feel the need to prove that he had powers to that truck driver? Completely unnecessary. On the same note, his powers were so incredibly cheesy. Watching people randomly explode was just over the top and laughable.
The dialogue was also so cringe worthy and clunky. Drink every time Scully says "I know how it ends". I actually ironed when she tells muller that he's in "grave danger". Like seriously? Also, Scully has been built up over the years as this incredibly intelligent and respectable character, which was proven in the original run a countless number of times. Given this, why was she written so dumb in this? Like at the end on the docks, why didn't she know she was talking to William disguised as Mulder? She knows he can do that, so why didn't she realize it was him? There was no actual wrap up between them, she just decides that William was never meant to be and the episode ends.
Everything in this just didn't feel like it was really happening because everything happened so fast and abruptly. Everyone is just killed off suddenly and the characters seem to just accept it an move on instantly. Come to think of it, by the end of the episode, Mulder and Scully don't even know that Skinner or Reyes are dead. Speaking of, did they even actually die? what? why? its just so sudden I couldn't process everything happening. All these characters were so meticulously created 30 some years ago, just to have such meaningless deaths? I'm not buying it.
I WANT TO BELIEVE
XweAponX27 May 2018
I just had to say it. I've been reading it on Mulder's poster since 1993. But today: I want to believe.
I waited until today to watch this. In fact, I took my time watching all of the episodes after "Kitten".
I felt that we deserved more than just 16 measly episodes. And although 10 episodes is better than 6, it's not 22. Which is what The X Files needs to tell any episodic story. 22 Episodes usually satisfies the most hard to please X-Phile. But 6 and then 10? It makes us picky. It makes us feel that Chris could have done better, when all he is doing is trying to write appropriate stories for these modern times.
Because the X Files is really not an episodic show, it has always been an Anthology. It is more Monster of the Week than what we have come to know as Mythos. But the Mythos is still important. But for 9 whole years, we were given 22 hours, some of them told the story that started back in "Deep Throat" and "Red Museum", others told the stories like Syzygy, War of the Coprophages, Ghost in the Machine, Kill Switch, and even Tithonus.
Sometimes, Chris Carter has made us angry with story lines that didn't seem to be anything. "That doesn't look like anything to me..." Other times, he did great. He wrote and directed a whole Theatrical release. It wasn't what we expected, but it was an X-File, and it did fit into the Mythos. And it also grossed us out. But 8 years after that, they give us the Televised version, but for only 6 episodes. Then only 10. And now, none, if Gillian keeps with her promise to never again be Skully. I wish I could talk her out of quitting- She wants to do more, to act more, but she's already done it. She's been in a lot, some good some great, some not so. Robot Overlords for cryin' out lout! But I loved her in that.
But here, is a subject people have been talking about since seasons 8 and 9: WILLIAM. We missed him, and the X-Files, for 8 years- well, not quite 8, then another 8. Time Enough for him to grow into a young man. But the infant that played Baby William in S8 and S9, had reddish hair. William has Dark Hair. But now that we know who his real Father is... Funny, because Mulder did not know this.
So. We had two factions vying for access to William. Maybe even 3 factions. The "Cancerman Faction" which was Cancerman, Monica Reyes, and Skinner- Which was focused on ending the Human race and starting over again, the "Y faction" headed by Mr Y (the creepy AC Peterson) and Barbara Hershey - I got the impression that they wanted to send "people" into space, but only their consciences (refer to episode "This"), although I don't know why in 10,000 blazes they thought they needed William for this, and then finally we have the X-Files Faction, Mulder and Skully, which is more like, William has been sending images to Skully.
All Three of these who are hunting William collide in this last X-File. Anyone to gets in Mulder's way in fact, he will knock them over. and William is not helpless.
Remember in Season 10 Episode 2? There was a Boy who could do very bad things if he put his mind to it. He had a sister, and together, they could cause some serious carnage- If provoked.
William came from the same source: And he's more powerful than the kids from Founder's Mutation.
Unfortunately, halfway through the episode, I figured out the ending William saw. I normally don't guess correctly, this time I did.
But now, we have an ending, or a new beginning, depending on how you look at it. Maybe Gillian will change her mind. But the ending music by Mark Snow is the same Music from "I want to believe", and hearing it here, it gives me hope. Maybe more X-Files will happen, we'll find out if Skully really is immortal. But this story, despite being the last X-File, gave me a good feeling. Just like the ending of last year's "Babylon", where we saw The Lone Gunmen's "Ghosts" partying with Mulder in a Texas Line-Dance bar. There is hope, that the things that are good in this world will win out over the bad. That we will have freedom and not at the expense of anyone else's freedom. Or Free Speech without anyone else's speech being hampered. And all it took were a few episodes of The X-Files to remind us of this. But now, that resource has been closed off. We just have to do it ourselves.
5-26-2018
I waited until today to watch this. In fact, I took my time watching all of the episodes after "Kitten".
I felt that we deserved more than just 16 measly episodes. And although 10 episodes is better than 6, it's not 22. Which is what The X Files needs to tell any episodic story. 22 Episodes usually satisfies the most hard to please X-Phile. But 6 and then 10? It makes us picky. It makes us feel that Chris could have done better, when all he is doing is trying to write appropriate stories for these modern times.
Because the X Files is really not an episodic show, it has always been an Anthology. It is more Monster of the Week than what we have come to know as Mythos. But the Mythos is still important. But for 9 whole years, we were given 22 hours, some of them told the story that started back in "Deep Throat" and "Red Museum", others told the stories like Syzygy, War of the Coprophages, Ghost in the Machine, Kill Switch, and even Tithonus.
Sometimes, Chris Carter has made us angry with story lines that didn't seem to be anything. "That doesn't look like anything to me..." Other times, he did great. He wrote and directed a whole Theatrical release. It wasn't what we expected, but it was an X-File, and it did fit into the Mythos. And it also grossed us out. But 8 years after that, they give us the Televised version, but for only 6 episodes. Then only 10. And now, none, if Gillian keeps with her promise to never again be Skully. I wish I could talk her out of quitting- She wants to do more, to act more, but she's already done it. She's been in a lot, some good some great, some not so. Robot Overlords for cryin' out lout! But I loved her in that.
But here, is a subject people have been talking about since seasons 8 and 9: WILLIAM. We missed him, and the X-Files, for 8 years- well, not quite 8, then another 8. Time Enough for him to grow into a young man. But the infant that played Baby William in S8 and S9, had reddish hair. William has Dark Hair. But now that we know who his real Father is... Funny, because Mulder did not know this.
So. We had two factions vying for access to William. Maybe even 3 factions. The "Cancerman Faction" which was Cancerman, Monica Reyes, and Skinner- Which was focused on ending the Human race and starting over again, the "Y faction" headed by Mr Y (the creepy AC Peterson) and Barbara Hershey - I got the impression that they wanted to send "people" into space, but only their consciences (refer to episode "This"), although I don't know why in 10,000 blazes they thought they needed William for this, and then finally we have the X-Files Faction, Mulder and Skully, which is more like, William has been sending images to Skully.
All Three of these who are hunting William collide in this last X-File. Anyone to gets in Mulder's way in fact, he will knock them over. and William is not helpless.
Remember in Season 10 Episode 2? There was a Boy who could do very bad things if he put his mind to it. He had a sister, and together, they could cause some serious carnage- If provoked.
William came from the same source: And he's more powerful than the kids from Founder's Mutation.
Unfortunately, halfway through the episode, I figured out the ending William saw. I normally don't guess correctly, this time I did.
But now, we have an ending, or a new beginning, depending on how you look at it. Maybe Gillian will change her mind. But the ending music by Mark Snow is the same Music from "I want to believe", and hearing it here, it gives me hope. Maybe more X-Files will happen, we'll find out if Skully really is immortal. But this story, despite being the last X-File, gave me a good feeling. Just like the ending of last year's "Babylon", where we saw The Lone Gunmen's "Ghosts" partying with Mulder in a Texas Line-Dance bar. There is hope, that the things that are good in this world will win out over the bad. That we will have freedom and not at the expense of anyone else's freedom. Or Free Speech without anyone else's speech being hampered. And all it took were a few episodes of The X-Files to remind us of this. But now, that resource has been closed off. We just have to do it ourselves.
5-26-2018
The world of the X-Files will continue to spin, with or without a Season 12, but what we got tonight was beautiful closure should this truly be the end for us as an audience.
joshbeatty-3994722 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
With over 25 years of history, including numerous unforgettable stand alone stories and a ritch, yet intentionally complex mythology arch, leaving you guessing and searching for the truth, we finally come to the end, at least for now. Chris Carter has said from the beginning that this series would follow these characters in the here and now, and he delivers. The last two seasons have a lot of controversy tied to them, with some fans having a difficult time adjusting to 2018 Mulder and Scully. These seasons were excellent in their delivery, from the mythology arch to the stand alones in-between. There were a lot of throwbacks, mixed with new and fresh material that recaptured the feel of the 90's, yet bringing it into a modern context. Starting with My Struggle I, the past isn't ignored, it's just that, the past. We learn what has happened in the time we last saw Mulder and Scully. The alien colonists have abandoned their plans, the Cancer Man has survived, Monica has turned and Mulder and Scully are estranged. Both agree to rejoin the FBI and X-Files, but their cause is not the same, their primary reason is not to uncover truths, but to find their son, William and the X-Files is their best option. This is evident in Mulder's caracter throughout seasons 10 & 11, he's still Mulder, but the search for truth isn't as important to him as it once was, the passion is deminished, that is until they come close to tracking down Wiliam, then we see the Mulder we all remember from the past, a driven, and obsessed man desporate to find the truth. For Mulder, William is the only truth that really matters now. In the finallie, Mulder finally comes to realize his truth, that William was not his son, nor was he Skully's. Like Emily, he was an experment. As heartbreaking as that was for fans, it was increased a thousand-fold for Mulder and Skully, a truly powerful moment. In a bid for power, CSM and the "New Cyndacite" try to track down William, to bring the colonists back or take the earth for themselves is somewhat ambiguous, but their plans fail, William destroyes the New Syndacite, leaving only CSM and Monica left . A.D. Kersh shuts down the X-Files for the third time, wether to protect Mulder and Scully or the FBI is unknown, but with Mulder and Scully on the run to track down William, Skinner redems himself by aligning with Mulder and Scully and in an act of redemption, looses his life protecting Mulder, Scully and William from Monica and CSM, but not before taking Monica out, leaving only Mulder, Scully, William and CSM left in a very intimate and final showdown. We finally see CSM's true colours when he kills Mulder in cold blood, only to reveal that he in fact killed William. Mulder witnessing this, is finally is able to pull the trigger and end CSM once and for all. With only Mulder and Scully left, Mulder states, "what an I if not a father?" Reafeming that William and Scully were all that really mattered to him at this point in his life. Scully gives him hope by revealing that although William is gone, that she is with child, his child. This is excellent closure. The world may continue to turn, but Samantha's story was resolved, the colonists are gone, CSM is dead, the world is safe, for now and although the X-Files may or may not remain open, both Mulder and Scully are finally at peace with it, ready to start a new chapter in their life with the hope of a new child, their child. This finalie even subtlety adds closure to Scully's dogmatic mythology in that the opening title implies that William is the second comming of Christ and alas we see him reserected from the water in the final scene. Although this finalie did not go out with an action packed bang like Independence Day, or filled with cameos like the season 9 finalie, it was perfect in the sense that this is where they were in their journey, it truly was the end of the line, nothing left to uncover, nothing left to prove, other than onle final confontation with CSM. Once this was concluded, Mulder and Scully were truly ready to close the book on the X-Files and begin a new chapter. This was truly closure for them. Yes there were suttle and ambiguous plot points that leave the door open for future X-Files , but should this be the end, Chris did what so many great and not so great series have failed to do time and time again, he respected the 25 year journey X-Files fans have been on and gave us closure, with open ended possibilities. This is no small feat. Thank you X-Files, what an amazing ride!!!
My Struggle... To Want To Believe. There Is A Lesson To Be Learnt...
darryl-jason26 March 2018
I'm going to try my best to avoid spoilers here.....
After reading the mixed reviews here about the series finale (& season 10 & 11 as a whole) I have to agree & disagree with a lot of the other reviewers input. I've been an avid fan of The X Files since it started in 1993 & I've come to really enjoy each individual episode as they've been shown. I must say I do prefer it when each episode tells a different story which is what you get mostly from the earlier seasons. It's when a storyline starts that's when the boat starts to rock!
We all have our favourite episodes (even our favourite seasons) but I have to admit I've found it quite difficult to connect with these last two seasons 10 & 11) I think it's mostly because there's so much character change in Mulder & Scully. They seem to have distanced from their original characteristics from the earlier seasons (1-9). It probably doesn't help that you have a 14 year gap between seasons 9 & 10. I always think a TV series works best when it's continuous & remains intact, but that doesn't seem to happen here. Whatever happened to Mulder & Scully doing their usual chasing through the woods, their investigations, their autopsies on bodies that suddenly flinch & come back to life etc, etc? We love that stuff!! You'll also notice, particularly in Season 11 how husky Gillian's voice has become - yeah sure she's older now but it's like she's smoked about 20 cigarettes during shooting her scenes. And the action, where's it all gone?
There is a lesson to be learnt here & I'm going to refer to another TV series from the 80's, if many of you will remember; Beauty & The Beast (1987-1990) starring Linda Hamilton & Ron Perlman. That ran for 3 seasons & somewhere during season 2, Hamilton suddenly broke the news to the producers that she wanted out of the show, therefore they had to quickly work around her departure - do they stop after Season 2 or carry on with Season 3 without her...? Ofcourse you can guess - they made the mistake of carrying on with Season 3 without her (bringing in a new female lead but not so much replacing her character). And ofcourse ratings started to drop, there's a reason Season 3 only had 12 episodes as an appose to Season 1 & 2 having 22 episodes each!
Now The X Files is more or less going down the same road & I can only hope that Chris Carter will read this someday & know that sometimes a TV series doesn't always work if you take one of the lead actors out of the show. Especially when you take Beauty out of Beauty and the Beast!
With Gillian Anderson's announcement that Season 11 is the end for her, Chris Carter has stated that there are more stories to tell - but he doesn't want to continue the show without her. So of course taking the X out of the File, you get David Duchovny alone; but do they bring in a new female lead or can they talk her into returning with one last Season 12 installment (will a pay rise tempt Anderson, ya think?) Who knows? At the end of the day, the fans have come to love Mulder & Scully as a couple of FBI Agents, together as one.
11 seasons, 217 episodes & 25 years later, is this the end of The X Files?
After reading the mixed reviews here about the series finale (& season 10 & 11 as a whole) I have to agree & disagree with a lot of the other reviewers input. I've been an avid fan of The X Files since it started in 1993 & I've come to really enjoy each individual episode as they've been shown. I must say I do prefer it when each episode tells a different story which is what you get mostly from the earlier seasons. It's when a storyline starts that's when the boat starts to rock!
We all have our favourite episodes (even our favourite seasons) but I have to admit I've found it quite difficult to connect with these last two seasons 10 & 11) I think it's mostly because there's so much character change in Mulder & Scully. They seem to have distanced from their original characteristics from the earlier seasons (1-9). It probably doesn't help that you have a 14 year gap between seasons 9 & 10. I always think a TV series works best when it's continuous & remains intact, but that doesn't seem to happen here. Whatever happened to Mulder & Scully doing their usual chasing through the woods, their investigations, their autopsies on bodies that suddenly flinch & come back to life etc, etc? We love that stuff!! You'll also notice, particularly in Season 11 how husky Gillian's voice has become - yeah sure she's older now but it's like she's smoked about 20 cigarettes during shooting her scenes. And the action, where's it all gone?
There is a lesson to be learnt here & I'm going to refer to another TV series from the 80's, if many of you will remember; Beauty & The Beast (1987-1990) starring Linda Hamilton & Ron Perlman. That ran for 3 seasons & somewhere during season 2, Hamilton suddenly broke the news to the producers that she wanted out of the show, therefore they had to quickly work around her departure - do they stop after Season 2 or carry on with Season 3 without her...? Ofcourse you can guess - they made the mistake of carrying on with Season 3 without her (bringing in a new female lead but not so much replacing her character). And ofcourse ratings started to drop, there's a reason Season 3 only had 12 episodes as an appose to Season 1 & 2 having 22 episodes each!
Now The X Files is more or less going down the same road & I can only hope that Chris Carter will read this someday & know that sometimes a TV series doesn't always work if you take one of the lead actors out of the show. Especially when you take Beauty out of Beauty and the Beast!
With Gillian Anderson's announcement that Season 11 is the end for her, Chris Carter has stated that there are more stories to tell - but he doesn't want to continue the show without her. So of course taking the X out of the File, you get David Duchovny alone; but do they bring in a new female lead or can they talk her into returning with one last Season 12 installment (will a pay rise tempt Anderson, ya think?) Who knows? At the end of the day, the fans have come to love Mulder & Scully as a couple of FBI Agents, together as one.
11 seasons, 217 episodes & 25 years later, is this the end of The X Files?
An astonishingly incredible finale that leaves endless possibilities for the future of the show.
tresm8722 March 2018
This season started out with a fantastic bang with the overall story arc and I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic turns that "My Struggle 3' dramatically took. As the season rolled on it seemed to take a mediocre turn with the next 3 eps until the mysterious "ghouli" episode that worked into the arc decently well. The next 3 were pretty solid especially "familiar" which felt like the most authentic classic X files episode we've gotten for years.The second to last was rather forgettable, but this season finale was one of the most intensely powerful and exciting episodes of the entire series. It starts off from the get go with high octane pacing and action with Mulder and Scully pursuing William. Through many twists and enthralling sequences it culminates into a truly massive set of important events that shake the entire mythos arc to the core and contain some moments and things you will never see coming. It has some of the most well executed action the show has ever seen as well as some of the most brutal imagery that elevates the story's crucial magnitude near flawlessly. I'm amazed they packed all of this into one episode, but they did it awesomely and in a very satisfying concluding fashion. With an ending that pulls at your heartstrings with multiple different factors, you will most likely feel a sense of closure and extreme curiosity if the series will continue. It leaves a huge door open for future possibility even if the wonderful Gillian Anderson won't be apart of it sadly.
Mixed bag but overall good
gmoxie22 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Based on what I have read, this served as the finale for the entire series and what's good is that there seemed to be some closure rather than a big cliffhanger like we saw at the end of season 10. Now, I realize that Smoking Man has "died" before but somehow survived, and it's possible Skinner wasn't killed, and we know that even though William was shot, he survived in the end, and the X Files has been shut down before, then reopened, so it's always possible that the series could some how be continued, but this episode felt like a suitable ending point. In addition, the possible devastating future as envisioned by Scully/William and which was going to be implemented by Smoking Man won't happen. It's time for Mulder and Scully to move on with their lives and let go of the X Files. Mulder seemed to have already let go of much of his drive to find the truth about government coverups and powerful group (syndicate) activities; his mission has been more focused on finding William. Personally, I loved his journey in pursuit of the truth within the mythologies and less interested in the monster of the week and shipper aspects of Mulder and Scully.
As for the mixed bag part, the episode seemed somewhat rushed, with some editing that wasn't the best, and with a lot of running and fast driving scenes (I realize some viewers love that kind of action though). Near the end, I'm not sure if the scene where Scully was talking with "Mulder" who was actually William was supposed to be a later shock to audience but it was very obvious this was William all along -- why didn't she catch on? And again, I think the audience knew right away that Smoking Man was talking with William, not Mulder, when Smoking Man shot him. Not a surprise. All in all, I think this could have been better as a two episode finale, or how about a two hour slot for the finale of this show that has captured our interest for so many years? Well, too late now.
Bizarre series finale
mattiasflgrtll613 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Mulder and Scully make a final attempt to find William before the government agents or worse, Cigarette Smoking Man does so first. The alien virus is also still spreading throughout the country.
Probably the biggest redeeming factor here is the acting. Even though they get some questionable material to work with, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis are still as sharp as ever. If nothing else, it's nice to see them play these characters for the last time.
But out of all the mythology episodes I've seen, this one rushes things through like no other. Information is given at the quickest possible time, there's an endless amount of action sequences and events that should be given room to breathe are completely brushed over.
I thought the scene where Mulder just killed five people at once was really weird. Sure he's sometimes had to kill someone out of absolute necessity, but he was never just an unflinching assassin.
I'll only mention the alien virus epidemic briefly, because there's really not much to talk about. Scully calls Tad O'Malley and gives him new important info about the virus, which he writes into his show. And then... it's never followed up on. Did the virus stop? Is it still spreading? I guess we'll never find out!
William is much more of a caricature here than in Ghouli. In that episode he was a frightened young child who just wanted to be left alone since he's afraid of what he might do. But here we have a scene where he rides with a truck driver and he turns into a monster just to impress him. I thought he wanted to *avoid* using his powers, why would he use them when it's not even neccessary?
He also gets a lot of clichéd teen angsty dialogue such as "You don't understand" and "You're not helping. You're leading them to me." He tells one of the girls he's friends with he's tired of running, yet when Mulder wants to help him he doesn't even give him a chance and runs away from him anyway?
Skinner's role was pretty much useless. CSM tells him to give him William, which he doesn't want to do. Fair enough. Then he decides to help Scully find Mulder and William, but then bumps into CSM and Monica. He shoots Monica, then gets run over by a car. That's literally it. Our beloved Walter Skinner gets unceremoniously run over by a car, and then immediately it cuts back to a chase scene. He deserved much, much more than that.
Speaking of Monica, her entire storyline during season 10 and 11 has made no sense at all. Although she bugged me at times, she was a nice person in 8 and 9 who cared deeply about Doggett, Mulder and Scully. Hell, she even helped Scully give birth to her child. Then in the season 10 premiere she's suddenly turned evil, and you keep waiting for an explanation as to why. But it never comes. And she too gets killed off very undramatically.
But the final dagger comes with the ending. Scully thinks she finds Mulder, but it turns out to be William in disguise telling her to leave it alone. When Mulder enters the Old Sugar Factory, he runs away. He continues chasing William, but CSM shoots him before he can make it in time. Angry at him for shooting his son (even though it's technically CSM's son, but I hated that reveal already in the season 11 premiere, so won't go over that), Mulder fires several bullets at CSM, who drops dead into the water. Or so we assume at least, we all know that damn Smoking Man is invincible.
Now, here's what I really, really hate: Because they couldn't save William from Cigarette Smoking Man's wrath, Scully tells Mulder he's not really their son and "wasn't meant to be". This is really poor and out-of-character writing. Scully cared about William more than anyone else in the whole world. That's why she regretted giving him up for adoption, she started questioning whether he really was safe or not. She should be shaking, crying at the thought of never getting him back.
The following twist that Mulder has gotten her pregnant (yes, it's actually his child this time) could have potentionally been sweet, but the dialogue is so poorly written that it doesn't resonate with me.
"That's impossible." "I know. I know it is. It's more than impossible."
What does she have to speak in codes for? It's really not that hard to just say "Mulder, I'm carrying your child." She makes it sound like she got pregnant by some invisible force.
And let's not even talk about the incredibly eyerollworthy final shot where William turns out to still be alive, rising up from the water like a swamp monster.
In the end, I'm not sure what makes me sadder. The fact that I've finished the entire series and will never get to see my favorite FBI agents again, or that they got such a poor and inconclusive ending. Even though the season 9 finale didn't answer all questions, it had a lot of sweet moments between them and felt like a love letter to all the loyal fans sticking with it all these years.
I recommend watching the bonus feature where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson interview each other about the last year. It's pretty cute and leaves you with a warmer feeling than this episode.
Probably the biggest redeeming factor here is the acting. Even though they get some questionable material to work with, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis are still as sharp as ever. If nothing else, it's nice to see them play these characters for the last time.
But out of all the mythology episodes I've seen, this one rushes things through like no other. Information is given at the quickest possible time, there's an endless amount of action sequences and events that should be given room to breathe are completely brushed over.
I thought the scene where Mulder just killed five people at once was really weird. Sure he's sometimes had to kill someone out of absolute necessity, but he was never just an unflinching assassin.
I'll only mention the alien virus epidemic briefly, because there's really not much to talk about. Scully calls Tad O'Malley and gives him new important info about the virus, which he writes into his show. And then... it's never followed up on. Did the virus stop? Is it still spreading? I guess we'll never find out!
William is much more of a caricature here than in Ghouli. In that episode he was a frightened young child who just wanted to be left alone since he's afraid of what he might do. But here we have a scene where he rides with a truck driver and he turns into a monster just to impress him. I thought he wanted to *avoid* using his powers, why would he use them when it's not even neccessary?
He also gets a lot of clichéd teen angsty dialogue such as "You don't understand" and "You're not helping. You're leading them to me." He tells one of the girls he's friends with he's tired of running, yet when Mulder wants to help him he doesn't even give him a chance and runs away from him anyway?
Skinner's role was pretty much useless. CSM tells him to give him William, which he doesn't want to do. Fair enough. Then he decides to help Scully find Mulder and William, but then bumps into CSM and Monica. He shoots Monica, then gets run over by a car. That's literally it. Our beloved Walter Skinner gets unceremoniously run over by a car, and then immediately it cuts back to a chase scene. He deserved much, much more than that.
Speaking of Monica, her entire storyline during season 10 and 11 has made no sense at all. Although she bugged me at times, she was a nice person in 8 and 9 who cared deeply about Doggett, Mulder and Scully. Hell, she even helped Scully give birth to her child. Then in the season 10 premiere she's suddenly turned evil, and you keep waiting for an explanation as to why. But it never comes. And she too gets killed off very undramatically.
But the final dagger comes with the ending. Scully thinks she finds Mulder, but it turns out to be William in disguise telling her to leave it alone. When Mulder enters the Old Sugar Factory, he runs away. He continues chasing William, but CSM shoots him before he can make it in time. Angry at him for shooting his son (even though it's technically CSM's son, but I hated that reveal already in the season 11 premiere, so won't go over that), Mulder fires several bullets at CSM, who drops dead into the water. Or so we assume at least, we all know that damn Smoking Man is invincible.
Now, here's what I really, really hate: Because they couldn't save William from Cigarette Smoking Man's wrath, Scully tells Mulder he's not really their son and "wasn't meant to be". This is really poor and out-of-character writing. Scully cared about William more than anyone else in the whole world. That's why she regretted giving him up for adoption, she started questioning whether he really was safe or not. She should be shaking, crying at the thought of never getting him back.
The following twist that Mulder has gotten her pregnant (yes, it's actually his child this time) could have potentionally been sweet, but the dialogue is so poorly written that it doesn't resonate with me.
"That's impossible." "I know. I know it is. It's more than impossible."
What does she have to speak in codes for? It's really not that hard to just say "Mulder, I'm carrying your child." She makes it sound like she got pregnant by some invisible force.
And let's not even talk about the incredibly eyerollworthy final shot where William turns out to still be alive, rising up from the water like a swamp monster.
In the end, I'm not sure what makes me sadder. The fact that I've finished the entire series and will never get to see my favorite FBI agents again, or that they got such a poor and inconclusive ending. Even though the season 9 finale didn't answer all questions, it had a lot of sweet moments between them and felt like a love letter to all the loyal fans sticking with it all these years.
I recommend watching the bonus feature where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson interview each other about the last year. It's pretty cute and leaves you with a warmer feeling than this episode.
Can the Bills win...
merrimacga16 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
...now that CSM is dead?
As endings go, assuming this really is the end of the series once and for all, this wasn't half bad. Sure, the whole alien invasion hasn't been resolved and the episode was so packed, it really was a bit rushed. But a lot was concluded. Presumably, Mulder and Scully, now that they're finally expecting a child of their own, have turned the page and are done with the X files at least, if not also the FBI and government work in general. They've earned their retirement and then some. Plus who is left that they care about? Presumably Skinner is dead and we know both the CSM and Reyes are. Deep Throat, Mr. X, Krycek, The Syndicate, Pendrell and The Lone Gunmen are all long gone and does anyone really miss Covarrubias or Doggett? Spender and Kersh are still around but, if anything, they're reasons for our heroes to stay away. And William? Well, as far as they know, he's dead and they're not likely to go looking for him again and we can be pretty sure he's going to lay a lot lower than he was before now. Our heroes' families are a lot smaller too. Mulder only has Spender, Scully and the unborn left. And Scully only has her two brothers, Mulder and the unborn.
No, if the X files unit is to continue, it should be as season 10 proposed, only perhaps with two agents other than Einstein and Miller and another decade and a half later (real time). No offense...they were likeable enough I suppose but not really well written or used, which I'm sure is part of the reason they only returned for one episode in season 11.
Yes, let's let our heroes walk maturely holding hands into the sunset, living happily ever after with normal, fully human offspring never again to be confronted by aliens, hybrids, monsters, conspiracies, secret societies or corrupt government officials.
And let's let CSM remain dead so the Bullafo Bills can go to the Super Bowl and finally win it...perhaps in 2019?
As endings go, assuming this really is the end of the series once and for all, this wasn't half bad. Sure, the whole alien invasion hasn't been resolved and the episode was so packed, it really was a bit rushed. But a lot was concluded. Presumably, Mulder and Scully, now that they're finally expecting a child of their own, have turned the page and are done with the X files at least, if not also the FBI and government work in general. They've earned their retirement and then some. Plus who is left that they care about? Presumably Skinner is dead and we know both the CSM and Reyes are. Deep Throat, Mr. X, Krycek, The Syndicate, Pendrell and The Lone Gunmen are all long gone and does anyone really miss Covarrubias or Doggett? Spender and Kersh are still around but, if anything, they're reasons for our heroes to stay away. And William? Well, as far as they know, he's dead and they're not likely to go looking for him again and we can be pretty sure he's going to lay a lot lower than he was before now. Our heroes' families are a lot smaller too. Mulder only has Spender, Scully and the unborn left. And Scully only has her two brothers, Mulder and the unborn.
No, if the X files unit is to continue, it should be as season 10 proposed, only perhaps with two agents other than Einstein and Miller and another decade and a half later (real time). No offense...they were likeable enough I suppose but not really well written or used, which I'm sure is part of the reason they only returned for one episode in season 11.
Yes, let's let our heroes walk maturely holding hands into the sunset, living happily ever after with normal, fully human offspring never again to be confronted by aliens, hybrids, monsters, conspiracies, secret societies or corrupt government officials.
And let's let CSM remain dead so the Bullafo Bills can go to the Super Bowl and finally win it...perhaps in 2019?
Seriously? That's what I get after 25 years?
HippoProd22 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have been a hard core fan of The X-Files since 93 and I couldn't be more disappointed. Ending with a cliffhanger again, even though Gillian Anderson already stated she is not doing it anymore. So what are you going to do? Going to keep doing it without Scully? It's completely disrespectful to the fans, specially the ones like me that devoted so much time and money to this series. I was hoping you had a minimum of respect for the fans, specially the hard core ones, the ones that kept the series alive all this time and brought it back after all these years and would give us a decent ending.
This episode had no plot whatsoever, it was just running. Monica Reyes died in the stupidest way possible after having her back in the stupidest character storyline ever. She deserved a lot better. CSM died yet again, but hey after he got a missile in the eye and survived, his dying doesn't mean much.
In the old series the mythology got so convoluted to the point that nobody knew what was going on, not even the writers. Apparently CC and the gang didn't learn the lesson, they created a new mythology and the tradition of just adding conflict and resolving nothing is still there.
I sincerely from the bottom of my heart hope you already have a movie deal or GA was just kidding when she said she wouldn't do it anymore, because Mulder and Scully deserve a lot better than what you gave them. We deserve a lot better than what you gave us.
Very shocking.......and very, very good.
CahillJr22 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have never written an IMDB review but felt compelled to after seeing the final episode just now (3-21-18). I started watching the X-Files in 1993 which ironically coincided with the launch of Fox television channel. Why this is interesting to me is that there hadn't been a new national tv station in years....and a series like the X-Files was at the time waaaay off the beaten path -it was a bold new path--which 1 of the 2 main characters was named.....Fox.
The finale tonight was epic and shocking which incredibly tied up and answered years and years of almost unanswerable questions....all in one episode. I was ecstatic that the CSM was FINALLY killed! But unfortunately Skinner gets run over by him first......that was sad to experience.....
I used to videotape each episode Sunday night and watch them with my late wife after church....we loved them so much! Special memories watching with her so many years ago....
Finally, I was pumped when the 4 episode run was released and that another full season would follow later. It was like running into a friend you hadn't seen in years, but you immediately picked up from where you left off. It was a blast watching and it will be sad to have a Scully-less, Skinner-less, CSM-less X-Files if they produce another season in the future....but I will watch. :)
The finale tonight was epic and shocking which incredibly tied up and answered years and years of almost unanswerable questions....all in one episode. I was ecstatic that the CSM was FINALLY killed! But unfortunately Skinner gets run over by him first......that was sad to experience.....
I used to videotape each episode Sunday night and watch them with my late wife after church....we loved them so much! Special memories watching with her so many years ago....
Finally, I was pumped when the 4 episode run was released and that another full season would follow later. It was like running into a friend you hadn't seen in years, but you immediately picked up from where you left off. It was a blast watching and it will be sad to have a Scully-less, Skinner-less, CSM-less X-Files if they produce another season in the future....but I will watch. :)
A great season
brian-wiz13 September 2020
This is one of my favorite seasons of the series, and I am a long time fan since the beginning. Other than My Struggle III, which is oddly shot and edited, the rest is the episodes are great! Including this final episode. Not sure why all the hate. It's like many of you just wanted to hate it and didn't see some of the creativity and ingenuity of the stand alone. And now we won't get another season.
Season 11 finale!
josua_daniele22 March 2018
Wow! What an episode!! CC did his job! Great great great episode! There were some shocking scenes and twists! What a way to end the season! Yes, season because there should be more seasons!! This episode had moments for every fan! haters will be there, but this episode was awesome! Season 11 was way better than season 10! I'm glad we had these new episodes! I loved them all and It's hard for me to choose my fav ones! I guess I know...
Loved it
tylerfarmer-251364 June 2019
Amazing!
Longtimexfilesfan22 March 2018
My Struggle IV
bobcobb30114 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it was better than the mess of craziness that was the Season 10 finale, but this is not what I was hoping for. They already ruined the idea of Scully and Mulder's son, and it became more ridiculous with him being some immortal, unstoppable super hero.
Predictable, nothing unexpected or that shocking happened. Nothing spectacular here.
Predictable, nothing unexpected or that shocking happened. Nothing spectacular here.
What a stupid, boring mess
michielkromhout20 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Why oh why did they feel the need to end this whole thing in a one-hour ep? They could have skipped the nothingness that was EP 9 and then spend the money on a decent plot. Instead they spent it on a really dumb chase scene where one kid outsmarts 10 trained agents.
But the worst is how every interesting character is just killed off in a totally ridiculous way ending every mythology plot - old and new - in a totally ridiculous way. There was some buildup with the TV show, CSM moving closer and William having combustion powers but then POOF: Reyes, Skinner, William (did they think they would fool ANYBODY???) and CSM.
I really wonder what happened in the writer's room - was everybody just fed up? or maybe the budget was yanked away?
Personally I think they just didn't have a clue how to end this and gave up and said: let's just kill everybody so we can go home.
What a stupid mess.
What a stupid mess.
Fantastic way to end the series!
Roswellf22 March 2018
A show that should never have been revived ends with one of the worst episodes
jlarosa-8223422 March 2018
I hate to say it, but The X-Files, once the greatest show on TV, should have remained in the past. I find it astonishing that the creators' of such intelligent and innovative stories actually thought any of the revival seasons shows were any good. Anything to do with the mythology is a jumble of bad dialogue and close, trusted characters speaking to each other I riddles. It's lazy drama, if you can even call it drama.
In this series finale, the hour is spent mostly of car rides and incoherent cell phone conversations repeated over and over again Almost nothing happens in the show!!
Just awful. What a tragic fall this show has taken. I hope there are no more revivals. I hope there are no reboots.
In this series finale, the hour is spent mostly of car rides and incoherent cell phone conversations repeated over and over again Almost nothing happens in the show!!
Just awful. What a tragic fall this show has taken. I hope there are no more revivals. I hope there are no reboots.
Now This is THE X FILES!
skip-9875622 March 2018
This episode encapsules what the x files is all about ! it has the vib,the pacing and the storyline that for me at least,is why i watch the show and this is what i love seeing..The surprise as to williams level of potential powers is shocking ,terrifying and awe inspiring...How the other reviewer on here can say that nothing happenned of any interest is beyond me,what episode was He watching> if he was commenting on the monster of the week episodes id say yes, but not this one brother! it was rockin from the get go in true x files fashion and the acting of the leads was some of the very best they have ever brought to the series...its that good..only a ufo landing would have made it any better...cliffhangers galore peak the future interest for the series to continue...the only sad part of this season was that chris carter started with a bang, ended with an explosion, and left all those inbetween episodes as wasted potential of what could have been a powerhouse run from start to end of season with full on material like this instead of the silly,ridiculous filler inbetween...what a waste of talent,storyline and mythos that could have been explored...
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