Summary

• Chris Carter reignites debate over the controversial X-Files finale twist; Mulder and Scully's son was a result of an experiment.
• The finale casts doubt on whether the child belongs to Mulder and Scully, linking to the show's theme of immortality.
• Gillian Anderson got "very angry" with Carter over the storyline, but the controversy was welcomed.

The X-Files creator Chris Carter reignites the debate about the controversial season 11 finale. The twist that Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully's (Gillian Anderson) son is the result of an experiment in which Scully was drugged with alien DNA still garners a dismissive response from viewers more than six years after the finale first aired. But they are not the only ones who weren't fond of the storyline.

According to Variety, while recently speaking at an event for the 30th anniversary of The X-Files, Carter reopened the debate about Mulder and Scully's baby. The series creator spoke about how the season 11 finale wraps back around to the very beginning of The X-Files and casts doubt on whether the child belonged to Mulder and Scully. In the quote below, Carter also says Gillian Anderson got “very angry” with him over it:

“We speak about immortality several times in the show. And it played into the series finale in a way that is very important. And as I’m sure most people know, Scully admits or tells Mulder about her pregnancy in the final episode. And that became very controversial.”

“Gillian got very angry at me. And it’s like, I wasn’t sure why that was. But I actually welcomed the controversy, I thought that it was a good thing. But it follows Scully’s maternity, if you will, with Emily [Scully’s daughter], and with William, and why does anyone think that this pregnancy is anything other than science fiction? This is the science fiction show that pregnancy is spelled out actually at the beginning of the episode where the truth is out there is something else and it is what I had in mind. So I just want to go on record to say, it’s not necessarily Mulder and Scully’s child.”

The X-Files Season 11 Finale Reignited An Old Debate

Are Standalone Episodes Better Than The Overall Mythology?

In the decades since The X-Files ended its original run, the standalone episodes are now considered the real draw and the primary reason to revisit the show from the beginning.

The dissatisfaction with the later X-Files years, which led to the uproar over the finale, leads to a larger discord with the otherwise largely beloved sci-fi show. In the first few seasons, it was common for viewers to prefer the mythology episodes to the show’s standalone adventures, which could often be uneven and sometimes a little repetitive. It helped that, at least at first, the questions that Carter and his team of writers raised were intriguing. It even looked like Mulder and Scully would eventually get the answers they sought.

However, in the decades since The X-Files ended its original run, the standalone episodes are now considered the real draw and the primary reason to revisit the show from the beginning. It's those episodes that often end up highlighting something special in Mulder and Scully;s dynamic, bringing out the versatile chemistry that Duchovny and Anderson so easily slipped into.

But as The X-Files looks ahead to a potential reboot from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, it's a reminder that the new version shouldn't get bogged down by a narrative that goes on way too long. Although certain elements of the series' alien focus had redoubtable appeal, it should have been resolved much sooner.

The X-Files is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

Source: Variety