So season 9 is the last; the last of the X-Files nine lives, so to speak. It should come as no suprise. The end of the series is something viewers have seen on the horizon for some time now. In fact, it's not the first time we've been met with a potential end. Many viewers, myself included, smelled closure leading up to the end of the very mediocre season 7. Of course that closure did not materialize. At the last possible moment, the Fox network, fearing the loss of its flagship drama, applied the shock panels to the show and essentially placed the series on life support. Groans emerged from critics and audiences alike, especially when it was learned that the coming season would bring changes; mainly, the loss of one Agent Fox Mulder. Apprehension brewed, as many dreaded what would become of a series seemingly past its peak, and now without its leading man.

Yet over the summer, the X-Files seemed to convalesce. A new character was added, one Agent John Doggett. Tougher and much more direct than Mulder, Doggett took to the scene and immediately threw a new dynamic into the show. While some still mourned the loss of Mulder, others (myself included) were greatly impressed. I found a renewed interest in the show, watching now out of intrigue intead of old habit. After a banal and drearily-stagnant 7th season, the 8th season introduced countless possibilities. The potential seemed grand. New characters. New blood. New storylines. I liked very much. By the end of the season, it appeared that the show could go on indefinitely, having been reinvigorated. But then season 9 emerged, and the show hit a snag. What went wrong? Simple.

First, the mythology (the underlying backstory of the show) inexplicably metamorphasized again. Over the years, The X-Files has been plagued with schizophrenic plotlines, switching from aliens to viruses to government conspiracies and back again--countless times over. After a huge build-up to the season 8 finale Existence, the season 9 premiere saw the alien plot cast aside and replaced by something out of the blue: government created Super!Soldiers. No basis and no explanation. A sudden change of heart by the writers. It was enough to stump even the most diligent and loyal fan, not to mention completely baffling casual viewers. HINT #1: when people don't understand something, they generally lose interest in it. Confusing viewers with nonsensical and ever-changing plotlines is not a way to make a show successful. This was the first blunder.

The second blunder falls in the catergory of characterization. In the first half-dozen episodes of season 9, writers managed to massacre Agent Dana Scully, reducing her from one of the strongest female characters on television, to a weepy, needy, meloncholy recluse cooing over some baby that nobody likes or understands anyway. Her weekly antics and lamentations were enough to make long-time viewers want to throw her from a moving train. HINT #2: when people idolize a character, they don't want to see that character rendered lifeless and mundane (or is it insane?). This might upset them and, possibly, make them not want to watch the show. Anyway, you get my point.

The next blunder also falls partially under the category of characterization; in this case, it is the failure of the series to exploit their strongest points--Doggett and Reyes--instead churning out countless mythology episodes where these characters are rendered with little to do. Think of it this way. Season 8 and 9 have undisputedly been carried along by Agent John Doggett. It is no small wonder that the best episodes from both seasons--in fact some of the best episodes of the entire series--have been those that focus on Doggett. It seems, however, that the series would rather focus on faltering mythology, and a character who is not there (Mulder) as opposed to a character who is (Doggett, or even Skinner or Monica Reyes and Scully). HINT #3: you don't attract a loyal fanbase by constantly reminding people what is missing from your series. You might want to focus on what is there instead. John Doggett is a good thing (in fact a VERY good thing). Use him. Don't do him a grave injustice by having him live vicariously through Virtual!Mulder (while I'm at it, I should mention that chasing Virtual!Mulder has in fact become very boring in itself). People might like to know more about Doggett's thoughts and feelings, not the 101 ways in which he might try to find Mulder, who (big surprise!) likely can't be found anyway, because of a certain someone's contract agreement.

Anyway, sad as it is, ultimately The X-Files has devised its own end, dug its own grave. I strongly believe that the show could have continued with Doggett, Skinner and Reyes, but this path was abandonned long ago, arguably before it was even given a chance. So it is with a sense of relief that I hear of the end of The X-Files. With the exception of a few strong 9th season episodes (4-D, Daemonicus, John Doe), the series seems to have stagnated again, simply because Chris Carter and the writing staff forgot what made season 8 so successful in the first place: they've forgotten about the new characters, favouring instead old and tired plotlines. There is still hope, yes; after all season 9 hasn't been all bad. A few of the eps (mentioned above) are actually gems of the series. I expect there will be at least a couple more of those before the year is out.

In my opinion, it is essentially the mythology that has wounded the show; ironic, as this is one of the features that allowed The X-Files to shine in the early years. Sure, I'll miss the show. Most definitely I'll miss Agent Doggett anyway. Hopefully Chris Carter will find a way to give the series an honorable exit, and hopefully, the movies will pick up from the strongest episodes (and not forget to use certain characters that deserve to be included; ie Doggett, Skinner, Reyes. It would in fact be a grave injustice if these characters did not appear in the movies).

In the end, I am a bit saddened--but I will mourn the loss of a 9 year tradition more than the loss of the show itself. Oh yeah. And I will mourn the fact that I won't see John Doggett on my TV every week, but I think I mentioned that already.

All Things Must Die, and yet the Truth is Out There. Whether or not it will ultimately be revealed or explained is another matter entirely.