Great Series

The first thing you will notice about season 5 is that it only features 20 episodes, 4 shy of the standard 24 as seen in seasons 1-4. However, as filming of the x files movie took place before season 5, this is understandable. However, despite being 4 episodes shorter, the series really is up to the usual standard. The opener ties in with the incredible ending to season 4 and is a great example of Chris Carters ability to mix sci fi with gripping drama- a firm favourite. The series carries forward the conspiracy arc as well as throwing in the odd curve ball episode which breaks up the tension nicely, such as the Pine Bluff Variant a tribute to John Le Carres ''The Spy Who Came in From the Cold'. Also ''The Post Modern Prometheus'' is pure Carter genius. However it is the finale that really grips the viewers and what made me want to see the feature film in the first place. It seems Chris Carter can do no wrong.

Another X-Cellent Year

Season 4 is kind of a season of two-halves, the mythology is fantasticthroughout while the stand-alones, when their good they are at a higherquality the most other seasons but there also seems to be a higher amountof poor episodes, El Mundo Gira and Synchrony should definetly beavoided.
The year kicks of exactly to the point where Season 3 ended with thebrilliant if not confusing Herrenvolk, although Zero Sum later on in theseason clears alot of things up. Tunguska/Terma delves deeper into themysteries surrounding the black oil and shows us that a cold war of sortsis underway to create a vaccine for the alien virus. In Memento Mori wesee Scully facing her terrible illness, Mulders search for a cure andSkinner making a deal with the devil. Tempus Fugit and Max serve no realpurpous to the on-going mythology rather they seem to simply be a showcaseof how"big" The X Files had become. Finally in Gethsemene Scully's healthdeterirates and Mulder hears a shocking revalation that leads to one ofthe most sensational cliffhangers ever.
Some of the finest stand-alones this season that are worth a mentioninclude,"Home", the stroy of an incestuos family whom Mulder and Scullyinvestigate when a severly deformed baby is found to have been buriedalive, this episode is worth the money alone."Unruhe" is a terrifing andamazingly intellegent episode,"Paper Hearts" sees Mulder tormented by aserial killer he caught years before who claims that his sister was one ofhis many unkown victims,"Unrequited", when a top ranking general ismuredered inside his locked limosine Mulder and Scully are called in tofind a killer who seems to be able to vanish into thin air and"SmallPatatoes", an hilarious case involving a janitor with the ability todiguise himself as anyone, even Mulder!
This is a truly x-cellent year, from the ongoing mythology includingScullys cancer acr, the most contrversial episode in TV histroy - Home andclassic comedy in one of the funniest episodes ever- Small Patatoes. Thisbox-set has a surprisingly large amount of extras including a 30 minutedocumentary, TV-Spots, deleted sences, interviews, behind the sencesfottage and episode commentaries that make this well worth a buy.

Not the best but OK

***

This has been slated by some reviewers and each is entitled to their opinion. Mine is that this is a worthwhile addition to the X Files, no better than the best and no worse than the worst.

The series itself can't have every episode mind blowing even though the series is a true classic.

If you are an X files fan, then you need this if only because you are an X files fan.

***