But, thankfully, it picks up again towards the end of the show's pre-revival run. On a regular rewatch, the still-great Monster of the Week episodes soften this dip in quality, which makes a Mytharc rewatch quite challenging in places. It's still fun to watch, but compared to the heights of seasons 3, 4, and 5, it's clear the writers were running out of ideas and hitting narrative dead ends. The truth is, as good as The X-Files is, it really loses its way around season 6 вЂ“ especially where the mythology is concerned. The quality dips, sometimes quite severely

Usually it would take a hundred episodes to learn some of these earthshaking plot details вЂ“ but in this rewatch it takes half that, which isn't always a good thing. The downside of this is that the show's central mysteries are exposed and stripped of their mystique a little too quickly. As we explained earlier, this means the plot is constantly in motion, and you're never left hanging. You've made it this far, now here's a killer two-parter to end the season and give you a big, gratifying hit of new mythology. When The X-Files was on TV, a Mytharc episode was almost like a reward for your patience. This happens almost exclusively in the 'between' episodes, and this wonderfully written character development makes the emotional life-or-death situations in the mythology episodes hit way harder. In the frantic, dramatic Mytharc episodes, Mulder and Scully rarely get any downtime to hang out, joke around, and learn about each other. Why you might not want to do a Mytharc rewatchДЄ lot of the best character moments happen in the relatively chill Monster of the Week episodes. It's overwhelming (more on that later), but hugely entertaining and satisfying. It's quite the opposite, in fact: you're positively overloaded with information, and pretty much every episode uncovers some massive new revelation to mull over. But there are no such issues with a Mytharc rewatch. And even binging the show today on a streaming service, there's still a lot to get through before you learn the truth about its many tangled plot threads. You could wait weeks, or even months, for a resolution to something.

When The X-Files originally aired, Mytharc episodes were pretty spaced out. It also gives you a newfound appreciation for how Chris Carter and his team constructed the story over the years. 'Wait, who's Kryceck working for again? The Syndicate did what? Uh, why don't those guys have faces?' But watching them back to back, wrapping your head around the increasingly complex mythology is a lot easier. The problem with a regular rewatch is that, by the time the next Mytharc episode comes along, you've lost track of what's going on. But when you mainline Mytharc episodes, suddenly it becomes a fast-paced, relentless, and exciting sci-fi thriller, with superb action set pieces and beloved characters constantly throwing themselves into wild, dangerous situations.

This is obviously great, and part of the show's magic. The X-Files is generally a pretty leisurely series, with lots of great character development, time spent exploring the agents' personal lives (as well as the supporting cast), and plenty of offbeat comedy episodes to lighten the mood. It totally transforms the pace of the show

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