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THE X FILES : THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON


Reviewed by: James Welch
Genre: Sci fi
Video: Full screen 1:33.1
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Language: English, French
Subtitle: English, Spanish
Length: 7 discs, 24 episodes/plus one disc of extras features/1104 minutes
Rating: NR
Release Date: 5-9-00
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Commentary: None
Documentaries: The Truth About Season One
Featurettes: Behind The Truth
Filmography/Biography: None
Interviews: Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes
Trailers/TV Spots: 24 Episodes TV Spots
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: Yes
Music Video: None
Other: DVD ROM Game "Roots Of Conspiracy", 24 Page Booklet Including Season 1-6 episode guide, International Clips in Japanese, German, Spanish and Italian language
Cast and Crew: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, William B Davis, Jerry Hardin, Mitch Pillegi.
Screenplay by: Various Writers
Produced by: Various
Directed By: Various
Music: Mark Snow
The Review: With the series still going strong, even though one of it's main stars has now departed (a certain Mr Duchovny), Chris Carter's The X Files remains intiguing viewing. Watching the very first season again however does bring to the fore just how much more original and mysterious the series used to be in it's early life. As with all things I suppose, it has inevitably become less fantastical and surprising than it once was, and indeed as I watched the entire first season again over a few months on DVD, the creativity gap from season 1 to season 8 became more noticeable than ever. From the very first episode itself, the pilot, the feeling that what you're watching is something new, dangerous and exciting grips you and never relaxes for the remaining 22 episodes. Carter really did create something fresh with The X Files, and as many have claimed the pilot episode remains one of the best Television Pilots ever made - period. The immediate chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny is apparent as soon as they meet in Mulder's office, and Carter's script does a remarkably seemless job of blending character building scenes with a story about possible alien abduction, all in 45 minutes! Never does the story feel too rushed, or too condensed because of having to build the two lead characters. It just all fits together perfectly, and the need to watch the next episode to see what case Mulder and Scully might stumble upon next, is already felt by the viewer. The sheer quality of the first season stories is quite incredible, particularly as most shows take at least one season to find their feet before reaching a peak during season 2 or 3. Star Trek The Next Generation is one such case, as the first season really was quite awful, and it was only during latter seasons that the show really settled down and produced the goods. The X Files though was different. Carter was like a gennie out of the bottle, and nearly every story he either commissioned or wrote himself had something to recommend it. Whether it was the horror themed tales of the monstrous body stretching Eugenne Tooms in Squeeze and later Tooms, or what was to become the on-going story arc of the show - the conspiracy theory - in episodes like Deep Throat, or the epic season closer The Erlenmeyer Flask, Carter's baby always seemed to be able to transfix us with their tautly written stories and understated performances, not to mention the dark lighting and Mark Snow's hypnotic and atmospherically charged music scores. Immediately, the world began to take notice, and it wasn't long before the show was to become one of the most successful programmes ever made.
Image and Sound Considering that The X Files has always looked rather soft when shown on television , I wasn't sure what to expect from a television programme being transfered onto DVD. Would there be problems with the encoding process? Would the fact that Fox were fitting 4 episodes on each disc compromise the quality of the picture (as many experts have stated that the more you cram onto a disc the less space there is to use for getting the most out of the technology - certainly in terms of picture quality)? The short answer would simply be "no". Indeed, whilst there are occasional glimpses of a sudden drop in the quality (some episodes suddenly suffer from a lot of grain, albeit very briefly) it's never enough to spoil what is otherwise an excellent job by the folks at Fox. Never has the series appeared so cinematic. The colors are rich when they need to be, but more often than not it's the way the discs handle the deep blacks which plague the series that brings to the fore the huge advantages that the series has in this format. It's fast becoming an old cliche now, but watching The X Files Season 1 on DVD is really like discovering the series for the first time all over again. As for the sound, well some may be disappointed that it wasn't given the Dolby Digital 5.1 treatment, but for me the lively and atmospheric Dolby Surround works just fine and is more than just adequate. For example, the use of surrounds on Deep Throat (to signal the overhead military planes or UFO's) is as impressive as many 5.1 mixes, and the atmospheric chill surrounding the classic episode Ice can be felt all around you and will have you reaching for the nearest blanket to warm yourself up! Naturally the LFE channel is not present, but you don't always need the house to shake with explosions to get the atmosphere of the programme or film across, and it's never really missed during the 23 episodes.
The Extras For a 7 disc Collector's Set, it's only natural really to expect a rather healthy dose of bonus features, and with the 7th disc entirely devoted to extras, Fox have more or less delivered the goods. The main special feature would have to be the new documentary "The Truth About Season 1", which is an informative albeit short look into how Carter sold the series and how his vision was gradually shaped during the 23 episodes of the first season. Amongst many key facts, most of which the majority of fans will know anyway, is how Carter sold the concept on a second pitch ( it took him just short of a year to pitch, write, sell and produce The X Files Pilot), and how his intention was to make it a show unlike anything else previously seen on television. There are various interviews with co-producers, writers, special effects artists and the like, who quickly state what Carter wanted them to achieve and how proud they are to have been part of such a ground breaking piece of television (and who can blame them, even if they may well be sucking up to Carter!). The revelation as to how Carter came up with Mulder and Scully's names was news to me, with Mulder being Carter's mother's maiden name, whilst Scully is the last name of a sports presenter for the Dodgers. Carter also lists his two favourite stories of the season, with the creepy aforementioned Ice, and the emotionally powerful Beyond The Sea, as he feels they were shows that helped establish what the X Files could be like. The crew are also asked whether they believe in real aliens, but the real treat here is the special effects clip shown from Fallen Angel (a sequence also shown in the deleted scenes section) where a dancer in an orange suit was used to simulate the invisible alien of the story. It's an hilarious sight, and as Mark Snow remarks it caused much lauughter from the screening rooms! It's a pretty good documentary, and considering it's short length is crammed full of as much detail as possible, and makes a nice companion piece to the season. Shame it only lasts 11 minutes though. Acting as a kind of extension of the documentary, is an equally interesting batch of facts to be found on the "Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 Episodes" featurette, where you have the option to select from 12 episodes, where upon Carter will divulge just what he was intending for that particular story. Particularly of interest was his thoughts on the Pilot, where he explains his primary inspiration came from a show he loved when he was a kid called Kolchak:The Night Stalker, and how he sees the FBI as the middle men and not the bad guys - it's the people above who control the FBI that are the real nasties here, represented by Cigarrette Smoking Man. Carter also explains that whilst Duchovny was the an early choice for Mulder, Gillian Anderson was a much more difficult choice, in that he had to convince studio bosses that she was right for the part. Okay, this is all information that many people will already be aware of, but it's well told by Carter, and was for me at least very interesting. Next up we have the "Behind The Truth" segments, which are again short but entertaining character and production crew profiles, 12 in all, including Fox Mulder, Scully, Deep Throat, the episodes Squeeze and Tooms, Toby Lindala (make-up effects artist) and the Prop Trunk (which consists of props used by Scully and Mulder such as watches, FBI passes etc). The most interesting of these are undoubtedly the Prop Trunk and the look at some of Toby Lindala's impressive make-up effects, as the character studies have more or less already been covered by the documentary and Carter discussing season 1 episodes. TV Spots are a welcome addition, even if the fact that there are two for each episode (one at 10 seconds and the other at 20 seconds, except the Pilot which lasts for 60 seconds) means they can make for tiresome viewing. They are best seen just after watching that particular episode, or if you wish to entice yourself, before you watch the corresponding episode. The three deleted scenes included here, cover the Pilot and the episode Fallen Angel. Firstly, the two scenes with Scully's boyfriend, a TV producer called Ethan, are definitely worthy bonus features. The first scene shows Scully explaining to Ethan about having to cancel their long planned trip to Oregan, as she's been given an assignment with an agent called Fox Mulder. Ethan knows Mulder as "Spooky" from a time when Mulder supposedly persuaded a congressman to sponser a UFO project. Ethan tried to cover the story but nobody would cooperate because, Ethan believes, it was an embarrasment to the FBI. The second deleted scene from the Pilot is from the end of the story as Scully is shown in bed with Ethan. She gets a phone call from Mulder saying he wants to talk. It's a scene that was partly used in the finished show, only Carter cleverly cut around the shots of Ethan being there, as it was decided that it wasn't needed for Scully to have a boyfriend, as the chemistry between Mulder and Scully was more than good enough without the added complication of throwing Ethan into the mix. The third deleted scene is from Fallen Angel, although to be honest it's a bit misleading really, as it's more a special effects outtake, as we see the aforementioned dancer dressed in a strange orange suit lumbering around the forest, to represent the invisible monster from the show. It's an amusing piece for sure, but is not really a deleted scene as such. Incidently, as well as appearing on this 7th disc, the two deleted scenes from the Pilot can also be accessed whilst watching the story itself on disc one. Before playing the episode, you can select Deleted Scenes and choose an option that allows you to watch the two scenes where they would have been had they been used in the final version. An "X" will appear at the bottom right hand corner and you just have to press select to see the scenes in their correct places. Having "International Clips" as a bonus feature is another fun addition, even if it's hardly essential. On each disc, there is at least one episode that has an added bonus of being able to watch certain clips from the story in different languages - either Italian, German, Spanish or Japanese. Admittedly it is an amusing little feature to toy around with, and it's very strange to hear Mulder and Scully speaking Japanese! Finally, apart from the well presented 24 page booklet included (featuring episode guides for seasons 1 - 6), we have the DVD ROM computer game, Roots Of Conspiracy, and like many bonus games on DVD's it's a hit and miss affair. The aim is to become a member of the X Files team as you participate in an quest that spans the entire first season. It's a game that requires knowledge of the first season (character names, and their fates etc), but I have to be honest when I say it failed to grip me in any way and I've only gone back to it a couple of times. Still, it's another nice addition, and I'm sure many die-hard fans will lap it up, as they prove their knowledge of the show to be virtually limitless.
Commentary None
Final Words: Boasting sensible and brilliantly designed "fold-away" packaging that takes up remarkably little space for a 7 disc set, The X Files Complete First Season DVD is a winner all the way. Fox have clearly put in a lot of effort on all aspects of the product (the design, the quality of the discs etc) and it's a practice that they have now continued with their follow up DVD sets of Season 2 and Season 3. The X Files is still a show to enjoy, and the addition of the excellent Robert Patrick as partner to Gillian Anderson bodes well for the show to reach a tenth season at least. Yet, when you go back and watch Season 1 on DVD, it does dawn on you pretty quickly that the show will just never be able to recapture that sense of fresh, almost electrifying creativity again. It's a fantastic collection of episodes that display a show finding it's feet with remarkable speed, and is still boasts what is quite possibly the finest television Pilot ever made. So, whilst we can debate all day long about which season of The X Files is the best, and await the arrival on DVD of such classic shows as Babylon 5 and Quantum Leap, one thing is certain. Trust No One, unless they tell you to buy this excellent DVD collection, and witness all over again the birth of the one of the most ground breaking and influential shows in television history.


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 July 4, 2001