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113 of 120 people found the following review helpful.
A bittersweet year in which the greatest TV duo ever spend their last season together
By Robert Moore
The new slimpack releases of Seasons 7 through 9-which are essentially the original sets with the extras disc removed as well as many other special features-will complete the entire rerelease of all the X-FILES in affordable editions. I’ve been disappointed to find many of the special features missing in the first six volumes, but given that I couldn’t afford the original editions, I’m all in all delighted to finally own my own copies, instead of relying on video stores and Netflix.Season Seven is, on the one hand, unquestionably the weakest of the first seven that featured David Duchovny fulltime, and perhaps even weaker than Season Eight when Duchovny was only a part time member of the cast. On the other hand, the series still had more outstanding episodes than the vast majority of shows in TV history. So, my five-star rating reflects the show compared with other series, not with other seasons in its own run. In my opinion, the only season weaker than this one is the unfortunate Season Nine, with the near complete loss of David Duchovny and the weak overall story line.Why did Season Seven fail to measure up to other X-Files seasons? First, there was the loss of the overall alien colonization story line. The season starts with a carry over of the final episode of Season Six, that seems to be reasserting an alien arc, but in fact this is a false promise, and the story told in that brief arc more or less disappears from the show. The problem, in fact, the show had in its final three seasons was the lack of a consistent and compelling story arc. There are efforts at story arcs, but the “super soldiers” arc that becomes full blown in Season Nine was riffled with inconsistencies, and was definitely not compelling. Still, the loss of Mulder in Season Eight provided a focus for that Season, while Season Nine at least had the opportunity of exploring the new partnership of Doggett and Reyes. Season Seven essentially had memories of the six seasons that preceded it.Nonetheless, Season Seven still contained many absolutely outstanding individual episodes. From beginning to end of the series, the writers never lost the ability to concoct a killer tale to be told in 43 minutes. “X-Cops” is a classic among the Mulder-Scully parody episodes, with the real-life production crew of the show COPS capturing the duo on videotape as an X-File collides with a police investigation supposedly being covered for the show. Typically, Scully spends most of the episode glaring disdainfully at the cameramen, while Mulder delightfully welcomes their presence. The dramatic highlight might be the heart-rending two-parter of “Sein und Zeit” (with apologies to Martin Heidegger) and “Closure,” which features one of the best single-episode guest appearances ever by Anthony Heald (a role so outstanding that a reprisal of the role would have seem necessary, but which sadly never occurred) as a man who claims he has visions of departed children. Images from those episodes are among some of the most haunting in the series of the show. “Millennium” features what is technically Mulder and Scully’s first kiss (with Mulder commenting afterwards, technically commenting on the Y2K predictions of disaster, “See, the world didn’t end”). The intensely romantic non-romance between Mulder and Scully becomes such a joke that in “Fight Club” Mulder mentions a doppelganger pair of agents who had, believe it or not, been together for seven years but had not had a romantic relationship. “En Ami” is a marvelous swan song for the Cigarette Smoking Man, as he persuades Scully to help him in a caper (he would reappear later in the season to die, but would thereafter tragically be missing from the show, another problem the show had in its final two seasons). “all things” (lower cap) is my personal favorite of the season, an absolutely astonishing tour de force by Gillian Anderson that reveals depths of talent in a host of directions that no one could have anticipated. She wrote, directed, and acted in the episode (with Mulder largely absent) as Scully unexpectedly reencounters a former professor/mentor, a man who was married at the time she and he had what was evidently a torrid love affair, revealing more about Scully’s past than we had ever learned before. The show is outstanding on multiple levels, including visually and narratively (as well as musically, helped not merely by Mark Snow’s usually brilliant score but by contributions by Moby). It also features the best teaser in the history of the show, with Scully at the beginning dressing in what turns out to be Mulder’s bathroom, and leaving the apartment with a naked Mulder in his bed. The episode is so outstanding the viewer is only left to wonder why Gillian Anderson wrote and directed only this one. Probably my favorite Scully episode since the one where she learned that she had, inexplicably, a genetic daughter.There were also some disappointing moments. “Hollywood A.D.” simultaneously was one of the funniest and worse episodes, a weak X-file with a funny backstory of a Hollywood producer (a friend of Skinner) following Mulder and Scully in order to gather background for a Hollywood film. Though much in the episode is wooden, there are some precious moments, such as the producer talking in the phone to studio execs: “No, its an optical illusion. She is actually quite tall” (obviously referring to Scully–I have always been extremely sceptical about the 5’3 or 5’2 that is often given as Gillian Anderson’s height). Also wonderful is the exquisite pairing the wildly improbable Gary Shandling as Fox Mulder with Tea Leoni (in real life Mrs. David Duchovny) as Scully. Anyone who saw Gary Shandling’s THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW knows that David Duchovny was one of “Larry Sanders’s” more frequent guests, with many jokes about Duchovny having a cursh on Sanders, so that Shandling’s playing Mulder is a fairly complex in-joke. Another perfect moment in the episode is Leoni asking Scully to show her how she is able to run in heels. We then see while Shandling and Mulder talk in the foreground, Scully in the distant background sprinting from one side of the stage to the other while Leoni looks on.But for me the biggest disappointment is the final episode, “Requiem,” which is more or less Mulder’s exit from the show. Although he would reappear in a few episodes in the final two seasons, this episode ends the seven-season partnership between Mulder and Scully. The episode, despite some fine moments, just didn’t seem to have the “gravitas” that such a key episode would seem to require. It did nicely take place in the same town in Oregon that saw Mulder and Scully have their first adventure together in Season One, but all in all it was not one of the more remarkable episodes.In the end, the ending of the greatest partnership in TV history is what creates an indescribable sadness at the end of the season. There would be two final seasons, with many great new episodes, but if you had to point to the single thing that made THE X-FILES such an amazing phenomena, it was–along with the great writing–the exquisite pairing of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Mulder and Scully. Many of us remain hopeful that there will be a future movie. We know that the key figures have discussed it and have all expressed a willingness. But so far we have had no definite indications that Mulder and Scully will get together again. Hopefully the truth is out there.

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
The X-Files Season 7 – A season of closure!
By K. Wyatt
After watching the special features I found it hard to believe that the shows creator, Chris Carter wasn’t sure whether or not there would be an eighth season. This lead Chris Carter and gang to come to some conclusions and closure of certain plot lines within the series. Chief among those is Mulder’s quest to find his sister is finally brought to closure after six and half seasons of innuendo and unanswered questions leading to additional questions.

The “mythology” episodes had to take a somewhat different direction during the seventh season due to the syndicate being decimated in the sixth season, leaving only the CSM, Krycek, Diana Fowley and Marita Covarrubias and they seemed to be looking for a new direction during their episodes. The seventh season principally consists of going back to the thrilling standing alone episodes that did one of two things, provide a good scare with astonishing imagery not normally seen on television or they combined that with some brilliant humor.

The mythology episodes:

The Sixth Extinction & The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati – Continuing on from the outstanding sixth season cliffhanger, Biogenesis, these two episodes usher in the seventh season brilliantly. Fox is bed stricken, infected with an alien virus that has his mind working triple time; Scully is in Africa trying to come up with clues as to how to save her partner and AD Skinner is doing his best to help both Mulder and Scully while dealing with Agent Diana Fowley and Krycek. These two episodes also contain some of the best imagery of the entire series.

Sein Und Zeit – This exceptional and extremely emotional episode is part mythology as it leads into the follow on episode, Closure. In this episode, a young girl goes missing in the middle of the night, just after her father has a terrible image of her and a note is inexplicably left behind by the mother.

Closure – This is the episode the fans have been waiting for almost seven years to see as we’re finally and with no small modicum of heart wrenching emotion lead to the end of Fox Mulder’s quest to find his sister. In no small measure, this episode was done quite magnificently and accolades are due for director Kim Manners.

En Ami – The CSM is back and he claims to Scully that he’s dying and he entreats her to help him. This episode is remarkably well written and played out on screen as we’re able to see the CSM and his continued ability to confuse through obfuscation. Of special note is that this one was written by the CSM himself, William B. Davis.

Chimera – I categorize this brilliant episode as part of the mythology because it gives us a look into Scully’s past and her present persona in comparison to that past. While it is a hard pill to swallow, believing that “by the book” Scully would have an affair with a married man while she was in medical school, it does show that she can be “human” as well and fall into that trap. Of special interest is the fact that Gillian Anderson, wrote, directed and starred primarily in this great episode.

Requiem – This exceptional season seven cliffhanger stands out as giving Mulder proof that the truth is out there, as you will see when you watch this episode. The one true sad thing about this episode is that it marks the end of the last full season in which David Duchovny/Fox Mulder works on the series full time!

A brief synopsis of some of the better stand alone episode:

Hungry – This particularly fascinating episode is about a young man who isn’t quite a young “man” and he has some dietary needs that are quite hard on those around him. What I also found to be appealing about this episode is that it’s told almost completely from the “monsters” point of view which brings one to empathize with him.

Millennium – In a manner of homage to the Millennium series, Lance Henriksen is brought on the X-Files in the same character that he played on that series, Frank Black. Now Mulder and Scully must deal with the Millennium group as the time is at hand. The long awaited first on screen kiss between Mulder and Scully is done skillfully.

Orison – This exceptional episode brings Mulder and most predominantly Scully back into the world of Donnie Pfaster who was first seen in season two’s “Irresistible” where he nearly killed her. He’s escaped from prison and they’re destined to meet again.

The Amazing Maleeni – The X-Files explores the world of magic and this episode scores big in the humor area while telling a good X-File.

Hollywood A.D. As comedic episodes go, this is one the series finest and it tells a good X-File at the same time. Of note is that David Duchovny gets to work briefly in this episode with his wife, the ever gorgeous Tea Leoni’.

Je Souhaite – This is a marvelous comedic X-File as well as we’re taken to Missouri and we meet a not so bright young man who opens up an abandoned storage area only to find a “Jinniyah” in a rug who grants him three wishes. The scenes with Scully in this episode are priceless as we get to see her smile a little more.

Special Features of note:

The one true disappointment about this boxed set is that the special features appear to be somewhat limited in contrast to past boxed sets. {ssintrepid}

- “The Truth About Season Seven”- 10 deleted scenes- 13 special effects sequences- 44 promotional television spots

Episode list:

The Sixth Extinction {mythology}The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati {mythology}HungryMillenniumRushThe Goldberg VariationOrisonThe Amazing MaleeniSigns & WondersSein Und Zeit {mythology}Closure {mythology}X-CopsFirst Person ShooterTheefEn Ami {mythology}Chimeraall things {mythology}Brand XHollywood A.D.Fight ClubJe SouhaiteRequiem {mythology}

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Season 7: The Problematic Stepchild of the X-Files Series
By flask
Season 7 represents the end of the traditional X-Files episode formula and the befuddlement of the established series mythology. For every gem worth viewing, it has two or three low quality imitations to match.

The season highlights include “Hungry” (7×03), “Millennium” (7×04), “The Goldberg Variation” (7×06), and “X-Cops” (7×12). Honorable mention should also be given to “First Person Shooter” (7×13) — at least for its outlandish action scenes — “Theef” (7×14), “En Ami” (7×15) and “Brand X” (7×18).

Surprisingly, the episodes penned by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are oddly flat. Duchovny’s “Hollywood A.D.” (7×19) is humorous, but lacks the endearing sentimentalism of “The Unnatural” (6×20). Anderson’s “All Things” (7×17) attempts to graft her own spiritualism as an actor atop the scientific rationalism of her character. As a result, the defining essence of Special Agent Dana Scully is iconoclastically ruined and the episode instead strikes the viewer as a glorified music video.

Season 7 is also significant in that it was the last full season in which Duchovny starred. In a sense, perhaps the departure of David Duchovny was inevitable. The character of Special Agent Fox Mulder had simply run out of steam: his crusade to stop alien colonization was resolved in Season 6 with the destruction of the Syndicate in “One Son” (6×12), and his quest for his abducted sister was brought to a poetic conclusion in “Sein Und Zeit” (7×10) and “Closure” (7×11). Hence, what more was there left to do? Perhaps Duchvony sensed this as well and left the series accordingly.

In terms of mythology, the X-Files reached its true end with Season 7. The Syndicate was destroyed, Samantha Mulder had been put to rest, the Cigarette Smoking Man had become an outcast and, last but not least, Scully and Mulder had admitted/consummated their affection for one another. All the plot widgets had been sown up. Unfortunately, the show dragged on for two more years and became something quite different. By that time, “the truth” was gone forever.

Overall…

Seasons 1 through 3 are excellent.Seasons 4 through 6 are very good.Seasons 7 through 9 are average.

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