The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season (1993)

Now you can own the entire fourth season of THE X-FILES?. ALL 24 classic episodes are availale for the first time in this exclusive 7-disc collector's edition. From "Herrenvolk," "Home," "Tunguska," and "Terma" to "Memento Mori," "Max," "Small Potatoes," and "Gethsemane," these Season Four episodes are a must for every X-Files fan.

Show adrift, searching for identity

Let me start by saying that my rating is not based on the show's entertainment value which I consider very good. The rating I gave is based on my belief that the show failed to follow its original plan, so don't let my 3-star rating dissuade you from buying this collection if you're looking for an above-average sci-fi program. I didn't watch the X Files while it was being broadcast on TV, so, like others here, I am seeing it for the first time on DVD. Season One got off to a real bang with the very first episode and appeared to be headed in the same general direction as the series The Invaders, but the writers evidently ran out of space/alien material rather quickly and resorted to anything at hand. The Invaders never suffered such a plight and remained a thematically pure series from beginning to end. From an entertainment standpoint, X Files is good. Episodes in the 4th season tackle a wide variety of paranormal events and I have to disagree with anyone who claims the acting was anything less than great. It's just that in real life the big cover-up (perceived, at least) concerns aliens from outer space and not inbred mutants, cameras that take pictures of the future, etc. The show drifted from its intended path and the tie-in to the FBI became more questionable all the time. Had the show followed its design it would have featured weekly face-offs between Scully and Mulder and the FBI, with the two agents finding evidence of extraterrestrial activity and the agency stifling their efforts to investigate their findings. The writers might well have produced an even more entertaining show than the one we have. I won't describe episodes of the show as there are plenty of other reviewers who have done that, but I will mention a couple of things that are a trifle aggravating. When accessing the special features in the 4th season there is no way to return directly to the special features menu after viewing one of them ...you go to either the main menu or else the episode menu and from there have to navigate back to the special features. As much as I enjoy watching the extras it's a little more work than I would expect. Another small annoyance concerns the video. I use a Samsung DVD player with an HDMI output connected to a 1080p television. The player allows me to select what aspect ratio to use, so I choose 4x3 mode at the beginning of each episode. For some reason the DVDs occasionally force my player back to widescreen mode during the episodes and I have to reset it again. This anomally has occurred in all of the first four seasons of X Files, but not in any other TV series or movies that were filmed in 4x3. It isn't a huge issue, but I'm not a fan of horizontally stretched people. On the other hand, the transfer is excellent. So there you have it...a very good show! Great acting, excellent transfer of video. My complaints, other than the physical DVD problems, will probably not make sense nor even matter to many readers. This is, after all, a show worth watching. August 2, 2008

Continuing its greatness

Even though the episode Avatar from season 3 was the first episode I watched on TV, it wasn't until this season that I started to get heavily into the show and it's continued ever since, barely missing a single episode. It's this continued success and type of stories they told that make it one of my favorite shows ever, if not my absolute favorite. While season 4 had a couple of uneven parts, it's still largely one of their best years.

Herrenvolk: A pretty good premiere as Mulder investigates a colony looking after bees while protecting Jeremiah Smith. 8.5/10
Home: A controversial, violent and genuinely unsettling episode of a bunch of deformed family members trying to conceive. 8.5/10
Teliko: Rather average episode of a man absorbing the pigmentation of African-Americans. 6/10
Unruhe: Incredibly creepy and the first episode that made me a fan of a killer who projects his thoughts into photographs. 9/10
The Field Where I Died: Great premise but bad execution as Mulder is hinted of sharing a past-life with a cult member. 7/10
Sanguinarium: Another decent episode of medical doctors being possessed for a ritual. 6.5/10
Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man: Excellent episode as we see the past of everyone's favorite chain smoker. Best chocolate monologue ever. 9/10
Tunguska: Intriguing mythology episode as a rock carrying the Black Oil is found and an old enemy resurfaces. 8.5/10

Terma: Part 2 as the agents try to locate the rock and further questions into the mythos. 8.5/10
Paper Hearts: Great episode as Mulder tries to deal with the fact Samantha may not have been abducted but kidnapped by John Lee Roche, a serial killer.
El Mundo Gira: Meh episode of a love story involving 2 brothers, a woman and a Mexican legend. 5.5/10
Leonard Betts: Disgusting and funny all at once as an EMT doctor shows signs of regenerative abilities. 8/10
Never Again: It's either weird or funny but an episode with a tattoo voiced by Jodie Foster who wants to kill is...neat. 7.5/10
Memento Mori: Along with One Breath as one of the best X-Files episodes ever as we discover Scully's medical condition and Mulder's search for an answer. 10/10
Kaddish: Back to meh status as the agents investigate a murdered Jew seemingly brought back from the dead. 6.5/10
Unrequited: Cool episode of a Vietnam vet capable of invisibility hunting down military officials. 8/10

Tempus Fugit: Part 1 of one of their best two-parters as Max Fenig from Season 1's "Fallen Angel" is killed during a plane crash with a possible UFO and military interference. 9.5/10
Max: Part 2 as the hunt for Max's "proof" continues. Intense crash sequence. 9.5/10
Synchrony: Iffy but good episode of a time traveller capable of fast-freezing a team of scientists.
Small Potatoes: Hilarious episode of a shape-shifter impregnanting women with tails. Some funny Mulder business. 9/10
Zero Sum: Good mythos episode as Skinner tries to cover up a crime that involved the bees introduced in Herrenvolk. 8/10
Elegy: Creepy episode of a mentally challenged patient and his connection to apparitions of victims just recently killed.
Demons: Intriguing episode of Mulder trying to uncover the circumstances behind Samantha's disappearance. 8.5/10
Gethsemane: Great finale as Scully seemingly betrays Mulder and his faith and life is rocked by a terrible truth. Big cliffhanger. 9/10

Overall, season 4 is similar to season 3 as some of the best episodes of the entire show's run are inbetween episodes that are just simply good. While a couple miss, more often than not, these episodes are supremely entertaining and evidence of a show still in its stride. June 18, 2008

Still Going Strong

The Fourth Season of the X-Files continues to develop the "mythology" plot points of earlier season, while also churning out quality "stand-alone" episodes (despite a few more clunkers than usual). Let's examine the three types of episode formats that the X-Files showcases:

1. Mythology: During this season, a Mars rock turns out to be something more than just terrestrial, the Russians begin experimenting with an alien virus, Max Fenig (last seen in Season 1) makes a return appearance, and Mulder again must choose what to believe surrounding the events of his sister's disappearance. Though the "Tempus Fugit"/"Max" two-part episode falls a bit flat, the other mythology episodes this season are as strong as ever. Perhaps the most important mythological developement of this season, however, is Agent Scully's contraction of a deadly disease which may have been given to her by outside forces.

2. Stand-Alone: Despite a few clunker episodes that were not present in earlier seasons, this season continued to produce compelling hour-long stories. "Unruhe" focuses on a genuinely terrifying pyschopath, "Home" is so scary that it almost wasn't shown at all, and "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" sheds some light on the shadowy figure's younger years.

3. Comedic: While "Never Again" is very hit-or-miss depending on who you ask, "Small Potatoes" is a hilarious romp that also serves to provide the first hints (however small) of a possible Mulder-Scully romantic relationship.

Overall, the Fourth Season of the X-Files continued to give fans what they wanted...more mythology to endlessly debate online, spooky paranormal creates, and a few hearty laughs. Also, though I am no expert in this department, the show seemed to have been shot on better film starting this season, as the picture is more crisp and the special effects more incredible. June 8, 2008

Gorey, bloody, and really dull.

I love The X-Files. It's a fantastic show. Season 4 is a huge let down. I gave season 4 one and a half stars out of pity. The acting is ok and a few episodes are interesting. Most of the episodes are more like something you'd see from the show Tales From The Crypt. They substitute plot for gore and blood. A lack of imagination, lame plots, no humor, lack of creatures, and redundant themes make up Season 4 of The X-Files.

Season 1 was good. Season 2 really good. Season 3 average. Season 5 average. Season 6 awesome. Season 7 fantastic. May 30, 2008

X-file-phile

I wasn't aware of the x-files while it twas on the air, so I'm reliving them thru DVD. This is one of my favorite seasons so far. February 11, 2008

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