AS The X Files returns for an eleventh series Dana Scully appears to be on creator Chris Carter’s hit list following Gillian Anderson’s revelation that she would be leaving the iconic Sci-fi show.
Having already announced that the upcoming run of the show “is it” for her, the 49-year-old actress’ character looked to be on her last legs as she spent most of the premiere in hospital.
The episode, My Struggle III, erases everything that happened in My Struggle II which closed the series 10 of the show – revealing that Mulder wasn’t in danger and Scully wasn’t on course to meet aliens.
The episode opens with Scully waking up in hospital and eventually being released, though she finds herself crashing back into the emergency room following a car accident.
Fans of the X Files in the US, where the episode was screened last night, have been left divided by the episode and its big reveal.
Following a bungled assassination attempt in the hospital, where a mystery man tried to smother her, foiled by Mulder (David Duchovny), the Cigarette Smoking Man returned to provide a huge plot twist.
Rewriting the history of the X Files for many fans, it was revealed that Scully had been impregnated by the show’s arch-villain “by alien science” to create a super-human – meaning Mulder is not the father of Scully’s son, William.
A number of fans took to Twitter to call out the show for making Anderson’s character a victim once-again.
On user responded to a fan account for the new series, which had asked for opinions, tweeting: “Ummm Scully is basically covering how I feel. I feel sick to my stomach and it’s just getting worse instead of better.”
Other responded with gifs and memes, but the general consensus was not a happy one.
As the episode concluded with Scully being the focus of the CSM’s twisted plans and still in hospital, affected by dibilitating visions of her son, it seemed as though the character was already being set up for her departure.
She hasn’t tried to hide the fact that series 11 will be her last outing on the show, having previously told TV Insider: “I’ve said from the beginning, this is it for me. I was a bit surprised by people’s [shocked] reaction to my announcement… because my understanding was that this was a single season.”
In October last year, Anderson revealed that she had finally reached the end of the line when it came to the role. “You may need to talk to me in a few years about that once I finally shut the door!” she told reporters at New York Comic-Con.
“You know, there’s always been this ‘maybe one more’ thing hanging over, but when the door is finally shut, call me up and ask me that question again.”
The X Files series 11 will continue to air in the US on FOX following its January 3 premiere, while a UK release date has yet to be announced.
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