The X-Files Season 11: 10 Things We Learned From My Struggle, Part III
The show is back in fine form.
2016's revival of The X-Files wound up being a hit-and-miss affair. The six episode tenth season had one true classic, a couple of good episodes, and a couple of poor ones. Most were forgettable, but the show's return sparked enough interest to buy it another, longer season.
Wednesday night, Season 11 arrived, in the form of My Struggle, Part III. A direct continuation of season ten finale My Struggle, Part II, the first X-Files outing of 2018 rewrites some of the narrative established last season — and for good reason. If we're being honest, the show had written itself into a corner by leaving off on a cliffhanger of Mulder and Scully, trapped on a bridge with an alien ship overhead, and Mulder near death.
The show hasn't fully abandoned the events of season ten, but has wisely reigned some in. The end result is a more focused affair, one that feels more like The X-Files than the previous season. It's not a perfect start, but My Struggle Part III is one of the best season premieres the show has had (they were never its strong suit). More importantly, it breathed life back into the show, and opened up a whole new range of conspiracies while staying true to the show's past.
In true X-Files fashion, there are more questions than answers, but let's take a look at ten things we learned from My Struggle Part III.
10. America Faked The Moon Landing
The X-Files has tackled any number of infamous conspiracy theories, from Crop Circles to JFK's assassination to Roswell. So it's no surprise to see the show incorporate another famous conspiracy yarn: that America faked the moon landing.
In an early scene in My Struggle, Part III, a younger version of the ominous Cigarette Smoking Man is witnessed overseeing a closed movie set. An actor steps out of the Lunar Lander, and utters the famous Neil Armstrong line "One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind." The shot then dissolves (we later see that yes, this is the actual broadcast).
Later in the episode, the Smoking Man is seen watching the clip with a young Jeffrey Spender, the son he would later try to murder as an adult. He remarks that it's how "heroes are made." Young Jeffrey believes he means doing what was once thought impossible. The Smoking Man no doubt means dealing in lies.
It's not a pivotal moment in the episode, but it is a nod to the show's origins. The X-Files is, after all, built off real-life conspiracy theories, whispers, and tales of the bizarre. It's actually shocking that the show hadn't tackled the "moon landing was faked" story before now.