Be aware, might have some spoilers!

2023/02/04

Why did I decide to suddenly do a rewatch blog about the 6^th season of The X-Files? Not sure, I already was in its 3^rd or 4^th season back in August 2022, when I restarted the website again and at that point I figured, not much point to do rewatch blogs of The X-Files. But after the movie, Fight the Future, after the first episodes of season 6, which I really loved, I decided to try it, to see if I can write a rewatch blog of one of my all-time favorite shows. I thought it would be difficult and while I am writing this I still am not sure if this rewatch blog will wind up in the Blog section of the website!

First of all I want to mention that I this is my second rewatch on my gorgeous Blu-ray set I purchased on its release in 2015 I believe. This show never looked better, it is like a contemporary show, I really don’t feel like I am watching a show from the 90’s. It a 1.78:1 release, which means no black bars on the left and right side of your TV set. Purists probably hate that, because first 4 seasons where broadcast in 1.33:1, but I am very happy with it and accept full heartedly the choice they made.

Season 5 ended with Mulder and Scully no longer are assigned to The X-Files. Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers) and Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) are assigned to the X-files, CSM is the one behind this assignment. Diana tries to convince Mulder she has only agreed to ensure the X-files were run by someone to continue Mulder’s work. In the first episode “The Beginning” Mulder & Scully are being questioned about what happened during the events of the movie Fight the Future. Mulder finds it astonishing Scully doesn’t want to seem to believe, after all that she’s been through! (note – same here!) Meanwhile an alien creature is born in male person. Gibson has a connection to the alien lifeform and therefore is being used by the cigarette smoking man (CSM). Scully, in a way uses him too, which he is aware of. CSM kidnaps the kid so that he can lead him to the alien born from a human. The alien creature leaves Gibson unharmed, apparently they carry the same virus. Mulder and Diana witness all this. Gibson indeed has the same virus in him, as the alien creature. Scully finds out that in fact we all are aliens. Mulder and Scully get a warning, they no longer should have anything to do with the X-files and they are reporting to a new boss, director Kersh. In the final moment Gibson is still in the room where the reactor is, the creature is in the reactor, evolving/changing.

The 2^nd episode of the season is “Drive”, a very interesting episode where a man, named Crump, needs to drive as hard as possible to the West in order that his head does not explode. This happened after testing by the military regarding ELF – Extra Low Frequency. Mulder becomes his hostage. Note - Patrick Crump is played by Bryan Cranston! Episode 3, “Triangle”, Mulder gets himself back in 1939 on a ship called the Queen Anne in the Bermuda triangle. He first thinks the ship has been pulled into the future, but it is the other way around. There he sees his co-workers as other characters. Note - Few great moments of Scully when she goes to Skinner and to Hersh for help.

Episodes 4 & 5, Dreamland parts 1 & 2 certainly are among the best episodes of the 6^th season. In large part due to the character Morris Fletcher, played by Michael McKean. Mulder switches bodies with Morris Fletcher who works at Area 51. He is a married man, his daughter hates him and his wife never gets his attention. Fletcher is very happy with the body swap, he doesn’t wanna change this, he likes Scully and tries to get in her pants. When he learns that Mulder wants his own body back, he makes sure he gets arrested. Fletcher meanwhile flirts with the assistant of the director, is a real kiss-ass, he drives Scully crazy because he is a totally different Mulder. It’s hilarious, really fun episodes and the mirror scene is also hilarious!

Also The X-Files has their own Christmas episode, “How the Ghost stole X-mas”. I have to say, wasn’t really my cup of tea. It has a few good moments in the beginning and in the end of the episode. Guest starts Ed Ashner & Lily Tomlin. “Terms of Endearment”, it’s about a guy who is the devil, he wants a kid but he wants a normal kid. But each time he gets a kid with horns, he takes the child by force in a “dream” of sorts. Mulder is soon on to him. He has another woman on the other side of the town, she appears to be the devil also, which he does not know, and she does want a kid with horns! Note – Spender is a dick, he promises that cop to look into it but then thrashes the paper. Mulder tapes it back together again – Mulder and Scully are sent on different assignments but that doesn’t stop them. Guest star: Bruce Campbell as Wayne Weinsider.

“The Rain King” is actually a love story, a man who is in love, an unrequited love, he is the weatherman and with his emotions he can influence the weather. Note Scully is so recalcitrant, passive aggressive against Mulder, against the people in the village, about the “problem”, was much fun. While Mulder was a bit dweepy in this episode.  “SR 819” – Very good episode, Skinner is infected with a strange disease triggered by nanotechnology in his body. Mulder and Scully are the ones fighting for him. At some point he even apologizes to Scully for not picking their side. Krycek is the one who was always there in the period of his infection. But at some point he also saves Skinner. At the end Mulder & Scully they have some leeway with him but again he toughs up again, saying they are not his responsibility. Later he steps into his car to find Krycek who seems to have an ace up his sleeve. Maybe Skinner was protecting them (Mulder & Scully) again.

In “Tithonus” Scully is partnered with another agent, Kersh telling Scully that Mulder is a lost cause. Although it did not seem at first but it is an x-file and Mulder helps Scully by phone. a man, at least 150 years old, feels when people are about to die, he is there to shoot pictures of death itself, some sort of creature. “Two Fathers” & “One Son” is a two-part episode, where Cassandra is back, she appears to be the first human-hybrid, CSM is unhappy about how his son, Jeffrey Spender, handles the X-Files. We see him talking to Diana, Mulder’s former partner. According to Cassandra, the aliens want to destroy humankind. She is also CSM ex-husband and he realizes Cassandra has become a liability. Scully tries to warn Mulder for Diana but he doesn’t believe her. Spender tells Kersh he’s done a lousy job on the X-files and that he believes Mulder and Scully should be given back the X-files but when he does back into his office he is surprised by his father holding a gun! Cassandra seems to have been taken again! Note – Thought this was a great two-parter, always love this mythology episode although sometimes it can get a bit confusing I have to admit.

“Agua Mala” a Florida episode in the middle of hurricane season. It most likely has brought a creature land inwards which normally lives in the deepest areas of the sea. Okay episode. “Monday” is a Deja-Vu story, Mulder goes to the bank where a man wants to rob a bank or blow himself up. His girlfriend is out in the car reliving the same day over and over again. Note: Normally not really a fan of time loop episodes. This one is also not fantastic but okay. “Arcadia” belongs to the best episodes of the season, Mulder and Scully are going under cover in an suburban town to try to find out why a couple has been disappeared. This town holds extreme rules the inhabitants have to adhere to. Note: Fun episode, Mulder being a bit recalcitrant, pretending to be Scully’s real husband….

“Alpha” not my favorite episode, it is not bad or something but just a bit bland in my opinion. It does have a great guest star though, Andrew J. Robinson as Dr. Ian Detweiler. Of course most people know him as Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Dr. Ian Detweiler went looking for the The Wanshang Dhole but Mulder’s theory is that it found him. He turns into the The Wanshang Dhole at night.  – Note Scully seems a bit jealous of the relationship Mulder has with a women Karin Berquist (Melinda Culea). “Trevor” is a bit more interesting, Agents Mulder and Scully pursue an escaped convict in Mississippi capable of passing through any kind of solid matter, and is desperate to meet his son for the first time. Guest star: John Diehl as Wilson Pinker Rawls).

“Milagro” is about a neighbor of Mulder, who is intrigued by Scully. The feeling is mutual. He is a writer, as the comes up with things, it actually happens. A man pulling out hearts from a person’s chest. Note - Thought it was an okay episode, Gillian Anderson does a really fine job in this episode, her facial expression often is enough, to show us how she feels, what she thinks of something etc. Episode “Unnatural” is also one of the best this season. An alien being looks human and stayed on Earth because of his love for the baseball game. However he makes sure he doesn’t become a pro player so he would not be too much in the spotlight. Really enjoyable episode told by the brother Arthur Danes, apparently they both named Arthur! Note – One of the best episodes of the season, Jesse L. Martin is a great actor, his smile makes anyone smile. Really liked him also on Ally McBeal. Also Nice moment in the end when Mulder teaches Scully how to swing a bat!

In “Three of Kind” the Lone Gunmen are back in the spotlights which I always enjoy a lot. Mulder isn’t there most of the time but the guys lure Agent Scully to Vegas to help them with a case. Scully however believes it is Mulder who asks her to come. Byers’ lady friend is back, Susanne Modesky. Note - John Billingsly (Phlox, Enterprise) guest stars  – Fun scenes from/with Scully when she is injected what you can compare with laugh gas.

Episode 21, “Field Trip”, to me is a forgettable episode, boring also, while it gets high ratings on IMdB! Mulder and Scully both step on a mushroom of some kind and experience things that aren’t there. A mystery involving two skeletons leads the agents on a journey in which nothing is quite as it seems. The season finale is, as always, a mythology episode called “Biogenesis”. It is actually a first part of a 3 part story, continuing with the first episode of season 7. In South-Africa a metallic object has been found. Mulder believes that this is proof that life originated elsewhere in the universe. Apparently Albert Hosteen helped Dr. Merkmallen with the translation of the object but currently he lies in a hospital with cancer. Skinner gives Mulder & Scully a rubbing of the objects which causes Mulder headaches, dizziness. He even gets admitted to a hospital and needs to wear a stray jacket. Krycek seems to have some kind of hold over Skinner and Scully travels to the West African coast where she discovers that the artifact is part of a large spacecraft partially buried in the ocean.

Final Word:

In my mind I believed David Duchovny had become a bit bored with his role of Fox Mulder after 5 seasons. I have to admit though, I didn’t really notice it this season, it must be season 7, if at all. Season 6 is actually an okay season, only a few mediocre ones, my least favorite of the season is I think “Field Trip” and also wasn’t such a fan of that X-mas episode. If I should give a rating for this season, I think it would be a 7 out of 10. Not spectacular but decent still. If I remember correctly season 7 will be one of my least favorite seasons but perhaps , being a bit older with this rewatch, I judge episodes different, and so perhaps also the season, we will see.

Screencaps taken from: xfilesarchive.com