X-Files Season 11

Occasionally, it's awesome when beloved shows or bands or whatever from one's past have a special reunion. But in most cases, a revamp of something that peaked 20 years ago (using all the original players) is not something that should see the the light of day. I mean, it sounds most excellent...in theory. But the reality of it is cringe-worthy in the same way as seeing your grandmother model her dusty old prom dress (before offering it to you). In the worst case, seeing the revamp somewhat tarnishes the experience of the original for you.

Such was the case with The X-Files Season 11. In my opinion, Season 10 (or "X" if you're using the roman numeral/pun on the show's title) should never have happened. I really didn't want to see 50/60-something Mulder and Scully trying to solve mysterious crimes when they should be hanging up their badges and retiring to someplace like Hawaii where they could sit in the sun and eat pineapple and forget the Conspiracy ever happened. It was embarrassing and overly-campy and completely train-wreckish, but I couldn't look away. Which is why I nabbed Season 11 as soon as it hit the shelves. I guess I hoped it would get better and fix what Season X messed up.

It didn't.

The Conspiracy episodes really did nothing to add to the original storyline from Seasons 1-9, and the Mythology would have been better off had they not been filmed. The Monster Of The Week episodes were even worse. The writers were really scraping the bottom of the barrel for these, going the B-Horror Movie route and often substituting gratuitous blood and guts for substance. Unfortunately, that made things really boring. Admittedly, I even dozed off during the one where possessed "smart" technology stalks the agents after Mulder refuses to tip the robot chef for screwing up his meal (Mulder was right, in my opinion. I wouldn't tip after that experience either). The one (almost) stand-out episode was the one where creepy characters from creepy kids shows came to life to lure children into the woods and to their untimely doom. But even that plot kind of trailed off...as if the writers didn't really know where they were going with it. 

Why are shows aimed at young children (Barney, Teletubbies) so darn creepy? Discuss.

Rumor has it there will be no Season 12, and, to me, that is a relief. I'd rather not see a beloved show from my past struggle any more toward a slow and painful (to watch) demise. I'd rather remember things how they used to be. 

--AJB