Rating: 
Summary: Season 7: The Problematic Stepchild of the X-Files Series
Review: Season 7 represents the end of the traditional X-Files episode formula and the befuddlement of the established series mythology. For every gem worth viewing, it has two or three low quality imitations to match.The season highlights include "Hungry" (7x03), "Millennium" (7x04), "The Goldberg Variation" (7x06), and "X-Cops" (7x12). Honorable mention should also be given to "First Person Shooter" (7x13) -- at least for its outlandish action scenes -- "Theef" (7x14), "En Ami" (7x15) and "Brand X" (7x18). Surprisingly, the episodes penned by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are oddly flat. Duchovny's "Hollywood A.D." (7x19) is humorous, but lacks the endearing sentimentalism of "The Unnatural" (6x20). Anderson's "All Things" (7x17) attempts to graft her own spiritualism as an actor atop the scientific rationalism of her character. As a result, the defining essence of Special Agent Dana Scully is iconoclastically ruined and the episode instead strikes the viewer as a glorified music video. Season 7 is also significant in that it was the last full season in which Duchovny starred. In a sense, perhaps the departure of David Duchovny was inevitable. The character of Special Agent Fox Mulder had simply run out of steam: his crusade to stop alien colonization was resolved in Season 6 with the destruction of the Syndicate in "One Son" (6x12), and his quest for his abducted sister was brought to a poetic conclusion in "Sein Und Zeit" (7x10) and "Closure" (7x11). Hence, what more was there left to do? Perhaps Duchvony sensed this as well and left the series accordingly. In terms of mythology, the X-Files reached its true end with Season 7. The Syndicate was destroyed, Samantha Mulder had been put to rest, the Cigarette Smoking Man had become an outcast and, last but not least, Scully and Mulder had admitted/consummated their affection for one another. All the plot widgets had been sown up. Unfortunately, the show dragged on for two more years and became something quite different. By that time, "the truth" was gone forever. Overall... Seasons 1 through 3 are excellent.
Seasons 4 through 6 are very good.
Seasons 7 through 9 are average.
Rating: 
Summary: A season to be appreciated as a whole...
Review: I am often floored by the reactions people have to seasons 6 and 7--I find it incomprehensible that a show like The X-Files be relegated to having only "dark" or "scary" episodes. Occasional forays into lighter, funnier storytelling hours breathed a life back into this series that it was threatening to lose through season five. Honestly, it became clear upon the start of season eight that "dark and scary" do not alone a story sell, so this argument being used as why season seven isn't up to par doesn't track for me. That said, I find season seven to be a much different year than any other in the X-Files realm. The key to this year was the power of the themes and messages the year developed on the whole--messages of closure, the "rightness" of Mulder and Scully's path, etc. Moreso than any other season, season seven needs to be watched together to be appreciated. Other years certainly have more standalone masterpieces, but lack the common threads of thematic development and quality hooking this season together. Compare this, for example, to season three--a year in which many standout episodes aired alongside absolutely boring and ineffective hours. Honestly, the so-called "bombs" of season seven will never bother me as much as the bombs of other years. I will take a stylistically out of place episode like "Fight Club" over an out of character, over the top, poorly conceived episode like "Emily" any day of the week. The Mulder and Scully of season seven were certainly more secure, enjoyable people than in years past. They became comfortable with who they were and what they were doing with their lives. Watching them develop through season seven was as pleasurable a thing to do as any paranormal story the show had to tell. Select highlights from this season include:
"The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati": A highly symbolic adventure in which a nightmarish alternative to Mulder's path in life is presented to him--proving once and for all to himself that his quest in life (and the woman he's questing with) is the right thing for him. "The Goldberg Variation": One of the most overlooked episodes in the entire series, this hour of television is simply delightful. It's clever, sharp, and Mulder and Scully are just a joy to watch. "Sein Und Zeit"/"Closure": Though many fans were disappointed that Samantha didn't meet an untimely alien end, the resolution to this arc was highly moving and poetic. It was a fitting, acceptable end for something so powerful a backstory to the character of Mulder. "Hollywood A.D.": A hilarious romp in which the X-Files gets to poke fun at itself, much in the way it did back in season three's "Jose Chung's From Outer Space." "Je Souhaite": The last fantastic standalone story from Vince Gilligan, this hour of television is not to be missed. Featuring the hilarious Will Sasso, this episode tells the story of a bitter female genie. Scully is a delight to watch as she gets her hands on proof of the paranormal...or does she? "Requiem": Easily one of the top ten hours of television The X-Files has turned out. "Requiem" has Mulder and Scully coming full circle, back to Billy Miles and Bellefleur, Oregon. They're different people now, and this hour is just a beautiful exercise in coming to an end. Regardless of the fact that the series dragged painfully on after this season, you can tell that this was written as the intended end for the show (well, minus the Mulder abduction), and it's moving, dramatic, and a fine sendoff for the characters we spent seven years loving to death. All in all--season seven's a great year. It allowed The X-Files to settle further into a more expanded atmosphere of storytelling that included both dark and lighter hours. It certainly functions as the most fitting end to the greatest series on television--and for that alone, I would give it five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: The X Files Breaks New Ground
Review: Granted, every previous season is probably better than season 7 (I rank them in this order: 3, 5, 6, 1, 2, 4, then 7.) That being said, this season is very worthwhile to own on DVD for several amazing, ground breaking episodes. First of all, I love the Sixth Extinction trilogy that began with Biogenesis at the end of season 6. Mulder's alternate reality, in which he has children with Diana Fowley, grows old and watches everyone he loves grow old and die (except the Cigarette Smoking Man) then witnesses the alien Armegeddon, is absolutely brilliant. Scully is his touch stone that gets him through the ordeal, and he tells her so after he awakens. The other two-part episode (Sein Und Zeit and the Closure) allows Mulder to find closure with regard to Samantha. I did not like this episode at first, but upon further consideration I feel satisfied that it was a nice way to resolve Samantha's abduction. (Probably not many people remember that the idea of "walk-ins" was introduced back in season 2's Red Museum episode.) Seeing Samantha as a beautiful young lady of 14 was very touching to me. Some of my all-time favorite stand alone episodes are in season 7, including the Rush, the Goldberg Variation, the Amazing Maleeni, the Signs and Wonders, Chimera and Je Souhaite, all of which are extremely clever and intriguing. But mostly I want to comment on All Things, the episode written and directed by Gillian Anderson that I somehow had never seen until very recently. Scully discovers the power of the Present Moment as she follows her spiritual guidance (in the form of synchronistic events, and the appearance of a woman that may be interpreted as an angel) to clear up an unresolved situation from her past. Most people do not seem to understand or appreciate this episode (the general concensus is that Scully is very much out of character...) but I thought it was simply brilliant. It makes perfect sense to me that Scully would finally, after almost seven years on the X Files, begin to realize that not everything can be adequately explained by science. It also makes sense from the standpoint that Scully is now 35, a time in life when many people start to become spiritual. This is consistent with previous episodes (season 1 Beyond the Sea, season 3 Revelations, season 5 All Souls, etc. - whenever the X File was mystical in nature) when Mulder was the skeptic and Scully the one who "saw the signs." It also set the stage for Season 8, when Doggett joined the show and Scully became the believer. The only thing preventing a 5 star review is the presence of some really bad episodes (Millenium, First Person Shooter, Fight Club, and Hollywood AD) but hey - 18 good ones out of 22 ain't bad !
Rating:
Summary: Not the best, but still good
Review: IMHO, this is the weakest season of The X-Files. The alien conspiracy we were following for six years ended in the middle of season 6, and was taken to a different direction by the end. So season 7 started dealing with the plot of aliens creating human beings, and then "resolved" the plot of Mulder's sister's abduction, and ended with a pretty good cliffhanger that took the show in an even more different direction in the next season. [Spoilers] The resolution to the plot of Mulder's sister wasn't satisfying to me. I think I speak for most X-Fans when I say that we wanted Mulder to find his sister alive, and have her be a part of his life again. Instead, we find out she's been dead since 1987! So this whole time Mulder's looking for her ends up just being a waste. All those years of us following this story ends up not really being worth following. Ok, so Mulder can end his quest. He's free. Fine. But couldn't that happen with his sister actually being alive?! [End Spoilers] Other weak points in the series were a couple of stand-alone episodes that were just rancid in my opinion. "Hollywood A.D." and "Fight Club." What the heck were they thinking when they wrote these episodes?! I have to admit though, the reference to Plan 9 From Outerspace in "Hollywood A.D." was cool though. But both of these episodes were just too absurd for what The X-Files was known for. This show always had humorous happenings throughout its run, but these two episodes were just too over the top. But aside from the plot of Mulder's sister, and the two not-so-good stand-alone episodes mentioned above, I found this season to be pretty good. But I also thought since this was David Duchovny's last full season, that they kind of wasted his character. But the show ended with a band, which lead it into an interesting new direction for the show's next season. Good season, great DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: The nadir of the X-Files
Review: I gave this set a rating of 3 out of 5 because even at its worst, The X-Files was a pretty good show. Compared to the other seasons, however, it's by far the worst, for several reasons. The first is the sorry state into which the mythology fell. The alien colonization story was basically resolved in Season 6, with the "Two Fathers"/"One Son" two-parter, so a new mythology was started with the Season 6 finale "Biogenesis." This carried over into the opening two episodes of Season 7, and its basic premise is this: An alien spacecraft is found on the coast of West Africa, and on its surface is engraved text in Navajo, including the entire human genome and sections from the Bible and Qu'ran. Radiation from rubbings of the ship - not the actual ship, mind you - trigger in Mulder alien DNA present as a result of the black oil he was exposed to in the Season 4 episode "Tunguska." This causes Mulder to develop psychic powers that he can't control and are driving him insane. He is cured by the Cigarette-Smoking Man performing a "genetic transplant" (whatever that is) in order to gain Mulder's powers himself. Oh, and Mulder undergoes this transplant while in a highly pretentious and "philosophical" dream sequence. Sound bad? It is. This is followed by a two-parter which finally reveals the fate of Mulder's sister, namely that she was rescued from sinister experimentation by benevolent spirits that transformed her soul into starlight... or something. Fortunately, the season finale "Requiem" delves back into familiar elements of the mythology, and paves the way for the almost uniformly excellent Season 8. "Humorous" episodes were another problem. Like Season 6, Season 7 featured several "funny" episodes that were silly and zany but not actually very amusing, unlike the excellent spoofs in the early seasons. "Hollywood A.D.," whose plot involves a film adaptation of one of Mulder and Scully's cases, is a prime example of this. The worst offender, however, was not a mythology or humor episode, but rather "all things," a soap opera-like episode that's just barely an X-File. In it, a prestigious doctor who Scully had had an affair with is suffering from a serious heart condition, and Scully, skeptical Scully, resorts to New Age-y crystal magicks to cure him. This episode was written by actress Gillian Anderson, who is apparently a big devotee of New Age philosophy. That's fine, but this episode is horribly out of character for Scully. It is, in my opinion, the X-Files' worst episode. Every cloud has a silver lining, and there were some episodes in Season 7 of the quality of the pre-movie seasons. Standouts include "Theef," involving an affluent surgeon being stalked by a vengeful warlock, and "Brand X," about myserious deaths related to genetically engineered tobacco. Is Season 7 worth buying? For hardcore X-Philes, sure, since there are some truly excellent episodes among the bad ones. If you're only a casual fan, though, I'd recommend skipping this one - but make sure to read an online synopsis of "Requiem," in preparation for the superb Season 8.
Rating:
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: I was looking foward to seeing this series and from all of the episode synopsis I found on the internet it sounded like one of the best seasons. But the only good episodes are the ones that deal with the core of The X-Files and not the monster-of-the-week episodes. So here they are: the good (the 6th extinction 1 and 2, Orison, Sein and Zeit-very good with wonderful acting and a beautiful conclusion to the end of the search for Mulder's sister-Closure, En Ami, all things, and Requiem), the average (Orison, Brand X, The Amazing Maleeni, X-Cops, Rush, Theef, Millennium, Hungry, 1st Person Shooter, The Goldberg Variation, Chimera, and Je Souhaite-the only thing that keeps me from making this a bad episode is the comedy from the genie) and the ugly (Signs and Wonders, Hollywood A.D.-this episode would be funny if it didn't have the dead tango at the end, and, the worst episode of the series in my opinion, Fight Club. There is nothing good about this episode). Only get this if you are a die hard fan and want to see some good episodes that are pivital to the series, but not if you are a simple-minded fan.
Rating:
Summary: The last of the true classic X Files Seasons!!!
Review: ...P>Mulder and Scully were still together for this, their last season as the two leading characters of one of the best dramatic series in television history. After the movie, the move to L.A. and the predominance of humorous episodes throughout the Sixth Season and the incredible resolution of the original mythology, the seventh season started with a bang but not with a little anxiety on the fans' side because this was the much rumored final season. ... Myth Episodes: The Seventh Season starts with the two parts of a new mythology that started with the last episode of Season Six called Biogenesis.
The Sixth Extinction and The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (Wich translated means "Love Of Fate")carry on with the theory that Mulder might be a succesful Human - Alien Hybrid!!! It's extremely important that you don't miss the Two Parter:
Sein Und Zeit (Wich means "Being and Time") and Closure wich puts to rest, in an extremely precious form, the Samantha Mulder mistery giving the Fox Character one of his few moments of rest throughout the whole series. And Requiem... The best of the best in Season Finale's. Although it would ultimately lead the series into only God knows what. Stand Alone Episodes (Or Monster of the Week): Orison:
Witnesses the return of a villain that appeared before in earlier seasons. Great script by Chip Johanessen (Former collaborator of Beverly Hills 90210 and Millenium). The Amazing Maleeni:
Actually not an X File, but an excellent proof that the series still had a lot of fuel. Excellent Turn of Screw at the end!!! X Cops:
Cops, The X Files and Vince Gilligan... What's not to like? Theef:
Voodoo. Nuff Said!!! Chimera:
David Amann at his best!!! En Ami (Wich means "One Friend", although its a play on words wich in english can be understood as "enemy"): Written by the CSM himself (William B. Davis)!!! All Things:
Written and Directed by Gillian Anderson. Not the best, but the teaser (considered one of the most controversials in the whole series' existence) is worth the whole package. Je Souhaite (I Wish):
Written and directed by Vince Gilligan. After this, the series was transformed into a mix up that even Chris Carter didn't understand at all. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Robert Patrick's character or even Annabeth Gish's but John Dogget and Monica Reyes didn't achieve to give the series that feeling we all know very well. That X FILES feeling. I'm so sorry that David Duchovny got transformed into such an egotistical person. The series would have been succesful with him in it. You can see him act like a Zombie (Check out Chimera)and he already looks tired. Maybe the series would've finished here and continue in a new movie. Heck! The series could've even ended with Season Eight, but no! Fox had to continue exploiting fans. And we gladly let them... But not for long. Hope you enjoy having the only and real seven seasons of what can be called the television phenomenon of the last century. I WILL buy the las two seasons, only to feed my collectionist's hunger, and because the movie will start where the last episode of the Ninth (and worst season) left off. Long Live the X Files!!!
Long Live the X Philes!!! Wishing to encounter you all again in a dark cinema room.
Enrique Aguilar.
A Mexican X Phile.
Rating:
Summary: This is my least favorite season
Review: I just couldn't get into Season 7 of The X-Files. It's not from lack of trying, though. My wife and I watched each episode faithfully every night (sometimes two episodes per night) until they were all gone Yet, despite the fact that we're huge X-Files fans, our conclusion is that Episode 7 is lackluster at best. The stories were one-offs (and weak ones at that), the monsters were ho-hum, the action wasn't gripping, and it seemed as if everyone was just walking through his/her part. Sleep walking, that is. I think the lack of aliens and conspiracy villians really took a toll on The X-Files. Without the overarching threat of either alien invasion or government cover-ups, nothing much really goes on in the lives of Mulder and Scully. The only hint that something cool *could* happen is when Mulder and Scully got closer emotionally and physically. Their relationship is a truly great one already (one of the best on television), but we wanted to see it taken to the next level. Alas, that was not to be. We've watched Seasons 1-8 so far and I have to say Season 7 is the weakest of the bunch. Season 8 (see my other review), which receives a lot of grief because of Mulder's absence and Scully's emotionalism (hey, she's pregnant; give her a break!), is far superior to Season 7. You can read other reviews to get a play-by-play of each episode in Season 7. All I want to do in this review is provide my two cents worth. My advice: Unless you're a completist who needs to have every season, I'd skip Season 7 and go right into Season 8. You won't miss anything -- except for a lot of uneventful episodes.
Rating:
Summary: The last of the true classic X Files Seasons!!!
Review: ...P>Mulder and Scully were still together for this, their last season as the two leading characters of one of the best dramatic series in television history. After the movie, the move to L.A. and the predominance of humorous episodes throughout the Sixth Season and the incredible resolution of the original mythology, the seventh season started with a bang but not with a little anxiety on the fans' side because this was the much rumored final season. ... Myth Episodes: The Seventh Season starts with the two parts of a new mythology that started with the last episode of Season Six called Biogenesis.
The Sixth Extinction and The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (Wich translated means "Love Of Fate")carry on with the theory that Mulder might be a succesful Human - Alien Hybrid!!! It's extremely important that you don't miss the Two Parter:
Sein Und Zeit (Wich means "Being and Time") and Closure wich puts to rest, in an extremely precious form, the Samantha Mulder mistery giving the Fox Character one of his few moments of rest throughout the whole series. And Requiem... The best of the best in Season Finale's. Although it would ultimately lead the series into only God knows what. Stand Alone Episodes (Or Monster of the Week): Orison:
Witnesses the return of a villain that appeared before in earlier seasons. Great script by Chip Johanessen (Former collaborator of Beverly Hills 90210 and Millenium). The Amazing Maleeni:
Actually not an X File, but an excellent proof that the series still had a lot of fuel. Excellent Turn of Screw at the end!!! X Cops:
Cops, The X Files and Vince Gilligan... What's not to like? Theef:
Voodoo. Nuff Said!!! Chimera:
David Amann at his best!!! En Ami (Wich means "One Friend", although its a play on words wich in english can be understood as "enemy"): Written by the CSM himself (William B. Davis)!!! All Things:
Written and Directed by Gillian Anderson. Not the best, but the teaser (considered one of the most controversials in the whole series' existence) is worth the whole package. Je Souhaite (I Wish):
Written and directed by Vince Gilligan. After this, the series was transformed into a mix up that even Chris Carter didn't understand at all. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Robert Patrick's character or even Annabeth Gish's but John Dogget and Monica Reyes didn't achieve to give the series that feeling we all know very well. That X FILES feeling. I'm so sorry that David Duchovny got transformed into such an egotistical person. The series would have been succesful with him in it. You can see him act like a Zombie (Check out Chimera)and he already looks tired. Maybe the series would've finished here and continue in a new movie. Heck! The series could've even ended with Season Eight, but no! Fox had to continue exploiting fans. And we gladly let them... But not for long. Hope you enjoy having the only and real seven seasons of what can be called the television phenomenon of the last century. I WILL buy the las two seasons, only to feed my collectionist's hunger, and because the movie will start where the last episode of the Ninth (and worst season) left off. Long Live the X Files!!!
Long Live the X Philes!!! Wishing to encounter you all again in a dark cinema room.
Enrique Aguilar.
A Mexican X Phile.
Rating:
Summary: A season to be appreciated as a whole...
Review: I am often floored by the reactions people have to seasons 6 and 7--I find it incomprehensible that a show like The X-Files be relegated to having only "dark" or "scary" episodes. Occasional forays into lighter, funnier storytelling hours breathed a life back into this series that it was threatening to lose through season five. Honestly, it became clear upon the start of season eight that "dark and scary" do not alone a story sell, so this argument being used as why season seven isn't up to par doesn't track for me. That said, I find season seven to be a much different year than any other in the X-Files realm. The key to this year was the power of the themes and messages the year developed on the whole--messages of closure, the "rightness" of Mulder and Scully's path, etc. Moreso than any other season, season seven needs to be watched together to be appreciated. Other years certainly have more standalone masterpieces, but lack the common threads of thematic development and quality hooking this season together. Compare this, for example, to season three--a year in which many standout episodes aired alongside absolutely boring and ineffective hours. Honestly, the so-called "bombs" of season seven will never bother me as much as the bombs of other years. I will take a stylistically out of place episode like "Fight Club" over an out of character, over the top, poorly conceived episode like "Emily" any day of the week. The Mulder and Scully of season seven were certainly more secure, enjoyable people than in years past. They became comfortable with who they were and what they were doing with their lives. Watching them develop through season seven was as pleasurable a thing to do as any paranormal story the show had to tell. Select highlights from this season include:
"The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati": A highly symbolic adventure in which a nightmarish alternative to Mulder's path in life is presented to him--proving once and for all to himself that his quest in life (and the woman he's questing with) is the right thing for him. "The Goldberg Variation": One of the most overlooked episodes in the entire series, this hour of television is simply delightful. It's clever, sharp, and Mulder and Scully are just a joy to watch. "Sein Und Zeit"/"Closure": Though many fans were disappointed that Samantha didn't meet an untimely alien end, the resolution to this arc was highly moving and poetic. It was a fitting, acceptable end for something so powerful a backstory to the character of Mulder. "Hollywood A.D.": A hilarious romp in which the X-Files gets to poke fun at itself, much in the way it did back in season three's "Jose Chung's From Outer Space." "Je Souhaite": The last fantastic standalone story from Vince Gilligan, this hour of television is not to be missed. Featuring the hilarious Will Sasso, this episode tells the story of a bitter female genie. Scully is a delight to watch as she gets her hands on proof of the paranormal...or does she? "Requiem": Easily one of the top ten hours of television The X-Files has turned out. "Requiem" has Mulder and Scully coming full circle, back to Billy Miles and Bellefleur, Oregon. They're different people now, and this hour is just a beautiful exercise in coming to an end. Regardless of the fact that the series dragged painfully on after this season, you can tell that this was written as the intended end for the show (well, minus the Mulder abduction), and it's moving, dramatic, and a fine sendoff for the characters we spent seven years loving to death. All in all--season seven's a great year. It allowed The X-Files to settle further into a more expanded atmosphere of storytelling that included both dark and lighter hours. It certainly functions as the most fitting end to the greatest series on television--and for that alone, I would give it five stars.
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