After the disastrous tenth season, it’s nice that this eleventh season is at least coherent. That doesn’t mean that anything else about it really works, because really, nothing does. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are on autopilot from the first episode, but it’s not hard to see why. Individual episodes are neat here and there, but the dialogue between Duchovny and Anderson is extraordinarily awkward and cringe-worthy, always taking the viewer out of the experience, and the overall effect is jarring and unfocused. The ongoing “My Struggle” arc feels both over-stuffed and under-whelming at once, and the season’s habit of clumsily picking up then dropping its overarching themes means it’s just about impossible for the show to build any momentum. One of the show’s final episodes, “Nothing Lasts Forever,” suggests that there are still interesting stories to be told in this universe, but that it’s time for a narrative overhaul.
Rating: ★★ (out of 5)
