'The X-Files' Recap: 'My Struggle IV'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

While The X-Files has cemented its place in science fiction and horror history as one of the finest television shows to ever grace those respective genres, it has made a few mistakes storytelling wise over the years. Granted, those missteps are always forgiven because it’s Mulder and Scully we are talking about here, but when those goofs happen, they’re glaring and polarizing and if anything, the season eleven premiere is a fine example of this. But I make mention of mistakes today, simply due to the fact that I’ve always found that if the show is going to make a faux pas, it tends to happen during a season finale in my experience, and wouldn’t you know it…last night’s episode just so happened to be the season eleven finale.   
 
Which meant that I went into ‘My Struggle IV’ with lowered expectations, simply because I’ve felt as though the last few season finales just haven’t been up to par since they’ve felt so…incomplete when was all is said and done. But, it’s clear such a trend has come to an end because this finale was utterly magnificent, and despite a few mysteries to be found, it felt incredibly complete and satisfying for a change and such wonders came about all from the fact that Mulder and Scully finally stepped in to make sure that William was going to be safe in this world from those who would do him harm and really, it’s the humanity that both of them displayed that made this episode so worthwhile.
 
Don’t get me wrong, William held his own in this story and while it was awesome to learn about his past and how he came to understand and use his powers over the years and see what he’s been up to since we met him in ‘Ghouli’, the overall search for him was far more fascinating. Because we’ve never seen Mulder and Scully truly slip into parenting mode, and it was just wild to see how far they’d go to protect William since Mulder straight up dropped people without question to ensure his surrogate son’s safety and it was equally as amazing to see Scully incite panic by way of Tad O’Malley’s show all in the hopes of raising awareness about the risk posed to humanity if by chance William was captured by the Cigarette Smoking Man and his lackeys. 

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But truly, the centerpiece of the night, were all the various showdowns and potential deaths that came about in the back half of the episode. Because we saw some of CSM’s subordinates explode thanks to William’s incredible power, and Monica Reyes took a bullet to the head and hell, at this point it’s unclear if Skinner made it out alive either. But the wholesale and wanton bloodshed didn’t end there, since William took a round to the skull as well after provoking his real father and at long last, we got the satisfying and wonderful pleasure of watching CSM take a few rounds from Mulder as well, and that stunning moment could very well signal the end of this titular character after all these years.
 
Yet, while this episode was indeed shocking and thrilling with the big moments it sent our way, what made it feel complete at last, was the sheer fact that it seemingly gave Mulder and Scully a happy ending. After all, Scully is pregnant against all odds, it would seem this duo have finally come to understand what they mean to one another and there’s a real chance that after all this time and all these wild and dangerous adventures, that they could potentially settle down with one another and live a normal(ish) life. Because the implication was strong that they would no longer be Federal Agents after this tale since Kersh was damn displeased with the whole mess involving Tad’s show and flat out said he was closing the X-Files. 
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Which means in many ways, this did indeed feel like a series finale, and it very well could be that since another season of this show is not a foregone conclusion at this point and for the moment, Gillian Anderson appears to be done with the Scully experience and well, if this is indeed how it ends, I can honestly say I feel good with the story saying farewell in this fashion. Because season eleven served as a ‘best of’ reel for this storied series, with memorable and eerie moments that will stay with us for some time and that’s really all a fan can ask for when a series has gone on for this long and if this is indeed the end of the line, then the saga went out on a high note for certain. Either way, for now the X-Files are closed, William is still alive and the biggest surprise of all from when it comes to this tale, is that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully finally have some closure…

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