The X-Files: 10 Things We Learned From Home Again

8. The Show Doesn't Have Enough Time To Find Balance Between Dark And Comedic

You're a dark wizard, Mulder. It was a great line. No question about it. Uttered by Scully, this would have been a classic, were it not delivered next to her comatose mother's hospital bedside. We'll get into the return of Margaret Scully more in a bit, but first, consider this: When the X-Files was in its original run, it generally had between 20 to 24 or so episodes per season, and with that, it could find balance between dark, disturbing, and scary, and light and humorous. Between episodes, and within the episodes themselves. It managed this incredibly well in the first five seasons and a bit before going off the rails sometime around the latter half of season six, but even then, the show hit that balance more often than it missed it. In the revival thus far, it feels as if the writers are trying to be everything all at once, with the exception of Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster, which went for straight-up laughs, as it should have. However, the show should have stopped with the quips and one-liners there, and saved them for some future outing. Instead, some of the quips in Home Again felt forced, especially given it was dealing with some very gory subject matter. Did Mulder really need to ask if two future victims of the Band-Aid Man were married just because they were arguing? Was that the right spot for the dark wizard line? Probably not.