The premiere was underwhelming, but I actually enjoyed tonight's episode. It felt like classic X-Files from the opening, to the energetic writing and the direction. Duchovney and Anderson, also seemed a lot more comfortable in their roles aswell. I always thought the MOTW episodes were the strongest anyways with the mythology stuff being a bit too convoluted at times, so I'm really looking forward to the next three episodes.

I was actually fine with the premiere. It did the necessary drive of trying to bring in new people. Joel's rant in the middle was ridiculous though, and his advances towards awfully were awkward to say the least But I absolutely loved seeing a giddy Mulder with the ARV. I kind of like the idea that the whole series was a sham. Episode 2 was pretty good, the stuff with their son's possible life is a bit stretched (obviously he'll play a role) I don't think I'd stick with a full season but they are saying the episodes only get better. 6 is just right. Mulder shooting down the BJ was hilarious. I'm also surprised they stuck with the old credits.

Premiere- B
Founders- B+/A-

I Want to Believe was such a terrible/disappointing film. I wasn't expecting anything of the scope or the budget of FTF, but what they did come up with was so incredibly dull and lame. Judging by the strong ratings so far this miniseries should have a solid run, but nothing more.

X-tended thoughts on the premiere and episode 2 (forthcoming):

My Struggle (C+)
-It's hard to imagine that in the fourteen years since the original's end and the seven years since I Want To Believe hit theatres, Chris Carter couldn't have come up with something better than the meandering debut episode. However, to the show's credit, I always say that you can't judge a series by its pilot episode. For all intents and purposes, this was a pilot for a new incarnation for the show. Whether you consider the 2016 series a revival, a reboot, Season 10, Season 1 of 2.0, etc etc., it doesn't matter. "My Struggle" is still a debut episode and acts as such.

For what it is, "My Struggle" is a mess. It essentially erases nine seasons of the show, it bounces between past and present without a clear direction, it contains a dialogue-heavy hour of television that is content to allow the actors to spout jargon and nonsense all in the name of advancing the story, and worst of all, it features what felt like a lazy performance from David Duchovny. The entire hour should have been a major turning point for Fox Mulder, but Duchovny seemed so disinterested that a lot of the steam the premiere could muster is gone. Gillian Anderson does her best to pull the weight but she looked tired and unable to keep up with the frantic pace of the episode.

But, and there's a big but here, it is the re-opening of The X-Files in more ways than one. Someone who loves the show as much as I do has been waiting for this for a long time. It's hard to not be starstruck in a sense by seeing these characters alive and well in 2016. There's a pivotal moment when Mulder sees an ARV (Alien Replica Vehicle). And, of course, a crucial ending featuring what is probably the most well-known character of the series, after Mulder and Scully.

By the time the hour is up, it's clear where the show is going: back to where it started. And if the parallels can continue, much like the original Pilot, "My Struggle" will likely just be a footnote in the show's history. A starting point and nothing more. It's what is yet to come that can make (or break) The X-Files.

Do I have to watch the original series before watching this? I've been planning on watching the original, would anything be spoiled if I watch this newer series before the old one?

I mean, it's not impossible to watch the new series. A lot of stuff is covered that came up in the old series, but in a way, they made it possible to watch this new one with no prior knowledge.

Unless they change it in the following episodes, they pretty much negated all previous seasons - we were mislead. It's not anything we thought. So, no, you don't need to have seen previous seasons at all.

Well the third episode was shit.

Tonight's episode was easily my favorite in the series so far. From Gillian Anderson being an emotional wreck to a guy who just rips people apart with ease. It was the old-school, creepy, MOTW episode I had been waiting for and it didn't disappoint. I also loved the homage to Glen Morgan's Home which is one of the best X-Files episodes ever.

Didn't watch Home Again yet, but I thought last week's was definitely a fun episode, but not the classic pre-reviews made it out to be. I think Season 10 should have been twice as long for an episode like that to work. It felt too out of place in what is a very brief run of episodes. Love Darin Morgan, love his four main contributions to the series, but just didn't feel like the right time to play what was mostly a screwball episode.

And I still feel like David and Gillian are a little awkward in their return to the roles. Like they had too little time to prepare. But I still want more, and ratings would suggest it will happen.

It was an OK episode. But so far The X-Files have been very disappointing IMHO.

It honestly feels like they had no time to prepare. It feels very rushed. I don't know. I love having The X-Files back on the air, and hopefully any new episodes produced will be improvements, but there's something missing in these shows so far.

Oh something is definitely missing alright, but I think it has a lot to do with how much has changed since the OS run. For example, even last weeks episode which was fun and hit all the right spots was lacking and I couldn't figure out what it was. I can also say the same about last nights episode which I enjoyed, but there is pretty much no way they are going to be able to recapture the eeriness of the earlier, more iconic episodes. Everything is so polished and high tech with this new series and that combined with just how much Duchovney and Anderson have obviously aged over the years really throws it off. I'd watch another season, but it's going to take some serious time getting use to this new format.

I hate mentioning age, but it's definitely alarming to see them try to fit back into these roles twenty someodd years after the first series debuted. And neither even looks that bad for their age. If any cosmetic enhancement is on display, it's not overt.

I almost almost almost want to see if the show would be better with new characters. David and Gillian aren't doing this for another nine seasons. And they didn't bring it back just to wrap it up. I'd even support a 15-episode-per-season run of newbies and a 6-8 episode run of Mulder and Scully. Split the two up.

I believe the TV-landscape has changed greatly and that affects our perception.

I personally don't like how they try to be so hip with everything modern. And the whole thing looks really cheap for some reason.

I didn't watch any of the original series so this reboot isn't made for me, but at this point I can't get into shows that start with investigating a crime scene, I've seen enough of that for a while

Everything about these episodes seems off - sets, visual effects, acting, pacing, writing, directing... I know nothing about the production schedule but each episode seems really rushed and not ready for broadcast. It almost has a fan quality to it, like something someone crowdfunded.

That said, I LOVE seeing Scully and Mulder again. I just wish the entire thing didn't feel so slapdash.

Exactly. Even to the point where the scripts (especially Chris Carter's opening episode) felt entirely fan-written, slapping in as many catchphrases and references as humanly possible.

That aside, Home Again is easily the new series' best episode so far. Everything old was new again. Glen Morgan, coupled with James Wong, is obviously a large reason why the old show worked in its earlier days, and his talents continue to shine here. And it felt very restrained, in a positive way, whereas every other episode has a pacing that feels more rushed. I'm not sure I love all the William stuff, as it often comes across like the revival's answer to Samantha from the old show. But it gave Gillian a lot to work with, and she delivered.

One little note: I'm not a fan of Mulder's wisecracks. He always had great humor moments before, especially in darker episodes, but some of his quips don't work here. I don't know if David can't pull them off anymore (too much of his portrayal on the new episodes is full of apathy towards the show and the character, sadly), or if they're just written into the wrong spots in each episode. But they're distracting.

New Episode Grades:
My Struggle: C
Founder's Mutation: B
Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster: B
Home Again: A- (the closest so far to classic X-Files)

Do you mean One Breath? Cause aside from the title, I didn't see any connections or homages to the episode Home.

Maybe it's just me, but The Downtown sequence seemed like a blatant callback to the Wonderful, Wonderful scene in that episode. Also, as far as production values go I definitely don't think it looks cheap, especially after last night's episode which according to Carter was actually the most expensive of the season. I can tell they spent some money on this show, but it's too bad they didn't put the same amount of effort into the script.

I liked the third, fourth was forgettable. They're getting the humor right enough, but there is literally no suspense/ creepiness anymore. Creepiest thing was the guy drinking rubbing alcohol with his Norman Bates/Vacancy hotel.

My grades so far:

"My Struggle" - C+
"Founder's Mutation" - B
"Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster" - A
"Home Again" - B+

The tone for last night's episode was all over the place.

I seriously don't get this revival. Is it a parody? Are they being serious? Is this show just not going to work in 2016?