Decoding the 'X-Files' set

Chris Carter breaks down some of the items that can be seen on the set of Mulder’s home in The X-Files 2.0.

1. Vacuum Cleaner

“The idea here is that Mulder has kind of moved into his living room. It should suggest something else about Mulder that I won’t spoil, but Mulder has moved into the central room of his house, and everything that might come into play in such a messy house is in that room.”

2. Newspaper Clippings and Graphs on the Wall

“There’s a theme here on this wall, a UFO/extraterrestrial theme. This is the accumulation of a man’s obsession,” Carter says.

3. VCR

Those VHS tapes? They’re meant to suggest one of Mulder’s edgier character traits: his appreciation for porn. Carter states, “Mulder’s porn addiction is currently firmly in check. These are remnants of a former obsession.”

4. “I Want to Believe” Poster

Composed of hundreds of tiny photos, this Easter egg is the creation of a fan group called X-Philanthropy that asked fellow “X-Philes” to buy a spot in the mosaic, with proceeds going to Gillian Anderson’s SA-YES charity.

5. Trunk

“The tattered furniture here -represents Mulder’s tattered life,” says Carter. “Mulder has always been a fringe dweller, in every sense of the term. You can imagine him on the outskirts of society, and maybe sanity.”

6. Map on the Wall

A chart of UFO sightings, of course. (That’s a lot of probing.)

This review originally appeared in Entertainment Weekly issue 1370, on stands June 26, 2015.

•The X-Files returns: EW has the exclusive first look

•Here’s the first official look at Mulder and Scully

•Duchovny: X-Files reboot will be a mix of monsters and mythology

•The X-Files revival: 7 things we want to see

•The X-Files revival books Joel McHale as guest star

•Official: X-Files returning to Fox for 6 episodes