Eight days. 192 hours. Only a little more than one week. Soon, the world will be whole again.
Next Friday, FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully will return to the forefront of our conscienceness in the movie “The X-Files: I Want To Believe,” six years after the long-running series’ final episode and 10 years since the first X-Files movie debuted.
But really, they’ve never left our consciousness. Not mine, anyways. I watch the reurns on TNT and Sci-Fi almost every night. I watch the first movie from time-to-time when I pass it on television. And whenever I write — I’m a creative writer in my free time, and I often bring the supernatural into my stories — I’m sure X-Files creator Chris Carter’s witty, nuanced, visionary writing and gritty, reality-based phntasmagoria has profoundly influenced my own writing.
The X-Files was unique and unparalleled in so many ways. In a television era dominated by inane comedies (Coach, Frasier, Mad About You, Home Improvement) and shows whose plot lines drove the story (NYPD Blue, Chicago Hope, Picket Fences), the X-Files rose above the compeitition to provide wholly interesting, realistic characters whose interactions carried the show as much as the compelling, phantasmagorical story lines each week.
Gillian Anderson, especially, was a groundbreaker. Her character, Agent Scully, was the first great female lead on television, a real boon for feminism. Agent Scully was professional — a brilliant, highly-educated woman who, although she was very beautiful, garnered respect for her intellect from both her partner and her co-workers.
In fact, the show’s success hinged on her and Mulder’s relationship. Her science-centirc brain and Mulder’s supernatural beliefs brought both comedy and tension to the drama, and their constant undertones of romance attracted (and frustrated) millions of viewers.
But the X-Files was above soap opera. Instead of devolving into garbled romance like so many misguided dramas these days (think Grey’s Anatomy), the X-Files refused to stoop. Mulder and Scully were always connected and always close, always keeping the viewers glued to their every move, and yet always chose to remain focused on the enthralling case than delving into a personal relationship.
Adn what cases! Monsters, serial killers, flying vampires who resemble Alex Trebek. Simply put, it was one of the smartest and most unqiue shows ever on television.
And in eight days it will finally return. Mulder’s winsome grin and wild theories; Scully’s science, faith and unmatched red hair; and a whole new evil they’ll both have to tackle.
I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. And if you were never an X-Files fan, I hope you give it a chance anyway.
- Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern
