Welcome to this very special edition of Weekly Small Talk. It's an original meme where I usually talk about anything that is remotely related to books and popular culture.
Warning: this post contains spoilers for X-files season ten.
This week, I already talked about my rescue book haul. But when I woke up this morning, my Twitter and Facebook feeds had a surprise for me:
The X-files is coming back for a new season.
"Did I get it right?", I asked myself. The X-files is coming back. The filming is scheduled this summer, and the new season will most likely premiere in 2018. To be completely honest, the news wasn't that much of a surprise. We all saw it happen. And by "we all" I mean the "we, the fans". The way Fox and the creators were talking about it, it was a question of "when", not "if". Obviously, both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have busy working schedules, and making a new season happen, even a short one, must present somewhat of a logistical nightmare to all those included.
I was willing to wait. An old sentimental fan like me could wait for an indefinite amount of time, as long as I would get to see the original cast back again. This may not turn into another Star Trek reboot, and if that nightmare scenario will someday play out, count me out.
Season ten was good. Not great, but strong, original and - most importantly - true to the spirit of the original series. It seems like it's the new mythology that has been the thorn in the side of many critics and fans, but the main problem with that season was the run time. Six episodes were simply not enough to tell all the stories the writers wanted to tell. I liked the new mythology. It was a fresh take on the old canon, and come on, would it really be that much better if Carter and Co just rehashed the same old stories they wrote twenty years ago? That being said, trying to kick-start the new mythology in just two episodes wasn't very smart.
Now, it seems, we will be getting ten episodes, instead of six. Perfect! I think that if done right, ten episodes will be just enough to resolve the cliffhanger in the latest finale, explore this new mythology and maybe finally re-introduce William Sculder (that is, the dynamic duo's secret son). But that means that the episodes will have to be condensed, tight, and that the writers can't be wasting precious time on characters like Miller and Einstein. At this point in the series, we don't need new characters. But if the writers will insist on introducing new members to the X-files family, they will have to contribute something to the story, instead of just being caricatures. As you can guess, I really hated Miller and Einstein.
There is so much I want to see in season eleven. I want Robert Patrick to reprise his role as John Doggett. I want Alex Krycek back (make him a human-alien hybrid, for all I care, just bring him back!). I want to know what happened to William, and if Scully having alien DNA means that her blood is now all green and acidic. I want Monica Reyes come out and say that she didn't really work for the Cigarette-Smoking Man, and that it was all a big prank. I want the make-up team to get a better wig for Gillian. I want more dry and endearing sittings at Skinner's office. Most importantly, I want the same level of originality, good writing and acting that not only made The X-files a pop-culture phenomenon and a template for so many TV-shows that followed it, but a show that still resonates with sci fi fans all over the world.
Okay, now that I made my part in sharing this news and giving my two cents on the matter, I can finally show you how this news makes me feel:
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