Customer Reviews
Excellent series 
2008-10-06
One of the best TV series ever filmed. Every episode is intriging. I love it... :-)
A few great episodes, a few good ones, a few that make you go huh? 2008-07-24
I've been rewatching some of the old X-Files episodes in anticipation of the movie. These slim pack versions of the X-Files finally came down enough in price for them to be within my financial reach at one of the discount chains. As ever, I find myself doing a lot of skipping around. I never did much care for the myth-arc episodes or the dreadful, pretentious voice overs at the beginning of those episodes that I presume Chris Carter wrote. I liked even less the lack of attention to character continuity from episode to episode. What was bad about the X-Files was bad in this season and what was good about the show was very good here. We have awful, pretentious voice overs and confusing, muddled myth-arc stuff in "The Sixth Extinction" and "Amor Fati" and somewhat in "En Ami." I think the writers had written themselves into a corner and were scrambling to tie up loose ends before David Duchovny was no longer under contract. It showed, particularly in the way they tried to wrap up the Samantha story arc in "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure." No one knows what the heck happened to Samantha and the walk-in story line didn't make any more sense on viewing six years or so after I last watched it. It does make a certain amount of emotional sense and it was nice to see Mulder embracing the ghost of the 14-year-old Samantha in the final scene. Just try not to think too hard while watching this episode or see all the holes in the plot. I ended up fast-forwarding a lot through that episode to the scenes I liked and ignoring the ones I didn't. There are a few gems in this season. "X-Cops" is still hilarious, almost as good as "Bad Blood" from the fifth season, which I still rewatch when I need a boost in mood. "Hollywood A.D." and "Je Souhaite" are also very nice stand-alone episodes. "Millennium" is great, if only because I liked the TV series and it was nice to see Frank Black in that last scene with his little girl and the Mulder-Scully kiss. No, the world didn't end. Too bad Chris Carter didn't figure that out a few seasons before that. Best of all is "all things," the episode written and directed by Gillian Anderson. The amount of thought that went into every scene, every sound, into every move made by every character, was very evident. I also appreciated the comments made by the actress that accompany this episode. I remember thinking "Yeah, that's probably why she did such and such" when I first watched it eight years ago and it's nice to know that I was right. It also helped that the music was easy on the ears and the decor was easy on the eyes. I liked her take on Scully as a complete human being, one who acted in certain ways and had conflicting feelings about spirituality and religion and Mulder and her old love Daniel. It's really a pity that Anderson wasn't given a chance to write more episodes. And of course this was the episode where Scully and Mulder slept together and probably where William was conceived. Since I watch more for character development and the relationships between the characters, this episode is a real jewel, but this DVD is worth purchasing for fans of all persuasions, those who like the myth-arc and those who don't.
An Emotional Season 2008-06-08
The Seventh Season of the X-Files is all about emotion. Whether taking the form of developing the Mulder-Scully romantic relationship or providing long-awaited closure to key plotlines, this season packs an emotional punch. Though perhaps beginning to stretch themselves a bit thin in the stand-alone episode department, this season still receives five stars from me due to its handling of some of the show's most intimate topics. Let's quickly look at how emotions played a big role in this season:
Mythology: In the two-part ("The Sixth Extinction" and "Amor Fati") season premiere, Agents Mulder and Scully are separated from each other both physically and mentally. While Scully works to decipher the mysterious held by the object found in the ocean, Mulder is tempted (ala "The Last Temptation of Christ") by the Cigarette-Smoking Man (who we find out is more intimately involved with Mulder than previously thought) with a life of familial bliss, away from all the worries of reality. Many emotional reunions (including the return of a character last seen in Season One) make this episode a classic mythological X-Files tale.
Mid-way through the season (as the writers/producers of the show again thought that this may be the final season), the episodes "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure" bring resolution to the exact fate of Samantha Mulder, the driving force behind Mulder's desire to pursue X-Files cases. The finale of this plot-arc will have long-time fans wiping tears from their eyes.
Also, in "En Ami", the Cigarette-Smoking Man again shows up, this time tempting Agent Scully with an item that, as a medical doctor, she cannot resist. In this episode, we also find that Old Smokey's days may be numbered.
Stand-Alone: As I mentioned earlier, the quality of the stand-alone episodes in this season diminished from previous efforts. Cross-overs with the shows Millenium ("Millenium") and COPS ("X-Cops") produced less than thrilling episodes, while "Rush", "Brand X", and "Fight Club" were nowhere near standard X-Files quality. However, it was also clear that the writers still had some ability to churn out quality scripts (fans just had to, for really the first time in the show's history, weed out a few bad ones to find the good): "Orison" brings back a "favorite" past villain, "Signs and Wonders" is a great religious-themed episode, and "Theef" is a genuinely creepy story. Also, the comedic episodes "Je Souhaite" and "Hollywood A.D." were strong efforts that would have fit in to any previous season.
To conclude, the Seventh Season of the X-Files has its strenght in the emotion of its episodes. While, for the first time in the show's history, some episodes dragged, the ones that worked pulled on the heartstrings like never before. The season finale, "Requiem", personifies that emotion. As the screen fades to black, viewers are also left in the dark as to the fate of certain key characters, as well as the entire future format of the show.
X-Files Season 7 2008-01-05
An outstanding season for an outstanding series. Still one of the most creative series ever to appear on TV.
one of the very best of the series 
2008-01-04
Ive been trying to keep some kind of record of each episode of the x-files (of which there were nine seasons) for some time now but with little success. This is a geeky thing for me to do firstly because of the series itself (sci fi, alien abductions anyone?) and also just trying to provide a summary for a show that had some 180 plus episodes is a little bit obsessive. The problem seems to be that I put on an episode (I have alot of time because I am now unemployed yes?) and then I potter around, fix a coffee, my hair, my lunch and have no idea as to what's gone on with the aliens. I can just about remember whether what Ive seen is either a 'mythological' or 'stand alone' episode. Mythological tales begun with Fox Mulder's sister being abducted by non- humans when he was a child and then general alien related stories which always effect Mulder and Dana Scully is some emotional and physical way. Stand alone episodes are about everything elses and can be silly, funny, ironic, frightening, complicated, dull; you get the point. They are always resloved in the same episode.
I'm currently watching Season 7 and have worked my way here starting with season 1 in season order. I watched the first 5 seasons when they originally aired. Looking at them now they seem dated and crude; the chemistry between Mulder and Scully which is really the defining point of the show, undeveloped. By season 6 I'd begun to actually stop experimenting with my hair and was sitting down watching the show. When I took out season 7 from the box I realised that I already knew many of the episodes from title and was very familiar to the plots and had enjoyed many of the episodes already. See our heros had really begun to fully inhabite their charaters and the emotional dynamic between the two had well truly taken off. I think this season is also the one in which Mulder leaves, to come back only for those 'Myth' episodes and the series final. So a beautifully acted season, funny and engaging and fully realised.
X-Files Season 7 still has the original feeling of the series 2007-09-02
Various
X-Files Season 7 2007-07-16
As a long time fan of the show I thought it opportune to revisit the show and collect every season on DVD. I had recollected such intricasies in the constantly evolving plot lines that I had to pinpoint as an adult. Not only that, I felt it redeeming to watch each episode in order to witness progress of the storyline. The seventh season of X-Files is hands down a great set of dvd's to own, all the seasons are. The X-files is the best science fiction show ever created. But in particular, this season's evolving plot lines somewhat dry out. There are characters, bad guys if you will, that seem to be missing from the previous seasons. Over time these characters appeared more and more to be essential in Mulder's quest for the truth. Chris Carter refers to his original ongoing plot lines as "mythologies". The alien mythologies are somewhat left out and critical elements are exposed and Mulder doesn't seem to care
to follow those points up. The show however had reached it's cinematographic best and special effects were very well done. The appearance (color, panning, frames per second) were really nailed to give the show a very intriguing, yet subtle feel. If you were to choose between buying one or two movies as oppose to a slim set season of X-Files, I would go with this show because overall it really keeps you wanting more, which it winds up giving you. FAVORITE EPISODES: "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" "Closure" "X-Cops" "En Ami" "Chimera" "Je Souhaite"
The Mulder Abduction (where David Duchovny leaves the show) 2007-07-11
The X-Files Collection is a worthy hobby and next to Star Trek is certainly one of largest of the television series DVD collections, running an extra two seasons longer than the maximum seven season Star Trek series. Although The X-Files is not the longest running television media franchise, it can boast being one of the longest running SF series airing for nine seasons between 1993 and 2002. At around 1100 minutes per box, you are looking at approx. 9 boxes with 165 hours of viewing. That is nearly 1 full week of non-stop X-Files. Very few DVD series can come even remotely close to that. Get going collecting right now and you could build up the series collection in no time. By the end you will have a television paranormal anthology that defines the word awe. This is the kind of item that requires 1 hour a day of your time over the course of a year. The X-Files creator Chris Carter nails a powerful television series premise, setting up a fringe paranormal bureau of investigation that is at odds with its own department, the government, the military and just about everyone else, with the immortal tagline "The truth is out there". Fox "Spooky" Mulder (David Duchovny) is the workaholic basement-dwelling good-looking nerd with a heart of gold and a mind for the criminal macabre, all things supernatural and who runs the X-Files department. He is teamed with Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), the rational doctor turned FBI agent who is asked to write reports on the X-Files cases by her cynical boss. Most episodes play along with the theme of Mulder witnessing a paranormal event while Dana gradually arrives on the scene only after it is over, missing it all, or discovering something odd at best. This kind of regular plot occurrence bonds the characters and is what makes The X-Files so enjoyable. There are some improvements since the Season III DVD case with a seventh bonus disc now inside a cardboard holder and not just sitting in a slot in a piece of card that falls out easily like in Season I and II, bouncing around the box. Season V actually has the bonus disc in with actual holder itself. Not all boxes have this bonus seventh disc item. It depends on the edition. The more important six discs with episodes are firmly in place in a plastic flip case inside a thick season box that slides into a wider cardboard presentation holder for the shelf and looks quite good. Although the inside is slightly flimsy, these DVDs are presented on the cheap and so economically The X-Files seasons are sound value for money but the presentation is nothing to brag about and when we get around to seeing what is on the discs we will not be so blown away either. There are 4 episodes per disc, and 6 episode discs in total, making an average of 25 episodes for most seasons. Some seasons have more or less than this figure. Some discs have a few deleted scenes... and that is about it. On the episode discs there are no commentaries and not much in the way of bonus material except for some international clips with Mulder and Scully speaking in Japanese for a scene. They could have at least provided us with the X-Files remastered in 5:1 Dolby Digital but have instead just presented the series as it was aired in 2:1 surround. Again, everything here is on the cheap. The transfer quality however is very good for most of it. This season is in Widescreen 1.78:1
X-Files: Season seven is full of Special Agent Mulder but effectively he leaves the X Files at the end of this season only to make guest star appearances in the next two seasons, so this is the last season to see Mulder full-time. Season seven begins with Mulder facing a problem of an extraterrestrial telepathy that threatens his life. Scully is off trying to discover the meaning of life in terms of new facts that have presented themselves in religion and biology. A whole pile of questions concerning the alien agenda are answered in the first few episodes and what happened to Mulder's sister. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) is back along with Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) make a few shows. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) makes a return. Special Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) is dead as is Agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers). Season seven of the X-Files is mostly about - Alien hegemony, telepathy, mutants, luck, Millennium's Frank Black, speed, demons, magicians, Christian snake handling, Mulder's sister, reality TV, computer games, celtic voodoo, cure for cancer, wild women, love, Hollywood, tobacoo, fighting, genies and Mulder's abduction. This Season changes to try and provide a new type of humour halfway through and so the style changes along with the X files / Cops hybrid show and the mixing in of Millennium (You may want to see all of Millennium before you watch this Season as it ended before Season 7). Season 7 has a lot to offer. Of course it really all hinges on the two episodes `Closer' about Mulder's Sister and Mulder's finale in `Requiem'. Season 7 is probably the oddest of the Seasons because of the pace changes and David Duchovny resigning himself for only guest star roles in the last two Seasons (apparently he wanted to do other things). It is sad to think that this is the end to Spooky and we have enjoyed being with him now for a run of 7 Seasons which lasted 7 years. Still he does show up in the other two Seasons so pressing on we still want to find out what Dana has yet to uncover about alien conspiracy in Season 8 without the Fox.
Believe to Understand 2007-04-26
Season 7 picks up right where the Season 6 finale left off in a three parter. That means that it continues the same confusing and sometimes ridiculous plot of that finale. It seems those writing these three episodes started to write the first things that came to mind instead of what the actual best direction for the story would've been. That said, many people believe the series started to decline here; I disagree. The only thing that's really a letdown is the amount of mythology episodes. There are only 4 or 5. It's sort of hard to say much about the mythology direction that this season goes. There is a two-parter where Mulder finally figures out what happens to his sister, resulting in one of the most poignantly filmed moments in the series. Other than that, very little new information is given by the mythology episodes. Fortunately, the season finale, Requiem, takes things back to the basics for the mythology and ends up being one of the best (if not the best) episodes in the season. There is really no appearance at all of "the black oil" and very little appearances by the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder and Scully become a lot closer together in this season, but it's mainly through the stand alone episodes, which began to outweigh the merit of the mythology episodes around season 6. Most of them are just great, like Hungry, which is from the perspective of the monster, and David Duchovney's hilarious Hollywood A.D. Gillian Anderson's "all things" is a very good episode as well about Scully reflecting on her choices in life. And the bad episodes like the horribly written First Person Shooter and the irritating Fight Club are here as usual. This season CONTAINS THE SPECIAL FEATURES just like in season 6. They are on the same disc as the last two episodes here.
Notably Good Episodes:
Hungry
Millennium
Rush
The Goldberg Variation
The Amazing Maleeni
Sein und Zeit
Closure
X-COPS
En Ami
all things
Brand X
Hollywood A.D.
Je Souhaite
Requiem
This season comes recommended to anyone who has enjoyed the past seasons.
Hits and Misses 2007-04-24
Season 7 is uneven, with epsiodes ranging from the silly ("First Person Shooter") to the solid ("Hunger") to the sublime ("Sein und Zeit"/"Closure"). On the whole, serious X-Files fans will want to own this set.
