Rating: 
Summary: Many awesome eps, a turning point for the show
Review: Season 6 features a definite change in character for The X-Files. It features probably the best collection of standalone episodes in any season to date, including Triangle and How The Ghosts Stole Christmas - two of the best eps the show ever produced - along with Dreamland, Arcadia, Three of a Kind, and The Unnatural. No other season has more of my favorite episodes, or such a great collection of one-offs. On the other hand, it does also have what I consider the second-worst episode ever, Agua Mala (second only to the dreadful Home), and the whole conspiricy arc becomes somewhat incoherent post-X-Files-movie. The two new occasionally recurring characters, Spender and Fowley, never quite gel or reach us the way Dogget and Reyes eventually would. Fortunately they don't get that much screen time. It seems that the show just hit the point where we knew enough about the Syndicate that they no longer were dramatically effective - which was clearly inevitible - and nothing stepped in to fill the hole they left behind.After this season, the best episodes are always the stand-alone ones, non-arc episodes, while the continuing backstory eps fade into the margins. That's OK; for me, very few of my all-time favorite X-Files episodes are conspiricy-related ones. I love the Post-Modern Prometheus, Bad Blood, Jose Chung, Kill Switch, etc., and if you agree with me, there is a *lot* to like in Season 6, with some amazingly well-written, well-acted, well-directed, great-looking shows that set new standards for television; really the X-Files at its peak, stuff that makes even the best of Star Trek or Babylon 5 look amateurish. But, there is some loss in consistancy with the faltering of the backstory, so I'd judge it doesn't quite have the consistancy of Season 4 or Season 5. Still, overall Seasons 4-6 of The X-Files really are all of tremendously high quality and get the highest recommendation from me.
Rating:
Summary: Starts very badly, redeems itself completely
Review: Season 6 had a lot of opportunity to go wrong. Coming straight off the back of a very successful motion picture with an entirely new crew and shooting location, it was clear that people were worried that the magic formula that had made Seasons 1-5 so excellent might be lost. If you judge it by the first 6 episodes, they could have been right.. but they weren't.
"The Beginning" attempts to link the film into the series, and more or less accomplishes this goal (but doesn't really add anything to the mythology), and "Drive" is acceptable despite lacking any real drama. But "Triangle", "Dreamland I & II" & "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" are the worst the X-Files had been up to this point. The fact that in the DVD extras these three episodes are not praised for being well written but for how they've been shot says a lot.
While "Triangle" may be very cleverly filmed, it's a completely pointless and meaningless story that doesn't even make sense within itself (why are people from Mulder's life on this ship, as other people, for example?).
"Dreamland I & II" takes all the most annoying parts about all the previous comedy episodes, stretches them out over 2 hours and tries to attach a serious story to it, with a solution that doesn't work anyway (SPOILER: if time hasn't really been turned back and everything did occur, as would be suggested by Mulder's apartment still being redecorated, then how come NO ONE asks where they've been for the last few days and there's no repercussions to their actions?).
"How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" is basically just a way to do an episode without spending much money (they almost come right out and say as much in the DVD extras). Badly paced, pointless.. just downright bad.
However, once we get to "Terms Of Endearment", the old X-Files magic seems to be back, and every episode from here to the end is excellent, sometimes the best this show has ever been. Highlights for me are "S.R. 819", "Tithonus" and "The Unnatural", but they're all excellent.
Of special mention has to be the two parter "Two Fathers"/"One Son" - these episodes are so important that they're worth the price of this set alone. The mythology that has been built over the last 6 years ends here. If you had been put off buying this show's box sets through a fear of getting into a story without a satisfying conclusion, as I had, you could end your collection here with One Son if the rest of the seasons don't interest you. Its that big.
Of course, having effectively ended the most important part of the whole series, they needed to find a new mythology, which is begun in Biogenesis and presumably carries over into the final 3 seasons - therefore it's probably best to leave discussion of that for their reviews.
Overall, despite a very bad start, the good outweighs the bad by being not just good, but superb. Buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good season...
Review: Season 6 was pretty good, though not as intense as the classics from seasons 1-3. I love some of the comic episodes: Dreamland I and II, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, Arcadia, and Three of a Kind. "Field Trip" was odd. "The Unnatural" was so, so. David Duchovny does a much better job with "Hollywood AD" in Season 7. The stand-alones were compelling. It's amazing how Brian Kranston can disappear into his guest-star role in "Drive." It's hard to believe it's the same Brian Kranston who plays Malcolm's father, Hal, in "Malcolm in the Middle." Well, I won't comment on every single episode here. I just think this season is another good contribution to the series, especially for those collecting X-Files episodes. If you're just starting to collect X-Files, I highly recommend Seasons 1-4. Those have amongst some of the best episodes of this entire series. For X-Files regulars: get this item if you want to continue following the storyline all the way through. Although, I'd suggest you watch the X-Files movie first because Season 6 is a continuation of that. If you don't watch the movie, you're going to be confused about the first episode.
Rating:
Summary: Six, one of the best!
Review: Season six was one of my favorite seasons of the x-files. I think the cute story lines helped many fans cope with the show moving from Vancouver. My favorite season is season seven, but six is next on my list! I am looking forward to this set more than any of the others so far. The other boxed sets are extremely well done, I'm sure this one will not fall short of my expectations. How many days till November 5th?
Rating: 
Summary: The first of the last seasons.
Review: Season six. The season which would, ultimately, be past the half-way mark in the show's life. The first season set after the movie, and the first season to be shot in LA. The first season to give even hard-core X-philes cause for doubt. With the show now over, no debates on the ins-and-outs of season six's problems are worth much. It no longer matters whether it was the dramatic shift in location, or a sharp increase in comedic episodes, or even David Duchovny clearly starting to get bored - the show has now ended regardless. There are lots of fans who loved - and indeed still love - season six of the series immensly. The 22 episodes this season focuses intensly on lightheartedness (in accordance with the show's new climate) and the increasingly-romantic relationship between Agents Mulder and Scully. Gone are the grity and grainy images of night-time stakeouts, and instead we have cheerfully sunny couples holding hands everywhere we look. This is not The X-Files. Only it is. It is The X-Files. Which is why I can accept it and agree that yes, this is a must-buy for all fans. Every seasons has had its share of bad episodes to be fair, this season more than most. The thing I want to point out is that people who blame seasons 8 and 9 for the show's demise are wrong. The rot started here. But, of course, season six does have some good things going for it. Most noticeably writer Vince Gilligan was able to develop into the amazing storyteller he became by the following year. I think it's clear that even the cast and crew were unsettled by the shift to LA, and the stubborn lightheartedness of this season is evident of that. In my opinion, the best episodes this season are 'Drive', 'Trevor', 'How The Ghosts Stole Christmas', 'Tithonus' and 'Field Trip'. The most over-rated season of them all, and the mythology is at it's worst yet. The whole season is very watchable and remains a must-buy for collectors and casual fans alike, but overall it remains a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Pick it up!
Review: So many people constantly bang on about the quality of the humour and light in season seven. The fact is, is that season six is as light and funny as the X Files ever should have got.
This is an incredibly enjoyable season. I can't name one episode off the top of my head that left me miserably awaiting next weeks to top it. (Although I'm sure there were a few.)
If the X files had carried on for however many years, this is how it should have been done. The show had lost it's original strengths by now, (Which included gathering the public togethor in to an orgy of Alien fascination) but the show was just simply fun.
By season six I no longer tuned in to find out whether Mulder would find his sister or Aliens would be recovered, but I wanted to see what adventure Mulder and Scully would be on next.
There was a perfect formula to this season that I just can't put my finger on, but it's a shame that season seven came along and blew the whole thing to pieces.
There isn't really much else I can say. This season isn't really better than previous seasons (Well it's better than two in my opinion) but it is different. It took a neat little turn and every episode felt like a cool interesting movie, that quite literally anyone could have watched whether they had ever seen the X Files before or not.
It's a shame it didn't stay like this. Now I've seen all the following seasons, I actually think that the kid who says 'I made this' over Ten Thirteen Pictures is Chris Carter. You'd either have to be very young, or a complete moron to dump the whole show down the toilet like he did.
Rating:
Summary: the beginning of the Los Angeles era
Review: The 6th year of THE X FILES ( 22 episodes airing in 1998-99 ) was the first and most consistently enjoyable of the four seasons filmed in Los Angeles. A palpable exuberance is on display throughout, which no doubt can be attributed to the excitement the cast and crew felt in working on the series in a new location. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny give performances that are firm evidence of their commitment and in another move highlighting the change of venue, a number of familiar Hollywood character actors are featured. Far from being a gimmick, the casting is quite adept, the right people being chosen for the right roles ( just as it had been with the talented "unknowns" in Vancouver ). And, as in previous years, the considerable creative abilities of the directors ( especially Rob Bowman and the stalwart Kim Manners ) continued to be marshaled in service of Chris Carter's overarching aesthetic vision. As with Season Five, the "stand alone" episodes shine ( only five episodes deal with the mythology ). Most of the scripts are of an inventive quality ( a number with comedic overtones ) and presented with the usual style and attention to detail that fans have come to expect of THE X FILES. One could be forgiven, however, for having a quibble with the original airing sequence in the first third of the season; far too many of the "light" scripts were shown consecutively, which lent an imbalance to a series that had previously distinguished itself with impeccable programming. In any case, Season 6 is the last in which "stand alone" episodes maintain a high level of consistency. The following year, many such scripts were noticeably derivative of earlier efforts and often failed to inspire a substantial emotional investment on the part of the actors ( especially so with regard to David Duchovny ). Vince Gilligan continued his legacy as the most consistently creative writer on THE X FILES. As in Seasons 4 & 5, Gilligan contributed three solo efforts: "Drive", an exciting throwback to an earlier X FILES era ( wonderfully shot by Rob Bowman ). While "Trevor" is enjoyable, "Tithonus" is a masterpiece. Featuring dynamic performances by both Gillian Anderson and long time character actor Geoffrey Lewis, the episode ( inspired by a Greek myth ) is a bleak but ultimately redemptive musing on the "curse" of immortality. Another dark script ( "Milagro" ) concentrates on an "underground" writer of Dostoevskian intensity who, in his obsession with Scully, shines with an intellectual brilliance and psychological insight that surpasses even Agent Mulder. "Milagro", in its spiritual magnitude, is one of the single finest episodes in X FILES history. David Duchovny wrote and directed the superb "The Unnatural", a clever homage to America's favorite pastime that incorporates THE X FILES mythology in a humorous but respectful manner. The guest actor who plays the alien ballplayer is wonderful as is the well-known M. Emmett Walsh, serving double duty as actor and narrator. Chris Carter weighs in as writer/director with the ambitious "Triangle", filmed ( using the unorthodox "single take" method ) aboard an actual ocean liner. A technical tour de force, "Triangle" is yet another pioneering X FILES episode that defies the usual constraints operating in television productions. "Three of a Kind" follows the exploits of the Lone Gunmen "on assignment" in Las Vegas. While not as good as "Unusual Suspects", this episode features a hilarious performance by Gillian Anderson as a ditzy (!) Agent Scully, temporarily deprived of her faculties by a surreptitiously administered chemical substance. There are several old-fashioned "monster of the week" scripts in Season Six. In "Agua Mala", Chris Carter favorite Darren McGavin makes a guest appearance as retired FBI Agent Arthur Dales. Set in hurricane-drenched Florida, this episode is a fun send-up of B movies in the "tentacled monster" genre. Similarly, "Arcadia" mixes scares with light-heartedness, as Agents Scully and Mulder pose as a married couple in a gated suburban community. A few sour notes are sounded: "Rain Man" is a unique idea for an X FILES story but its satire falls flat. "Alpha" is disappointing as is "Terms of Endearment" to an extent. Fortunately, even these "lesser" episodes are not catastrophic in their failures, a fate that would regretfully befall a number of scripts in Season Seven. The main defects in Season Six are located in the mythology storyline, its longstanding arc having reached its high point in prior years ( THE X FILES movie functioning as a grandiose large screen addendum ). The opening episode ( "The Beginning" ) starts out promisingly enough, with a solid script that combines elements from the previous years cliffhanger as well as the ( then ) recently released film. The root of the problem lies in the mid season two parter ( "Two Fathers" / "One Son" ); its "out in the open" explanations regarding the conspiracy are strained and self defeating. Despite a good performance by Chris Owens as Agent Jeffrey Spender, this hastily prepared conclusion to the shadowy "syndicate" suffers from a lack of balance, improper pace and even poor editing in spots ( the jarring cut in the "One Son" car chase scene is egregious and very uncharacteristic of THE X FILES). Yet, in spite of these flaws, something very crucial was achieved. In essence, Chris Carter decided to "amputate in order to save", a calculated gamble that reinvigorated the mythology by cutting away the detritus of the old plotline. As a consequence, a reconstituted myth arc sprang forth in the excellent 6th Season cliffhanger titled "Biogenesis", the seed from which new storylines would grow in the years to come. Carter's bold move was especially important when one considers that, with a few notable exceptions, the new mythology arc ( intertwined with the Mulder/Scully relationship ) would turn out to be the main attraction in the three remaining seasons of THE X FILES.
Rating:
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: The first five season were much better. While there are some good episodes they are few and far between. But if you are a true X-files fan like I am then you will buy all the sets regardless.
Rating:
Summary: X-files at it's very best!
Review: The Sixth Season of the X-files was one of the most thought-provoking of any of the seasons. The episodes were all genious and entertaining, while feeding you just the right amount of information that you need to know in each episode, so you will be drooling for the next. "Field Trip" was my favorite episode, because it was completely unpredictible until the very end. "Triangle" of course was a complete pleasure to watch, a very creative episode. All I can tell you is you can't go wrong with the 6th Season. X-files at the pinnacle of it's 9 seasons.
Rating: 
Summary: Sixth season has some outstanding episodes
Review: The strain of putting together another season of "The X-Files" and the feature film into production clearly was telling on the sixth season of the show. While there are many outstanding episodes here, the quality of the show sagged a bit during Season 6. Nevertheless, season 6 has more than enough highlights to make it nearly as strong as the previous 5. Season 7 likewise would have a number of strong episodes but it would mark the beginning of a long, slow decline in the series writing and direction. While the shift from British Columbia to Hollywood made it easier for the cast, the atmospheric look and diveristy of the landscape gave to more generic looking landscapes without as much character or color to them. Among my favorites this season included "Bad Blood", "Christmas Carol", "Travelers" the marvelous and touching "Mind's Eye", "All Souls", "The Pine Bluff Variant" and the suspenseful "The End". The mythlogy episoes varied a bit in quality this season. Eschewing the detour into Indian mythology was a wise move after the disasterous two parter from the previous season. The mythlogy episodes here focused as much on character as plot which was to their advantage. "Patient X" featuring the wonderful Veronica Cartwright ("Alien", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") gives a multi-layered, emotionally powerful performance. Carter's decision to shift Scully into the role of "believer" and Mulder into "doubter" brings added tension and an unpredictable element to this season that kept the characters fresh. We get a number of extras although not quite as generous as other seasons. In addition to the 22 episodes we get 8 special effects sequences with commentary, commentary tracks on two episodes including "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and "The Pine Bluff Variant" by their writers (Carter and Shiban), 11 behind-the scenes spots, a DVD-ROM game "Earthbound" plus a documentary, 6 deleted scenes. Luckily for those of us who can't remember the titles of various episodes we also get a nice episode guide as well. All in all, a solid season that was consistent.
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