Love, murder, intrigue, alien replacements — who could ask
for anything more? You will find all of this and more in
FOX’s new release, “The X-Files: The Complete Eighth
Season.” This six-disc set includes all 21 episodes with
high-quality Dolby sound and clear picture. It includes extra
features such as the documentary “The Truth About Season
Eight,” deleted scenes and special effects sequences with
commentary. Included in the extras are promotional clips, three
character profiles, a french audio track, Spanish subtitles and a
new DVD-ROM game. The character profiles and game leave much to be
desired, but the rest of the extras are decent. The set is packed
with extras, which are interesting to both the casual fan as well
as an avid “X”-phile.
- Kate Green
While the bonus materials are interesting, it is the individual
episodes which shine. In this season, the writers finally gave
loyal viewers the carrot that had been dangling overhead for years.
Not only is evil Krycek (Nicholas Lea) killed, but Mulder (David
Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) finally kiss and
acknowledge the relationship that had been brewing for eight
years.
The season has been unjustly criticized and many stopped
watching after an episode or two without Agent Mulder. Duchovny
only signed on for about half of the episodes in the 2000 season,
but this provided an interesting avenue to produce a fresh show
again. The writers got back to creating stories about unexplained
phenomena and monsters, a staple more or less ignored in the two
previous seasons. Also, Gillian Anderson utilizes Duchovny’s
absence by turning in a breathtaking performance and it is a
delight to see her acting prowess mature in this season.
New Agents Doggett (Robert Patrick, “Terminator 2:
Judgement Day”) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish, “Mystic
Pizza”) are introduced to help propel the series and replace
Anderson and Duchovny if they would decide not to return. Many
viewers were upset by the changes and the new characters
introduced, but these alterations only strengthen the show, which
had been on a downward slide. With season eight, “The
X-Files” returns to creepy instead of silly and reclaims the
quality that had been evaporating quickly.
Show: 4 stars
Picture/Sound: 3 stars
Features: 3 stars