Patrick has saved ‘The X-Files,’ now Duchovny will spice it up

By JOHN HANSEN

Feb. 23, 2001

With his gruff voice, his business-like approach to solving cases and his willingness to at least be open-minded towards paranormal explanations, Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) has made “The X-Files” seem like a brand-new show in its eighth season.

His chemistry with Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson) is different from the Mulder-Scully relationship, but just as compelling.

Now things are set to get even spicier as the “Search for Mulder” reaches a crescendo in Sunday’s episode.

Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) has already appeared in four episodes this season — he was shown screaming Scully’s name in the two-part season premiere, and he appeared in flashbacks in two other episodes.

Now fans will get to see how “The X-Files” works as a three-lead show.

So far, Season 8 has been a creative comeback for the show. Not only has the Doggett-Scully dynamic injected “The X-Files” with new energy, but the stories have simply gotten better. There’s no question that “The X-Files” has found new life by returning to the dark, moody mysteries of the early years.

The writers have also gotten more creative, dropping the tired trend of self-parody that made the show seem directionless last year. Perhaps the addition of Doggett, and Scully and Skinner’s redefinition as believers, has inspired the writers.

As the new resident skeptic, it took Doggett about seven episodes to reach the point Scully was at after seven seasons — he still prefers a cut-and-dry case, but he’s willing to concede there are things that can’t be explained by science or good cop work.

For example, “Invocation,” is about a kid who appears on a swingset, unaged, ten years after being kidnapped. Medical tests confirm he is the same kid, but by episode’s end, it seems he was a ghost out to avenge his abductor. It’s Doggett’s clearest encounter with something that just doesn’t make sense.

Then in “Badlaa,” Scully embraces the believer role completely, ignoring what her eyes are telling her and shooting a shapeshifting villain disguised as an innocent youth. The decision causes Scully to cry, both because she shot a young boy and because she’s now “replaced” Mulder, fueling a sense of loss for her friend and former partner.

The writers have found success by bringing back classic monster-of-the-week episodes (such as “Patience,” a tale of a half-man, half-bat) and they’ve found fresh ideas (such as “Redrum,” about a man who wakes up in prison one day and proceeds to live his days backwards).

There are still plenty of questions out there for X-Philes. What happened to Mulder on the spaceship? Is Scully pregnant with an alien baby? Will the three-lead dynamic work? Will Mulder be back for good, or is this season his final farewell? Will March’s “Lone Gunmen” spinoff find a loyal audience, and will it cross over with “The X-Files?”

One thing is certain: It’s a great time to be an “X-Files” fan again.

What: “The X-Files” Season 8

When: 8 p.m. Sundays on Fox

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, David Duchovny

Executive Producer: Chris Carter

Grade (episodes 1-13): A