XF5 The best of TVD

I imagine that if you’re interested in buying an X Files season on DVD, you’ve already decided you like the show so I’ll skip the more general details. If you don’t remember season 5 that much it’s when Mulder loses his faith in the existence of aliens, Cigarette-Smoking Man is shot, Gibson Praise makes his first appearance, and is the lead-in to the movie. It also includes episodes written by novelists Stephen King and William Gibson. There are only 20 episodes (probably because they were working on the movie) so this season is shorter than most but also tends to be cheaper from what I’ve seen. I’ll give some info on what you get in the package, then a very brief summary of each episode (no spoilers) to jog your memory about something you may have seen aired. If you’ve read some of my other X Files reviews a lot of the information will be the same since they follow the same basic format in packaging and design. I try to put the unique info at the end of their related paragraphs so you can locate it quickly.

The audio is a nice 2.0 surround sound. Yeah, 5.1 would be better especially considering the price of the set, but I can live with it. There are other spoken languages available as well as English and foreign language subtitles. The picture tends to be dark (because of the atmosphere of the show) and appears grainy at times, but, for me at least, is a long way from ruining the viewing experience. This is the first season to be presented in anamorphic widescreen There are 6 discs: 5 with 4 episodes each and 1 with extras.

The packaging is pretty nice consisting of glossy cardboard and clear plastic. There is an outer box so that the DVD folder doesn’t just flop open. There is a sheet attached to the outside of the box kind of like what is on the back of most DVD cases (consumer info and such). Having it on a removable sheet like that keeps the box looking very nice. I was able to carefully remove the sheet and all security devices without leaving a mark on the box itself. Inside the box is a folder. When opened at every joint it lays flat with 6 trays and a pocket for the info book. Each tray has a picture that corresponds with its DVD. Artwork lines the back of the folder as well. The info book has chapter stops and other information for all episodes as well as images, quotes, and episode lists for other seasons. The color scheme throughout the packaging is reminiscent of the black oil.

The menus are very nice and well laid out. There is some animation, but it’s kept to a minimum. You can chapter skip all the warnings, logos, animation sequences, etc. to get right to the menu. There is a music bed that is different for each menu on a disc so that you’re not listening to the same thing over and over. However, the piece of the theme song that plays on the main menu loops too quickly and does get old pretty quick. You won’t spend a lot of time on that one, though. It just takes you to the episode and special features menus. The background images are simple giving a professional, subdued feel to the menus - very much in keeping with the feel of the show. There is an additional DVD-ROM menu that pops up automatically in a PC for most but not all discs in the set. It has some decent animation, but doesn’t offer much and is annoying since it keeps my DVD player program from automatically starting when I insert the disc. Navigation is easy if you pay attention to which link you’re about to select.

The extras are pleasing, but I doubt anyone is going to drop their jaw and yell, “Look at all this stuff!!!” I’ll give you a rundown of all that’s here. There is a DVD-ROM game that’s really slow paced. I guess it’s fun to play once or twice, but replay value isn’t strong. It also includes well-written summaries of this and all previous seasons’ episodes. The biggest downfall to the DVD-ROM is that once you start it up there’s no built-in exit. You’re going to have to go ‘round about to close the screen to get to the regular DVD interface. There are a few behind the scenes videos: 1 long one that covers the season, 1 long one that covers the entire series, and 1 short one for the season. I thought the 2 long ones were quite good, but the short one is little more than an extended promo spot, not very imaginative or informative. There are several very short behind the scenes clips created for FX when the season went into syndication. Some are just OK while others are outstanding even though they could stand to be a little longer in most cases. 6 of them are more for the series or season in general, but 5 of them cover aspects of 5 different specific episodes. There are 20 international clips for 5 different episodes. They are OK at first, but get to be boring. There are 4 languages represented for each set, but they are the same 4 languages every time. I know the show has been translated more times than that, and the feature would be more interesting if they included more variety. There are 2 commentaries. I was hoping for more. These did deepen my appreciation for their respective episodes, and are therefore good extras. There are 6 deleted scenes over 4 different episodes. There are 2 different ways to access them. You can activate a feature that displays an icon during the episode. Hitting Enter on the icon will jump from the episode to the scene then back to the episode. It’s an interesting idea but would have been better without the extra step. Activating the feature should go ahead and insert the scene automatically. I rarely watch the scenes like this. That’s because all the scenes are also included on the extra features disc. Each has a little lead in and out so that you get an idea of where in the episode it would have gone and features an optional commentary which is usually more interesting than the scene itself. One of my favorite features is the Special Effects explanations. There are 8 of them for 7 different episodes. Some are too short and/or rushed, but they are still fascinating. The ones that don’t feel rushed are even better. Besides all that each episode has a cast list and 2 TV promo spots.

Now for the episodes. I saved this section for last since it will be pretty long. Of the 20 episodes 6 are Mythology, 11 are stand-alone, and 3 are borderline (technically stand-alone but with mythology ties). There are 3 two-parters including the carry-over from season 4 and plus the lead-in to the movie. There is one episode that is a sequel to one in a previous season and a Christmas episode. I’ve noticed that opinions on which episodes are good and which ones stink vary greatly from one viewer to the next so I won’t bother you with that. I will say that Travelers and Bad Blood are 2 of my favorite episodes from the whole series, and there are plenty of other good ones in this season.

Redux 1&2: Mulder has supposedly shot himself (you already know he didn’t since the show went on another 4 seasons so I’m not spoiling anything) but he’s actually hunting a cure for Scully’s cancer. He is also convinced that aliens are just a government cover. Cigarette-Smoking Man is shot. A Sci Fi drama.

Unusual Suspects: A flashback to when the Lone Gunmen first met and made friends with Mulder. Light drama with a dash of Sci Fi.

Detour: Mulder & Scully are chased through the woods by a camouflaged humanoid creature. A suspenseful thriller with a bit of action.

Post Modern Prometheus: A Frankenstein type tale about genetic tampering and misunderstood monsters. A horror fairy-tale.

Christmas Carol/Emily: Scully gets strange calls to help someone and stumbles across a suicide that could be murder. She then finds a little girl who seems to be related to her. The girl is dying and Mulder tries to find info on her condition while Scully struggles to keep her alive. Drama with touches of mystery, suspense, and Sci Fi.

Kitsunegari: Pusher returns. Is he taking revenge on those that incarcerated him or is something else going on? A suspenseful drama.

Schizogeny: People are being killed by nature. Are they abusive parents getting what they deserve? Maybe, but there’s something strange about the psychologist. A dramatic thriller.

Chinga: A doll causes people to harm or even kill themselves. Scully gets pulled in while on vacation. Classic horror.

Kill Switch: Someone has created a powerful AI. Now it’s trying to blow up Mulder & Scully who have the one thing that can kill it. A Sci Fi thriller.

Bad Blood: Mulder drives a stake through a boy’s heart. Was he a vampire or did Mulder finally cross the line? Now they’re being sued and the same events are told by each agent from greatly different points of view. A dark comedy.

Patient X/ The Red & The Black: Jeff Spender and his mother Cassandra are introduced. Cassandra is the victim of multiple abductions. She turns to Mulder for help, but he’s still in doubt about such things. Meanwhile former abductees are being summoned to particular gathering points where they are burned alive. Krycek faces off with the syndicate over a possible vaccine to the black oil. Sci Fi all the way.

Travelers: A flashback episode to just before Mulder gets involved with the X Files that flashes back even further to when the X Files were discovered for the first time. Arthur Dales is introduced. He investigates a supposed Communist that is killing people by dissolving all their soft tissue from the inside. Drama with touches of Sci Fi, horror, and action.

Mind’s Eye: A blind girl is accused of murder, but the facts just don’t add up. She has some kind of sight, it’s just not with her eyes. Suspense with a touch of the paranormal.

All Souls: Deformed girls are being killed as if struck down by God. Is it the strange priest or is he trying to protect the girls from the devil? Dana is pulled in and must deal with her emotions over the loss of Emily. Drama with the supernatural and spiritual.

Pine Bluff Variant: Mulder gets involved with a terrorist organization. They are testing a biological agent that dissolves flesh. Scully wants to know if Mulder really has gone bad. Suspenseful action.

Folie A Deux: A man claims his boss is a monster, literally – a giant bug that turns humans into zombies that do his bidding. The problem is these monsters “hide in the light” so they can stand in front of most anyone and appear perfectly normal. Mulder must decide if the guy’s cheese slid off his cracker or if there’s some truth to it. Horror/suspense.

The End: Mulder and Scully stumble across Gibson Praise who can read minds as easily as other humans breathe. The syndicate wants the boy dead before he can expose their secrets; he could be the key to everything unexplained in the X Files. Sci Fi with lots of drama.

So there you go. A couple of weak episodes maybe, but probably one of the most solid overall seasons. In an unplanned bit of irony I came into possession of this collection exactly 5 years, to the day, after the first episode of it aired. I wish there were more extras, particularly commentaries or trivia tidbits. Otherwise it’s a great collection for the X Files fan.