Ten years ago, the fledging Fox Network premiered what at first
appeared to be an unusual cop show. But the X-Files, created by Chris Carter,
would prove to be far more than just a cop show with a twist. Carter, an
admitted fan of the legendary 1970s TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker
(starring Darren McGavin as a reporter who investigated strange, supernatural
creatures and events), had wanted to update the idea for the 1990s. The X-Files
refers to a series of files about cases that deal with supernatural phenomena
that are stored within the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Special Agent
Fox Mulder (superbly played with great understatement by David Duchovny) is the
current custodian of these files. Mulder is derisively nicknamed "Spooky" by
his fellow agents in the bureau because of his penchant of leaning towards the
more unconventional explanations to solve cases. He firmly believes in the
existence of UFOs, and psychic powers, and is not above pursuing any such lead,
no matter where it takes him.
In the pilot episode, Mulder is given a new partner, Special Agent Dana Scully
(smartly played by Gillian Anderson). Scully, who is trained as a medical doctor,
does not believe in aliens, or things that go bump in the night. She appears to
be the perfect foil for Mulder--or so her FBI bosses hope. Scully's original
assignment was to keep an eye on Mulder, and report back the slightest
infringement to her masters, who hoped to reign in the X-Files division as much
as possible, if not do away with it completely. But despite her natural
skepticism, Scully quickly bonds with Mulder, and the pair become a solid,
formidable team who give the supernatural--as well as the FBI old boy network--a
run for its money.
Brimming with intelligence, wit and a dark, creepy atmosphere, The X-Files was
indeed more than just your average cop show. But it was also far more than the
monster of the week schlock fest, as well. While the first season had its share
of misfires (the silly "Jersey Devil" and the dull "Space" come to mind) there
were also instant classics such as "Squeeze" and its sequel "Tooms", which dealt
with a mutant named Eugene Victor Tooms who could literally squeeze his way
through the smallest of openings, leaving nobody safe from his murderous
rampages. "Deep Throat" introduced Jerry Harding as the mysterious informant of
the same name. It was also the stepping-stone to the sprawling Mythology Story
Arc, where Mulder continuously sought evidence of alien life on earth--as well
as the whereabouts of his sister, who was seemingly abducted by aliens when she
and Mulder were children. Then there's "Eve", an excellent tale about eugenic
experimentation that also smartly re-invents the old "Bad Seed" plot. "Beyond The
Sea" is an out-standing episode where the skeptical Scully comes face to face
with the supernatural. "Young At Heart" has many twists and turns as Mulder
faces a ghost from his past-a vicious killer who is dead is somehow taunting him
once again. And E.B.E., an episode that propels the alien mythology even further,
using great suspense.
It is interesting how, ten years later, the majority of the episodes on this DVD
set still hold up very well. This is due to the great chemistry between Duchovny
and Anderson, as well as the marvelous writing by Carter, the team of Morgan &
Wong, and many others. The stories told here are just as relevant now in the 21st
century as when they first appeared in the latter part of the 20th. The X-Files
is also just plain scary, thus making it a more than worthy successor to The
Night Stalker. The Special features on the DVD include "The Truth About Season
One" a documentary about the making of the season. And in a series of interviews,
Chris Carter talks about the creative process behind selected episodes. There
are also deleted scenes, and a host of scenes from various episodes in German,
Italian, Japanese, and other languages.
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