THE X-FILES: Were-monsters and Jackalopes and Lizards, oh my!

You have the lens pointed the wrong way

“Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-monster” was a steep departure from the seriousness of last week’s episodes. In fact, the first half of the show could be considered one of the best comedies out there. However, switching over to Guy’s point of view was a little difficult to take. I’m sure many people out there had no problems at all with it, but the fantasy of Guy with Scully was so out of character, it felt a little awkward to watch.

This episode however, was much more like the early classic X-Files, since it’s a standalone “Monster of the Week” episode, and doesn’t fall at all into the overall mythology arc that was established in episodes one and two. It was a lot of fun, and the hour went by impossibly fast. However, there was a point when every fan took a moment of silence. During the scene in the cemetery, Mulder sat on the grave of Kim Manners, who of course was a producer of the original X-Files series, and passed away in 2009. It was a wonderful tribute, and this X-Phile was happy to see it.

However, after this episode, we’re now halfway into the mini-series, and it’s difficult to fully grasp as to why the X-Files has been reopened. It definitely has been interesting to see how Mulder and Scully operate in today’s society where information is literally at their fingertips. No longer do they have to search for the unexplained. As Mulder said in this episode, all of the unexplained has been explained. We live in a society where everything is published online – from multiple viewpoints – so it’s difficult for something to remain a mystery for long.

It does feel good however, to enter into classic X-Files territory, where we get to see a bunch of “Monster of the Week” episodes book-ended by government conspiracy episodes. While the X-Files hasn’t exactly been cutting-edge since coming back, it definitely has been a welcome return to our television screens. We can catch up on our favorite characters, get acquainted with new monsters, and see the general fun that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are clearly having as they work through each scene.

Next week’s episode (which was originally scheduled to run as the second episode) will bring up more emotions as Scully struggles with her decision all those years ago to give up William for adoption, while she and Mulder investigate another monster of the week. It’ll be interesting to get back into the more serious notes of the show, and see where the final half of this mini-series takes us.

The X-Files continues Mondays on FOX.