Based on what I have read, this served as the finale for the entire series and what's good is that there seemed to be some closure rather than a big cliffhanger like we saw at the end of season 10. Now, I realize that Smoking Man has "died" before but somehow survived, and it's possible Skinner wasn't killed, and we know that even though William was shot, he survived in the end, and the X Files has been shut down before, then reopened, so it's always possible that the series could some how be continued, but this episode felt like a suitable ending point. In addition, the possible devastating future as envisioned by Scully/William and which was going to be implemented by Smoking Man won't happen. It's time for Mulder and Scully to move on with their lives and let go of the X Files. Mulder seemed to have already let go of much of his drive to find the truth about government coverups and powerful group (syndicate) activities; his mission has been more focused on finding William. Personally, I loved his journey in pursuit of the truth within the mythologies and less interested in the monster of the week and shipper aspects of Mulder and Scully.
As for the mixed bag part, the episode seemed somewhat rushed, with some editing that wasn't the best, and with a lot of running and fast driving scenes (I realize some viewers love that kind of action though). Near the end, I'm not sure if the scene where Scully was talking with "Mulder" who was actually William was supposed to be a later shock to audience but it was very obvious this was William all along -- why didn't she catch on? And again, I think the audience knew right away that Smoking Man was talking with William, not Mulder, when Smoking Man shot him. Not a surprise. All in all, I think this could have been better as a two episode finale, or how about a two hour slot for the finale of this show that has captured our interest for so many years? Well, too late now.
Review of My Struggle IV
