The Show:

Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted.
-- The Pilot

I'll admit it - I rarely watch television. So how then did I become completely and totally addicted to the X-Files? I was stuck at home on a Friday night, on-call for work, bored and flipping through the channels when something caught my eye. When I realized I was watching "The X-Files" I rolled my eyes -- I had heard the premise of the show and figured it was going to be totally lame. But it surprised me. The writing was intelligent, the characters unique and engaging. I made it a point to watch the show if I was home on future Fridays. Eventually I taped it if I wasn't going to be home, and by the second season I was taping the episodes to keep for posterity in my video collection. The X-Files turned me, Miss No-TV, into a complete X-Phile.

The X-Files television show followed the investigations of FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). The X-Files were cases that could not be solved by conventional means -- cases that the FBI had given up upon. Mulder investigated the cases with a view toward the paranormal, Scully with a view toward the scientific. The writing was clever and intelligent, the characters unique and endearing. The show received mountains of critical acclaim (a first for a show of the "Sci-Fi" genre) and ultimately became part of our pop-culture. The show lasted for 9 seasons (although it should have ended after season 7 -- but I digress).

Thoughts on The First Season:

"The answers are there - you just have to know where to look."
"That's why they put the 'I' in the FBI."
-- The Pilot

So what makes the first season so special? It is so interesting now, after 9 years worth of episodes, to go back and see how it all began. We get to see how Agent Scully is assigned to Mulder to essentially "spy" on him, and how their relationship slowly begins to evolve into one of trust and respect. We get to see young Mulder and young Scully before the years of conspiracy and tragedy harden them. We get to see Scully smile and laugh out loud (something hard to find in later seasons). This season lays the groundwork for all future seasons, and does it very well.

As with any series, the first season is one of trial and error, one where the show finds it's "legs". While there are a large number of what came to be known as "classic" episodes (including "the Pilot", "Squeeze", "Fallen Angel", "Beyond the Sea", "E.B.E.", "The Erlenmeyer Flask"), there are also a few duds ("Ghost in the Machine" and "Space" are considered to be among the worst episodes of the Mulder/Scully era). While it doesn't have the refinement or "mythology" of later seasons, it is a true joy to see these characters begin their journey together.

The popularity of the show grew during the first season, mostly by word-of-mouth. Then the show won the coveted Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Series, and the world began to take notice (including competing networks attempting to copy the premise). By the second season the show was starting to gain mainstream acclaim (although it wouldn't reach the peak of its popularity until season 5).

I personally love re-watching the first season -- getting to see what got me hooked in the first place. I was thrilled when the first season DVD-collection was announced. Fox had previously released selected episodes to video, but this was the first time the entire season would be available. In fact, releasing an entire season in one collection was a first for any television series (although many other series, including "Star Trek", "The Simpsons", and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" quickly followed suit).

Note on Children's Viewing:
Although the first season won "Parents' Choice Honors" for best series, parents will have to gage whether or not their children should be allowed to watch The X-Files. Although it is educational (particularly in the area of science), it is also quite scary and often intense. There is no nudity or graphic violence, but there are deaths, autopsies, and scary situations. If your child is easily disturbed by such things, I would definitely avoid this show.

Technical Specs:

Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?
-- Squeeze

All together, the discs run for 1,152 minutes (24 episodes at 48 minutes apiece). There are 7 discs in total -- 6 are single-sided, dual-layered and contain 4 episodes apiece, 1 is single-sided, single-layered and contains the bonus materials (although some episode-related bonus materials are also included on the disc containing that episode -- thus they are accessible from 2 discs). Episodes have 12 chapters per episode. English and French audio tracks are in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo surround. Subtitles are in English and Spanish.

The video quality is wonderful (it certainly puts my videotaped copies of the episodes to shame). The episodes were not filmed in high-definition back then (the HDTV aspect ratio was not used until season six), so while it isn't perfect, it is still pretty darn fantastic.

I believe the packaging won some sort of reward (I'll update this epinion if I can find out more). It is rather clever -- a slip-cover holds the gate-fold packaging closed, with X-Files images and quotes decorate every available inch of space required to hold all 7 discs.

A "collector's edition" booklet is also included with the discs, listing episode titles and chapter stops, as well as titles and air-dates for the first six seasons.

Disc Contents:

And no one, no government agency has jurisdiction over the truth
-- Fallen Angel

~~ Disc One:

The X-Files (the Pilot/1x79) - Agent Dana Scully, a forensic pathologist and scientist, is assigned to debunk the work of FBI genius/rebel Fox Mulder. Their first case together takes them to Oregon where they investigate the murder of several high school classmates who Mulder believes were former alien abductees. (MizGnomer's episode grade: A)

Deep Throat (1x01) - Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearance of an Air Force test pilot. Mulder suspects that the pilot was testing aircraft reverse-engineered from alien technology, and acquires an important government informant. (My grade: B+)

Squeeze (1x02) - Notable as the first X-Files episode to deal with something other than aliens, Mulder and Scully search for a killer with seemingly impossible abilities. (My grade: A)

Conduit (1x03) - A young girl's apparent abduction by aliens touches Mulder personally. The girl's younger brother might hold the key to cracking the case. (My grade: B+)

~~ Disc Two:

The Jersey Devil (1x04) - Discovery of a cannibalized body lead Mulder and Scully to investigate the famed "Jersey Devil". Mulder suspects a missing link in human evolution, and we get a rare glimpse of Scully's personal life. (My grade: C).

Shadows (1x05) - A young woman is the only link that ties a number of strange deaths together. The agents discover that she is protected by a mysterious force. (My grade: C).

Ghost in the Machine (1x06) - Mulder investigates a murder as a favor to an ex-partner, and discovers what might be the first self-aware, truly intelligent computer. (My grade: C-).

Ice (1x07) - In this deliciously claustrophobic episode, Mulder and Scully's trust in each other is put to the test as they investigate a deadly parasite at an Alaskan research facility. (My grade: A+)

~~ Disc Three:

Space (1x08) - Mulder and Scully investigate an apparent attempt to sabotage a space shuttle, and find that the former NASA astronaut in charge of the mission is haunted by something he encountered during a spacewalk. (My grade: C-).

Fallen Angel (1x09) - Mulder's informant leaks him information on the government cover-up of a UFO crash site. During his investigation Mulder gains a friend, makes some new enemies, and puts his job in serious jeopardy. (My grade: A+)

Eve (1x10) - This mystery involving the simultaneous deaths of the fathers of identical-looking girls on opposite ends of the country keeps Mulder and Scully (and the audience) guessing. (My grade: A)

Fire (1x11) - Mulder and Scully join one of Mulder's ex-girlfriends (a Scotland Yard investigator) to investigate a murderer who kills with fire. (My grade: B-)

~~ Disc Four:

Beyond the Sea (1x12) - Following the death of her father, Scully's beliefs are challenged by a death row inmate with an uncanny ability to communicate with the dead. (My grade: A+)

Gender Bender (1x13) - A series of sex-related killings lead Mulder and Scully to question whether the perpetrator is male or female. Clues lead them to investigate an Amish-like community with their own share of mysteries. (My grade: C)

Lazarus (1x14) - an agent and a bank-robber are on the brink of death after a robbery is stopped. It appears as though agent was brought back to life while the criminal died -- or is that what really happened? (My grade: B-)

Young at Heart (1x15) - A criminal from Mulder's past (the first criminal Mulder caught just after joining the FBI) is at large and wanting revenge. Can Mulder find his stalker in time? (My grade: B-)

~~ Disc Five:

E.B.E. (1x16) - Mulder and Scully follow leaked evidence to track a downed UFO as our own government works to move it across the country - but Mulder and Scully aren't the only ones tracking its movement. (My grade: A+)

Miracle Man (1x17) - The unexplained deaths of several people at the hands of a faith healer put Mulder and Scully at odds and causes a young man to lose faith in his gift. (My grade: B-)

Shapes (1x18) - Deaths on an Indian Reservation point to lycanthropy, and lead Mulder and Scully to investigate the phenomenon at the center of the very first X-File (as created by J Edgar Hoover himself). (My grade: B-)

Darkness Falls (1x19) - Mulder and Scully get trapped deep in the forest while investigating the disappearance of 30 loggers. As it turns out, when the loggers broke the law they unleashed upon themselves a fate much worse than what the judicial system would have given them -- but can Mulder and Scully escape the same fate? (My grade: A)

~~ Disc Six:

Tooms (1x20) - The killer from 1x02 (Squeeze) is on the loose again -- released due to lack of evidence and out to exact his revenge on the agents who caught him. (My grade: A)

Born Again (1x21) - A little girl is tied to the deaths of two policemen, and Mulder and Scully's investigation of the eight year old turns up evidence that might solve a nine year old murder case, as well as a killer who murders from beyond the grave. (My grade: B-)

Roland (1x22) - A mentally handicapped janitor and his relationship to a dead scientist is at the center of this story of advanced theoretical science. (My grade: B)

The Erlenmeyer Flask (1x23) - This episode kicked off the show's long-running "mythology" and conspiracy storyline. Mulder and Scully uncover evidence that the government not only knows about the existence of aliens, but is actually experimenting on humans with alien DNA. However, the evidence and anyone who sees it is being quickly eliminated. (My grade: A+)

~~ Disc Seven:

The Truth About Season One featurette:
This is an all-new, 11-minute documentary which includes commentaries from the actors and producers.

12 Interview Clips with X-Files Creator Chris Carter:
If you purchased the X-Files videos from Fox, these are the clips that accompanied the episodes on those tapes. Each clip is a couple of minutes of Chris Carter discussing a particular episode.

12 Behind the Truth Segments:
These are behind-the-scenes specials, each approximately a minute long, that aired before the episodes when the series began running in syndication on FX. I wish I had known they would be available someday, as I spent a lot of time trying to catch all of the spots on video when they first aired on FX. I'm a huge behind-the-scenes junkie, so I absolutely love these short specials.

Deleted Scenes:
There are two deleted scenes from the pilot episode involving Scully's boyfriend, Ethan. Ethan was cut from the episode and no mention of him was ever made in the series.

Special Effects:
A behind-the-scenes look at how the nearly-invisible alien effect from "Fallen Angel" was created. As those of us with the Season One gag-reel already knew, it is rather amusing to see how that effect was done.

47 TV Commercials:
For each of the 23 regular-season episodes there are two commercials for the episode (one is 10 seconds long, the other is 20 seconds), and there is a 60 second commercial for the pilot episode.

"International" Clips:
This involves clips from various episodes dubbed in Japanese, German, Spanish, and Italian. It is amusing to see these characters that we know so well with totally unfamiliar voices speaking a different language.

DVD-ROM features:
The DVD also contains a PC game called "The Roots of the Conspiracy". The game is part trivia quiz, part puzzle, and part episode guide. Players can investigate Mulder and Scully's multimedia case files. The game requires a DVD-ROM drive and Macromedia's Shockwave 8.

Final Thoughts/Comments:

I would never lie. I willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation.
-- Ghost in the Machine

The only bad thing I can say about this DVD set is that I wish there were more extras. As any X-Phile worth their salt knows, there are gag-reels and other deleted scenes from the first season that would have been absolutely fabulous additions to this already great set. Commentary on at least a few of the episodes would have been nice too (commentaries are available on later seasons' DVD sets).

While this DVD set is an absolute must for any obsessed X-Phile, it is also a great way for casual fans or those who came to the show in later seasons to get caught up with the characters, their origins, and the beginning of the show's "mythology".

Web Sites of Interest
Official X-Files Web site: http://www.thex-files.com
Official Season 1 DVD Site: http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/index_frames.html

Related X-Files DVD Set Reviews:
Second Season
Third Season
Fourth Season
Fifth Season
Sixth Season
Seventh Season
Eighth Season



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older