The X-Files Preview: “My Struggle” 

[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]

I’m in a quandary how to preview this for y’all because I loved going in with really just about zero clue what to expect other than Mulder, Scully, Skinner, (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi), check, check, check. I knew Joel McHale would be in there somewhere but I genuinely wanted to just sit down and watch the episode with no preconceived notions of what I was about see. I went into it giddy and grateful that they were back at all, and from there, everything was gravy.

I’m also a realist that I represent just one section of the fanbase, and that while there are many, many fans of The X-Files, there are varying degrees to which those fans have retained their affection for the show. Some might be just like me and NOW NOW NOW about it all and others might be a bit hesitant about revisiting the mytharc. I’m also aware that some of the early press has been of the “meh” variety. I can’t see into your heart to know what you hope these six episodes will deliver, but I really do hope you enjoy all of them.

What “My Struggle” delivered to me was an extraordinary familiarity. In a way, it felt like coming home. I spent close to two decades watching The X-Files in first-run and rewatching it in syndication and nightly on FX. I can’t recall every moment of every episode, but I can tell you how the show made me feel. It entertained me, enthralled me, exasperated me, and broke my heart. And I came back again and again for more. I love that we’re picking these characters up again. I love that Vancouver is again Washington, DC.

I accept wholly where the premiere takes us–to the inverse of everything Mulder thought he knew, and to a degree had indoctrinated Scully to believe, too. I like that the 2016 perspective on 1993 perceptions has an older, wearier, damaged Mulder reevaluating everything. That an equally weary and wary Scully is hesitant to fall down a rabbit hole from which she worked very hard to extricate herself.

At the beginning of the premiere, we find Mulder and Scully working and living apart but still, as always, beholden to return to each other in some fashion. When Mulder is summoned by a popular TV host and conspiracy theorist (McHale) who’s wholly convinced that the alien conspiracy maybe isn’t 100% alien and has an eyewitness (The Americans‘ Annett Mahendru), he pulls Scully into the discussion. Pretty quickly, they realize they’ve stirred up something they can’t leave alone, and that leads Mulder back down a familiar path. And that’s pretty much all I want to tell you.

A friendly heads up–this kiss on the cheek in the final pic above is not in the final cut of the episode. But enjoy, anyway!

The first part of The X-Files two-hour premiere airs Sunday night after the NFC Game on Fox–10 pm/9c-ish. Here are a few sneak peeks. I would love to know what you think after you’ve watched it. Hit me in the comments!