The X-Files creator Chris Carter regrets the show’s divisive season 11 finale. Although the world of X-Files is slated to expand with a planned animated spin-off that’s more comedic in tone, many devoted fans of the sci-fi staple are still more focused on Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson).
When audiences last saw the iconic duo, it had been revealed that Mulder and Scully’s son had profoundly disturbing origins. William, their son, it turned out, was the result of the Cigarette Smoking Man (played by William B. Davis) drugging and impregnating Scully. The twist proved incredibly controversial and, as audiences argued, unsatisfying and unnecessary. After previously defending his plot choices for The X-Files season 11 finale, Carter has offered a more reflective viewpoint in new remarks.
In a conversation with the Sammensværgelsen podcast (via Den of Geek), Carter expounded on the controversial revival of The X-Files and noted that he intended to address some of the complaints from fans with another installment. “I would have fixed it in season 12,” he said. However, Carter also confessed that he regretted leaving so many different storylines unresolved. You can read that part of his quote below.
“Skinner, Mulder, Scully, and William’s stories are still unresolved. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do that. Being that Gillian has decided to move on with her career, we certainly couldn’t do Mulder and Scully again. But that’s not to say there isn’t another way to do the X-Files. And so right now I think the future is unwritten.”
While it’s good to hear that Carter is optimistic about the future of The X-Files franchise, Anderson has been fairly adamant that she’s done with the role of Scully. Whatever continuation Carter has in mind will have to likely contend with the fact that one of the drama’s leads won’t be involved. The dissatisfaction with the later X-Files years, and with the revival specifically, points to a larger program with the hugely influential sci-fi series. For its first few seasons, many fans preferred the mythology episodes to the show’s standalone adventures which could often be uneven and sometimes a little repetitive. The questions which Carter and his team of writers raised were intriguing and it looked as though Mulder and Scully would one day get the answers they were looking for. However, in the decades since The X-Files ended its original run, the standalone episodes are now considered to be the real draw and the primary reason to revisit the show from the beginning.
Part of that is because individual episodes, such as the season 3 standout “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”, are so memorable. But it also relates to the fact that the mythology of The X-Files ultimately overwhelmed the entire franchise. Rather than learn from the mistakes which hampered the original X-Files, Carter doubled down on a conflict that many viewers had grown tired of during the revival. If anything, the revival might have been better if it kept all of its focus to more self-contained narratives, as those were the X-Files episodes that received the most fervent acclaim. Regardless, it’s a positive that Carter has a plan for a more satisfactory ending to The X-Files. Perhaps one day, he’ll be able to achieve it.
Source: Sammensværgelsen podcast (via Den of Geek)