Everybody knows that The X-Files is a cultural phenomenon. Reaching heights of nearly 20 million average viewers during the peak of its popularity, it spawned numerous online fandoms, coined the phrase “shippers”, and even has its own convention. However, despite its meteoric rise to fame, its later seasons aren’t remembered nearly so fondly.

Deciding not to return full-time for season 8, David Duchovny’s absence left Mulder’s shocking abduction with many questions still needing to be answered. This meant that a host of big changes needed to be made, many of which turned out to be unpopular with the wider fanbase. But is this long-underrated season still as bad as fans say it is?

Featuring the introduction of an interesting and complex new co-lead character, a string of concise yet well-executed story arcs, and a return to darker monster-of-the-week episodes, Season 8 has all the makings of a strong and successful series of The X-Files.

Abduction, Conspiracy, and Alien Babies:

In contrast to the previous season, which feels a lot like a 22-episode transition, Season 8 represents a return to the show’s bread and butter: mythology. Focusing on the revelations brought to light during the seventh season finale, tracking the fallout from Mulder’s shocking abduction and the conspiracies behind Scully’s miracle pregnancy.  

The season’s renewed focus on mythology gets off to a good start with the strong two-part opener, “Within/Without“. On the hunt for the aliens that abducted Mulder, Scully and Skinner’s investigation runs into interference when they are saddled with a new partner who’s even more sceptical of the paranormal than Scully was. Unsure of whom they can trust, the story’s 80-minute runtime sets up their suspicions as they try to gauge whether Doggett is working with the enemy.

These themes surrounding Scully’s suspicions of Doggett continue throughout the first half of the season. Their rocky partnership develops the basis from which they investigate cases, with episodes like “Patience” and “Invocation” dealing directly with the misgivings they have about each other. Meanwhile, episodes such as “The Gift” and “Per Manum” deal with other aspects of the season’s overarching mythology. The former showcases Mulder’s fraught state of mind before his abduction; meanwhile, the latter lays the foundations for a new conspiracy to take form, one that directly affects the birth of Scully’s child.

By the season’s second half, Mulder has returned, and the story arcs take on a simplistic style to lead naturally towards the big climax of the two-part finale. The revelations in “This is Not Happening” and “Deadalive” lead to a focal point being drawn towards ending Mulder’s crusade and passing on the mantle. Each in its own way, the episodes from “Three Words” to “Alone” show Mulder coming to terms with the idea of moving on. This idea comes to fruition in the two-part finale, “Essence/Existence”, alongside the birth of a new conspiracy involving human-alien hybrid supersoldiers.  

A Darker Episodic Format:

Alongside Season 8’s renewed attention towards mythology, this season also takes a note out of the pages of its earlier seasons when it comes to its monster-of-the-week stories. Seeking contrast with its previous season, the monster-of-the-week stories favour a darker, grittier style rather than relying on comedic pastiches.

Upon release, these changes were met with negativity from fans, citing a noticeable drop in writing quality. However, while there are undoubtedly weaker stories within the season, “Badlaa” and “Salvage” come to mind; these are only two episodes out of a 21-episode season.  

Strong monster-of-the-week episodes are plentiful during this season, especially ones that focus on darker themes. Signs of a new renaissance start early with episodes such as “Roadrunners” and “Via Negativa”, both of which build upon the beginnings of Doggett and Scully’s partnership.

The darker tones continue to pay dividends for the season, even in its final hours. “Vienen”, for example, is an amazing continuation of the “black oil” saga. Taking the concept of body horror back to basics, the story is set on a claustrophobic oil rig with little hope of escape.  

Those who enjoy the comedic episodes, however, shouldn’t despair. The late-season episode, “Alone”, successfully continues these little forays into the light-hearted. Paired with a new partner whilst Scully goes on maternity leave, the story finds Doggett and X-Files amateur Agent Leyla Harrison out of their depth as they come face-to-face with a new apex predator. During the episode, Doggett’s usual no-nonsense attitude is taken for a ride as their pairing makes for an unexpectedly funny double act.

Concluding and Starting a New Crusade:

Season eight’s underrated factor doesn’t just stop at story arcs and monster-of-the-week episodes; the series has plenty of great character arcs that have gone under the radar as well. Despite the season’s shorter episode count, its purposeful character focal points in each episode help these arcs progress, successfully developing the main and supporting characters without feeling like they rushed through major plot points. 

An Unsteady Partnership

The most obvious of these character arcs stems from Mulder’s absence from his life’s work. In his place, Agent John Doggett (played by Robert Patrick) joins the X-Files to help hunt for Mulder and solve cases. Given both Scully and Skinner’s long relationship with Mulder and the nature of the cases they seek to solve, they are originally apprehensive of his joining the department because he has yet to earn their trust. 

The early episodes in the season play variations upon this theme, with a lack of trust or communication causing problems within Scully and Doggett’s investigations. The episodes “Via Negativa” and “Per Manum” showcase their strained relationship best, as their lack of confidence in each other causes potentially serious consequences. Through these difficult moments, however, the subsequent episodes (“Medusa” and “This Is Not Happening”) take steps to realise how their development from these moments has a positive effect on their investigations. As a result, major breakthroughs occur thanks to their increased trust. 

What we see with Scully and Doggett’s rough partnership at the start of the season leads to great payoffs down the line. With John Doggett on side, the crusade for truth at the X-Files gains an important ally and a willing host to take on Mulder’s mantle.

Scully’s Anxieties

Coupled alongside season 8’s trials and tribulations of a new partnership, Mulder’s absence from the X-Files brings with it a new side of Scully—one unsure and anxious about what the future holds.

The prospect of never seeing Mulder hits her harder than most. A trusted friend, partner, and lover, his absence leaves Scully out in the cold, searching for someone that she can trust at an uncertain point in her life. Pregnant with a miracle baby and deeply entrenched within a web of conspiracies that have already killed members of her family and almost killed her several times, what little faith she has in finding Mulder alive is what drives her motivations through the season.

These moments are best illustrated during the early-season mythology episodes. Moving from the season opener, “Within/Without“, to the two-parter, “This Is Not Happening/Deadalive“, Scully’s increased desperation in her search is an attempt to shield herself from the unfortunate reality that, as each moment passes, the prospect of finding Mulder alive becomes slimmer and slimmer. This is not a reality she wishes to face, given that the malevolent forces circling the X-Files are making advances towards her unborn child.

Mulder’s Crusade

Once Mulder is returned, he’s quick to return to his decade-long raison d’être. This time, however, something isn’t quite right. His hopeful return to the X-Files is quickly dashed when he’s unceremoniously told that there’s no longer a place for him at the FBI. Moreover, his life’s work has moved on without him, and his crusade has changed into something unrecognisable. Unable to recapture the flame within that once burnt so brightly, Mulder’s arc for season 8’s last six episodes focuses on him coming to terms with ending his crusade.  

“Three Words” begins this arc with Mulder’s last act of defiance against the inevitable. Lashing out at his allies and deciding to go it alone, he discovers that the conspiracy among men is gone, replaced by a government machine that has no qualms about killing him and anyone who gets in its way. Moreover, the truth that Mulder fought so desperately to expose has been obfuscated beyond recognition with a web of lies he can’t even begin to pick through. As a result, Mulder is led to question whether continuing his crusade is worth it, as he has become little more than an outsider looking in.

The following episodes, “Empedocles”, “Vienen”, and “Alone”, all show Mulder reflecting on his crusade and where to take it next. In simpler terms, Mulder is looking for a successor to take over his crusader for truth mantle.  

In “Empedocles” and “Vienen”, he’s introduced properly to the two people most likely to continue his fight, Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and Agent John Doggett. While Mulder instantly warms to Reyes’s direct methods of investigation, it takes him longer to accept Doggett as a worthy successor. Mixing like oil and water, it isn’t until they’re stuck investigating a case together that Mulder sees the potential Doggett brings to the X-Files.

“Alone”, meanwhile, serves as Mulder’s last X-File hurrah. Confident that his life’s work is in safe hands, he offers a few last pieces of advice to Doggett from his years of investigating the weird and wonderful.

Ultimately, Mulder’s character arc for the season finishes during the two-part finale, “Essence/Existence”. An explosive finale filled with twists and turns, it neatly ties up the end of Mulder’s crusade, as his quest for truth becomes infinitesimally small in the face of the birth of his child.

Too Much Bad Blood

Mulder isn’t the only one getting closure during the season finale. “Existence” sees an end to Skinner’s constant problems with Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). While there had always been bad blood between them, things ramped up during the season six episode “S.R. 819”, where Alex infected him with life-ending nanobots. The resulting infection led to Skinner being at Alex’s every beck and call—blackmailed into feeding him important information and performing shady tasks.

Skinner’s blackmail problem continues into the eighth season, where his duties for Alex cross a line and almost see him turn Mulder into an alien-hybrid supersoldier. Praying for any chance he gets to end things, his moment comes during the finale. In a much-needed moment of catharsis, Skinner kills Alex, finally ridding the series of one of its most-hated villains.

What Went Wrong:

With well-written stories, concise story arcs, and interesting character development, it raises the question of why season 8 gets a bad reputation in the first place. Although critics of the season have noted Duchovny’s absence and a lower story quality (the latter really doesn’t make sense), I believe the true source of season 8’s ills stems from something much larger: season 9.  

The X-Files’ ninth and final season of its original run is well-known for its weaker storylines and messy mythology, but its problems reached well beyond the containment of its 20-episode run. Many of season nine’s problematic plot points sought to change the conclusions retroactively brought about at the end of the previous season, ultimately poisoning the wellspring.

The effect of season nine’s clunky writing on season eight ripples most with Mulder’s exhumation of his crusade for the truth. Although only starring in the finale, his presence can be felt throughout the more arc-heavy stories of the season. Whilst not necessarily a bad thing, reopening his crusade completely undermines the messaging of his character arc during the previous season. The ending of the episode, “Existence”, gave plenty of good, in-world explanations for Mulder to end his crusade forever, closing out a storyline that had been playing for just under 200 episodes. It’s a shame, then, that the series could never let go, despite the good it could’ve done.

Season nine’s story decisions continue to leave a shadow on its previous season with Scully’s new role in the cast. More of an advisor than a lead investigator, Scully’s inclusion in every episode displays a level of doubt over season eight’s need to pass on the X-Files mantle. While it’s nice to have an anchor to the older series, Scully’s role could’ve easily been filled by other members of the cast. As it is, the decision to keep Scully shows a lack of confidence in Doggett and Reyes to lead the show into new avenues, undermining the X-Files’ new chapter that season eight spent its runtime setting up.