About 60% through the episode, I actually felt physical discomfort with an intense wish to leave my chair. I found myself trying to breath this episode out of my lungs as much as I could, covering my eyes.
The old X-Files show with Duchovny and Anderson was far from perfect, with the quality varying considerably from episode to episode, but the thing that made that show special (at least early on) was a calm and intelligent subtlety. This gave the show a sense of mystery and tension and that sense was more palpable because of a certain level of realism in characters and environments. The setting felt realistic, so the supernatural elements felt more realistic and therefore more thrilling.
...I dreamed off about the fun I had watching the original X-files...Sorry, what was I trying to say? Oh yes, this episode, on the other hand, is so blunt, so formulaic and piles up so much unnecessary conspiracy that it felt like a mockery of conspiracy theorists, and by extension, of the show itself. At the end of the episode, I expected Mulder and Scully to turn towards the viewer and say, "Gotcha!" and then laugh heartily.
The show tries once again to pull the "all we experienced was a lie" twist on us, which already felt old back in the 90s, and this episode delivers this twist with such bluntness that I was struggling not to laugh. Also, you can't use this twist on anyone who remembers certain details from the old show, unless you pretend that they never happened.
On top of this all, the acting...Oh dear Lord...look, it is great to see these two characters back together, but Duchovny sounds like he hasn't slept for a couple of days and was asked to act in something he has long lost interest in, but agreed to do it anyway for the paycheck. I also wanted to punch Joel McHale in the face. Ok, time to wrap up because I don't want to waste any more time on this wreck.
In conclusion, the painful dialogue, botched conspiracy shtick and tired acting makes me lose hope for future episodes. It would have been better off if the creators introduced new main characters and a new storyline, or just left this property alone altogether. I hated this so much, I was nauseous.
The old X-Files show with Duchovny and Anderson was far from perfect, with the quality varying considerably from episode to episode, but the thing that made that show special (at least early on) was a calm and intelligent subtlety. This gave the show a sense of mystery and tension and that sense was more palpable because of a certain level of realism in characters and environments. The setting felt realistic, so the supernatural elements felt more realistic and therefore more thrilling.
...I dreamed off about the fun I had watching the original X-files...Sorry, what was I trying to say? Oh yes, this episode, on the other hand, is so blunt, so formulaic and piles up so much unnecessary conspiracy that it felt like a mockery of conspiracy theorists, and by extension, of the show itself. At the end of the episode, I expected Mulder and Scully to turn towards the viewer and say, "Gotcha!" and then laugh heartily.
The show tries once again to pull the "all we experienced was a lie" twist on us, which already felt old back in the 90s, and this episode delivers this twist with such bluntness that I was struggling not to laugh. Also, you can't use this twist on anyone who remembers certain details from the old show, unless you pretend that they never happened.
On top of this all, the acting...Oh dear Lord...look, it is great to see these two characters back together, but Duchovny sounds like he hasn't slept for a couple of days and was asked to act in something he has long lost interest in, but agreed to do it anyway for the paycheck. I also wanted to punch Joel McHale in the face. Ok, time to wrap up because I don't want to waste any more time on this wreck.
In conclusion, the painful dialogue, botched conspiracy shtick and tired acting makes me lose hope for future episodes. It would have been better off if the creators introduced new main characters and a new storyline, or just left this property alone altogether. I hated this so much, I was nauseous.