In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully take on a case of a possible alien abductee.
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The X-Files is still months away from being shown to the public, but at the revival’s first public screening in New York, executive producer Chris Carter found himself taking heat for a decision that has split fans of the classic series.
The season premiere, called “My Struggle“, comes 13 years after the last episode of Season 9 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation officially shut the X-Files project down for good. In fact, The X-Files so nicely lends itself to these modern issues that it’s hard to believe how much the Fox drama pre-dated many of them. We’re here to make a ton of references to stuff we can all laugh about and cash our checks, ‘ ” Duchovny says. No longer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Scully has found work at a D.C. hospital and only has occasional contact with Mulder, whose loss of goal since the X-Files shuttered has sent him into an isolating depression.
– Annet Mahendru (The Americans) has a “major role” in the premiere. Carter confirmed during the Comic Con panel that the reboot will consist of two mythology episodes and four standalones. The episode is buoyed by the show’s trademark alien abduction and UFO lore – as well as, of course, Mulder’s trademark paranoia and Scully’s cynicism and exasperation. “Don’t you think they’re stronger than that?” the fan shot back, as the audience laughed with approval. “So we don’t belabor it for the hardcore fans, but we make sure there’s a hook for the newbies”. Time has clearly gone on for Mulder and Scully in the years we haven’t been watching, but the premiere doesn’t miss a beat, instantly re-immersing viewers in all the complexities – good and bad – within their relationship. Chris delved a bit about the status of their relationship to attendees at The X-Files Comic Con panel, confirming that the believer and the skeptic are no longer living together. Still, the duo’s playful repartee and fondness for each other is intact when O’Malley reunites them. So much is said, so many pieces are put in motion, and so little of it actually holds the meaning for the audience that it appears to carry for the characters. But it’s still the same. “This is when the sniper gets me”, Carter joked before explaining that he wanted to show that time has passed. Indeed, at a post-screening Q&A hosted by Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani, Pileggi teared up when recalling how much of Skinner’s gruff demeanor is informed by his own late father, a former Department of Defense contractor who worked in the Middle East. “I didn’t realize what I was doing until I watched the episodes with my mother and sister and they said, ‘That’s Dad, ‘” Pileggi said, choking up. “It just felt right”, he added, a sentiment echoed by Pileggi.
With any luck, he’ll get to return to do more.
A 17-year-old fan approached the mic. When he finished speaking, Pileggi addressed how awesome it is that the original fans of the show have stuck with them, but that there is a whole new generation of fans experiencing The X-Files for the first time.
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– If there’s an appetite for it and if Carter is on board, Duchovny is all for coming back after the revival for more.
