Season Analysis

The X-Files

Season 2 Analysis

Season Woke Score

out of 10

Season Overview

The X-Files has been shut down and Mulder and Scully are separated. Scully finds herself teaching classes at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, while Mulder is assigned to surveillance duty. With Agent Alex Krycek as his new partner, and the mysterious X as his new source of information, Mulder struggles to keep his search for the truth alive. But ironically it is Scully who experiences the close encounter Mulder has longed for, taking a journey that will ultimately bring the two agents back together and forging a bond that will make them closer than ever before.

Season Review

Season 2 deepens the show's core themes of government paranoia and skepticism, with the main narrative arc focusing on institutional corruption and the vulnerability of the individual. The season's major 'woke' element is the intense and consistent vilification of the established Western government and military structure, which is revealed to be a thoroughly corrupt cabal of elite white men (the Syndicate) actively working against humanity. This contributes to a high score in Oikophobia. Feminism is also elevated as the core event of the season is Agent Scully's abduction, a clear attack on her physical and reproductive autonomy by this male-dominated conspiracy, which she must recover from and fight back against. Outside of this overarching theme, the series remains grounded in character merit, featuring a strong, competent female lead who is balanced by her male partner. The series is largely non-political in the categories of Identity Politics, which is confined to the specific villains of the conspiracy, and contains almost no material concerning alternative sexualities or anti-theism.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The narrative's central conspiracy is orchestrated by a shadowy group explicitly identified as high-ranking white men (The Syndicate), which attributes systemic evil to a specific immutable characteristic of the dominant culture. Agent X, a black male character, is introduced as an informant providing vital information against this cabal, establishing a contrast between the evil white power structure and an individual aiding the agents. However, the core agents are still judged solely on their merit, preventing a higher score.

Oikophobia7/10

The central government and its associated institutions (FBI hierarchy, military intelligence) are systematically portrayed as profoundly evil and corrupt, colluding with extraterrestrials to facilitate the destruction of the human race. This narrative frames the top echelons of Western civilization as fundamentally treacherous and beyond redemption, directly opposing the idea of institutions acting as a shield against chaos. The 'truth' is shown to be held by outsiders, such as the Navajo elder in the finale, in contrast to the US government's lies.

Feminism4/10

Dana Scully is portrayed as a brilliant, competent FBI agent and medical doctor whose authority is earned purely through professional merit. The plot's major turning point, however, involves her abduction and non-consensual medical experimentation leading to forced infertility (ovum removal) at the hands of the all-male Syndicate. This plot point positions motherhood as a vulnerability to be stolen and exploited by the power structure, though Scully's response is one of strength and renewed purpose alongside her male partner, maintaining a complementary dynamic.

LGBTQ+1/10

The season contains no overt storylines centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or promoting gender ideology. The agents' relationship remains a platonic, heterosexual, and professional partnership operating within a normative structure. One episode centered on 'Otherness' focuses on physical difference (sideshow performers) rather than sexual identity.

Anti-Theism2/10

Scully's Catholic faith is consistently presented as an inner struggle and a personal source of strength and comfort, particularly during her near-death experience. The cosmic evil and corruption in the series are secular—driven by government power and alien science—rather than being rooted in or attributed to traditional religion. Faith is acknowledged as a valid, transcendent aspect of her moral framework.