The X-Files: The Complete Season 8 [Blu-ray]

As Scully (Gillian Anderson) sits in a big office room waiting to be questioned about the recent disappearance of Mulder (David Duchovny), a man sitting next to her gets up from his seat, gets a cup of water, and offers it to her. He tells Scully that he is an old friend of Mulder's. As they talk, Scully realizes that this man is not who he says he is. She reaches out and turns the nametag on his shirt around. When she finds out who he is, she splashes his face with water from her cup and walks away.It is with that uneasy scene that X-philes everywhere---or, at least, those who hadn't jumped ship in Season 7---were introduced to John Doggett (Robert Patrick), a tough, no-nonsense investigator who has been assigned the task of leading the search for Mulder, who was abducted at the end of the previous season. That tension would only increase as the season went on, as Doggett is forced to work with Scully on the X-Files as the search goes on for Mulder. And it is with the addition of Robert Patrick to the show that some say that THE X-FILES began its unmistakable descent into decline.I wouldn't say that, exactly. Now, I'll be honest: I was one of the people who jumped ship during Season 7 in the show's initial 9-year run. It is only through syndicated reruns and DVD that I've been able to catch up with these episodes from the controversial 8th season of THE X-FILES. And I believe that, even this late in the game, there are still some things to be said in its favor.Even if David Duchovny was in only about half of the episodes in Season 8, I think it's worth noting that this season marks a return to the darker, creepier style that characterized the early seasons of this show. Those X-philes who had begun to worry that lightheartedness and comedy were starting to take over the show in Seasons 6 & 7 should at least have been relieved to see a darker edge to Season 8 episodes like "Via Negativa" or "Badlaa," episodes that arguably may not have been totally out of place in, say, Season 3. Indeed, Season 8 as a whole is a notably serious clutch of episodes, as Scully faces motherhood, and as the X-Files once again faces the danger of being closed down. And, in this season, even standalone episodes seem to tie into these broader character and mythological arcs. "Invocation," for instance, ends with a disappointed Doggett finding no concrete answers from a mystery he and Scully had been investigating, while Scully tries to show him that, on X-files, not everything will have a neat resolution. But then Scully faces a stunning realization of her own at the end of "Badlaa": that, try as she might to play the open-minded Mulder role between the two, she and her rational mind can't always summon the same openness Mulder was able to so memorably for their seven years together.The Scully/Doggett relationship has come under fire from a lot of X-philes, some of them complaining of a "lack of chemistry" between the two actors. I'll be the last person to admit that Gillian Anderson and Robert Patrick really ever hit it off the same way she and David Duchovny were able to from the pilot onward. Still, it's rather painful to have to state the obvious: their relationship was perhaps never meant to be full of "chemistry." Scully's heart has always, and probably always will be, with Mulder (as the closing moment of this season's finale "Existence" beautifully demonstrates). What does come across throughout Season 8 is at least a measure of respect that develops between the two. John Doggett may not be nearly as compelling a character as Fox Mulder was, but he's certainly a dedicated agent and a decent human being, one who is innocent of any of the hush-hush conspiracies and secret-keeping that seems to be part and parcel with those who are involved in the X-Files.There is no way I can really make the case that the mythology of Season 8---the search for Mulder, followed by anticipation of Scully's miracle birth---is as convincing or fresh as it was in its first four or five seasons. Clearly, creator Chris Carter and company were basically straining to stretch out the mythology for another season, and, in crucial points, the strain began to show. Anticlimax seems to be the word of the day in both "Deadalive" and "Existence": there's a strange lack of momentousness when Mulder is finally "saved" in the former, and the same could possibly be said for the birth of Scully's baby that occurs at the climax of the latter. Even worse, though, the mythology had become rather predictable by this late season. "Per Manum" introduces a new information source for Doggett named Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin)---but perhaps I wasn't the only one to guess that Knowle Rohrer would turn out to be not as sincere as he seemed at first. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) also returns during the season, claiming to want to save Scully's baby from alien replicants looking to destroy it---but I suppose old habits die hard with the man typically known as "Ratboy" by fans.Still, even if the mythological developments of the 8th season didn't totally convince (and it would get worse in Season 9), there were still some decent myth episodes to be found---"Vienen," for instance, is a fine, suspenseful effort (in which the black oil makes its last real hurrah); so is "Three Words," which throws in the possibility that an alien invasion is upon us. "Essence"/"Existence" also manages to serve up some potent thrills, even if the climax disappoints.And the standalones...well, one could argue that these were the only true glories left of the show in these latter seasons. There's only one real dud, I think: "Surekill," which lamely tries to overlay a faint OF MICE AND MEN vibe to its dull story about two brothers involved in some corrupt business, one of whom has the ability to see through walls. Otherwise, a lot of these standalones hearken back to a time when monster-of-the-week episodes actually creeped you out. Some are inevitably better than others: episodes like "Patience" and "Alone" make the mistake of making silly mutated creatures the focus, while other episodes like "Via Negativa" and "Invocation" capitalized on deeper, more resonant fears to make its effect. The most interesting of them, though, is possibly "Empedocles," which theorizes that evil is a cycle that spans different time periods, and can sometimes jump from one person to another. When a character dies towards the end of the episode, for instance, his wife immediately catches that evil and attacks an agent for perhaps causing his death. That, and it also has, I think, a cool teaser, as a spirit walks away from the site of a fiery car crash and enters into another person's body.Gillian Anderson proves to be the emotional center of Season 8; for at least one year, it really was her show. From the sadness and desperation she shows in the first half of the season to the anxiety she starts to display as the birth of her son approaches, Dana Scully really went through a lot, and Anderson rarely misses a trick. Scully, of course, has become the "believer" to Doggett's "skeptic," but Anderson doesn't simply make her character a female version of Mulder. She's a sharp enough actress to characterize her as a reluctant believer, in a way---she's the one who makes the imaginative leaps, but, listening to Anderson phrase her lines in certain episodes, you get the sense that sometimes she can't even believe the leaps she's making. It's true that her scenes with Robert Patrick during the first half of the season did not have the same frisson as she was able to generate with Duchovny---some of their scenes together in "Badlaa" admittedly do seem slackly paced, for example. But, if Patrick is not as imaginative and interesting an actor as Duchovny sometimes was as Mulder, he at least always manages to be watchable. He certainly does bring a presence and a focused intensity to his role that befits the character he plays. And then there's Duchovny himself, who returns in the season's second half and reminds us why it was such a pleasure to watch him and Anderson work together in the past.As far as a rating for Season 8 is concerned: while I hovered between 3 and 4 while writing this review, I felt that I had to go with the higher rating. Mythologically, THE X-FILES has probably been played out by now, but at least it gets one thing right: the emotions evoked are as strong and deep as ever (even if the mythology has ceased to be nearly as interesting). It just shows that, even when the show is not at its best, it is still as potent a mixture of intelligence and scares as there ever was on recent television. Most fans have probably made up their minds about this season already; for relative newbies, though, I still think Season 8 is worth checking out, for all its serious faults.

The X-Files has been off the air for almost a year now... yet, I don't think there is anything on TV replacing its quality or stating the kind of questions this show asked during nine years.The eighth season brought the gratest challenge for the series: David Duchovny decided to be only in ten episodes. So, without Mulder, the writers decided to create a new character: agent John Doggett. The greatest surprise of this season was not actually its mulderless side, but how surprisingly good the new character was. Robert Patrick plays John Doggett in a fantastic way: he is agressive, he believes only in what his background allows him to believe, but most importantly: he is the most loyal and devoted partner. A big leap from Mulder's dettachment (he has greater worries: a quest, a mission).In spite of the odd chronological development of the season (Scully's pregnancy period was 12 months!), it was great: I think it is one of my favorite ones along with the third and the fourth.The season opener two parter (Within/Without) shows Scully and Skinner trying to find Mulder, Kersh being promoted to Deputy Director (to whom Skinner will have to answer now), and a big operation on his part, which seems to point only to Mulder as an insane man, who made himself disappear to prove that his beliefs were true. So, Kersh gives this assignement to the most inadequate agent: Doggett. Short Mulder sightings point to Kersh being right (if we hadn't seen Requiem, of course), but as this great two parter advances, we discover that it is fact the bounty Hunter destroying evidence (which could be in Scully's computer and in Gibson Prayse's DNA). We get so many great things in these two episodes! The most interesting images are those of Mulder being tortured in a spacecraft. By the end of Without Scully receives the news that she has been assigned a new partner: John Doggett... whose investigation on Mulder's disappearance is not over yet.The season continues for several episodes steping aside from the Mulder's abduction arc. Patience is about a sort of Batman... but not the one from Gotham city, but from the most provincial enviroment... and, of course, this is an evil bat-man. It is a pretty good episode, and it has Scully trying to see the case through Mulder's perspective. Then comes one of the best standalone episodes of the series: Roadrunners is a disturbing, graphic and very well written episode, which has Scully trapped in a town populated by a cult that worships a worm-like creature. It is painfully inserted into a person's spine. Of course, Scully is considered by this cult to be the perfect host for this worm: Scully pleading for her baby's life is just disturbing. Of course, by the end, Scully learns to rely more on her new partner.Some less fortunate episodes follow this four-in-a-row glorious ones. Invocation is interesting only because we get to see there a bit more of background on Doggett, Salvage and Surekill have nothing special to them... but these three episodes are pretty much all the lame ones of the season.Via Negativa is one of those odd stories which ends in a dream-like fourth act, which is hunting, mesmerizing and beautifully achieved. Redrum is an episode center in a man who perceives time backwards, of course, Scully and Doggett have not much to do in this one, but it is interesting from the man's point of view (and it is one great performance). It has the viewer going to a murder, and it is like a crescendo that ends in yet another great fourth act. Badlaa seems to be just a normal episode, but it is great: a hindu with powers over perception is seeking revenge by killing people, and it runs paralell with Scully trying to perceive reality as if her eyes were not to trust: she wants to perceive through Mulder's eyes. Her tears by the end of the episode show what a great episode can come from a moster of the week story. Medusa has Doggett underground being Scully's eyes: it is a very good episode which advances with a good pace.Then, there are Per Manum, This is not happening, Dead alive and Three Words. Four mythology episodes. The first is about Scully's pregnancy: what is in her? Is it a normal baby or an alien? The second one continues the search for Mulder. It is the return of Jeremiah Smith and Theresa Hosse. The end of this chapter is greatly made: Scully running to find Mulder death, and then going back to Smith (who is the only one capable to bring Mulder back to life) and competing with a UFO, against the which we all know she can do nothing. In Dead Alive we get to see Billy Miles again. Mulder returns by the end of this episode after a very complex set of explanations, which can only be accepted by watching the episode, and not by reading a synopsis. The last episodes of the season are very good: in Vienen we get to see the black oil; in Empedocles, Dogget's background is more deeply shown; and Alone is the final standalone of the season and it is very good: it is meant as a tribute to us, fans.Finally, the only cliffhanger-less season finale of the series: Essence and Existence. It is Scully's moment to give birth to her child, but an army of the so-called Super soldiers seems to be after her. These are two action packed episodes that end with the most elaborate parallel actions of the series... as Scully gives birth accompanied by Monica Reyes and an "alien invasion" headed by Billy Miles, Doggett and Skinner try to avoid being killed by Knowle Rohrer and another agent-alien-replicant-supersoldier.Here is my TOP for this season:10. Via Negativa.9. Dead Alive8. Within/Without7. Alone6. Vienen5. Badlaa4. Roadrunners3. This is not happening2. Per Manum1. Essence / ExistenceThis is a very good season... it is worth to be watched and owned.

Some unmissable and squirm-inducing yucky episodes gets The X-Files back to it's core roots. The Roadrunners episode is a personal favourite because there are some horrific, scary moments and a tense atmosphere that recall episodes like 2Shy or Tooms. Via Negativa and Alone are also standout episodes chiefly due to Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) as Agent John Doggett, who acts everyone off the screen. A superb X-Files season from start to finish.

Yeah season 8 rocks!! Those who stopped watching the show after season 7 , David D`s last full season , were missing a great deal of fresh , high quality episodes and showing disloyalty to the show !The emergence of John Doggatt and my fav agent raeus make fresh stories and are great characters . Hope I spelled her name right . He is the skeptic , she is the believer . The search for mulder was interesting and heart breaking for Scully and then finding him and his return and final days at the FBI are great before we talk about the super soldiers and the birth of Scull y `s baby !!Whatta miss for those disloyal x files followers !! Buy season 8 here on amazon !!

This Season is great - a lot of long running series tend to die slowly towards their ends but Season 8 of the X-files is a clear exception. The introduction of Agent John Doggett was a good development. He is initially skeptical but quickly has to face up to the "reality" of the work of the X-files. Agent Scully comes across as strong in the face of many threats to her and her unborn baby. There is a good balance between the story-arc conspiracy and "monster of the week" episodes. This fits alongside the brilliant triplet of series 4, 5 and 6. Some have argued that this should have been the final series of the X-Files, but I don't agree.

As a mulder&scully fan I was ready to hate a season without Mulder and with a certain John Dogget who was going to be scully's new partner. It seemed impossible to me that the x-files could survive without Mulder. For it was the special chemistry between the characters what kept me interested.Dogget is an x-file, as the character managed to get to me so much that when Mulder comes back I do feel for Dogget. The best of this season is indeed Mulder and Dogget fight to be the leading man in the X-files. This was a season that surprised me in the most positive way.

I have really enjoyed watching each series and at the price per box set you can't go wrong. So why only 4 starsWell after getting around to watching season 8 I found the second to last disc jumped and got stuck a few times. I was a bit gutted as this was the first time I had seen season 8 and I had not kept the receipt "doh!" Hope season 9 goes without a hitch and this time I have the receipt just in case.