'The X-Files' Recap: 'The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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​Perhaps the true beauty of being a fan of The X-Files is the sheer amount of unique emotions that the series has allowed for us to experience by way of its unique brand of storytelling. After all, we have been privy to the thrilling danger that comes with alien invasions, and the chills that come with grand conspiracies and we’ve even kept our lights on at bedtime since this series has found new ways to terrify us with things that go bump in the night. But if there’s one thing the saga has never really brought forth for the audience, it’s social commentary, since this series has often times served as a wonderful escape from everyday life.
 
However, that all changed last night. Because ‘The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat’ was quite the cerebral episode, one that featured a man named Reggie who made contact with Mulder to ask for his help and to warn him. Because according to Reggie, a nefarious Doctor named They had obtained the power to manipulate our collective memories, putting everyone and everything in danger and while that it is quite the setup for an episode, what made this particular tale so intelligent and fascinating, is the sheer fact that it spoke to our world, and had a little fun with the legacy of the series in the process as well.
 
In fact, to call this episode hilarious would be an understatement because this story decided it was high time to lampoon the mythos of the series as a whole, lightly mocking the saga’s sometimes overly complex plot points in wonderful fashion by way of quirky and lighthearted moments that quite frankly remind us exactly why we do love this show through and through. But while there were plenty of laughs to be found as we revisited some of the saga’s biggest moments throughout the years, the social commentary that I made mention of is what truly made this episode downright incredible.
 
Because this story, took the time to examine the whole matter of ‘fake news’ and the new mantra of ‘I believe it, therefore it is real’ that currently permeates the news, the internet and social media as a whole and what was truly surprising, outside of the fact that the series took the time to do this in the first place, was that it outright mocked it and expressed its disdain for it (and the Trump Administration for that matter as well), and more or less politely asked us to stop it and use a touch of logic when we encounter something that doesn’t quite add up and I have to admit, that I’m quite impressed that The X-Files of all shows had something that bold to say about our world.
 
If anything, it makes this particular tale incredibly unique and the only reason that it works and works well, is the sheer fact that it uses humor to get its point across and the comedy is so good that the episode’s most hilarious moments stick with you for quite some time. Case in point, that awesome alien that popped up in the closing moments of the story, because that whole segment was pure gold. Either way, this was just a cool, fun, one off for the series, and one that I kind of hope they do again down the line because it was neat to see everyone let loose like this But sadly, it looks like the fun will be coming to end for now, since next week, we resume the hunt for William and no good can come from that since everyone has him in their crosshairs. Until next time.    

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