#xfiles s8

[randomfoggytiger]

I kind of hate even asking this question but I’m going to ask it anyway.

Why do you think CC decided to totally retcon the mythology in the revival? Do you think he was bored of it? Did he think it didn’t fit in with “modern times”?

I know the mythology was kind of a mess at the end but I don’t think it was so bad that it was beyond saving.

It’s just, when you watch the struggles and accept the retcon it makes the Orginal Series feel like a waste of time. I’ve also heard theories that the Struggle episodes are told by an “unreliable narrator” for example CSM is an unreliable narrator in MSIII, Jackson is unreliable in MSIV. That just sounds like a cop out. It all just gives me a headache honestly. 🙁

tl;dr: CC is interested in new ideas; and will always be willing to cast off old ones in pursuit of fresher perspectives. His passion for the latter mythology was born from Dr. Simon's and Dr. Fearon's last-minute theory; but when it got fan backlash, he pivoted the focus from his revitalized mythology to the abandoned William arc. However: because he was chasing tantalizing ideas rather than a focused conclusion, Carter completely fumbled in his attempts to close up old threads in order to start afresh.

A couple reasons:

CC and Spotnitz wrapped up the original mythology in Season 6 (One Son), deciding that it had both blossomed out of control and somehow come together. Mythology wrapped up, they then finished off the Samantha arc in Season 7 and began a new mytharc in Season 8. Season 8's Existence, according to Spotnitz, functioned as the end of the original X-Files as a whole--

Spotnitz: "And the series will be different, whoever comes back for it [Season 9]-if there is another year. We’re still working out what that final story is, but there are a couple of elements that we know are going to be in there. And those two elements close the chapter.”

and,

Spotnitz: Whatever I said, what I mean to say is that 8 years of the series will come to a close this May, regardless of whether there is an X-Files next season. I actually believe most of the important questions about the mythology have already been answered, believe it or not, and you will see some new ones asked in upcoming shows.

--leaving room for Season 9 to begin a new chapter for the show (one no longer centered on Mulder and Scully's evolving story, since it had been concluded.)

That... didn't work. So, IWTB's focus, years later, was on a MOTW instead, with the hope that it would succeed and become a stepping stone to a movie-mythology franchise series.

That didn't work, either. But CC never gave up hope for a 3rd movie.

Then 2015 rolled around and FOX approached him for a revival.

Carter: I had one question thrown out to me at a meeting. [Fox Television CEO] Dana Walden asked, “If there were another series, when do you think you could begin work on it?” It wasn’t an overture, more of a practical issue. That was before the show ever aired and they knew what the ratings would be. There’s been no conversation about doing more of these. With the ratings news, it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t come back to us.

I would love to do another movie. Especially coming off that second movie, which had such a heavy weight upon it: A summer-release, low-budget movie, with no promotion, in a crowded field of tentpole fare. I was asked to do so much with so little. And I tried! If we were to do another movie, it would need to be akin to the first movie, which I thought was a story worthy of the big screen. That said, I can’t imagine they won’t want to somehow figure out how to do this on TV.

CC didn't know where to take the show, and only signed on after being told the season would be short (and might give him a movie, which is what he really wanted.) It was Dr. Anne Simon that actually got him excited about the mytharc again: as she tells it,

"What was the Conspiracy? This [Struggle I and II] is the conspiracy. Now, did Chris know that this was the conspiracy [since the original show]? Obviously not-- because I told him what the conspiracy was. But he knew that there was a Conspiracy-- he just didn’t know what it was. But when I told him, when I gave him this idea [plot for MSI/II], he was just, ‘This is amazing’-- I mean, he was so happy. ‘I want more, I want more, I want more!’ And every time I sent him these pages, typed pages, he was just, he was extremely happy. I could tell how happy he was.”

(Dr. Anne Simon's an interesting rabbit hole to go down, btw. Gonna do a post on her contributions in the future.)

He redid the focus of the show in Season 10; and his writers and collaborators and even his actors-- David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, both-- thought it was a well-written season (I know....) But the fans did not.

So, CC made a statement after FOX confirmed S11: shippers had been heard-- there would be more MSR and William. So much so, he brought William back purposefully to give his arc a resolution.

And when that didn't work out-- when CC's 'perfect' ending was hated by fans (and famously, Gillian) for feeling more like a cop out than an address-and-move-forward conclusion, he felt slighted and misunderstood.

In short, Carter wasn't invested in his series anymore-- and, to be fair, neither were David and Gillian: all three (and Spotnitz) wanted to do movies instead. FOX said no; so, they took on Season 8 and 9. When the middling traction from S8 flopped in S9, CC deviated from the mytharc and did IWTB. That flubbed; and he let the matter rest for a few years (still hoping for more movies.) When FOX only agreed to do another series, he didn't know what to do with the mytharc. Then Dr. Anne Simon and Margaret Fearon gave him a direction-- and, yes, both worked on (and cosigned) the mytharc episodes-- and got him excited to do something new; and more of it. And we all saw what happened thereafter.

(Dr. Anne Simon also worked on the OG mytharc episodes, and has nothing but good things to say about them and the Revival. Again, a future rabbit hole.)

In conclusion: once CC's interest is engaged, he loses track of all else and devotes his aspirations to that one thing-- to the detriment of not only the whole picture (i.e. mythology) but also other equally important moving parts (i.e. Gillian's desire to move on.)

I could go on, but I think that's it for now.

[birdbrainedboy]

Last I checked it was David Duchovny who had to be partially written out of s8 so why is Scully a secondary character to Doggett 😒 You would think that with Scully acting as the skeptic of the duo, she would get more screen time since Mulder as the skeptic always did. But all of a sudden now it’s “interesting” to watch skeptic solo episodes?? This really hammered home the notion that if Scully was a guy he would get way more screen time, more solo episodes, and more personal arcs

[alicepao13]

This Hudson and Rex season is starting to feel like S8 of The X-Files. Without the mystery because in this case we know exactly why Charlie is gone.

[piecesofkatecreates]

Up to 'Without' in our rewatch and you would think with all the bounty hunter history they would have some sort of control question by now.

Like, when Scully isn't sure if Skinner is Skinner, she could say:

"COMPLETE THE SENTENCE: If I'm carrying Marylin Monroe's purse..."

[agathabridgerton]

Dana Scully in “Medusa”

[nemocat-el]

2. Doggett

Color wheel

[awilix00]

Just finished season 9, what the fuck

[booomerangarrow]

TXF S8 is so much more unhinged than I remember it being?? Like despite the fact that they supposedly wrapped up the original mytharc in S6 and have barely referenced it since, suddenly they start resurrecting semi-familiar concepts and visuals... except that now it's different aliens and different super soldiers and also we hired Robert Patrick so obviously they have metal exoskeletons now. And the RETCONNING!! What should have been huge plot points - Mulder dying of a terminal brain disease, he and Scully ACTIVELY TRYING TO HAVE A CHILD TOGETHER - we are told happened at least a season ago via flashbacks. But it's OK because none of that actually impacts the current plot anyway - the brain disease gets cured via one sentence and never spoken of again. The failed IVF attempt leaves the audience with the same questions that we would have already had about the pregnancy given Scully's history, but then the show goes absurdly, hilariously out of its way to never discuss ANY of them until we're right smack dab in the middle of a weird-ass alien Christ child allegory. But just kidding because it was a normal human kid after all. (But also the details of all of this will continue to change multiple times over the next 15 years).

[subway-dove]

watching xfiles s8 and.. man. i love dana "spooky" scully. something something forever changed. eight years in that little basement office. taking up the mantle. never stops being herself, but the strangeness hangs around her like a cloak

[bisexualwintermoon]

fuck it starting my xfiles watch before i finish spn bc s8 sam is pissing me off

[randomfoggytiger]

SEX, THE X-FILES WAY

(Excerpt from an in-coming post.)

It is a no-brainer to jump from Carter's wish for Scully to remain "separate" from the sexy, jump-in-bed-ers in the other tv shows of the 90s landscape-- @cecilysass wrote an excellent meta on the subject here-- and to expand that statement into a puritanical view of Scully's sexuality. But it's not, I believe, the complete picture.

Mulder was allowed to have sex with a woman in 3 during Scully's absence-- however, he was immediately "punished" for this transgression (losing the case and having to live with the guilt of not helping a like-minded lost soul.) But two important points remain: the sex was only allowed off-screen-- a principle Chris Carter stuck to-- and was part of a fraught, lonely relationship Mulder had with sex (Fire's Phoebe manipulating his emotions, Syzygy's Detective White tackling his body in fear of her life, Kill Switch's nurses manipulating his body for information, One Son Diana attempting to subdue his morals with easy seduction, First Person Shooter's Jade Afterglow trying to kill him in the climax, etc.) In short: Mulder was the Whore to Scully's Madonna, post here.

Although she is held to the same standard-- sex off-screen-- Scully is rewarded more often than Mulder: she has had at least two past relationships that were successful (Lazarus's Jack and Small Potatoes's Marcus), and was almost written with an on-going relationship in the Pilot. She desires a family and a sense of normalcy-- but not to the detriment of her career (e.g. The Jersey Devil and Home and A Christmas Carol); and her desires are rewarded with a miraculous pregnancy after Scully challenges her beliefs on her own terms (Amor Fati and all things.) In the end, she (theoretically) gets it all: a partner, a new baby, and a new beginning (that is, until Season 9.)

Tellingly, Scully's most fraught sexual experiences (Never Again and all things) were, in fact, derived from Gillian Anderson's input, not Chris Carter's.

If we set aside Ed Jerse and Daniel Waterston, Carter wrote her with two past successful relationships (Jack Willis and Ethan Minette) and okay-ed Vince Gilligan's high school boyfriend mention (Small Potatoes's Marcus.) When compared to Phoebe Green, Det. White, and Diana Fowley, a pattern emerges in her favor.

Even more pivotally: it's not sex that is punishing so much as who the characters have sex with. When Mulder has sex with women other than Scully, he is emotionally and physically neglected; and when Scully has sex with men other than Mulder, she is emotionally and professionally disrespected. That dynamic is sexist-- it's meant to be, a truthful depiction of the times: men's emotional needs trivialized and their desires reduced to sex; and women's capabilities and accomplishments minimized and their sexual freedom frowned upon. The show, however, takes it in a different direction, using the MSR dynamic to-- in a historically romantic sense-- liberate Mulder and Scully from those judgments. Mulder and Scully are unlucky in love unless they're together, two abnormal pegs trying to fit in square holes. Fated, in that mythological sense the show plays with, to be together. Cursed, in fantastical or folkloric tradition, when separated or apart. They are both rewarded when they come together: Mulder's closure and Scully's enlightenment; a miraculous pregnancy and a new way forward.

Even though Gillian fought to have an on-screen sex scene for her character, David also fought for Mulder's personal life outside of work ("The Official Guide to The X-Files", post here: When it’s pointed out that the show’s most fervent loyalists... have been especially vocal about not wanting to see Mulder and Scully romantically involved with anyone but each other, Duchovny simply shrugs and says the nuances he refers to don’t necessarily have to involved ‘romance’. “Give Mulder a friend. Give him a squash partner,” he suggests. “It’s got to happen. I really don’t care what anybody thinks we should or shouldn’t do.”) Neither were, of course, successful. And though he had the first (off-screen) sex scene in 3, David-- like Gillian-- was not satisfied with the result (and cringes over the sink-and-shave sequence to this day.)

Is it the best writing, all told? Perhaps not. The fact remains: Chris Carter has stated, multiple times, that he is not a fan of emotional exploration ("domesticity") and he does not want to focus on Mulder and Scully's personal lives, platonic or otherwise. Sex, then, is not a character beat so much as a tool: it must serve the story or narrative, or he won't bother to explore it. It must factor into an X-File (Gender Bender, 3, Never Again) or episode B plot (Requiem's reveal, Season 8's pregnancy arc, MSIV's second reveal), or mytharc throughline (e.g. Diana and Mulder's past, and Scully's pregnancy); or not at all.

Let me repeat: sex is not a revealing character beat to Chris Carter. It must contribute to the mytharc or monster-of-the-week, or it won't be included or touched on. At all. And through that lens, Mulder and Scully's romantic moments are merely another cog in the ever-spiraling hurtle forwards-- as far back as Tooms's stakeout admittance to Memento Mori's and Redux II's hospital confession to Fight the Future's hallway avowal. That is CC's modus operandi. That is his calling card: two characters always searching for something. That is Chris Carter's Code To Live By. As Chris Carter himself said, "It's sex, 'The X-Files' way!" (interview here.)

In this case: Mulder and Scully's desires are centered on work and family: Mulder's sister, Scully's sister; Scully healing by the UFO ship, Mulder dreaming of his son; Mulder and Scully finding wholeness in Season 7-- closure and enlightenment-- to build towards that elusive, happy ending in Season 8. However, as Frank Spotnitz put it, "You can't get the truth-- you can't"; and thus, Mulder and Scully's primary goal-- work (the slippery, dangerous "truth")-- will always, purports the show, consume their secondary goal-- family. So, Mulder suffers and is tormented in his quest; and Scully is hurt and tormented on her quest. Until, at last, both realize there is more to life than this; heal their broken pieces, and draw to each other more than the work-- colliding together and creating a family of their own. It is, admittedly, puddle-deep; but the simplest things in life are often the most memorable.

Had CC stuck the landing-- focused on character arcs and tied up loose ends-- it could have, possibly, succeeded. Instead, the execution was poor, and continues to be poor: what passes as a rushed happy end in Season 8 becomes trite and overdone when repeated, without nuance, aught years later. What was the culmination of the mytharc and Mulder and Scully's story ("planned" since the Pilot, posts here and here) becomes discordant and muddled, bent and confused.

[birdbrainedboy]

If you stopped watching TXF after s7 u missed out. I’m early s8 rn and I honestly love s8 more than s7. Like we’re back to early seasons style episodes, there’s a new interesting dynamic, Doggett is the loml, and there’s no more First Person Shooter type comedy filler. Also, s8e4 Roadrunners is now my FAVORITE cult episode this show has. Really brilliant and very early seasons

[nine-fingered-entity]

s8 should have been skinner and scully on the xfiles i don't care that skinner's an A.D. just have him demoted for deranged alien talk or something and banished to the xfiles. that would have been a ball and it would have made narrative sense with all the talk of "career risking" (nvm that they should have been long fired)

[tenderhaunted]

im on s8 of xfiles n i miss david duchovny so much..

[ghostpunkrock]

it’s such a shame how completely boring xfiles s8 when scully is still so beautiful

[ruscha]

the thing abt xfiles season 7 is the plot is so meanderingly bad, so unfocused and desperately grasping at any relevant remaining threads, and of the only 2 genuinely interesting things that happen— mulder’s abduction & scully’s pregnancy announcement— one of those was pretty much out of the showrunners’ control and the other was probably written in to help fill duchovny’s absence. so by virtue of this season being so devoid of even a passable xfiles plot, i can already tell s8 has a chance of feeling better by comparison and that’s crazy