After over a decade since it last aired on Fox Television, fans of the hit series “X-Files” were once again finding themselves thrust into the action-packed lives of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as a special six-episode revival miniseries premiered Sunday, Jan. 24 immediately following Sunday Night Football. And while the wait may have been a little long to find out what television’s favorite conspiracy seeking federal agents had been up to for the last 14 years — it was worth it.

The opening sequence begins with a voice over of Mulder describing past events, both those that transpired in the original series, as well as other various “conspiracy theories” that have become part of popular culture. As multiple images of photographs are seen being stacked on one another, occasionally an FBI badge would show the image of the main characters, offering a brief description of their involvement with the X-Files. As the images change from photos on a desk to a desert-like terrain, we see what appears to be a UFO as it crashes to the ground, and the voice of Mulder can be heard asking the question, “Have they been lying to us all along?”

This lays the foundation for the storyline of the first episode of the miniseries, part one of two episodes that maintain a common plot to the series’ original mythology. The second part will air on FOX Feb. 22 and will be the conclusion of the miniseries.

Without giving too much of the plot away I will say this — it’s all been a lie.

Using context from today’s society, show creator Chris Carter successfully updates the show’s central themes to reflect aspects of life that are more represented in modern times. In a post-9/11 world, the small group of men who once sat in the shadows hiding the secrets of alien life are now replaced by entities that are often viewed today as the ultimate evils — big business, world banks, and as even stated by Mulder himself — “Obamacare.”

While I did enjoy the premier episode immensely, there were a couple things that I felt seemed to injure my overall experience.

One issue was the flashback sequences. While they were useful in providing the background information for the actual plot, the transitions between past and present were too sudden and often left me confused as to where I was in the timeline. Finally, after a conversation between the main protagonist and a character returning from the original series, confusion is lifted and the viewer has a better idea of what is going on.

Secondly was the overall lack of sufficient background information. While there was some speak of the recent pasts of the main characters, certain elements remain a mystery; hopefully they are revealed in the upcoming episodes.

Overall it was put together very well with a great storyline, excellent cinematography, and an amazing cliffhanger featuring one of the original series’ main characters gracing the screen once again. The premier episode definitely lived up to the months of hype that the studio promoted up until the premier. I highly recommend both fans of the original series and lovers of suspenseful science-fiction stories tune in to FOX Television in the next few weeks and watch the remaining episodes of the miniseries.

“THE TRUTH IS STILL OUT THERE.”