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X-Files - The Complete First Season (Collector's Edition) (0439918480)
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Get reacquainted with Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and all the clever plots dealing with the occult, monsters, urban legends, conspiracy theories, and the rest that made this show an uncanny hit. Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
The first season of the show that forever changed the way we think of government and of government corruption. The X Files stands alone as one of the best sci-fi shows in television history, and the beginning season brought it to a great start. While creator Chris Carter was skeptical about how the show would pan out, it turned out to be a smash thanks to its unusual and unique themes and star-making turns from leads David Duchovny and the Gillian Anderson (who, much to my surprise, gave us a butt shot in panties in the pilot episode).
The show's pilot is where you get drawn in, cornered with the depths of the unknown and the abduction of two young people by what Mulder terms are "little green men". Agents Fox "Spooky" Mulder and Dana Scully are assigned to work together on an area known as "the x files", a department that is assigned to work cases that prove to be beyond normal comprehension and analysis. These are cases that no ordinary law enforcement or agent could understand, and that's where Mulder's strength lies...he believes in the presence of strange and mysterious life. Scully, very much a skeptic, is assigned to Mulder to track his work and report back to her superiors. This season, like the second and third, is chock full of explosive moments, corrupt people, and mysteries that many of us in real life explore and ponder.
Some of the best episodes of the season include the nailbiter season finale "The Erlenmeyer Flask" in which Deep Throat is killed, Scully's skepticism is radically changed, and Mulder is ever so close to solving mysteries that surround him; "Miracle Man", in which a healer (Sam Bairstow) is framed for murder, and is then murdered before a conspiracy is exposed; the terrific gut-wrenching two-parters "Squeeze/Tooms", both of which showcase a horrific centuries-old murderer who preys on victims' livers; "Space", in which spirits haunt the crew of a space mission; and "Darkness Falls", in which little green spider-like insects terrorize a population of woodsmen (did this inspire the movie of the same name? probably not).
So if you have not exposed yourself to the X Files, you might want to start off with season one to get a feel of how the show works. If you find yourself craving more (which ultimately you probably will), then by all means go in order with the seasons (8 may be a little disappointing, but you'll still need to bear witness to it). For all of its triumphs and the sadness of its final season, The X Files First Season gets the show off to a rousing start.
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Author: Guest
Thank God! Finally, after for several years having only the option of the very expensive original release of THE X-FILES DVD boxed sets, we have an affordable edition. In fairness, THE X-FILES was one of the first television series to become available on DVD. It was a moderate seller, but did not sell nearly to the same degree that most sets today do. For instance, only a couple of years later BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER began being released in sets priced approximately half and sold quite well. In other words, as a pioneer release there was not yet a sense both of what the demand for television shows on DVD was or what the proper pricing was. I believe there are a very large number of X-FILES fans such as myself who have put off buying the series because of the exorbitant price. This new release fills a major need.
There are very few truly landmark series in the history of TV, but THE X-FILES is beyond debate one of them. The show had illustrious predecessors, most importantly THE TWILIGHT ZONE, in which avant-garde darling Rod Serling proved you could write brilliant stories in a genre--the supernatural--that had previously been looked down upon. THE X-FILES is THE TWILIGHT ZONE's descendent that reintroduced the supernatural to sophisticated audiences, paving the way for subsequent shows such as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (which predated it as a movie but antedate it as television) and ANGEL.
THE X-FILES is also important for making long story arcs acceptable--or, rather, a bit more acceptable--to TV execs. As a rule, TV execs hate long story arcs. It makes a show more difficult for newcomers to "get." I actually did not watch THE X-FILES during the nineties for this very reason. I saw a few episodes, recognized that it was a superior show, but I also had missed so many episodes that I had no handle on the greater story line. While TV execs don't care for the long story arcs, instead preferring that each episode be self-contained and completely friendly to newcomers, there is absolutely no question that long story arcs provide a superior form of entertainment. I earnestly believe that when allowed to develop long arcs, television easily surpasses movies in developing sustained narratives.
Season One of THE X-FILES isn't yet the show that it would become. Instead of long story arcs, there are no story arcs. Each episode is pretty much "the encounter of the week." We deal with a new phenomenon, a new uniquely gifted person, a new event that demands explanation. So, there is a real sense in which the show isn't as good as it would become. Nonetheless, given the limitations of episodic television, the series manages to excel. The quality of writing, the marvelous development of lighting and atmosphere, and the consistently fine group of guest actors makes this an absolutely first rate season. The alien colonization plot that would become increasingly important in the seasons to come was barely present in Season One. Yes, there were hints of a conspiracy, but it isn't clear that the show's creators were aware of where things were going. As Chris Carter has acknowledged, they were making this up as they went along.
And what can one say of the casting of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson? The pair are such an iconic presence that it is simply impossible to think of the show and not think of the two, as if the two were linked to it by metaphysical necessity (like trying to imagine the original STAR TREK with someone other than William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Kirk and Spock). They are not merely perfect for the roles; they are essential for the roles. It is probably not amiss to say that as soon as those two were cast in the parts, the success of the show was assured. Things did get complicated near the end of Season One when Gillian Anderson learned she was pregnant. Throughout the history of TV, series have had to decide how to cope with the pregnancies of their stars. I LOVE LUCY made Lucy's pregnancy an integral part of the show. SEX AND THE CITY took a hiatus during the critical part of Sarah Jessica Parker's pregnancy. ANGEL made Cordelia Chase the carrier of a demon when Charisma Carpenter was pregnant. As would happen later on WILL AND GRACE, it was decided to pretend that Gillian Anderson was not pregnant at all. As a result, towards the end of the season and especially in the early parts of Season Two, filming became increasingly challenging. One can actually play a game noting how they hide her midsection in shot after shot. She stands behind a lot of high tables, sit behind desks, leans out of a doorway only to have her trenchcoat fall forward to hide her stomach, and otherwise makes herself hard to see. Nonetheless, her face got fuller and fuller as time went by. Noticeably in the famous scene in which Deep Throat is shot, her's is very clearly the face of someone who is very pregnant.
The worldview of the show is interesting, and if there is an aspect of the show that I would quibble with, this is it. On the one hand the show is driven by a complete paranoia about the inner, hidden workings of government bureaucracy. Government is presented as secretive, patriarchal, all knowing, belligerent, and more than a little inhuman. On the other hand, all supernatural and alien phenomena and entities are presented as aggressive, hostile to human life, and unapproachable. The gap between Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and THE X-FILES couldn't be more pronounced. In Season One "The Truth is Out There" the intro pronounces, and what is "out there" ain't our friend. It has had some negative political impact as well. My own feeling is that we need a strong central government to oppose the almost overwhelming power of large corporations. Teddy Roosevelt became a trust buster only because he was able to expand the power of government. In the past five years we have seen an unprecedented expansion of the prerogatives of Big Business and corporate interests. Instead of increasing regulation and oversight of business, we see even more calls for less interference and yet more tax cuts. Although the makers of THE X-FILES were left-leaning politically, I fear the show has help foster some attitudes that aide right wing causes.
Although the show started before the advent of DVD, it is absolutely perfect for DVD viewing. THE X-FILES is an atmospheric show, and nothing could be worse for breaking the mood than a commercial. There is simply no better way to view these shows than on DVD. And now we can all afford to buy and not merely rent them.
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Author: Guest
Loving this show since I was a kid, I have always wanted the seasons all at my disposal...just not at over a hundred dollars per season (basically a thousand for the whole series). I'm beyond glad that these seasons are being re-released at a MUCH cheaper price. Now I'll finally stop shopping around online stores/auctions for deals and simply pick them up. I just feel sorry for the folks that have already spent their thousand bucks.
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Author: Guest
Every once in a while, a show comes along that will grip you and not let go...The X-Files is that kind of a show.
During the First Season of The X-Files, we are introduced to Fox Mulder, a brilliant (yet strange) F.B.I investigator. Mulder believes that his sister was abducted by aliens when she was a child, and he will do everything in his power to prove that the U.S. government knows of this and is covering it up. Because of his obsession, Mulder is paired with Agent Dana Scully, a straight-laced, by-the-book agent sent to debunk his work. However, rather than spying on Mulder, Scully takes an interest in his work and they become strong partners. That is the basis for the rest of the show.
In most episodes, Mulder and Scully investigate paranormal happenings that defy the laws of nature or the universe. Scully proves to be ever the skeptic she set out to be, never being convinced of Mulder's work.
The real power of the show, though, comes with its ability to let the viewer feel exactly what Fox Mulder is feeling. So many times during the First Season Mulder comes agonizingly close to unearthing critical evidence against the government in his pursuit of aliens, but each and every time it is yanked away or swept under the rug. The viewers feel just as cheated as Mulder does, wanting to continue the quest for the truth.
Along the way in Season One, a few key characters are introduced. The Cigarette Smoking Man makes a few minor, yet crucial, appearances, while the mysterious Deep Throat works as a trusted (?) informant to Mulder.
Season One of The X-Files is quite different from all the other seasons. It has more of a darker, scarier feel to it. The "mythology" established in later seasons has not been developed quite yet, so it consists primarily of stand-alone episodes. A good job is done with character development, and it definetly makes one want to keep watching the show.
In conclusion, Season One is a great scary, sci-fi show. Turn out the lights, turn up the TV, and enjoy!!
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Author: Guest
I am very excited for that fox is rereleasing the xfiles seasons one through six in the little thinpacks instead of the foldout packages because the thinpacks hold up better over time and they are a lot cheaper. I have already preordered my copies of one theough six and everyone else shouls also
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