CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 05/28/04

The End of the Search for the Truth

by jason davis

After three lackluster seasons, The X-Files seemed set to die an embarrassingly overdue death. Improbably, the series returned to top form for a ninth season victory lap that reminded viewers what Sunday night was like before The Sopranos muscled their way into the neighborhood.

The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season

Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, David Amann, Steven Maeda, Thomas Schnauz, and David Duchovny
Created by Chris Carter

With Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) on the run, Agents Scully (Gillian Anderson), Doggett (Robert Patrick), Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) continue to investigate the unsolved cases that defy explanation, including the return of failed spin-off stars the Lone Gunmen, the search for Agent Mulder, and one of the finest episodes by show creator Chris Carter.

Despite a forgettable final episode, the show's ninth season presents a surprising number of extraordinary tales at a time when most series can barely manage to keep their audience awake. "Trust No 1" is a study in what's left unsaid. David Duchovny's absence from the series presents the writers with a challenge they daringly turn into an opportunity by focusing the episode on the possibility of his reappearance. The cliché of a character losing his memory is revisited with a fresh take in "John Doe", where Doggett is presented to the audience sans the baggage of his past. The writers manage to strip away excess and present a bare bones sketch of the character while revealing what makes him tick on the most basic behavioral levels. "Jump the Shark" serves as an elegy for the cancelled Lone Gunmen spin-off and perfectly integrates that show's cast back into the X-Files universe while telling a story that merges both shows' sensibilities. "William" offers an exercise in ambiguity that takes the audience's hopes and uses them, with a healthy dash of uncertainty, to constantly keep the viewer off balance until the final act. "Release" is visual poetry exemplifying Chris Carter's dictate of visual storytelling, while "Sunshine Days" takes advantage of the show's pop culture status to abscond with a bit of seventies nostalgia (The Brady Bunch) in an unexpectedly poignant tale.

The pinnacle of the season is Chris Carter's "Improbable," a mathematical Italian extravaganza that ponders what God might be like. While Scully and Reyes investigate a string of serial killings, a mysterious man (Burt Reynolds) offers them mathematical theories to suggest an order in nature for those who know where to look. Carter's efforts to imbue the story with notions as diverse as probability, genetic predisposition, and quantum theory while offering an entertaining tale that leaves the viewer thinking is a far better farewell than the convoluted two-hour series ender.

- 19 episodes: "Nothing Important Happened Today (I and II)", "Daemonicus", "4-D", "Lord of the Flies", "Trust No 1", "John Doe", "Hellbound", "Provenance", "Providence", "Audrey Pauly", "Underneath", "Improbable", "Scary Monsters", "Jump the Shark", "William", "Release", "Sunshine Days", "The Truth"
- "The Truth About Season Nine"
- "The Making of 'The Truth'"
- "Reflections on 'The Truth'"
- "Secrets of The X-Files"
- "More Secrets of The X-Files"
- 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary from writers Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban
- Nine special effects sequences with commentary by producer Paul Rabwin
- Commentary by creator/writer/director Chris Carter on "Improbable"
- Commentary by writers Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban on "Jump the Shark"
- Commentary by director Kim Manners on the "The Truth"
- Character profiles on Agents Monica Reyes and Brad Follmer
- 38 Fox promos
- 5 international clips

Despite the cornucopia of extras offered on this release, the five stars offered above are for Chris Carter's commentary on his final turn as writer/director. For 43 minutes, Carter explains the philosophy that went into the writing and execution of an episode that endeavors to go beyond entertainment in an attempt to enlighten and ennoble its viewer. Carter offers up a piece of himself to his audience and further viewings of "Improbable" are enriched by the personal connection the creator has formed with the viewer. Spotnitz, Gilligan and Shiban's commentary on "Jump the Shark" is interesting and informative as well, giving Langly, Frohike, and Byers a better send-off than X-Files regulars received.

As Carter suggests in his commentary, God offers up little smiles to people who know where to look, and this season does offer redemption for a series that once seemed well past the point of no return.

The X- Files: The Complete Ninth Season
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Not rated
$99.98

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At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Weekly, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

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