Cheap The X-Files - The Complete Second Season (Slim Set) (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of The X-Files - The Complete Second Season (Slim Set)

More of the same white knuckle viewing.
`X-Files' Season 2, created by Chris Carter and starring David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson is entirely consistent in quality with Season 1, and everything I said about that release is true of this one as well. <
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>One of the most distinguishing features of this season is that Ms. Anderson was pregnant throughout the first third of the season, and an arc of three shows was done to remove her from the scene while she was off on maternity leave. In spite of her delicate condition, the scripts continued to put her character and her costar into mortal danger in virtually every episode. <
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>A second major distinction of this season is fact that `Deep Throat' from season 1 was killed off at the end of that season, to be replaced by a very similar character simply labeled `X'. This character was worked into the episodes when the `X-Files' unit of the FBI was reinstated about a third of the way into the season, just in time for Gillian to get back from her maternity leave. <
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>The order of episode themes in this season is very similar to season 1, in that there is a rough alternation between Alien Visitor and homegrown weirdness. One of the very best episodes, `Humbug', which literally comes off as a comedy, involves virtually no paranormal activity at all. It almost seems like a take-off on the classic cult film `Freaks', made in the 1930s. <
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>My biggest complaint about the premises underlying the entire series is the way in which agents of our government are split in four different antagonistic directions. First, there is the X-Files unit within the FBI, being our heroes, Muldur and Scully. Then there is the FBI hierarchy, represented primarily by Assistant Director Skinner. Then, there is the shadowy conglomerate of some other government agencies, primarily representing `the military', whose figurehead is `the cigarette smoking man'. Last, there is the `X' character, who represents some other shadowy conglomerate of government agencies who are seemingly on Muldur and Scully's side, but seem to offer nothing more than obscure clues and directions, when they feel like it (or more accurately, when the script needs a `deux ex machina' to move it along). <
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>Another thing that tends to spoil things for me in some episodes is the degree to which the stories are stolen from other well-known works, the most common source being recent major films such as `The Exorcist'. I also get a bit antsy when a script misuses some arcane piece of scientific theory, as when `End Game' plays off the notion of `dark matter'. On the other hand, the season closing cliff-hanger episode manages to steal a march on a later film, `The Code Talkers', based on the use of the Navaho language as a code in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, which, according to both dramatic works, the Japanese were never able to crack or translate. <
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>On the other hand, I really enjoy the occasional appearance of some interesting character actors in lead roles now and then. For example, I loved seeing `Mr. Monk' (Tony Shalhoub) in `End Game' and William Sanderson (an important minor character in `Blade Runner' and `Larry' from `Newhart') in the episode, `Blood', just as it was a gas to see Bradley Whitford as the leading guest character in a season 1 show. <
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>Just like most modern dramas, one of the best features is the rapport between the two principal characters. This chemistry is shown in many ways, some quite subtle, as when both characters constantly answer their calls to their partner with the statement `It's me.' They even use this greeting when they meet one another unexpectedly. This rapport is often a major part of episodes, especially since one or both major characters is so often getting into perilous and quite deadly situations. <
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>The extras are not `great', but they are interesting. The best thing about the set is that it is an excellent presentation of episodes from a major TV series. I will reinforce the impressions of other reviewers that this is done well, since they have probably seen more different series than I. <
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>This series has become a minor milestone in TV history. It is not quite as iconic as `The Twilight Zone', but it is stronger than its inspiration, `The Night Stalker'. To my lights, it is also in general superior as Science Fiction than most `Star Trek' episodes from its various incarnations. I think it is more rewatchable than many series, if not quite as addicting for me as `The West Wing'. <
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GOOD BUT...
Things to consider about this product: <
>- Image and sound are not so good, especially because it's an old programme. <
>- It's 2.1 and not 5.1 <
>- The package (the boxes) are too thin. <
>- It's much cheaper than the collector's edition but it does not include something important for collectors, the 7th CD with the extras!! <
>- I still do not understand why FOX overprices the collector's edition and makes it impossible for us to buy it. I think it is too expensive!! Besides if they want to save money in packaging, why did they eliminate the 7th cd? How much money can it cost to add that CD? Please!!! <
>- The series is excellent and worth watching. <
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Technical Notes On The Slim Sets
I wanted to point out something technical about the slim set discs that I bought. If you're looking for insight into the episodes or characters - please look elsewhere. <
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>When I put the first disc of Season One into my DVD player, it started the "loading" process and gave me a disc error after about one minute. Instead of cursing Fox (well, I did it later anyway) I turned the player off, leaving the disc inside. After a couple of minutes, I turned my DVD player on and Viola! I heard the X-Files theme and saw the menus (after the obligatory FBI copyright infringement warnings). <
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>For those wondering, the DVD player in question above is a Philips Progressive Scan. The same problem occurred on a newer Panasonic player. No glitches materialized when I tried the discs on the Sony or AKAI players. In all cases, I was eventually able to get to the episodes. With the first two the screen sometimes showed up scrambled and the menus inaccessible. On other occasions I was able to access a root menu similar to one you would see if you "explore" the DVD contents on a PC (Video_TS files, etc.), though the players would not load any content from these menus. Speaking of PC viewing, I experienced no problems with any of the discs on my PC and all four programs my PC has to play DVDs functioned perfectly. <
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>PLEASE DON'T READ INTO THIS TOO MUCH. I don't work for Fox - I'm not trying to encourage sales of the more expensive sets. This was just a personal experience I had, and it seemed to occur less frequently with Seasons 4 - 9. My uneducated opinion: the equipment I have isn't top of the line, and maybe wasn't equipped to handle the way the content was compressed. I was impressed that 4, sometimes 5 episodes were squeezed on one disc. That's three - almost four hours of content. I know - dual layer DVDs and blah, blah, blah. But c'mon - even Lord of the Rings - Return of the King was issued on 2 discs! (By the way, the content looked and sounded great.) <
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>Another side note: Seasons 1 - 4 that I got were full frame, and 5 - 9 are widescreen. At first I thought I had missed the option when purchasing these discs, but these are the only way I've found them at retail stores and online. Nothing major; I just thought I was losing my mind at first. (Which is still a possibility.) I can't remember if they aired this way on television - I just noticed that the cinematography got revved up a bit starting with Season 5. If this observation is incorrect, someone please feel free to correct me. <
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>Okay. If you have read this entire review give yourself a pat on the back, a cookie, I dunno - watch some old Doctor Who episodes or something. A better price, better packaging, and better for you. (They were giving out a carton of Morley's with the bigger sets, right?) By the way - the 5 stars is based on my overall X-Files enjoyment. Sure, there are episodes I can skip through. But for me, it's good bang for the buck. Enjoy! <
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