Rating: 
Summary: Easily the worst season of The X-Files.
Review: The ninth season of The X-Files is easily the weakest season of them all, regardless of one's opinion of the eigth season. It became very apparent that the writers had just run out of ideas with the introduction of the "Super-Soldier" story arc that went absolutely nowehere. On top of this is the "William the freak baby" story arc that ended with Scully ditching her and Mulder's child in "William", completing the destruction of her character begun in the eighth season, not to mention the idea that Mulder ditched his child and Scully because his life was in danger. How many times has Mulder gotten his butt kicked in the past, without chickening out? On top of the mythology going down the toilet, the "monster of the week" episodes struggled to tell a coherent story, let alone something as enjoyable as episodes from seasons past. No amount of extras is going to improve the content of this season. Do yourself a favor and buy one of the other X-Files sets.
Rating: 
Summary: Crap crap and more crap
Review: This season was about Chris Carter and Fox trying to hold onto past glory and make as much money as possible. This show should've ended in season 7, although season 8 had 4 or 5 ok episodes. The show was about Moulder and Scully. It was bad enough when Moulder left, but Scully was pretty much absent from this season. I thought her baby being some kind of freak child was rediculous. The super soldier story was pointless, and should've never been used. After learning the truth in season 6 the writers should've spent the rest of that year and year 7 on concluding the alien takeover idea and ended the show. Then came the long and I mean long awaited series finale. They spent most of that episode in a courtroom. That's not the blowout a show like this needed to end on. In stead of having an 8th and 9th years of this show they should've had a 4th and 5th year of an equal if not better show Millennium. Don't buy this set. Don't allow them to profit from this crap.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good!
Review: When I heard xfiles was going to continue after Mulder left I didn't see the point. The whole reason for the xfiles was because of Mulder. I also heard that Scully wouldn't be taking the lead as much in season 9 - which had me feeling pretty miffed. So I took a different take on the xfiles - rather than seeing it as a show with all cool characters gone I saw it as the xfiles having already ended and seeing who would take over the investigations etc.And I found this season to be pretty interesting. Maybe it's because I've always prefered the stand-alone episodes, rather than the conspiracy eps, but some of the single storylines marvelled in their originality. Three examples of this are Reyes (who's pretty damn cool in her own right) getting trapped in an alternate-reality dollhouse, an investigation of a boy who "sees/fears" monsters that appear to be killing those around him, and a man who turns his house into the brady bunch residence (with the power of his mind)! Pretty wacky storylines and just the ticket to enable a strong season of xfiles without Mulder. By the end of the season fans are not left without a guest appearance by Mulder and revelations on whats to come for our fbi characters. While I found the final episode a little dissapointing the accuracy and frequency of the return of some old friends and foes keeps the final episode of the season on the edge of your seat! Overall a surprisingly great season!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: I think this season wasn't as good as 1-6 and 8. But it was better than 7 IMHO. But I still feel that the series could've ended with season 8 and gone into another movie to conclude the mythology. But since it didn't, we got a lackluster two-part season opener to conclude the two-part season finale of season 8. It was ok, but I felt let down a bit after how good season 8 was. And we also got an unsatisfactory conclusion to the underrated and cancelled "The Lone Gunmen" TV series in an X-files episode called "Jump the Shark": (...)Ok, I'd be fine with it if they'd make another movie where we actually get to see them beat the aliens. It doesn't have to be like Independence day or anything, but just have a similar concept in the sense that we have to "fight the future" and win. I think most X-Fans wanted to see Mulder receive justice for his beliefs since he was mocked throughout the entire series because of his belief in aliens, and also us winning against the aliens. But so far, the creators of The X-Files say that the next movie will be a stand-alone movie and not about the mythology (although I read recently that the person who played the alien bounty-hunter in the series is cast to be in the movie, so maybe they changed their minds). I'm sure it'll be a great movie, but I still think we need more conclusion to the alien mythology than what we got. Overall, this season was good, but not great. Some poor decisions were made, but ultimately we still got many cool stand-alone and mythology episodes. Good season.
Rating:
Summary: the light shines in the darkness
Review: The 9th (and final) season of THE X FILES (2001-02) stands (along with Season 6) as the most consistent of all the years filmed in Los Angeles and exhibits a number of unique qualities. First and foremost, the loss of David Duchovny's participation created the necessity to play off (as in Season 8) his absence. While the (not insignificant) feeling of contrivance concerning yet another Mulder disappearance was unfortunate, the writers made full creative use of this (business related) circumstance. Specifically, through scripts (mostly "stand alone") that fleshed out new characters (Agents John Doggett & Monica Reyes) and through the mythology arc, in which themes from the previous year (and the series as a whole) were developed. Secondly, the show regained a sense of equilibrium, its structure a throwback to the Vancouver years, where the (uniformly interesting) "mythology" episodes were aired at specific points: early, mid, and late season. This well-planned strategy mitigated the effect of some of the more routine "stand alone" efforts while moving inexorably towards a conclusion illuminating much of Chris Carter's "underground project". STAND ALONE EPISODES: There were several efforts by writers ( relatively ) new to THE X FILES: An ambitious attempt to marry characterization to storyline appears in two of Steven Meada's scripts: both "4-D" and "Audrey Pauley" share similar plots against a backdrop of (implied) romantic affection shared by Agents Doggett and Reyes. "Audrey Pauley" in particular, benefits from excellent writing (a sci-fi "twist" on the interior mansions of St Teresa of Avila?) as well as fine performances from the principles and guests (the actress was previously seen in the 3rd Season masterpiece "Oubliette"). Writer Thomas Schnauz also turned in two scripts: "Lord of the Flies" (one of the season's few overtly comedic takes) is a clever but at times strained affair. The main attraction is really for diehard X-philes, since the episode is full of playful allusions (starting with the title) to Darin Morgan's classic 3rd season script "War of the Copraphages". More effective is Schnauz' subtly satirical "Scary Monsters"; while its surface story is purposely borrowed from THE TWILIGHT ZONE, the whimsical "Mulder vs Doggett" subplot is a fun spoof. Agent Scully's impromptu "kitchen autopsy" is also a great bit, harkening back to the classic comedy of the series' golden years. Two more scripts, in what could be termed the "Exorcist File" vein, were seen in Season 9: "Daemonicus" (written & directed by Frank Spotnitz) features some eerily creative camera work and a "Hannibal Lechter" type villain while adding further details to the character of Agent Doggett. David Amann's graphically violent "Hellbound" outlines David Amann's deliberately odd theological juxtaposition: Calvinist predestination and Buddhist reincarnation. Chris Carter wrote and directed the superb "Improbable", the latest in a long line of quirkily serious episodes that deal with the (fundamentally metaphysical) issues of free will vs. determinism. "Improbable" features an excellent performance by Burt Reynolds. The brilliantly shot street scenes (and music) are a Carterian homage to Italian "cinema dell'arte". Longtime staff writer Vince Gilligan's two contributions are mixed affairs: the sepia-tone cinematography of "John Doe", coupled with Robert Patrick's fine acting make this episode enjoyable up until the oddly strained "crash and bang" finale. "Sunshine Days" is one of Gilligan's rare missteps; a re-tread of his "Je Souhaite" (Season 7) with an unfortunate undercurrent of saccharine sentimentality. The ongoing subplot (treated in various episodes of Seasons 8-9) relating to Agent Doggett's personal tragedy was resolved in "Release" ( particularly beautiful music by Mark Snow ). It is a testament to the quality of THE X FILES that in their last season the staff writers (John Shiban & David Amann) would prepare so properly respectful a vehicle for Robert Patrick, whose performances as Agent John Doggett were so vitally important for the series in its final years.
"Jump the Shark" was neither the best nor worst treatment that could have been prepared as the swan song of the beloved Lone Gunmen. However flawed the script, the heroic efforts of the three misfits in this episode were a necessary correction to the idiotic mischaracterization shot through the mercifully short-lived series (Spring 2001) that bore their name. In "Jump the Shark" some of the eccentric nobility of the Lone Gunmen was restored. MYTHOLOGY ARC: The symbiotic partnership between Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz continued with their co-writing of 6 of the 7 myth arc episodes airing in Season 9 (the finale was penned by Carter alone). The ambitious 2-part opener ("Nothing Important Happened Today I/II") fuses the familiar "alien hybrid" concept with the newer (logically consistent) element of "supersoldiers". The Orwellian/Kafkaesque atmosphere of "Trust No1" is a compellingly well-framed continuation of the myth arc as well as a dark commentary on certain governmental strictures enacted in the wake of 9/11. An extraordinary degree of openly religious (Christian) symbolism (in terms of plot, dialogue and cinematography) pervades the mid season 2-parter titled "Provenance/Providence". "William" is taut episode creatively directed (and co-written) by David Duchovny; the clever double twist ending has dramatic ramifications that extend backward and forward in time. Gillian Anderson puts forth a customarily moving performance emphasizing Scully's unique qualities of nobility and loving self-sacrifice. The grand 2 hour finale ("The Truth") exudes a special glow, starting out ("in media res") with the return of Mulder, lagging a bit during the lengthy court-room trial scenes and ending with a fireworks flourish in which director Kim Manners pulls out all the stops. The final scene of THE X FILES is a quiet coda; a truly beautiful moment between Mulder and Scully as they share their mutual belief that, in spite of all appearances, hope is not lost and that "the light shines in the darkness" .
Rating:
Summary: Underratted
Review: Season 9 may not be the greatest season of The X Files ever but it is by no means as bad as some make it out to be.
Alot had changed this season, as apparant by the new and very cool title sequence, namely David Duchovny would only appear in the final feature length episode and Agents Doggett and Reyes now investigated the x files cases with Scully lending a helpful hand from her new position as a forensic's teacher with the FBI. Despite these big changes it was still very much The X Files at heart, Skinner and The Lone Gunmen were present but not as much as many fans would have wished, Kersh was his usual nasty self and the inclusion of Cary Elwes as A.D. Brad Follmer was a great addition to the cast. The mythology this year revolved around the mysteries of Scully's baby, the "super-soilders", internal politics within the FBI and the question of whether Mulder was dead or alive. While these mythology story lines were no means the best Chris Carter and co. have ever come up with the episodes themeselves were still truly excellent. The season opened with the brilliant two-parter "Nothing Important Happened Today I & II" which aroused question for the coming year. "Trust no 1" dealt with Mulders dissapearance, the mid season two-parter "Provenance" and "Providence" were amongst the best two-part episodes the show has ever made, "William" brilliantly directed by David Duchovny was a real highlight of season 9 and then the final episode ever "The Truth". This episode marked Mulders retun and while there were quite a few things I didn't like about the episode it was an amazing ending to the greatest show to ever grace our screens. The stand-alone episodes this season were just as good as any of the previous seasons with "Deaomonicus", "4-D", "John Doe", "Hellbound", "Audrey Pauley", "Improbable"(which guest starred Burt Reynolds) and my particular favourite "Release", which gave a fantastic resolution to the question of what had actually happenend to Doggett's son, being amongst the greatest stand-alones ever made. There were a few very good episodes in the shape of "Underneath", "Scary Monsters" and "Sunshine Days" but there were also a couple of absolute stinkers, "Lord of The Flies" and "Jump The Shark" were easily two of the worst episodes ever made. Give season 9 a chance and you may well be surprised how truly excellent this final year was. The acting is, as always, superb especially from Robert Patrick and Gillian Anderson, production values and direction were second to none and as such the show has never looked better. The stand-alones were as good as any other year, the mytholgy was still very interesting and for a show in it's ninth year it looked incredibley fresh.
Plus with two discs worth of extras this Box Set is definetly worth a buy.
Here's to nine amazing years and Bring on the movies!
Rating: 
Summary: The final season of a brilliant show
Review: Before the ninth season of The X-Files aired, it had a lot going against it. David Duchovny was gone for good, and after Gillian Anderson announced this would be her last season on the show, it hardly came as a surprise that the show was soon canceled. Before that announcement hit though, you could tell that a transition was being made that would have made Agents John Dogget (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) the focus point of the show. Mitch Pileggi's A.D. Skinner finally became a full time cast member as well as he is featured in the opening credits for the first time. The 2-parter season premiere "Nothing Important Happened Today" is lacking, but it seems that there would have been more of a developing story arc that would have carried over to another season and added more to an already overbloated mythos. That aside, standout episodes of season nine include "4-D", "Provenance/Providance", "Audrey Pauly", "Jump the Shark", "William", and the series finale "The Truth" where David Duchovny returns to end the series in a special two hour episode. The series finale is decent, but it could have been so much more, and even though Mulder and Scully end up together, there are purposely left loose ends that could lead up to a hinted to X-Files feature film in the near future. All in all, Chris Carter's The X-Files went down in TV history as one of the greatest and most well written prime time dramas of all time, and for any true X-Files fan, there could have been no perfect way to end the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not The X-Files' best, but still better than most TV.
Review: Sure, the ninth and final season of The X-Files was probably its weakest season, but here's the deal: The X-Files at its worst is much better than most TV shows out there today. This season retained excpetionally high production values and looking back, actually had some standout episodes, including the spectacular 2-hour finale that could never satisfactorily wrap up such a long-running series but did have a feel of the classic mythology episodes from the show's glory days. This season tries to pass the baton to Agents Doggett and Reyes, a partnership that is very solid but would never ever have the appeal of Mulder and Scully. Scully is present all season in a somewhat annoying advisory role, only occasionally getting her feet muddy. Towards the end of the season though, she steps into the spotlight much more. David Duchovny's return for the 2-hour finale isn't handled perfectly, but it's so satisfying to see David and Gillian together on screen that you can all but forgive the fact that he left. The DVD presentation is simply superb, as we have come to expect from this show. Spread over 7 dvds as opposed to the 6 dvd sets of recent seasons, this set has fantastic extras. But here's the deal: the real gem on this set is the hour long documentary, The Making of The Truth. Ever since the show started I've wanted to see something like this and never have until now. It takes you into the production meetings, location scouts and then the production itself, and it gives you a real sense of how hard working every member of the crew was and how much they loved working on it. It's an extremely thorough making of, not the usual puff-piece you see on DVDs. Another little treat is "Reflections on The X-Files", in which various guest stars discuss in new interviews what it was like to be a part of the show. Cher, Seth Green, Ed Asner, the Dust Brothers, Burt Reynolds are some of the participants. Other behind the scenes documentaries include Secrets of The X-Files and More Secrets of The X-Files, two shallow 45-minute shows from the heydey of the show. Nothing special but they do take you back to when the show was omnipresent. Also included are the usual promo spots, and a couple of decent new documentaries on Season 9 as a whole and also "Reflections on The Truth", which features key crew members talking about working on the last episodes. It's nice that the show's editors get a voice here. There are a couple of commentaries, one from Chris Carter on the episode "Improbable". They're very matter-of-fact but are very interesting and frank. One thing I cannot forgive about this season is the fact that even though the show's producers knew this was the last season well before the end, they did not use the last, say, 5 or 6 episodes to wrap up the show. Instead they wrapped up a couple of plot points quickly in one (good) episode (directed by David Duchovny), and then give us some mediocre stand alone episodes. And the biggest slap in the face is that the penultimate episode ever is wasted on a silly story involving the Brady Bunch. Oh well, too late now. The show has passed up so many opportunities for true geatness in its nine-year run, but like I said before, it remains one of the best TV shows ever. Recent press reports indicate that a second movie is likely to go ahead. So, now's a good time to start familiarising yourself with the show's last year. It feels great to put this up there with the previous eight seasons and see the entire collection on one shelf. It's hard not to get all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you own every episode of this groundbreaking series. And you can't argue with the price for this beautiful set!
Rating:
Summary: BIG MISTAKE
Review: Being a huge fan of the series, I admittedly left the show for dead after the 8th season. However, after getting the opportunity to go back and watch the 9th season in syndication, I realize I made a huge mistake by turning my back on the greatest television series ever. The 9th season proved, if nothing else, that there were more stories to tell, and with Doggett and Reyes a very fresh way of telling them. Certainly, the 9th season was not the best X-files season (it was honestly,probably the worst) but when compared to what the other networks were offering (and are offering now) The X-Files still laid claim to being one of the best, most original shows out there. It's great watching shows like CSI and Alias and really seeing the influence that The X-Files have had on television. It was truly a wonderful ride.
Rating:
Summary: It's worth it
Review: Season 9 of The X-Files is worth every penny. Season 9 has repeatedly been grossly under-rated. The series did break new ground in its final season, and although David Duchovny only returned for the final episode, "The Truth," this season is still full of excellent stories and great acting from Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, and Annabeth Gish. The actors really stepped up to the plate in episodes like "Provenance," "John Doe," and "Audrey Pauley." For anyone who has ever considered himself/herself and an X-Files fan, Season 9 is a must-have.
| 
