Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not as strong as the 3rd and 4th seasons
Review: The fifth season continued the epic mythology expanse, and arguably pushed it into oblivion. The end of the Vancouver era, this season (according to me) is where things got a bit too complex for Chris Carter to handle with 100% success. It lead into the movie, which brought the show a new and larger audience, but never really got a full grasp on it's success. That said, there are some incredible episodes that need mentioning, and make this set worth buying.--Redux (I and II): This is my favourite two parter, and one of the best explorations of trust The X-Files has ever attempted. Everything is remarkable, from Scully's cancer, to the haunting voiceovers.--Post Modern Prometheus: a dazzling slight of hand from Carter and Co. This modern fairy tale/frankenstein story had one of those moments that fans die for; that wonderful, insipirational, moving ending.--A Chirstmas Carol/Emily: Not one of the best, but Gillian Anderson's performance is magnificent in this two parter.--Patient X/The Red and the Black: The final two parter of the fifth season, this show is relentlessly entertaining and challenging.--The Pine Bluff Variant: The best 'stand alone' of the fifth season, a well paced and executed suspense show.--The End: The cliffhanger before the movie. Very strong conclusion. So what do I mean when I say 'arguably pushed it to oblivion'? The overall season is very inconsistent, with some very weak episodes, that don't measure up to previous efforts (Bad Blood, Kitsunegari, Kill Switch). Plus, the sixth season (despite a great lead in), failed to generate as much interest. The third and fourth season, when taken together, display a rare ambition of an epic nature. The fifth season fails to live up to the standard set, but this is by no means a waste of time. If you are a fan, then you probably already know if you're going to get this or not. If not, then I recommend buying the first four seasons first, (or at least the 3rd and fourth). If you like it, than the fifth season will be a welcome addition to your collection.
Rating: 
Summary: such a slick season
Review: The image quality is awesome, and in widescreen!! I don't know if they cut off the top and bottom or filmed it in widescreen, but it looks fantastic. Especially on a 16x9 TV. With that said, the stories too are really good. Originality never seems to tire. There's a little more humor as well, they pulled it off nicely in the fourth season and let the reigns loosen in the fifth. This is my favorite X-Files Box so far and these episodes will definitely get watched twice. Maybe three times! Worth every penny to miss the commercials.
Rating:
Summary: One of the last great seasons of the series
Review: The mid-point of the X-Files series; the fifth season gave more insight and teasers to the vast alien conspiracy story arc that was finally beginning to take the forefront of the show (the results of which were good and bad) and introduced new characters (Agent Spender, the seemingly clairvoyant child Gibson Praise, Mulder's old flame Agent Diana Fowley played by Mimi Rogers) that would go on to play major parts in the rest of the series, while giving more insight to current supporting characters like the Lone Gunmen, Alex Krycek, and the Cancer Man. Many revelations are abound throughout this season, including what role Mulder's father played in the beginning of the conspiracy, and it is hinted at that maybe Mulder is meant for far much more. Also, to many fans' delight, we see the growth of Mulder and Scully's relationship as tender, yearning glances between them are abound. Standout episodes include the Stephen King penned "Chinga", "Unusual Suspects" which flashes back to Mulder's first metting with the Lone Gunmen, "Post-Modern Prometheus", the amusing "Travelers", "Patient X", and the absolutely hilarious (and justifiably a fan favorite) "Bad Blood" which guest stars Luke Wilson, and shows how Mulder and Scully see each other while recalling a case where they were investigating vampirism. Plenty of loose ends are purposely left for the X-Files movie which premiered the following summer, but in the end this is probably one of the last best seasons of the series, and the last season of the show to be filmed in Canada before the series moved to Hollywood.
Rating:
Summary: The glorious twenty
Review: The X-FilesÂ' fifth season had only twenty episodes... but THEY ARE TWENTY GREAT EPISODES. The Redux two parter is one of the best season openers ever (only surpased by The Blessing Way and Paperclip). The first half of the season deals with two major changes in the characters: Mulder becoming an skeptic after Redux II and ScullyÂ's realization of the fact that she has a child as a result of her previous abduction. Then in The Red and the Black, MulderÂ's sistem of beliefs is restored. In The End, we are left with nothing... one of the most important X-Files record ever (a kid who could have the answers Mulder has been looking for since his work in the x-files began) gets burned along with everything in his office. And then the agents get reassigned. This season also shows one of the cleverest comedic episodes of the series: Bad Blood (Mulder and Scully show their two contradictory versions of an investigation that dealed with vampirism). This episode is just glorious. The standalones are very good with the exception, perhaps, of Schizogeny and Kitsunegari. But this low point of the season is perfectly balanced with the outstanding two parter dealing with ScullyÂ's daughter: Christmas Carol and Emily. This season shows the highpoint of the relationship between the Scullies (Dana, her mother Margaret and her brother Bill): we see them during Redux and Christmas Carol. This is my TOP10 for the season:
10. The Postmodern Prometheus (this show got a lot of EMMY nods but of course didnÂ't won a single one... this is one of the true classics of the series... Mulder and Scully investigate a town where there is a mutant. The question about whose creation is this turns into whose creation is this town? The Cher songs, the humour, the black and white cinematography and the comic book look make this a very rare, eclectic and fascinating episode).
9. Chinga (This episode was written by Chris Carter and Stephen King. ItÂ's scary, yet funny. The song the little girl hears over and over is perfect for the episode. I really liked this. ItÂ's not over the top, itÂ's not too experimental, but itÂ's nevertheless perfectly written).
8. The End (season finale that opens the way for the movie).
7. Detour (A lost-in-the-woods kind of episode that deals with team work. ItÂ's a perfect average X-Files episode with a little twist into the funny metaphores).
6. Folie a Deux (a man thinks his boss is a giant bug that turns people into zombies... clearly, the man is a wacko... is he? Only Mulder can really ask this question. Another perfect Vince Gilligan episode)
5. Unusual Suspects (this episode centers on the lone gunmen trio. We see Mr. X for a brief moment in this episode, which is always nice. This one turns to the begining of this team of geeks and is very funny).
4. Bad Blood (Vince GilliganÂ's third in a row in this list).
3. Christmas Carol / Emily (We go deeper in ScullyÂ's mind and past... her solitude seems to be comforted by the appeareance of a little girl who could be her daughter. But this little child has not been created for being loved).
2. Redux / Redux II
1. All Souls (ScullyÂ's conflict after being forced to let her daughter die turns up in this episode about three girls who seem to have a celestial origin... something is reclaiming her souls by killing them... what reclaimed her daughterÂ's soul?).
This season also introduces the faceless rebelds who are fighting the colonization project. But this purpose could be a real problem for Scully, whose implant makes her a part of this project.
This was a great year for the series, and there is no doubt that the DVD box makes justice to this fact.
Rating:
Summary: Best Season
Review: This is the season when I began watching the show, and by far it has been my favorite season. There was always something new going on, with a good balance of comic episodes and serious episodes, and the occasional one that makes absolutely no sense. If you are planning to buy any set of X-Files, this is the one to choose.
Rating:
Summary: End of Vancouver
Review: This season marks the last season that was shot in Vancouver. After that, they moved to L.A. Amidst all of that, as well as writting an entire season to lead up to the movie, this season proved to be really great. [Spoilers] As usual, the conspiracy deepens with the season premier, and we get a cure for Scully's cancer, an answer to Mulder's supposed death, and a new monkey wrench thrown into the Syndicate's plans: Mulder and Scully discover a boy that can read minds, which in turn could expose the syndicate. [End Spoilers] This season had great stand alone episodes as well as mythology episodes. It proved that The X-Files still had a lot going for it. This season ended with a pretty good season finale, but wasn't as good as Season 4's. However, this didn't matter, because the REAL season finale was the movie "The X-Files: Fight the Future" that was released a few weeks later in theaters. Overall, a great season and a great setup for the movie and future seasons. Great season, great DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Great season, but confusing end
Review: This was a really great season of the X-files, however, for those who remember, the summer following this season saw the release of the X-files movie. Unfortunately, the season ended dealing with this little kid, the movie never mentioned him, and then he was back in the first episode of the next season. This is, to me, why it gets 4 stars instead of 5, because in any movie that would come out in the middle of a series run should be sure of all the relevant information from the series.
Rating:
Summary: The middle of the saga
Review: This was the show's highest-rated season, and for good reason. It provides a great lead-up to The X Files movie, "Fight the Future." The best episode is the two-parter, "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black."
Rating:
Summary: Truly a diverse season
Review: Though this season did not receive the credit that it deserved at the time, in hindsight this was truly my favorite season. With the episodes written my Stephen King and other Sci-Fi writers and a renewed sense of humor this season kept fresh and new with each new episode. As a sidenote, this season contains my favorite episode of all time "Bad Blood"... this episode is worth the collection to me.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible season.. Best I have seen yet
Review: Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. Now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. After watching the first four seasons on DVD I have become a huge fan, and in my opinion The X-Files is one of the most addictive and well done science fiction shows ever created. However, the only five star season that was great from start to finish, was the third season. Going into season five, I never expected to see a season of The X-Files that could manage to overcome season three in terms of storytelling and episode quality. I was wrong. The fifth season was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every single episode, and I doubt that any season for the rest of the show will be able to top it. The thing that I probably enjoyed the most about season five, is that Mulder and Scully switch roles. Based on what he learns at the end of season four, Mulder turns somewhat skeptical and comes to think that everything he believed in was a lie, while Scully starts to become more of a believer based on things she discovers about her abduction. The fifth season offers so many wonderful episodes, it is hard to choose a favorite. The first two episodes "Redux" and "Redux II" offer a wonderful conclusion to the season four cliffhanger. One of my favorite episodes "Unusual Suspects" goes into how the Lone Gunmen came to be. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is loosely based on the Frankenstien monster, and is shot in black and white. This was definately one of the best episodes I have seen so far. Everything from the writing and cinematography, to the music used was fantastic. "Bad Blood" is the funniest and most entertaining episode of The X-Files that I have ever seen, and will probably go down as being my favorite episode of the entire show. "The End" is the best season finale of the show that I have seen so far, and is definately on my top ten list for best episodes. Overall, the fifth season of The X-Files is the best season I have seen so far. While there were only 20 episodes, each one managed to be fantastic. The fifth season would be worth owning for the episodes alone. However, the DVD package is great. This was the first DVD set to offer the episodes in widescreen! The extras are very good as well. My favorite feature was the 45 minute "Inside the X-Files" featurette. It was very in-depth and featured tons of great information. You also get deleted scenes with commentary from series creator Chris Carter, commentary on the episodes "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and "The Pine Bluff Variant" from the writer of those particular episodes, and more. A solid 5 stars...
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