Fox released the episode titles and descriptions for the new season. We investigate the clues!

In a release for television critics, Fox on Wednesday announced the air dates, titles, and episode descriptions for the first five episodes of The X-Files season 11. The iconic sci-fi series, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, returns to Fox on Wednesday, January 3rd at 8:00 p.m. ;

Series creator Chris Carter included a few noteworthy sentences in the release, seeking to right some of the critical sticking points from season 10. He addressed the minor controversy of the lack of women directors on the show by touting the diversity of the creative team, noting they’ve added “three women writers and two women directors to that group, rounding out to just under 50 percent diversity in our credited creative team.” Narratively, he mentions a “our running start,” which fans could interpret as the rust has been shaken off after the show’s 15-year absence from our television screeners.

The premiere episode, “My Struggle III,” will continue the plot thread from season 10. Like the My Struggles before it, the episode was written and directed by Carter. Here’s the episode description: “Picking up after the last event series’ cliffhanger, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that they aren’t the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William. The very fate of the world may depend on it.”

No surprises here, as William was said to be the key to the alien virus at the end of “My Struggle II.” After the premiere, however, the descriptions get a little more cryptic.

The story of Episode 2, “This,” revolves around “An old friend reaches out to Mulder and Scully in a seemingly impossible way, revealing a chilling secret.” The episode is written and directed by Glen Morgan. From speaking with Morgan for our October X-Files cover story, we know the episode is an homage to a classic spy thriller.

“I looked at it like The X-Files does North by Northwest,” Morgan told Den of Geek earlier this year, referencing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller in which a milquetoast Cary Grant is mistaken for a government agent by foreign spies, and is pursued across the country. “It’s not a Monster-of-the-Week, it’s more like a Mulder and Scully on the run type thing.”

Episode 3, “Plus One,” follows “a spate of deaths, in which the victims were plagued by their own doppelgangers, lead Mulder and Scully to a pair of twins playing a dangerous game. Guest-starring Karin Konoval (Season Four’s “Home”).” The episode was written by Chris Carter. New to The X-Files for this episode is director Kevin Hooks, whose recent directing credits include Nat Geo’s Genius, Marvel’s The Punisher, and Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.

Episode 4, “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat,” as you might be able to guess is from writer/director Darin Morgan. The episode explores “the idea of The Mandela Effect, in which large groups of people remember an alternate history, Mulder and Scully find out how the X-Files themselves may really have originated.” Comedian Brian Huskey guest stars.

The final episode in the release is episode 5, “Ghouli,” written and directed by James Wong: “When a pair of teenage girls attack one another, each believing the other to be a monster, Mulder and Scully find that their investigation could possibly lead back to their long-lost son, William.”

The X-Files Season 11 consists of 10 episodes. We’ll do an update when we have the full list of episode titles and descriptions. For now, you can find all news on The X-Files season 11 in our news hub.