New X-Files Season 11 Photo Is A Total Throwback, And It Definitely Spells Trouble

The X-Files returned to the small screen for the first time in nearly 14 years back in 2016 for a Season 10 that reunited the iconic duo of Mulder and Scully for some more investigations into the paranormal. While many things were the same as they had been in the original series, there were some big changes that were somewhat jarring to longtime fans. The show is returning for a Season 11 in early 2018, and a photo for the new season was just released that's a total throwback to the original run of the series. Take a look:

Yes, one of our agents will be stuck in the hospital while the other is still up and about, presumably to rampage and/or reflect. Longtime fans of The X-Files know well that Mulder and Scully ended up in the hospital on a semi-regular basis. Whether it was one of them getting shot, contracting a terrible disease, lying comatose, or recovering from an infestation, there were a lot of hospitalizations. Scully back in the hospital with Mulder at her bedside definitely spells trouble for what's ahead.

Admittedly, I did laugh when I first saw this photo, if only because part of me wonders if Mulder has his head down because he's doing mental math to try and figure out just how much time the two of them have spent in hospitals over the years. That said, we probably shouldn't be too amused by Scully back in the hospital, as the imagery of her unconscious in a blue hospital gown with Mulder looking exhausted at her side seems an awful lot like a callback to what was arguably Scully's most physically devastating time in the hospital:

The Season 11 photo of Scully in the hospital bed looks frighteningly similar to Scully's state in Season 2, when she suddenly turned up after being abducted, comatose and wasting away to the point that she was certain to die if taken off life support. We didn't know it then, but tests had been done on her, a chip implanted in her neck, and her ova had all been removed. If the Season 11 photo was deliberately staged to call back to Scully's post-abduction state in Season 2, we can be sure that Scully's in for a rough ride.

Season 11 will delve back into the X-Files mythology connected to Scully's abduction and the chip in her neck, according to EW, so the similarities between the two instances of Scully in a hospital bed and Mulder at her side may not be coincidence. Then again, maybe poor Scully was afflicted by yet another freak accident, and the wardrobe department just happened to put her in blue. For her sake, I only hope that it's not the return of her cancer.

We'll have to wait and see. Season 11 of The X-Files will return to Fox at some point in early 2018. Check out our breakdown of what we know about Season 11 so far for a peek of what has been announced about the new episodes, and take a look at our picks of questions that absolutely need to be answered sooner rather than later in the new season. For your viewing options sooner rather than later, take a look at our fall TV guide.

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