WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE 10TH SEASON OF THE X-FILES. DO NOT READ UNTL YOU'VE WATCHED 'MY STRUGGLE II'As it returned after 14 years in cold storage - discounting one iffy comeback movie - the revived X-Files faced a very specific dilemma. Could it reconnect with fans of its '90s incarnation while demonstrating to new viewers that there was more to the brand than paranoia-soaked nostalgia?
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With this six-part mini-series having concluded on a note of raw, mind-bending terror, the answer in both cases is unquestionably yes. Stick with us, because we know not all critics agree.
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In 2016, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) finally unlocked the central mystery that had sustained The X-Files through is first televisual run.
In a game-changing reveal, Mulder learnt that the alien sightings that had obsessed him from childhood were the work of a conspiracy of well-connected businessmen, exploiting technology from the Roswell crash for their own advantage.
David Duchovny in The X-Files episode 6: 'My Struggle II'
© Fox Ed Araquel
The season finale - aired Monday night in the US - saw this cabal of 1-percenters attempt to obliterate mankind via alien genetic technology retrieved from the Roswell crash of 1947.
This was a radical realigning of X-Files lore - yet the show carried it off, the extra-terrestrial cherry on top being the revelation that the leader of this besuited cabal was none other than the dastardly 'Smoking Man' (William B Davis).
It was the perfect upgrading of the old mythos, with enough nods to the past to satisfy diehards, yet with echoes of the current political debate over the gulf between society's haves and have-nots.
New series, new monsters
The X-Files has been careful not to overburden first-timers with its labyrinthine mythology. With veterans Darin Morgan and James Wong on board as writers, the show reverted to its early 'monster of the week' format.
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files miniseries episode 2: 'Founder's Mutation'
© Fox Ed Araquel
In episode two, for instance, Mulder and Scully were confronted with a vintage one-off concerning a mad scientist breeding genetically enhanced children.
One of those kids, now grown-up, turned rogue and directed brain-frying sonic waves at his enemies. This was X-Files at its smartest - Kyle Gilligan may have been monster of the week, but he was assuredly not villain of the piece. That honour went to deranged geneticist Augustus Goldman, portrayed with creep-show menace by Melrose Place / Desperate Housewives actor Doug Savant.
Episode three seemed like it might stretch credulity too far in its tale of a lizard transformed into a man, but great casting sharpened the impact, with Flight of the Conchords' Rhys Darby outstanding as 'Guy Mann', a nonplussed reptile attempting to figure out what it was to be human (and mostly failing).
We all go a little mad sometimes
After that, The X-Files had earned the right to cut loose a little, and in episode five, 'Babylon', Mulder inadvertently ingested a psychedelic substance and ended up tripping balls, dancing to 'Achy Breaky Heart'. Though at times it felt as though 'Babylon' was gleefully tweaking the noses of die-hards, it offered an intriguing glimpse into creator Chris Carter's thought process.
It wasn't enough to return with engaging storylines or crackling Mulder and Scully chemistry. One side of the - heavily invested - fandom would always argue that there was too little of the overarching alien-conspiracy mythology, while the other side just wanted rid of The Greys and their like. The result has been a series that's been Marmite to the critics.
Yet Carter subtly tinkered with the binary code of The X-Files, sprinkling in enough wit and self-awareness to make it plain we've left behind the dingy, self-serious '90s. For Mulder and Scully devotees, it's been a hoot renewing acquaintances with the beloved - and eerily well-preserved - FBI sleuths, still portrayed with the perfect mix of warmth and conviction by Duchovny and Anderson.
But arguably even more impressive has been the degree to which showrunner Chris Carter has stayed true to the spirit of the original X-Files - even as he updates the tone to avoid the feeling we're watching a dusty retread.
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-files/feature/a784641/the-x-files-season-10-review-dont-listen-to-the-critics-this-was-a-brilliant-and-radical-refresh/