The X-Files: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD
The Collector’s Edition
The X-Files: The Complete Fourth Season Collector’s Edition, originally released on DVD in 2004, takes the partnership between Mulder and Scully to new depths, beyond those of the most frightening nightmares, and delivers riveting drama that solidifies the inevitability of their relationship crossing the lines of mere friendship and dedication into something far deeper and indestructible.
The X-Files Tide Begins to Turn
After breaking through the barrier that described The X-Files as a “cult phenomenon” and entering into the realm of mainstream popularity, the show was moved from its designated Friday night “date night” timeslot and given a more accessible viewing time of "Sundays at nine" on the FOX network. The year was now 1996 and the show had just garnered its first two Emmy awards, one for special guest star and one for writing, for the critically acclaimed episode “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” from its third season. Sensing that they needed something to increase viewership even more, the writing staff put their heads together and created one of the most interesting and devastating storylines that the show had yet seen: a death sentence for one of its main characters.
John Gilnitz Creates the Plot
Three main writers on the incredibly talented staff included John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz, and Vince Gilligan; by using a combination of their names, they created the alias “John Gilnitz” and made him a recurring character included in the episodes on which they collaborated. These men, along with the help of series creator, Chris Carter, managed to formulate one of the biggest shocks the X-Phile nation had experienced up to this point --- Special Agent Dana Scully was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor defined as a nasal pharyngeal mass. This “growth,” directly linked to Scully’s abduction from season two, a consequence from the removal of a chip at the base of her neck in season three, bespeaks the workings of the shadow government that constantly conspires against Mulder and his never-ending search for the truth.
Now that the show was no longer marginalized in the U.S. (it had been an international success for at least two years prior to the widespread American welcoming), it was beginning to gain momentum by branching out to other outlets as well. The Simpsons writers included a special X-Files themed show entitled “The Springfield Files” during their eighth season, using the voices of Duchovny and Anderson for the cartoon versions of their characters. The show was also aired directly after Super Bowl XXXI with the episode “Leonard Betts” and the highest Neilson ratings the series would ever see. This episode established the set-up for Scully’s cancer arc with a surprise ending; the actual news of her cancer was not delivered until the emotional rollercoaster known as “Memento Mori,” Latin for “Be Mindful of Death”.
The fourth season, which featured a myriad of singular paranormal cases amid the dramatic myth arc, comes to a heart stopping close when a devastating secret is uncovered and one of the agents is pronounced dead. Included in this collector’s edition is the new documentary, “The Truth about Season Four,” special effects sequences from six episodes with optional commentary by Paul Rabwin, deleted scenes from seven episodes with optional commentary by Carter, interviews with Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan, James Wong and Chris Carter on various episodes, thirteen “Behind-the-Truth” spots from the F/X channel, forty-eight promotional television spots and a new DVD-ROM game, “Urbs Tertia”.
The X-Files: The Complete Fourth Season
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Film & TV
Latest Articles