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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • French: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Italian: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, French, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Commentary - English, Commentary - Italian, Commentary - French
  Extras
  • 10 Deleted scenes
  • 2 Audio commentary - Chris Carter, Kim Matters
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • 3 Featurette - The Truth About Season Six, Featurette on Season Six, Special Effects
  • 44 TV spot
  • Alternate ending

The X-Files Season 6 Box Set

20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 865 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

You need only enter ‘X-Files’ into your search engine to dispel any doubt of the show’s popularity or of the rabid devotion of its fans. Which only goes to show, people love a good scare and a good mystery as much as they like a good conspiracy theory. The X-Files, of course, had it all in spades. The series spawned a handful of substandard knockoffs, inspired enough merchandising to sink a mothership and elevated David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (or rather their fictitious alter egos) into pop culture icons. Not without good reason either. In these befuddling days of who bombed who and who owns the broadcast rights, The X-Files managed to play successfully on public scepticism and the nagging feeling that something just doesn’t add up.

One of the more noticeable changes to the show in its sixth season is a move to Los Angeles. Rare are the spooky treks through the woods with the inexplicable smoky foreground and the eerie blue backlighting. Instead we are treated to the open spaces of southern California. A change that is not only welcome aesthetically, but in its more domestic familiarity, also manages to bring the mystery closer to home. The other principal plot difference is that from the first episode, Mulder and Scully have been removed from X-Files investigation and have been reassigned to FBI grunt work. Still, you just know that it won’t be long before television’s most adorable spook-hounds (excluding Shaggy and Scooby Doo) are up to their armpits in ectoplasm or trying to solve the mystery of the waltzing cattle or some such. The beautiful part is, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The sixth season kicks off immediately after events portrayed in the film (X-Files: Fight the Future) and, as such, much of the more ongoing and convoluted mythology that powered the series through its first five years are initially left to simmer on the backburner. Thankfully, unhampered by continuity restrictions, this gives rise to some of the sixth season’s classic standalone episodes (Triangles and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas are more fun than an alien probe… OK, bad example… let’s move on).

As we have come to expect, Anderson and Duchovny clearly still relish their roles and show no signs of becoming complacent or lazy with their performances. If anything, they are now so confident in their respective roles that you tend to find it tremendously reassuring having these two arrive on the scene just when things start to get a little creepy (kind of like having Inspector Gadget show up if you’ve fallen from an aeroplane or are locked in a bank vault somewhere).

Unfortunately, it seems as though directorial duties were handed around like party favours and, as the season progresses, there are a few questionable episodes that just don’t seem to gel with the series as a whole. It's easy to forgive though, when after so many years the creators have managed to successfully draw blood from some elaborately carved stone time and time again. Given the nature of the show, the obvious advantage to watching this excellent series on disc is the absence of advertising. It is pretty hard to maintain any kind of suspense when you have to sit through the latest advertisement for Extreme Youth Cola or for the newest in streamlined, tri-wing panty liners.

If you are a fan of the show, this reviewer giving a good rap to this season is like telling a dog that its really fun to chew on a marrow bone, but for those who may have thought that The X-Files had lost some of its dynamic, then you needn’t have worried. It just goes to show that we are all happy to believe there is something dark going on behind our backs as long as it is entertaining. The irony is that the truth really is out there, but its probably far more sinister than anything we’re likely to see on The X-Files.

Episodes:
The Beginning
Drive
Triangle
Dreamland
Dreamland II
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Terms of Endearment
The Rain King
S.R.819
Tithonus
Two Fathers
One Son
Agua Mala
Monday
Arcadia
Alpha
Trevor
Milagro
The Unnatural
Three of a Kind
Field Trip
Biogenesis

  Video
Contract

No problems here. If, like me, you are usually at the mercy of your local television reception when viewing The X-Files, then the transfer quality on this disc should really blow your skirt up. Presented in 1.78:1 and 16:9 enhanced, virtually all episodes polish up very nicely indeed. Colours are vibrant and the definition is razor sharp which probably go hand in hand with the series eventually enjoying a larger budget and being filmed for a digital medium. I guess some mention should be made of the fact that the quality isn’t necessarily consistent throughout, with some episodes (Triangle, for example) suffering a slight dip in quality. There is a hell of a lot of viewing here though, and as a whole, the overall transfer is a treat. Although I can’t compare to the quality of the earlier seasons, for the most part, Season Six looks a million bucks and, for a television show, clearly enjoys the technology and financial application that most filmmakers would give their left tentacle for.

  Audio
Contract

Once again, with dedication to production seemingly upped a level with its move to LA, the X-Files: Season Six enjoys a nice little sound revamp perfect for all those things that go bump in the night. There are English, French and Italian soundtracks all offered in Dolby Digital stereo and although I only gave a cursory listen to the foreign tracks, the English one is wonderful. Dialogue is clear on all episodes and if there are any synching problems they managed to slip beneath the radar. With any program that relies on suspense or intrigue, you are more likely to notice a bad audio track than a good one and, as such, there is nothing in this series to sound any alarms. The superior sound option (remember these were never filmed for the multiplex) gives a new lease of life to these episodes that you may have only seen on commercial television.

  Extras
Contract

There's a nice little bunch of X-tras right here, then. More than one can reasonably expect from the majority of box sets devoted to any one season.

The Truth About Season Six – This short documentary provides a brief recap (or preview depending when you choose to watch it) on the season as a whole and goes behind the scenes to unearth the truth on the show’s stint in the Californian sun.

Featurette – This is another short behind the scenes documentary, but is a little more sanitised than the former. This one smells like FOX promo more than offering any actual insight.

Audio Commentaries – We get two commentaries here. The main man, Chris Carter, offers a commentary for his Triangle episode while Kim Manners waffles over the Milagro episode. For fans and insomniacs only.

Special Effects Commentary – Special effects supervisor Paul Rabwin talks us through a dozen effects shots from various episodes. Although brief, all are interesting in themselves but beware, fans may be disappointed to find that some of The X-Files' cooler moments were actually achieved through technical trickery.

Deleted Scenes – There are only ten (how many must there really be?) on display but they are actually pretty good if you can still remember their relevance to each episode by the time you actually get around to watching them.

Alternate Takes – There are five alternate takes on offer here (one an alternate ending to Alpha and the other all from The Unnatural) and each can be inserted back into the relevant episodes through a special branching feature. But really, would you bother? Really?

Promo Spots – There are 44 promos and teasers for you to watch and enjoy. That’s right! 44! And I had to watch every damn one of them!

Overall, not a bad little bunch of extras though, right? For those who simply can’t have a burger without the lot (and I believe that may be a few of you), this little swag should put you in fanboy heaven.

  Overall  
Contract

Generally considered the last great season of The X-Files, the sixth is a must for fans of the show while still an intriguing enough starting point for the uninitiated (although it is easier to believe in aliens than it is to believe that there still exists anyone that is actually uninitiated to the X-Files). The joy and the intrigue are spread across six discs so devotion doesn’t come cheap, but then, neither does quality.


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      And I quote...
    "The truth is out there and it comes in a beautifully packaged box set…"
    - Peter O'Connor
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    • TV:
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    • Receiver:
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