The X-Files Season 11: 10 Things We Learned From Plus One

As much as The X-Files won't be able to get back the "will they or won't they" feel, with Plus One, the show proved that sometimes, you can go home again. In returning Dana Scully to her skeptical roots — partway, at least — the series turned back the clock. It did so without warning. Without explanation. Scully, who has come to believe in aliens and government conspiracies over the years, just suddenly went back to dismissing the paranormal.

And somehow, it worked. It didn't feel like going backwards. It felt as if the balance was back in the show. Having Scully keep Mulder honest was always kind of the point, after all. Instead of allowing him to leap from A to Z, she would at least keep him jumping from A to C, forcing him to flesh out his theories. It's why we love her (well, part of it anyway).

In Plus One, when Scully rationally explained how a man with his hands cuffed could possibly hang himself from the bars of his jail cell — that was good ol' skeptical Scully. We missed her.

If the show keeps this up for the remainder of the season, it'll be just fine. Yes, Scully needs to be a believer at times, but a reluctant believer, one who needs to see all the evidence and eliminate every other possible explanation.

Twice.

After all, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy skepticism, even on The X-Files.