10 Criminally Underrated X-Files Episodes

The best thing Chris Carter and co. did during the final seasons of The X-Files was to turn the focus back to its roots in the paranormal. They brought scary back to the show, something that had been missing from the bright, sunny episodes filmed in the wake of the production’s move to L.A. at the behest of David Duchovny following the fifth season and first film.

While it would be overly simplistic to say that the change in locale and the brighter look hurt the show, there’s no question that creatively, seasons six – and especially seven – suffered.

Patience, early in season eight, righted course. The first “Monster of the Week” episode of the season, it featured Scully in a new role – that of a believer – and an absolutely terrifying creature, a humanoid Bat with a long memory and a thirst for vengeance.

If you like your X-Files scary, this is the sort of episode that you should revel in, but as fans had become used to the lighter and brighter episodes of the previous season, it was actually jarring for many of them, who accused the show on some of the more popular forums at the time of somehow selling out by going back to its roots. Think again – Patience was a return to form.