The X-Files: The Complete Season 2 [Blu-ray]

There are two major differences between Season One and Season Two of THE X-FILES. First, there is an overall increase in the quality of individual episodes. The writing and production in Season One was very sharp, but the writing was even more finely honed in the second season. Even in the episodes that dealt with the "phenomena of the week," there is a persistent increase in the quality of the new characters introduced, and the complexity of the situations. In other words, there is no sophomore slump for these guys. The second major difference is a slight increase in the complexity of the back story. Partially this is done by a couple of multi-episode stories and partially by developing the longer arc of a complex and nefarious conspiracy of silence on the part of a shadowy federal agency that seems to be connected with the Department of Defense. There is a great deal of character development, especially of secondary characters. The Deep Throat of Season One has been replaced by a new Deep Throat, a highly placed African-American who is far more ruthless than the original Deep Throat. Assistant Deputy Director Skinner becomes a more important character, one whose loyalties are hard to place, but one who clearly is capable of at times being Mulder and Scully's most loyal friend, though more frequently their taskmaster and disciplinarian. The Smoking Man continues to lurk in the shadows, radiating patronizing tyranny and an aura of conspiratorial intrigue. Even Mulder and Scully, who were magnificently conceived characters from the very first episode, learn new things that show their lives to be more complex than they had suspected (and in the two shows that begin Season Three that complete the story that begins in the final episode of Season Two show that there is much, much more to learn than they even remotely suspect).The start of the season finds Scully in a coma, the X-Files unit disbanded, and Mulder assigned to outrageously trivial surveillance work. Of course, all works out in a series of spectacular episodes. Those fans of Gillian Anderson's crystal blue-eyed, porcelain beauty might notice that she doesn't look quite as lovely early in the season, a function partly of a terrible hairstyling mistake (her bob with bangs instead of her usual part, which utterly alters the balance of her face) and partly of her being extremely pregnant. I applaud the makers of the show for not trying to work her pregnancy into the story line, instead hiding it use of the billowing trench coats that help constitute Scully and Mulder's uniforms. The pregnancy is easy to see in her face, it getting rounder and fuller as she got further into the pregnancy. In fact, if you do a screenshot of her in her last episodes before having her daughter, and compare it to one from an episode either early in Season One or from Season Three, the difference in her face is dramatic. Pregnancies are always hard to work around, but this is one of the more interesting attempts in TV history for their refusal to work it into the plot.One thing that is not frequently noted is how unusual both Mulder and Scully are from most action heroes. Neither has especial physical prowess. In fact, it is hard to recall a time when Mulder has come out on top in a scuffle. These guys are not street fighters, and while each can often be found drawing their guns when exploring a room or building, they are not trigger happy individuals. Furthermore, only rarely do they come across as being in absolute control of situations. They are not forceful individuals, either physically or in personality. They tend to back down a lot. They do not throw their authority around very often, not merely, I suspect, because they do not trust that judges will back them up, but because their style is more to persuade and cajole rather than to force. They stand in stark contrast to all similar characters in action or FBI shows.My one complaint with Season Two is that there is too much emphasis on individual shows. I'm sure much of the cause of this is pressure from network execs to limit the multi-episode stories. Certainly many of the single episode shows are absolutely outstanding. For instance, the one featuring Jim Rose and The Enigma from the Jim Rose Freak Show is incredibly entertaining (as well as quite funny, with the most unique ending of an evil entity in the first two seasons of the show) as well as shocking; it is one thing to see The Enigma shoveling living bugs down his throat (in their stage show, he eats worse), but it is rather surprising when Scully snacks on a grasshopper (something that interviews confirm was not faked, though her producing the grasshopper later through sleight of hand was). But as fine as many of the individual episodes are, the series rises to a completely different level in those episodes that expand to two or three episodes. The stand alone episodes make great TV, but the multi-episode arcs make spectacular television. I always experience a sense of disappointment when I realize an arc has ended and we have returned to the X-File-of-the-Week format.Those who have not yet seen THE X-FILES in their entirety are lucky because they can now work their way all the way through the series season by season, not having to wait a week (or several months in the case of season-ending cliffhangers) to see what happens next, and being able to watch them in pristine DVD without having to be interrupted by inane commercials (is "inane commercial" redundant?). This is television as fine as it has ever gotten.

Renewed! Renewed for a second season, neat-o!

It was very early in the second season that I got my first whiff of THE X-FILES. I remember walking into my parents' bedroom one night and seeing my dad watching something on TV---some scary story about a human flukeworm. I am referring, of course, to the season's well-known second episode "The Host," and it was from that episode on that I was hooked on the show, with its glorious mix of the creepy, the paranormal, and the paranoid.I recently decided to start collecting all nine seasons of THE X-FILES on DVD, and while of course the logical thing to do is to start with the very first season, I simply could not resist starting the collection off with this DVD set of the complete second season. There are just too many memorable moments in this season to count! I don't dare pick one lone favorite episode from any of the 25, since almost all of them have something stimulating or just plain freaky in them---and even comparatively weaker episodes at least have Mark Snow's brilliant (if sometimes repetitive) underscore to set a properly scary mood.**********So, some personal highlights from this great season:"The Host": the first X-FILES episode I ever sawScully's abduction in the "Duane Barry/Ascension" mytharc, which leads to her emotional return in "One Breath" (David Duchovny affectingly portraying Mulder's anger and frustration)---certainly one of the better mytharcs, although for me it is topped by...Mulder's sister's supposed return in "Colony/Endgame," still for me the best, most gripping two-parter the show ever conceived"Irresistible" saw a very vulnerable Scully clearly rattled by a case involving a death fetishist (chillingly played by Nick Chinlund) who is now resorting to murder to satisfy his twisted mores. One of the more disturbing stand-alone X-FILES episodes of the season, and one that doesn't skimp on character development, like some other stand-alones do"Dod Kalm" is not an episode that is mentioned a lot by fans, as far as I know, but I think its moody, contemplative, slow-moving flow---as well as some priceless interaction between our two heroes at the end---works to make this a highlight of the season (despite the contrivances and the cheesy make-up on the aging Mulder and Scully, although I find the latter at least to be forgivable here)"Humbug," the first "humorous" X-FILES episode from writer Darin Morgan, and a rightful classic"F. Emasculata" shows one of the show's best directors, Rob Bowman (he of course directed the X-FILES movie), in top form, sustaining considerable tension in a tale about a deadly plague and efforts to keep it under control (and under wraps). Sure, it's derivative of the movie OUTBREAK, and yea it's gross, but it still worksAnd of course the cliffhanger at the end of "Anasazi," one of the better season-ending cliffhangers of the show**********This was the season that expanded the popularity of THE X-FILES, and it is not hard to see why: gripping stories, consistently good acting from Duchovny and Anderson, and the fact that it touches upon a chord of paranoia that has always been an undercurrent in this country. I will always have a soft spot for Season 2 of THE X-FILES---and even though the show died out with a disappointing whimper by the end of the ninth season, the show will always have its rightful place in television history, if not all of sci-fi/horror history too.

This second season of 'The X-Files' begins where the previous season left off with the X-Files shut down, Deep Throat killed and Mulder and Scully separated. Not everything is going badly however as Mulder still apparently has friends within the FBI and the government he didn't even know about who wish the truth to be known.The episodes in this season are all very entertaining with a good mix of monster-of-the-week episodes alongside episodes that focus on the series myth arc and government conspiracy with both of these styles of episode including some very good episodes and some poorer episodes. The season does see Scully leave the show for a brief period (due to Gillian Anderson being pregnant) and the writers do a good job of working this into the plot. Of the episodes in this season my favourites have to be episode 4, 'Sleepless', that is about mysterious deaths and introduces the characters of X and Krycek; episode 15, 'Fresh Bones', which deals with voodoo; and episode 19, 'Død Kalm', which sees Mulder and Scully investigate a ghost ship. Another notable episode is episode 20, 'Humbug', which is arguably the first straight comedy episode of the series and is very funny throughout. My least favourite episodes are probably episodes 16 and 17, 'Colony' and 'End Game', a two part story that sees identical strangers murdered and has personal ramifications for Mulder.The season sees both Assistant-Director Skinner and the Cancer Man taking a bigger role in the narrative with both characters probably being two of my favourite recurring characters. The new people introduced in this season (X, Krycek and the alien bounty hunter) are also all quite interesting with their respective actors doing a very good job of portraying them.Overall this second season of 'The X-Files' was a very solid one with very few missteps and is easily worth a full five stars.

Season Two Of The Hugely Popular X Files Series Comes Spread Over Seven Disc's With a Stunning Blu ray Transfer. The picture is in it's original 4.3 Ratio and fills your TV screen The season picks up straight were season one ended with The X Files closed down and for The first few episodes Fox Mulder ( David Duchovy ) going it alone Trying To resurrect The files of course Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson ) is never far away. some of The Best episodes That really launched The series into The Big Time is featured on This set including fan favourite episode Irresistible. Extras on The Disc's feature a Season Two introduction by series creator Chris Carter. Deleted scenes in reality Though Nothing new as been added for The Blu ray releases if you already owned The Season's DVD's. One little bit of Down play for me with This release is The Menu for The Disc's you really have To strain To see as you Highlight your choiced episodes They are a bit on The light side with The episodes wording. and it's a safe bet The rest of The Season's Menu's will be The same. The Truth Is Still Out There Though with This release Five Stars. Just A Tad Shy On The Menu Layout.

Not region A but region freePicture and sound quality superbWith extrasThe x files. Have been closed down following the last episode season 1. BothFox and Dana reassigned to different. Areas Dana in the medical crimes unit teaching fox doing background checksIn this. Season Gillian took a quick absence because she just had a baby and returned after 3days and this was fitted in to the season after her abduction and return... Great stamina for ms Anderson. The. Second season sees the appearance of krycheck and the reopening of x files by skinnerThe blue. Ray sets are not available thru uk or EU sellers at this time. But through. A hand full in North America all box sets start at a reasonable. Price at around £19

Absolutely excellent! Season two is just as good as the first, I'm glad to say. The box set itself is not such a good design though, and for some bizarre reason they put the last episode on the special features disc, and it doesn't say anywhere! The special features disc just rattles around in a cardboard sleeve, and I totally missed 'Anasazi' until I decided to watch the extras!Giving this five stars because it's the actual series that matters in the end.

I ordered from OnlineMusicFilmsGames and paid for a pre-owned copy of the DVD box set (less than £4 including P&P), but what I received was a brand new mint condition copy still in it's cellophane wrapping! I can't say this will happen every time, but it's a very pleasant surprise when it does. Also plays perfectly. Thanks