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The X-Files Season 4 Review

The fourth season of The X-Files is the best one up to this point in the show’s run. It has its terrible episodes, but most are either strong or downright terrific.

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“Not everything is about you, Mulder.

This is my life“

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Herrenvolk is a very intriguing opening. This is the episode where Mulder finds out about the clones of his sister and that realization was both eerie and emotionally powerful. It was heartbreaking seeing him get close to solving the case of his sister’s disappearance once again only to still end up in the dark.

Home is by far one of the best episodes of this season and of the entire show really. This is where the Monster of the Week narrative reached its peak for me. Set in a remote American town, it is about a family of inbred, genetic mutants. This episode is biologically fascinating, but also incredibly grotesque, so gross in fact that it was a small miracle that it ended up being broadcast on television back in the day. Everything here just clicked in its place. The script was impeccable and thematically intriguing (the motherhood theme was strikingly explored), the action elements are thrilling and the whole episode ends in such a dark, grim way that was both unexpected and simply unforgettable.

Teliko is one of the worst episodes of the season as it deals with a very uninteresting, bad scenario poorly executed. Unruhe isn’t great, but the central conceit was interesting and the photography element led to some very creepy imagery here. The Field Where I Died is a very odd episode in its languid pace and a lot of speechifying, though its originality is undisputed.

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Sanguinarium is definitely one of the most underrated episodes of this particular season, a story that is surprisingly grotesque in its gore and brutal in its villain. It’s one of the darkest and most graphic episodes in the show’s run and that made it unique. Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man doesn’t always work, but it’s a different kind of episode that presents flashbacks that give us insight into the main villain’s backstory. It is an unexpectedly political episode that basically functions as a conspiracy thriller period piece.

Tunguska and Terma represent this two-parter set in Russia that is dated and forgettable in its storyline with the only redeeming quality being bringing back the Krycek character. Him facing off against Mulder is always a treat. Paper Hearts features a terrific villain and is one of those thriller episodes that work splendidly for the show. It’s so well executed. I wish I could say the same for El Mundo Gira – a poor, badly written episode set in Mexico that is initially about Chupacabra, but ended up being about nothing at the end of the day.

Leonard Betts is important for starting the Scully has cancer storyline, but it’s also a damn powerful episode in its own right. The villain is so creepy here and that moment when he crawls out of his body was both gross and admirably pulled off in its impressive practical effects. The budget was clearly bigger on this season.

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As for Never Again, it’s one of my favorite episodes of the show. It’s a different kind of beast as it gave Scully a boyfriend for a while and her scenes here are unexpectedly sensual, but the highlight is that ending where she finally told Mulder off. This is the season that finally acknowledged just how selfish and narcissistic Mulder really is and this was undoubtedly their worst moment together, but important one nonetheless. It was so powerful and beautifully filmed in its subtlety.

Memento Mori is a weaker cancer episode than the other two, but it’s still pretty strong and I respect the show for actually going there and sticking with it and showing just how dangerous cancer is. Kaddish is solid albeit not great. It deals with prejudice well enough, but is otherwise forgettable. Unrequited is interesting in its powerful beginning and ending, but it rarely reached greatness apart from those intense sequences.

Tempus Fugit and Max are part of the same story, but the first episode is much more powerful in getting us to know the diseased Max and to care for him and his death. The opening of the first episode is instantly iconic and this story is overall very well told throughout. Synchrony is a somewhat forgettable time travel episode that never quite makes use of its great premise.

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Small Potatoes is unforgettable in that final moment where the villain told Mulder the truth – that he is wasting his youth. This episode is too comedic, though the shape-shifter scenes are wildly entertaining. The entire season both made fun of Mulder and acknowledged his glaring flaws in personality, which was refreshing to witness. Zero Sum is thrilling and well crafted with Skinner being very well used. Elegy is an unfortunately dated episode in its depiction of mental illness while Demons is solid and featuring a great use of Mulder. The finale makes even better use of him. Yes, Gethsemane features a powerful cliffhanger that hints at his supposed death and it’s also a great episode in examining Scully’s issues with faith.