The X-Files - The Complete Sixth Season (Slim Set)

The mythology episodes:

"The Beginning" An FBI committee decides that yes, the X-Files will be reopened, they will not however, include Agents Mulder and Scully. Agents Spinder and Fowler will take that role, both with a huge helping of duplicity. AD Skinner is still on their side though and leads them towards a case that involves the Alien/Syndicate conspiracy. Gibson Praise makes a return as well. "SR 819" Krycek makes a new appearance and he targets AD Skinner with alien created nanite technology.

"Two Fathers" & "One Son" Long awaited truths are finally revealed about the fifty year conspiracy between the syndicate and the aliens. The syndicate is all but destroyed by the alien rebels. Simply stated, these are the two episodes that every fan had been waiting five years for. No disappointment whatsoever.

"The Unnatural" I list this as a mythology episode, as it simply does not fit as a stand alone. This episode is singularly the best episode of the season as it contains some great humor and one of the most touching endings of the season. We are treated to meeting Arthur Dale or actually his brother, as he tells Mulder the tale of when he met his first alien.

"Biogenesis" As we learned in "One Son," the Syndicate is gone and with it the Alien/Syndicate conspiracy. Now we're treated to a new track on the mythology, as there still seems to be some sort of conspiracy evidenced by the discovery of an alien ship in Africa and Fox ending up in a loony bin. The conclusion will be on the Season Seven set.

Stand alone episodes:

"Drive" Our heroes run into a man who must continue moving west at a high rate of speed or his head will explode. "Triangle" a true X-Files classic as Mulder goes on a search for a ship that's been missing from the Bermuda Triangle since prior to WWII.

"Dreamland & Dreamland II" Mulder and Scully take a trip to Area 51, where they run into the "Men in Black" and they witness a UFO which literally makes Mulder switch bodies with one of the MIB's. These are simply two of the finest and most hilarious X-Files episodes of the entire nine year run. "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" a beautifully well written episode guest starring Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin.

"Terms of Endearment" another extremely well written episode as our heroes visit Roanoke, VA and run across a bedraggled demon who is in search of a normal child. This episode has another one of those wonderfully well written ironic endings that only Chris Carter is capable of. "The Rain King" Mulder and Scully take a trip to Kansas to investigate a man who can supposedly make rain at will. This episode is replete with some of the series most hilarious lines.

"Agua Mala" Mulder and Scully take a trip to Florida in the middle of a hurricane to investigate a family's disappearance and discover a sea creature. "Monday" this is an X-Files homage to "Ground Hog Day," that is superbly written and played. "Arcadia" in this beautiful episode our erstwhile heroes pose undercover as husband and wife to discover why three couples have disappeared from a planned community.

"Alpha" Mulder and Scully are summoned by an internet friend of his to find a mysterious wild animal that has been shipped to the US that has killed two merchant marines and then disappears. "Trevor" is an intriguing episode in which Mulder and Scully set off to find a prison escapee who supposedly died in a tornado, yet he's on the loose and exhibiting some interesting abilities.

"Milagro" this is an interesting yet horrifying episode in which a writer, fascinated with Scully moves in next to Mulder and begins spying on her. Meanwhile Mulder and Scully are investigating several deaths where victims' hearts have been removed, but there is no evidence as to how. "Three of a Kind" the quintessential "Lone Gunmen" episode that just shines with a pure brilliance that may well have been the precursor to their short lived spin off series. "Field Trip" our two heroes end up in North Carolina and run into a hallucinogenic fungal mountain. This episode definitely breeches the different barrier, even for this series!

Special features - Included, as with the other season's boxed sets, are some great special features to include my personal favorite - "Character profile on the Cigarette Smoking Man." The cover art for the boxed set and DVD's is fantastic as well. {ssintrepid}

Episode list:

The Beginning {mythology}
Drive
Triangle
Dreamland
Dreamland II
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Terms of Endearment
The Rain King
S.R. 819 {mythology}
Tithonus
Two Fathers {mythology}
One Son {mythology}
Agua Mala
Monday
Arcadia
Alpha
Trevor
Milagro
The Unnatural {mythology}
Three of a Kind
Field Trip
Biogenesis {mythology}


The point of no return.   July 27, 2002
Jose (Bedford, New Hampshire)
36 out of 44 found this review helpful

This season was amazing. After the incredible Season 5 ending, the movie gave a vision of the mythology that was very well taken in Season 6. It opens with "The Beginning", where we see Gibson Praise again, as well as Agent Diane Fowley. It deals with the gestation of a new alien out from an infected person from the Black Oil.

Although the Season has its flaws like "The Rain King" (which started so good but had such a terrible conclusion), there are episodes like "One Son" and "Biogenesis" which make this season one of the most interesting. This is a season for answers, a lot of explanation of the conspiracy, the proyect and the syndicate in some big episodes. The tendency to leve more questions than answers is left behind. The Season Finalie ends in an amazing scene where Scully has an alien spaceship infront of her adn Mulder becomes the ultimate proof of the X Files.

Perhaps after this Season, the series mythology becomes more personal to Mulder and Scully, turning them into the foci of attention, but the truth is that this season is the point of no return for the mythology.

Grate Answers and astonishing writting. Defenitly worht of your money.

The Season 6 has 23 episodes:

The Beginning
Drive
Triangle
Dreamland
Dreamland II
Terms of Endearment
The Rain King
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Tithonus
S.R. 819
Two Fathers
One Son
Arcadia
Agua Mala
Monday
Alpha
Trevor
Milagro
Three of a Kind
The Unnatural
Field Trip
Biogenesis


The conclusion of the original mythology!!!   July 30, 2002
Enrique Aguilar (Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz Mexico)
30 out of 40 found this review helpful

In spite of what others may think, to me, this is by far, the best season. Taking new heights of entertainment, the series was, noticeably, a more mature television event. After The X Files movie, the team moved to LA, and continued with a whole new team. The predominance of humorous episodes throughout the entire season, did not turn off hardcore fans, but on the contrary. I, personally, am the owner of the previous 5 box sets and am eagearly waiting for the release of the last 2 real X Files seasons (Being 6 and 7 the ones I refer to).

Even though the mithology concludes here, the Samantha mistery gets cleared up until the next season, at the end of wich, Mulder is abducted and the series was transformed in a confusing mixup than even Chris Carter doesn`t understand.

As for mithology episodes on this season:
Watch "The Beginning" and the 2 part myth-arc "Two Fathers- One Son", wich brings the Series`mythology to an explosive conclusion.

The Stand Alone (Or Monster of the Week) eps. include highlights such as:
"Monday" (Groundhog Day X -Files style-), "Triangle" and "The Ghosts That Stole Christmas" (The CC helmed episodes), "Milagro", "Terms of Endearment", "Dreamland 1 and 2"
"Three of a Kind" (Scully and The Lone Gunmen, a must see!), "Field Trip", "Aqua Mala" and David Duchovny`s brainchild: "The Unnatural"

It`s a pity that DD got transformed into such an ambitious and egotistical person... The series would have been great up to Season 9, with Mulder in it.
Chris Carter didn`t know when to stop and the series got transformed into God knows what. It just doesn`t feel like the X Files anymore, not with Dogget and Reyes in them (I say this, even though I like their characters, it`s just that they are not THE X Files, Mulder and Scully ARE).

That`s the difference between an artist and a business man. You have to realize when`s the proper moment to go with a bang. We saw the show transformed from a sleeples hit to a hit cult TV show, to a sorry thing I don`t know what to call anymore. I hope the next movie is as good as the first one. In the meanwhile I will sit in the dark, waiting for the next 2 boxed sets to be released.

Note:
I know that the last 2 seasons sucked, at least that`s my opinion, but I`m gonna buy them... It`s hard to be a fan.
The movies are gonna pick up from the last episode of the 9th season, so, I wanna have the whole thing. Not being left on the dark forever.
Long live the X Files!!!
Long live Mulder!!!
Long live SCULLY!!!

Enrique Aguilar.


Many awesome eps, a turning point for the show   November 1, 2002
Christopher Farrell (Cupertino, CA USA)
21 out of 25 found this review helpful

Season 6 features a definite change in character for The X-Files. It features probably the best collection of standalone episodes in any season to date, including Triangle and How The Ghosts Stole Christmas - two of the best eps the show ever produced - along with Dreamland, Arcadia, Three of a Kind, and The Unnatural. No other season has more of my favorite episodes, or such a great collection of one-offs. On the other hand, it does also have what I consider the second-worst episode ever, Agua Mala (second only to the dreadful Home), and the whole conspiricy arc becomes somewhat incoherent post-X-Files-movie. The two new occasionally recurring characters, Spender and Fowley, never quite gel or reach us the way Dogget and Reyes eventually would. Fortunately they don't get that much screen time. It seems that the show just hit the point where we knew enough about the Syndicate that they no longer were dramatically effective - which was clearly inevitible - and nothing stepped in to fill the hole they left behind.

After this season, the best episodes are always the stand-alone ones, non-arc episodes, while the continuing backstory eps fade into the margins. That's OK; for me, very few of my all-time favorite X-Files episodes are conspiricy-related ones. I love the Post-Modern Prometheus, Bad Blood, Jose Chung, Kill Switch, etc., and if you agree with me, there is a *lot* to like in Season 6, with some amazingly well-written, well-acted, well-directed, great-looking shows that set new standards for television; really the X-Files at its peak, stuff that makes even the best of Star Trek or Babylon 5 look amateurish. But, there is some loss in consistancy with the faltering of the backstory, so I'd judge it doesn't quite have the consistancy of Season 4 or Season 5. Still, overall Seasons 4-6 of The X-Files really are all of tremendously high quality and get the highest recommendation from me.


Last of the outstanding seasons at a great price minus the last disk with the some of the extras   February 12, 2006
Wayne Klein (My Little Blue Window, USA)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

The last truly outstanding season of "The X-Files" the complete sixth season ties up a few loose ends but the series begins to unravel in the process. The seventh season despite some fine episodes would suffer. While the eighth season would get a jolt of much needed energy from Robert Patrick the writing still wasn't quite up to previous years. "The X-Files: Fight the Future" appeared during the summer between season five and six. The set, like the other reduced price sets from Fox, will include all the episodes from season six. You'll be able to access special features for respective episodes such as commentary, deleted scenes and international clips.

"The Beginning" ties into the movie although the movie could stand independently on its own (which is just as well because despite some marvelous set pieces it basically was a rehashing of a number of alien movies). Mulder and Scully have been removed from the X Files and replaced by two new agents. One of the most interesting episodes includes "SR 819" where Assistant Director Skinner is black mailed into helping an old foe. Skinner has been infected with some mysterious organism that this other person can control to make Skinner do his bidding.

Bruce Campbell appears as a philandering husband in "Terms of Endearment". When his baby disappears and is apparently taken by a Demon Mulder and Scully are called in by local police to help with the case. Campbell gives an excellent performance.


The two part "Dreamland" is terrific with a great guest performance by Michael McKean ("Spinal Tap"). A black ops agent switches bodies with Mulder freeing him from his shrewish wife and stuffy lifestyle. Suddenly Mulder becomes a wild and crazy guy.

The humorous but suspenseful "Arcadia" plants Mulder and Scully in suburbia playing a husband and wife in one of those "planned communities" ruled by an iron fist. Houses have to be a certain color, portable basketball hoops are forbidden and residents who step out of line mysterious vanish or are killed.

Duchovny's "The Unnatural" is a clever tale involving Arthur Dale (here played by character actor M. Emmett Walsh when Darren McGavin wasn't available in a truly X-files twist), racism and baseball loving aliens set before baseball was integrated. Dale is assigned to protect a African American baseball player who's life has been threatened as they tour the South.

"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" is a funny and fun episode with guest appearences by Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin. Mulder decides to check out a haunted out on Christmas Eve and a reluctant Scully goes to check on him. The two get pulled into a surreal story which makes them doubt their own sanity.

For mythology fans the two episodes "Two Fathers and "One Son" closes out the main conspiracy arc of the last five years. While threads remain (and show up in the fascinating "Biogenesis")many of the mysteries of the last five years are nicely wrapped up until we discover that there are aliens on Earth working beside us every day. To say more would spoil it and although it's unlikely you haven't seen it, I'd rather not spoil the conclusion and the set up for season seven.