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The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 16 Reviews)

Believe The Lie FULL SKULL BABY!

By it's fourth season the X-files had grown from a cult hit to a phenomenon, and the fourth season captures some of the greatest X-files of all time. Taking a truly darker direction, which becomes evident in the season opener Herrenvolk, part two of the dynamic Talitha Cumi. Although it doesn't live up to it's predeccesor, it introduces several plotlines that would be further explored. Early on in the season, the darker tone of the season is less evident, as we get traditional standalones that are just like the previous seasons. It isn't until the wonderful Paper Hearts that we begin to see the change, and the change is clarified in Memento Mori, where yes we discover Scully has cancer. This, put together with some other elements earlier in the season [I'm not going to spoil anything] season four is not like previous seasons. There are no self parody episodes, save for Musings of a Cigarette Smoking man, and nearly every episodes puts Mulder and Scully in a life/death situation. Of course, the seasons dark tone peaks in the finale Gethsemene. Anyone who has seen it knows what I mean. Now, on to some episodes I've selected that I think are highlights of the season. Caution: although in the following no really big twists are given away, if you don't want anything spoiled, then don't read ahead.

Herrenvolk: Mulder and Jeremiah escape the alien bounty hunter, Jeremiah leads Mulder to a mysterious farm in Canada where Mulder finds clones of his sister. Meanwhile, the syndicate is beginning to suspect an information leak.
Home: In this truly disturbing episode, Mulder and Scully discover a baby, deformed by inbreeding. X-Files at it's most bizarre.
Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man: the Lone Gunmen explain to Mulder and Scully the information surrounding CSM's past.
Tunguska: Mulder locates Krycek, and they soon leave for Russia to try and unearth the secrets of the black oil, but Krycek betrays him, and Mulder gets captured. Par
Paper Hearts: One of the best episodes. Mulder discovers the body of a young girl, which leads him back to a murderer he helped catch. Mulder begins to believe that this man knows the fate of his sister, and he begins losing his mind.
Memento Mori: Scully discovers she has cancer, which sends Mulder on a quest for the truth of Scully's cancer.
Tempes Fugit: When a plane carrying Max Fenig as a passenger mysteriously crashes, Mulder and Scully discover Max was transporting something, and they try to discover what Max was transporting.
Elegy: a woman dies, and the only person who can give insight as to what happened is a mentally retarded man.
Zero Sum: A woman is found dead with several bee stings on her. This puts Skinner back working for CSM.
Gethsemene: Scully exposes Mulder to the rest of the FBI as going off the deepend, and that he is obsessed with aliens. Just before this happened, Mulder believes to have found proof of extraterrestral life, but a startling truth revealed to Scully sends Mulder in a sharp decline, and has him questioning his own believes.

Season four provides more than enough shocking moments, and this coupled with some great standalones and dark tone make it one of if not the best season. Yes, I do think it's superior to season three. BELIEVE THE LIE

The ultimate X-Files peaks with movie quality episodes. FULL SKULL BABY!

Season four was the ultimate highlight for me in the nine seasons.
If you buy no other season, then buy season four.
The ultimate all time best being the 17th episode of this season " Tempus Fugit", a movie quality episode that really defined the X-Files better than any other. It had it all. Wonderful sets, costumes, special effects, humour, drama, the excellent casting, terrific script, followed up with ep 18 " Max" a great two-parter that was only part mythology, it didn't really feature the syndicate as such.
It perfectly defined the essence of the alien abductions.
However " Tempus Fugit" was by no means all there was to season four. There was scarcely a bad episode.
The season starter " Herronfolk" continued the great cliffhanger from season three involving Jerrimiah Smith, that was partly co-written by David Duchovny.
It contained one of the best teasers to an episode, as it explored the link between the bees, the virus and the clones seen previously by Mulder and Scully in earlier episodes
" Unruhe" was a creepy episode about a serial mutilator, who had this incredible unknown gift of thought projection photography, This is an amazing thought provoking episode.
" Tunguska" and " Terma" were two great mythology episodes, which explored the black oil and it's testing.
" Paper Hearts" was another triumph and sheer highlight as Mulder and Scully investigate a serial murderer who still has victims ( young girls ) that are yet to be identified.
A very clever episode that is close to Mulder, as he has lost his sister to what he thought was alien abduction.
Somehow the killer in jail manages to convince Mulder that he was responsible for the death of Samantha. It makes for great viewing.
"Leonard Betts" was another highly interesting ( if slightly gory ) episode of a hospital worker who feeds off cancers to stay alive. Don't eat your dinner while watching this one!
"Small Potatoes " was another hoot, with the villian impersonating Mulder at the end of this one a "must" viewing!
The ones I didn't mention were also excellent, with perhaps " El Mundo Gira " the weakest in a great season.
As usual Cancer Man is superb in all his roles, The Lone Gunman make welcome appearances in several episodes. Skinner features prominantly for an ( all too rare ) episode in " Zero Sum" where he covers up the death of a woman for Cancer Man- another great episode.
As usual the box set comes with a few extras, and interviews etc that only add to the value.
The only sad note for this season was the death of Agent Pendra in " Tempus Fugit"
I loved his flirting and interaction with Scully, it was hugely missed after this episode.
But that's the X-Files for you, you never know when your favourite character is going to get killed...
What more can I say, the box set of season four is awesome- you won't be disappointed.

Essential X-Files at it's pure best

Thanks for reading

The show is in full swing FULL SKULL BABY!

and this season represents some of the best work of the actors and producers. Season Four is central to the whole series as it puts finishing touches on mythology and conspiracies that will serve as a foundation for the subsequent five seasons. It is one of the most riveting and interesting seasons as well.

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