Rating: 
Summary: weakest season of THE X FILES
Review: Season 7 of THE X FILES (1999-2000) is the last season featuring the original team of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in unmodified form. It is also the weakest of all nine seasons. NEGATIVE POINTS: 1) Excepting the excellent mythology scripts, Duchovny is emotionally detached in his portrayal of Agent Mulder. While in prior seasons his occasional onscreen fatigue could plausibly be tied to plots featuring a disillusioned Mulder, it is too much of a stretch to extend such a notion to Season 7, which is severely damaged as a result. 2) In terms of new ideas, the writers on the show seemed to have been genuinely stumped throughout much of Season 7, particularly with regard to "stand alone" episodes. The numerous uninspired "stand alone" scripts could hardly have been expected to provide the necessary stimulus for a weary Duchovny, struggling through the grind of a notoriously demanding production schedule. The perfunctory interaction between Mulder and Scully in many "stand alone" scripts proves especially damaging to a show that thrives on dynamic interplay between its two main characters. 3) Some of the failures relate to the well intentioned but ungainly synthesis attempted by blending THE X FILES with different shows: The script titled "Millenium" features a hackneyed plot (zombies a la George Romero) and is a waste of actor Lance Henriksson's talents. The highly publicized Mulder/Scully "first kiss" is anticlimactic, unfittingly placed in such a lackluster episode. Vince Gilligan's "X Cops" tries to merge THE X FILES with the "reality show" COPS: a noble failure that works in the first half only to fall to pieces in the second. 4) Other failures had to due with recycling plots and themes from prior years: "Signs & Wonders" is a fair effort (a good performance by the guest actor portraying the fiery preacher). Unfortunately, it is too obviously redolent of superior scripts previously penned. "Orison", featuring the return of the abominable Donnie Pfaster ("Irresistible"), falls well short of the masterful episode from Season 2. Its closing moments are, however, a tour-de-force with Agent Scully fighting ferociously with Pfaster against the backdrop of David Lynch style cinematography. "Rush" is a poorly thought out foray into the world of teenage angst. Equally juvenile is "First Person Shooter", a "virtual reality" script that completely wastes an appearance by the Lone Gunmen. 5) The most disturbing failures of Season 7 are manifested in three horrible episodes: "Chimera" is a unique combination of gaffs with its razor-thin storyline, an uninterested Duchovny (barely in character), bad supporting acting, poor lighting and even a mediocre musical score: an "anti X FILES", with all of the series standards turned upside down. "Hollywood AD" (written & directed by Duchovny) doesn't even seem to be an X FILES episode. On the surface level, the script plays in territory previously staked out by Darin Morgan, but "Hollywood AD" falls well short of the inspired shifting perspectives offered in "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space' ". With its pedestrian version of ironic juxtaposition (the "converted radical" & "apostate traditionalist") "Hollywood AD" swerves between chic absurdity and "hipper than thou" movie-star smarminess, a combination completely antithetical to the spirit of THE X FILES. Chris Carter's "Fight Club" is an essay in bitterness, all too reflective of the turmoil playing out behind the scenes. With this singularly unpleasant episode THE X FILES bottomed out, sinking to a depth of self-loathing that nearly destroyed it altogether. POSITIVE POINTS: 1) Unique scripts, so often seen in previous years, were few and far between in Season 7 but "All Things" (written and directed by Gillian Anderson) is an artfully prepared piece; "outside the box" but retaining a sense of continuity and fidelity to the life and character of Dana Scully. 2) Vince Gilligan's "Hungry" is a beautifully conceived black comedy, shown (sympathetically) from the point of view of a quirky "anti-villian". 3) Other episodes fit more readily into the "classic" X FILES mould. "Theef" and "Brand X" feature catchy dialogue and "gross out" situations that could have comfortably been aired in Season 2. These scripts, while not meeting the Olympian standards set in the "glory years", have the effect of shoring up the more disastrous areas of the season by working in familiar territory. MYTH ARC: The heart and soul of Season 7 is located in the six mythology episodes, which feature the type of committed acting and thoughtful writing fans have come to expect from THE X FILES ( the newly invigorated myth-arc plot plus the ongoing Scully/Mulder "symbiosis" would carry the dramatic weight of the show in its final years ). The opening two-parter ("The Sixth Extinction I/II") borrows an important element of its plot from the Nikos Kazantzakis novel, "The Last Temptation of Christ". The mid season two-parter ("Sein und Zeit" / "Closure") follows up and (apparently) ends the mystery surrounding Mulder's quest for his sister. "Closure" features an incredibly moving performance by Duchovny (one of his finest moments on the show). "My Weakness", a song written by pop artist Moby, plays a haunting musical role in the episode. "En Ami" (co-written by William B. Davis), while not at the same level as the other mythology episodes, does feature some interesting dialogue between Agent Scully and the Cigarette Smoking Man. The amoral brilliance of the Machiavellian "CGB Spender" is an interesting contrast to the noble goodness of the equally intelligent Dana Scully. The cliffhanger ("Requiem") is full of dramatic tension, bringing the agents back to the location first featured in the 1993 series "Pilot". This excellent and influential episode (the plot launched a dozen more scripts) was a noble conclusion to the troubled 7th season and helped put THE X FILES back on a path worthy of its unique quality; the show would ultimately ( though not without missteps) fulfill its 9 year run as an aesthetic and philosophical unity.
Rating:
Summary: Going Downhill Fast, But Still Worth Owning
Review: By the time we come to Season Seven, the show has past its peak and is noticeably on the downhill run. Still, there are several stand-alone episodes that are not to be missed. I would buy it for "X Cops" alone. That said, the episodes are: The Sixth Extinction
The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
Hungry
Millennium
Rush
The Goldberg Variation
Orison
The Amazing Maleeni
Signs & Wonders
Sein Und Zeit
Closure
X Cops
First Person Shooter
Theef
En Ami
Chimera
All things
Brand X Hollywood A.D.
Fight Club
Je Souhaite
Requiem
Rating: 
Summary: A true TV Classic!!
Review: Another great installment of my favorite show ever to air on television. While I did see the show start to really switch gears in this season, I appreciated watching the evolution of an incredible, ever-developing story that I was happy to watch since I was a senior in high school! Cannot wait until May! I hope that the extras are as well done as they have been done in the previous DVD sets.
Rating: 
Summary: Changing of the guard 4 1/2 stars
Review: If season 6 was the high point for "The X-Files" (and many fans feel it is), than season 7 catches the series at the top of the other side. While some of the episodes play a bit flat, the bulk of season 7 is, contrary to other reviews, worthwhile picking up on DVD. The first two episodes of season 7 "The Sixth Extinction" immediately grabs your attention with a strong two parter that relates directly to the mythology episodes of previous seasons. We also have a conclusion, of sorts, to the running narrative about Mulder's search for his sister. The mythology episodes really isn't what the seventh season is about; it's the experimentation. Season 7 featured the most experimental, on the edge and downright strange episodes of the entire run. Running the gaumont from satire ("Hollywood A.D.") to melodrama with spiritual overtones ("all things")to traditional X-Files horror and a sympathetic look at a "monster" ("Hungry"), the series continued to push the envelope as to what was acceptable for the show. Sure, there were some missteps. The "Millenium" episode where the two television series meet to resolve the cancelled series featuring Lance Henrinksen seems a bit out of place here. It's not a bad episode, it just doesn't really fit the series. Then again, it's part of the "risk" factor that happened during season 7. The comedic "The Goldberg Variations" where a man literally has great luck that leads to very, very bad luck also works quite well. Likewise, "X-Cops" with its satire on faux reality shows pushes the envelope of the series as well ditching the traditional filmic quality of the series in favor of the look of the show it satirizes--"Cops". It's clear from the season ending cliff hanger and much of the latter part of the season that Carter, Spotnitz, Gilligan and the other main writers weren't quite sure if season 7 was the end. They set up a story that could have been resolved in a couple of two hour movies. The thing to keep in mind about season 7 is many of the episodes that are comdemmed as subpar actually are edgy, risk taking fare that doesn't fit into the more "traditional" types of stories that "The X-Files" told. The extras are pretty good here. We get audio commentary including one from Gillian Anderson about the episode she wrote and directed ("all things") although Duchovny is curiously absent from the ones he wrote, co-wrote and/or directed as far as commentary tracks. There's also a fine featurette that discusses the direction of the series and the difficulties Carter and crew faced with Duchovny leaving. Picture and sound quality are top-notch although I have noticed a lot of these boxed sets with episodes that are flawed with sound problems. The drop in the price of the sets are a welcome sight for fans who hadn't purchased the series on DVD (I was still watching my VHS and homemade DVD's before the price break). Frankly, I wish that Paramount and other studios would follow suit for these expensive boxed sets. The extras are nice but, really, you could record the stuff off TV so the price break is welcome. In reality, with season 8 the series began anew with new characters and new story arcs. While the series had already peaked, it still had a very strong solid season or two of life left in it.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth Is In Here!
Review: Many people seem to dislike this season because the alien/government conspiracy arc fizzled out and the show relied more on stand-alone episodes. Ironically, that is why it's my favorite season of the show. When I think back on the entire run of this show, the episodes that I remember liking the most came from season 7. Hungry, Rush, The Goldberg Variation, The Amazing Maleeni, X-Cops, and First Person Shooter are all excellent episodes. However, the Gillian Anderson penned and directed episode, "all things" is amazing. Why did she only ever write and direct just this one episode? Her obvious talents outside of acting were completely wasted during the entire run of the show. Finally, the next-to-last episode, Je Souhaite, may be my favorite single episode of any tv show. I bought the dvd set specifically just to get this episode, it's that good. It's not only incredibly funny, but it is the reason for my review title. The real-life secret to getting "peace on earth", as Mulder wishes, is contained in this episode. Definitely not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding even though one of the show's weaker seasons
Review: On the one hand, Season Seven is unquestionably the weakest of the first seven, and perhaps even weaker than Season Eight when Duchovny was only a part time member of the cast. On the other hand, the series still had more outstanding episodes than the vast majority of shows in TV history. So, my five-star rating reflects the show compared with other series, not with other seasons in its own run. In my opinion, the only season weaker than this one is the unfortunate Season Nine, with the near complete loss of David Duchovny and the weak overall story line.
Why did Season Seven fail to measure up to other X-Files seasons? First, there was the loss of the overall alien colonization story line. The season starts with a carry over of the final episode of Season Six, that seems to be reasserting an alien arc, but in fact this is a false promise, and the story told in that brief arc more or less disappears from the show. The problem, in fact, the show had in its final three seasons was the lack of a consistent and compelling story arc. There are efforts at story arcs, but the "super soldiers" arc that becomes full blown in Season Nine was riffled with inconsistencies, and was definitely not compelling. Still, the loss of Mulder in Season Eight provided a focus for that Season, while Season Nine at least had the opportunity of exploring the new partnership of Doggett and Reyes. Season Seven essentially had memories of the six seasons that preceded it.
Nonetheless, Season Seven still contained many absolutely outstanding individual episodes. From beginning to end of the series, the writers never lost the ability to concoct a killer tale to be told in 43 minutes. "X-Cops" is a classic among the Mulder-Scully parody episodes, with the real-life production crew of the show COPS capturing the duo on videotape as an X-File collides with a police investigation supposedly being covered for the show. Typically, Scully spends most of the episode glaring disdainfully at the cameramen, while Mulder delightfully welcomes their presence. The dramatic highlight might be the heart-rending two-parter of "Sein und Zeit" and "Closure," which features one of the best single-episode guest appearances ever by Anthony Heald (a role so outstanding that a reprisal of the role would have seem necessary, but which sadly never occured) as a man who claims he has visions of departed children. Images from those episodes are among some of the most haunting in the series of the show. "Millenium" features what is technically Mulder and Scully's first kiss (with Mulder commenting afterwards, technically commenting on the Y2K predictions of disaster, "See, the world didn't end"). The intensely romantic non-romance between Mulder and Scully becomes such a joke that in "Fight Club" Mulder mentions a doppelganger pair of agents who had, believe it or not, been together for seven years but had not had a romantic relationship. "En Ami" is a marvelous swan song for the Cigarette Smoking Man, as he persuades Scully to help him in a caper (he would reappear later in the season to die, but would thereafter tragically be missing from the show, another problem the show had in its final two seasons). "all things" (lower cap) is my personal favorite of the season, an absolutely astonishing tour de force by Gillian Anderson that reveals depths of talent in a host of directions that no one could have anticipated. She wrote, directed, and acted in the episode (with Mulder largely absent) as Scully unexpectedly reencounters a former professor/mentor, a man who was married at the time she and he had what was evidently a torrid love affair, revealing more about Scully's past than we had ever learned before. The show is outstanding on multiple levels, including visually and narratively (as well as musically, helped not merely by Mark Snow's usually brilliant score but by contributions by Moby). It also features the best teaser in the history of the show, with Scully at the beginning dressing in what turns out to be Mulder's bathroom, and leaving the apartment with a naked Mulder in his bed. The episode is so outstanding the viewer is only left to wonder why Gillian Anderson wrote and directed only this one. Probably my favorite Scully episode since the one where she learned that she had, inexplicably, a genetic daughter.
There were also some disappointing moments. "Hollywood A.D." simultaneously was one of the funniest and worse episodes, a weak X-file with a funny backstory of a Hollywood producer (a friend of Skinner) following Mulder and Scully in order to gather background for a Hollywood film. Though much in the episode is wooden, there are some precious moments, such as the producer talking in the phone to studio execs: "No, its an optical illusion. She is actually quite tall" (obviously referring to Scully--I have always been extremely sceptical about the 5'3 or 5'2 that is often given as Gillian Anderson's height). Also wonderful is the exquisite pairing the wildly improbable Gary Shandling as Fox Mulder with Tea Leoni (in real life Mrs. David Duchovny) as Scully. Anyone who saw Gary Shandling's THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW knows that David Duchovny was one of "Larry Sanders's" more frequent guests, with many jokes about Duchovny having a cursh on Sanders, so that Shandling's playing Mulder is a fairly complex in-joke. Another perfect moment in the episode is Leoni asking Scully to show her how she is able to run in heels. We then see while Shandling and Mulder talk in the foreground, Scully in the distant background sprinting from one side of the stage to the other while Leoni looks on.
But for me the biggest disappointment is the final episode, "Requiem," which is more or less Mulder's exit from the show. Although he would reappear in a few episodes in the final two seasons, this episode ends the seven season partnership between Mulder and Scully. The episode, despite some fine moments, just didn't seem to have the "gravitas" that such a key episode would seem to require. It did nicely take place in the same town in Oregon that saw Mulder and Scully have their first adventure together in Season One, but all in all it was not one of the more remarkable episodes.
In in the end, the ending of the greatest partnership in TV history is what creates an indescribable sadness at the end of the season. There would be two final seasons, with many great new episodes, but if you had to point to the single thing that made THE X-FILES such an amazing phenomena, it was--along with the great writing--the exquisite pairing of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Mulder and Scully. Luckily, as I write this review there are renewed indications that Chris Carter is is readying a script for the long-awaited beginning of a series of X-Files movies (Carter declined to do a movie too soon after the end of the series). Though details of the script remain unclear (though Duchovny has provided some information), one thing is clear: Mulder and Scully will be back together again.
Rating:
Summary: includes my all time favorite episode
Review: I confess, I am a huge X-Files fan, my favorite episodes being the funny ones. It was difficult to choose which season I'd review first. I picked the 7th because my all time favorite episode "Hollywood A.D." is included here. Directed and written by David Duchovny, it is the story of a Hollywood agent/scout working alongside Mulder and Scully to get a feeling for the "real thing". The Studio plans an Ed Wood-kind of movie about the agents which will include dancing zombies, the inevitable kiss etc. etc. Hilarious!!! Great storyline and marvellous acting. Best of all: Gillian Anderson's beautiful smile.
Rating:
Summary: Season seven is EXTREMELY UNDERRATED
Review: Up until a few months ago, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. However, now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. Right off the bat, I was hooked immediately and with each passing season the show became established in my eyes as one of the best and most addictive sci-fi shows ever created. The overall opinion of most of the fans is that the first six seasons of the show are the best, and that seasons seven through nine are mainly average. Another complaint from the fans is that since season seven is Duchovny's last full season with the show, that he did not put as much energy into the character Fox Mulder as he did in the past. Well I am here to tell you that not only is Duchovny still at the top of his game, but season seven is a great season overall and extremely underrated.
My expectations for the seventh season going in were extremely low, and after I finished, I was literally in shock at how good the season turned out to be. While season six still remains the best season of the show, the seventh season is definately one of the most enjoyable seasons of the entire show in my opinion. There a few episodes from season seven that are up for being part of my top ten list such as X-Cops in which Mulder and Scully are put into an actual episode of the show COPS while in search of a monster, The Amazing Meelini in which Mulder and Scully investigate the death of a magician, The Goldberg Variation in which Mulder and Scully meet the luckiest man on earth that manages to pass bad luck onto everyone around him, Je Souhaite in which Mulder discovers a 500 year old genie, and the amazing season finale Requiem. Other episodes worth mentioning are Millenium in which the character Frank Black from the show Millenium makes an appearance, Hungry, Rush, Signs and Wonders, and Orison in which the serial killer Donnie Faster who abducted Scully in season two makes a return.
Overall, the seventh season is one of the best of the entire show based on what I have seen so far. I have yet to see the eigth and ninth seasons, but with seasons five and six being as good as they were, and season seven being Duchovny's last full one, I doubt the show gets any better than the first seven seasons. The DVD set manages to be great once again. There is an extensive documentary on season seven as a whole, as well as 10 deleted scenes, commentary on three different episodes, and more.
A solid 5 stars...
Rating:
Summary: Changing of the guard 4 1/2 stars
Review: If season 6 was the high point for "The X-Files" (and many fans feel it is), than season 7 catches the series at the top of the other side. While some of the episodes play a bit flat, the bulk of season 7 is, contrary to other reviews, worthwhile picking up on DVD. The first two episodes of season 7 "The Sixth Extinction" immediately grabs your attention with a strong two parter that relates directly to the mythology episodes of previous seasons. We also have a conclusion, of sorts, to the running narrative about Mulder's search for his sister. The mythology episodes really isn't what the seventh season is about; it's the experimentation. Season 7 featured the most experimental, on the edge and downright strange episodes of the entire run. Running the gaumont from satire ("Hollywood A.D.") to melodrama with spiritual overtones ("all things")to traditional X-Files horror and a sympathetic look at a "monster" ("Hungry"), the series continued to push the envelope as to what was acceptable for the show. Sure, there were some missteps. The "Millenium" episode where the two television series meet to resolve the cancelled series featuring Lance Henrinksen seems a bit out of place here. It's not a bad episode, it just doesn't really fit the series. Then again, it's part of the "risk" factor that happened during season 7. The comedic "The Goldberg Variations" where a man literally has great luck that leads to very, very bad luck also works quite well. Likewise, "X-Cops" with its satire on faux reality shows pushes the envelope of the series as well ditching the traditional filmic quality of the series in favor of the look of the show it satirizes--"Cops". It's clear from the season ending cliff hanger and much of the latter part of the season that Carter, Spotnitz, Gilligan and the other main writers weren't quite sure if season 7 was the end. They set up a story that could have been resolved in a couple of two hour movies. The thing to keep in mind about season 7 is many of the episodes that are comdemmed as subpar actually are edgy, risk taking fare that doesn't fit into the more "traditional" types of stories that "The X-Files" told. The extras are pretty good here. We get audio commentary including one from Gillian Anderson about the episode she wrote and directed ("all things") although Duchovny is curiously absent from the ones he wrote, co-wrote and/or directed as far as commentary tracks. There's also a fine featurette that discusses the direction of the series and the difficulties Carter and crew faced with Duchovny leaving. Picture and sound quality are top-notch although I have noticed a lot of these boxed sets with episodes that are flawed with sound problems. The drop in the price of the sets are a welcome sight for fans who hadn't purchased the series on DVD (I was still watching my VHS and homemade DVD's before the price break). Frankly, I wish that Paramount and other studios would follow suit for these expensive boxed sets. The extras are nice but, really, you could record the stuff off TV so the price break is welcome. In reality, with season 8 the series began anew with new characters and new story arcs. While the series had already peaked, it still had a very strong solid season or two of life left in it.
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