Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The X-Files: The Collector's Set Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 16, 2015

There are a number of “where were you when. . .” questions which have entered the public lexicon over the years. For some of our parents and/or grandparents, it may have been queries like “Where were you when Pearl Harbor was attacked?” or “When were you when World War II ended?” or even “Where were you when President Roosevelt died?”, while post-War Baby Boomers might gravitate more toward inquiries like “Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?” Gen X-ers would probably be more prone to focus on things like the Challenger explosion or 9/11, the latter also being a defining moment and memory for older millennials. While this certainly doesn’t rise to the epochal level of those particular events, for some who were paying attention to broadcast television and the then still upstart Fox network circa 1993, another question might be asked without seeming too silly, namely, “Where were you when you first watched The X-Files?” I had seen an article about the series in Entertainment Weekly or some similar magazine and when my wife (then my girlfriend) and I took a vacation to the lovely Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia, I suggested we catch the show that Friday evening as we unwound in our hotel room. It must have been January 1994, at least as evidenced by online data listing episode air dates, for the episode we watched that evening was called “Gender Bender” and involved FBI agents Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) investigating a case that seemed to involve a culprit who doesn’t need sex reassignment surgery in order to transform from male to female (and back again). My wife and I were immediately captivated by the show, and it became “must see TV” for us, as in fact it turned out it had become for several other couples we ended up hanging out with as the first season continued. A group of us actually ended up having “watching parties”, especially as the first season wound up with a shocking climax involving one recurring character, a guy who pronounced an epigram that would come to define the paranoiac sensibilities of the series: “Trust no one.” The X- Files tried to toe a sometimes precarious line between “monster of the week” standalone episodes and an increasingly dense (and at times frankly nonsensical) mythology that involved everything from aliens to bees (and maybe even alien bees). The show actually can be seen now as a precursor to other mythologically prone outings like Lost: The Complete Collection, though unlike that castaway drama, The X-Files arguably outstayed its welcome by sticking around for nine seasons and over 200 episodes. That’s an awful lot of mistrust (so to speak), and the show probably began to display signs of attrition if not outright lethargy around halfway through its iconic run. Still, for many, Scully and Mulder remain as two of the most memorable characters ever created for a television series, and the overall spookiness of the show has created a seemingly deathless fanbase that is no doubt waiting with bated breath for the series’ much anticipated (supposed short form) reboot.

The reason why that aforementioned question about remembering where you were when you first saw The X-Files might not be so very ridiculous after all is that the show, in fact much like Lost several years later, was something rather unique and previously unseen, though creator Chris Carter has always been quick to point out antecedents like his childhood favorite Kolchak: The Night Stalker or (at least tangentially) anthology outings like The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series . But from virtually the get go, The X-Files managed to offer a decidedly different take on the paranormal, one anchored in the personal travails of FBI Agent Fox Mulder, who has been dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his kid sister years ago, a vanishing Mulder has ascribed to pesky alien interloping (and abduction). When Dana Scully is appointed as his partner, in part to putatively debunk his “X-File” investigations into enigmatic happenings that have no obvious rational explanation, the stage is set for an “odd couple” pairing that features both a “believer” (i.e., Mulder) and a “skeptic” (i.e., Scully). As Carter discusses in one of the legacy supplements ported over to this release, he deliberately skewed supposedly traditional gender classifications for these two categories, making the male the acolyte of the “beyond” and the female the doubting Thomas (and/or Thomasina, as the case may be).

The arc of the series is rather interesting to experience now for those who can manage to “binge watch” an astounding nine seasons worth of rather convoluted goings on. The show actually hit the ground running fairly well, though it took writers most of the first season to firmly establish the interrelationship between Scully and Mulder, as well as to manage a balance between the individual “monsters” and the overriding mythology. For this particular X-Files fan, the show really started hitting its stride toward the end of the first season, a proclivity which continued and probably even increased over at least the next couple of seasons. Signs that the mythology was becoming too dense for even the writers to effectively handle may have begun as early as the fourth or fifth season, and even diehard aficionados of the show tend to agree that there was a slow if surprisingly incremental decline for the series’ last three years, especially once Duchovny became a recurring rather than a regular performer.

The X-Files is notable from any number of perspectives, but one way the show managed to defy expectations was in its wise handling of the relationship between Scully and Mulder, where typically doe-eyed romanticism took a back seat to a kind of no nonsense bantering friendship. The series has standout episodes in virtually every season, even the less than stellar final years, and introduced a number of extremely memorable adversaries and/or supporting characters. If the show’s labyrinthine proclivities perhaps ultimately caused it to “jump the shark” (a cheekily titled episode is actually called this late in the show’s run), its unsettlingly paranoiac stance was a rare thing for series television in its day, especially broadcast network television. Trusting has never been the same since, though fans are obviously putting faith in the efforts of Chris Carter and the gang to return Scully and Mulder to the glory days of yore once the new reboot begins airing soon.

For those watching their cash outlay, individual seasons of the show are available as standalone releases:

The X-Files: Season 1

The X-Files: Season 2

The X-Files: Season 3

The X-Files: Season 4

The X-Files: Season 5

The X-Files: Season 6

The X-Files: Season 7

The X-Files: Season 8

The X-Files: Season 9

The X-Files: The Collector's Set Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The X-Files: The Collector's Set is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. That's right—1.78:1 for the entire series, despite the fact that the first four seasons were originally broadcast in 1.33:1. (May I just put out a plea to the Universe: could there be one iconic release I'm tasked with reviewing which does not come equipped with a built in controversy? Thank you in advance.) Before fans get too worked up (whoops, sorry, too late, as evidenced by our Forum), original cinematographer John Bartley is on record as stating the show was always filmed in widescreen with so-called "safeties" in mind, meaning that while it was originally shown in a 4:3 frame, a 16:9 frame was always "available," and the fact is while the first several seasons are obviously not in their original aspect ratio, there are no totally egregious framing issues, at least when looking dispassionately at what's on screen. Yes, sides have been opened up marginally, and there is often material missing from the tops and bottoms of shots, especially close- ups (where Mulder's quasi-bouffant hair in the first couple of years frequently doesn't make it completely into the frame), but it does appear that quite a bit of care has been taken to offer the show in a new if not "improved" aspect ratio which was no doubt undertaken to make the series more appealingly licensable for years to come. Other choices, like the replacement of the show's original (and quite distinctive) fonts, seem more arbitrary and may actually invite at least as much umbrage as the reframed aspect ratio issue.

The bulk of this release looks excellent, though as several online sources featuring interviews with those involved in the restoration have documented, some elements were not available on film, and have been upconverted from various sources. This gives a somewhat heterogenous look to at least snippets of some episodes, where true high definition content sometimes clashes rather noticeably with the upconverted material. There are occasional issues like digital sharpening easily on display in some of the upconverted snippets.

These admittedly intermittent issues may cause temporary annoyance and/or distraction, but when taking the rather massive amount of material on hand here as a whole, this release offers generally excellent video quality which features very good to excellent sharpness and clarity, and some nice detail, especially in close-ups. While it's impossible to state that things like contrast and (especially) black levels remain totally consistent throughout all nine seasons, again speaking generally the look of the series is quite commendable and organic looking. (Update: It appears that some of the black level issues in season 8 may be due to RGB levels having been incorrectly set at some point during the production process.)

Screenshots 1-5 offer peeks at the first five seasons. Beginning with screenshot 6, every season save for the ninth has four screenshots (e.g., Season 1 is featured in screenshots 6-9, Season 2 in screenshots 10-13, and so on). The ninth season has three screenshots (38-40), due to limitations of the number of screenshots we can upload to any given review.

The X-Files: The Collector's Set Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The X-Files features lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 which tends to fully come alive in special effects sequences, where things like whirling supernatural phenomena can provide immersive opportunities which are otherwise not present in the dialogue driven scenes. The surround tracks tend to isolate ambient environmental effects in discrete channels, but the overall effect here is perhaps less active than in newer, more sonically ambitious, series. Still, fidelity is excellent and dynamic range extremely wide over the course of the nine seasons, and there are no issues of any kind to warrant concern.

The X-Files: The Collector's Set Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

(Note: There are occasional aspect ratio hiccups scattered throughout some of the abundant supplemental material, with a few offerings being anamorphically stretched, and others being squeezed. The bulk of the supplements, whether in 1.33:1 or 1.78:1, look accurate from an anamorphic standpoint.)

Season One

Disc One
• Introduction to Pilot by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:10)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 14:12)


• Series Introduction by Frank Spotnitz (480i; 00:36)


• Deleted Scenes (480i; 2:54)


• Audio Commentary on Deep Throat by Chris Carter


• Pilot International Clips include German (480i; 1:13), Italian (480i; 00:54), Japanese (480i; 1:03), Spanish (480i; 1:05)

Disc Two
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 2:05)


• The Jersey Devil International Clips include German (480i; 1:03), Japanese (480i; 1:16), Spanish (480i; 1:22)


• Ice International Clips include Italian (480i; 1:08), Japanese (480i; 1:05), Spanish (480i; 1:03)

Disc Three
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 6:11)


• Special Effects Sequence From Fallen Angel (480i; 00:33)


• Space International Clips include German (480i; 1:12), Japanese (480i; 00:58)


• Fire International Clips include Italian (480i; 1:05), Japanese (480i; 00:59), Spanish (480i; 00:52)

Disc Four
• Introduction to Beyond the Sea by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:38)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 3:16)


• Beyond the Sea International Clips include German (480i; 1:10), Italian (480i; 1:05), Japanese (480i; 1:25), Spanish (480i; 1:01)

Disc Five
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 5:05)


• E.B.E. International Clips include German (480i; 1:06), Italian (480i; 1:04), Japanese (480i; 1:08), Spanish (480i; 1:23)

Disc Six
• Audio Commentary on The Erlenmeyer Flask by R.W. Goodwin


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 1 (480i; 4:27)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 1 (480i; 11:05)


• FX: Behind the Truth (480i; 12:37)


• Television Spots (480i; 14:04)


• Tooms International Clips include German (480i; 00:48), Italian (480i; 1:08), Japanese (480i; 1:04), Spanish (480i; 1:18)


• The Erlenmeyer Flask International Clips include German (480i; 00:57), Japanese (480i; 00:56)

Season Two

Disc One
• Introduction to The Host by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:33)


• Deleted Scene (480i; 1:20)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 7:39)

Disc Two
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 4:28)


• Audio Commentary on Duane Barry by Chris Carter


• Deleted Scene (480i; 00:30)


• Duane Barry International Clips include German (480i; 1:24), Italian (480i; 1:09), Japanese (480i; 1:28), Spanish (480i; 00:38)

Disc Three
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 3:10)


• One Breath International Clips include German (480i; 1:00), Italian (480i; 1:04), Japanese (480i; 00:55), Spanish (480i; 1:24)

Disc Four
• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 4:15)


• Irresistible International Clips include German (480i; 00:52), Italian (480i; 1:05), Japanese (480i; 1:14), Spanish (480i; 00:55)

Disc Five
• Audio Commentary on End Games by Frank Spotnitz


• Behind the Scenes Clip (480i; 00:37)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 4:41)

Disc Six
• Deleted Scene (480i; 1:09)


• Behind the Scenes Clip (480i; 1:05)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 2:19)


• Humbug International Clips include German (480i; 1:22), Italian (480i; 00:56), Japanese (480i; 1:15), Spanish (480i; 00:52)

Disc Seven
• Audio Commentary on Anasazi by R.W. Goodwin


• Deleted Scene (480i; 00:40)


• Behind the Scenes Clip (480i; 00:31)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 2 (480i; 1:53)


• Anasazi International Clips include German (480i; 1:10), Japanese (480i; 1:04), Spanish (480i; 1:10)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 2 (480i; 14:32)


• FX: Behind the Truth (480i; 9:20)


• Television Spots (480i; 13:13)

Season Three

Disc One
• Introduction to Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:43)


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 5:54)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 4:04)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 3 (480i; 5:58)


• Paper Clip International Clips include German (480i; 1:06), Italian (480i; 1:01), Japanese (480i; 00:55), Spanish (480i; 1:08)

Disc Two
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 3:09)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 1:31)


• The Walk International Clips include German (480i; 1:03), Italian (480i; 1:55), Japanese (480i; 1:10), Spanish (480i; 1:01)

Disc Three
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 2:19)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 00:57)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 3 (480i; 5:51)


• War of the Coprophages International Clips include German (480i; 1:02), Italian (480i; 1:05), Japanese (480i; 1:02), Spanish (480i; 1:04)

Disc Four
• Audio Commentary on Apocrypha by Kim Manners and Chris Carter


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 1:48)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 3 (480i; 2:56)


• Piper Maru International Clips include German (480i; 1:05), Italian (480i; 1:02), Japanese (480i; 00:59), Spanish (480i; 1:02)

Disc Five
• Audio Commentary on Jose Chung's From Outer Space by Rob Bowman and Darin Morgan


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 4:04)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 3 (480i; 2:40)


• Pusher International Clips include German (480i; 1:03), Italian (480i; 1:04), Japanese (480i; 1:07), Spanish (480i; 1:01)

Disc Six
• Audio Commentary on Talitha Cumi by R.W. Goodwin


• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 2:39)


• Deleted Scene (480i; 1:26)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Mat Beck (480i; 00:54)


• Chris Carter Talks About Season 3 (480i; 3:02)


• Talitha Cumi International Clips include German (480i; 1:08), Italian (480i; 1:00), Japanese (480i; 1:01), Spanish (480i; 1:01)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 3 (480i; 21:18)


• Threads of Mythology: Abduction (480i; 27:29)


• FX: Behind the Truth (480i; 17:33)


• Television Spots (480i; 12:52)

Season Four

Disc One
• Deleted Scenes (480i; 1:30)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:08)


• Herrenvolk - Interview with Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:47)


• Home - Interview with James Wong (480i; 2:20)


• Unruhe - Interview with Vince Gilligan (480i; 2:16)


• Alternate Audio for Home Teaser


• Home International Clips include German (480i; 00:48), Japanese (480i; 1:27), Spanish (480i; 1:03)

Disc Two
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 3:20)


• Deleted Scene (480i; 2:32)


• Tungunska - Interview with Chris Carter (480i; 3:19)


• Tungunska International Clips include German (480i; 1:07), Japanese (480i; 1:24), Spanish (480i; 1:23)

Disc Three
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 1:42)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:34)


• Paper Hearts - Interview with Vince Gilligan (480i; 1:38)


• Paper Hearts International Clips include German (480i; 1:03), Japanese (480i; 1:05), Spanish (480i; 1:18)

Disc Four
• Introduction to Memento Mori by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 2:37)


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 6:10)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 4:09)


• Memento Mori International Clips include German (480i; 1:04), Japanese (480i; 1:18), Spanish (480i; 1:24)


• Audio Commentary on Memento Mori by Frank Spotnitz


• Audio Commentary on Memento Mori by Rob Bowman

Disc Five
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 1:42)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:58)


• Tempus Fugit International Clips include German (480i; 1:07), Japanese (480i; 00:57), Spanish (480i; 1:11)


• Audio Commentary on Max by Kim Manners


• Audio Commentary on Small Potatoes by Vince Gilligan

Disc Six
• Documentary: The Truth About Season 4 (480i; 23:55)


• FX: Behind the Truth (480i; 13:41)


• Television Spots (480; 12:53)


• Gethsemane International Clips include German (480i; 1:20), Japanese (480i; 00:47), Spanish (480i; 00:36)

Season Five

Disc One
• Redux International Clips include German (480i; 00:54), Italian (480i; 1:02), Japanese (480i; 1:31), Spanish (480i; 1:12)

Disc Two
• Introduction to The Post-Modern Prometheus by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:45)


• Audio Commentary on The Post-Modern Prometheus by Chris Carter


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 4:52)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:03)


• Christmas Carol International Clips include German (480i; 2:05), Italian (480i; 1:08), Japanese (480i; 1:25), Spanish (480i; 1:28)

Disc Three
• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:31)


• Kill Switch International Clips include German (480i; 1:20), Italian (480i; 1:09), Japanese (480i; 00:56), Spanish (480i; 00:51)

Disc Four
• Introduction to Bad Blood by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:51)


• Audio Commentary on Patient X by Kim Manners


• Audio Commentary on The Red and the Black by Chris Carter


• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 1:48)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 5:42)


• Patient X International Clips include German (480i; 1:19), Italian (480i; 00:54), Japanese (480i; 00:51), Spanish (480i; 1:10)

Disc Five
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 3:27)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 3:12)

Disc Six
• Audio Commentary on The Pine Bluff Variant by John Shiban


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:56)


• Threads of Mythology: Black Oil (480i; 31:40)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 5 (480i; 19:23)


• FX: Behind the Truth (480i; 11:31)


• Inside the X-Files (480i; 45:29)


• FX Featurette (480i; 1:54)


• Television Spots (480i; 10:41)


• The End International Clips include German (480i; 00:54), Italian (480i; 1:14), Japanese (480i; 1:26), Spanish (480i; 1:25)

Season Six

Disc One
• Audio Commentary on Triangle by Chris Carter


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 3:16)


• The Beginning International Clips include German (480i; 1:20), Italian (480i; 1:33), Japanese (480i; 1:02), Spanish (480i; 00:45)

Disc Two
• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 9:44)


• Dreamland II International Clips include German (480i; 1:27), Italian (480i; 1:01), Japanese (480i; 1:35), Spanish (480i; 1:39)

Disc Three
• Audio Commentary on Two Fathers by Kim Manners


• Audio Commentary on One Son by Frank Spotnitz


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz (480i; 13:30)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 00:14)


• Two Fathers International Clips include German (480i; 1:20), Italian (480i; 1:01), Japanese (480i; 00:35), Spanish (480i; 1:05)

Disc Four
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz (480i; 3:53)


• Arcadia International Clips include German (480i; 1:05), Italian (480i; 1:19), Japanese (480i; 1:04), Spanish (480i; 00:50)

Disc Five
• Introduction to Milagro by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:51) also features an unannounced guest.


• Audio Commentary on Milagro by Kim Manners


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz (480i; 9:26)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:12)

Disc Six
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz (480i; 2:11)


• Three of a Kind International Clips include German (480i; 1:04), Italian (480i; 1:18), Japanese (480i; 1:11), Spanish (480i; 1:23)


• Biogenesis International Clips include German (480i; 1:09), Italian (480i; 1:16), Japanese (480i; 1:05), Spanish (480i; 1:02)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 6 (480i; 20:58)


• Behind the Scenes Featurette (480i; 2:01)


• X-Files Profiles: Cigarette Smoking Man (480i; 6:07)


• Television Spots (480i; 11:46)

Season Seven

Disc One
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 1:33)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 3:58)


• The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati International Clips include German (480i; 1:39), Italian (480i; 1;15), Japanese (480i; 00:55), Spanish (480i; 00:47)

Disc Two
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 1:12)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 4:58)


• The Amazing Maleeni International Clips include German (480i; 1:05), Italian (480i; 00:57), Japanese (480i; 1:42), Spanish (480i; 00:50)

Disc Three
• Audio Commentary on Closure by Kim Manners


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 3:13)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:33)


• Closure International Clips include German (480i; 1:56), Italian (480i; 1:40), Japanese (480i; 1:55), Spanish (480i; 1:29)

Disc Four
• Audio Commentary on First Person Shooter by Chris Carter


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 8:21)


• Special Effects Sequence with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:49)


• En Ami International Clips include German (480i; 1:13), Italian (480i; 1:07), Japanese (480i; 1:46), Spanish (480i; 1:13)

Disc Five
• Audio Commentary on All Things by Gillian Anderson


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 2:36)


• Hollywood A.D. International Clips include German (480i; 00:40), Japanese (480i; 1:33), Spanish (480i; 1:43)

Disc Six
• Audio Commentary on Je Souhaite by Vince Gilligan


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter (480i; 4:00)


• Special Effects Sequences with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 5:32)


• Requiem International Clips include German (480i; 2:32), Japanese (480i; 1:56), Spanish (480i; 1:35)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 7 (480i; 19:57)


• X-Files Profiles: A.D. Skinner (480i; 6:15) and Samantha Mulder (480i; 5:12)


• Television Spots (480i; 12:15)

Season Eight

Disc One
• Audio Commentary on Within by Kim Manners and Robert Patrick


• Special Effects Sequence by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:14)


• Within International Clips include German (480i; 00:57), Italian (480i; 00:56), Japanese (480i; 1:27)

Disc Two
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban (480i; 1:12)


• Via Negativa International Clips include German (480i; 2:09), Italian (480i; 2:17), Japanese (480i; 1:24)

Disc Three
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban (480i; 1:21)


• Special Effects Sequence by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 00:58)


• The Gift International Clips include German (480i; 1:27), Italian (480i; 1:36), Japanese (480i; 2:10)

Disc Four
• Audio Commentary on Deadalive by Frank Spotnitz


• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban (480i; 1:45)


• Special Effects Sequence by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 3:54)

Disc Five
• Audio Commentary on Vienen by Rod Hardy


• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban (480i; 1:15)


• Special Effects Sequences by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 5:25)


• Three Words International Clips include German (480i; 1:41), Italian (480i; 2:10), Japanese (480i; 1:34)

Disc Six
• Audio Commentary on Alone by Frank Spotnitz


• Audio Commentary on Existence by Kim Manners


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban (480i; 5:26)


• Special Effects Sequences by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 3:43)


• Essence International Clips include German (480i; 1:46), Italian (480i; 00:56), Japanese (480i; 1:56)


• Existence International Clips include German (480i; 2:04), Italian (480i; 1:24), Japanese (480i; 2:01)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 8 (480i; 23:12)


• Threads of Mythology: Colonization (480i; 27:15)


• X-Files Profiles: Gibson Praise (480i; 6:02), John Doggett (480i; 6:22) and Alex Krycek (480i; 6:23)


• Television Spots (480i; 11:12)

Season Nine

Disc One
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 11:44)


• Special Effects Sequence by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 00:41)


• Nothing Important Happened Today II International Clips include German (480i; 2:34), Italian (480i; 1:52), Japanese (480i; 1:25)

Disc Two
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 2:08)


• Special Effects Sequences by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:07)


• Trust No 1 International Clips include German (480i; 1:56), Italian (480i; 2:02), Japanese (480i; 1:43)

Disc Three
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:29)


• Special Effects Sequences by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 2:16)


• Provenance International Clips include German (480i; 2:02), Italian (480i; 1:16), Japanese (480i; 1:37)

Disc Four
• Audio Commentary on Improbable by Chris Carter


• Audio Commentary on Jump the Shark by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz


• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 1:40)


• Special Effects Sequence by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:19)


• William International Clips include German (480i; 1:36), Italian (480i; 00:35), Japanese (480i; 2:15), Spanish (480i; 1:05)

Disc Five
• Audio Commentary on The Truth by Kim Manners


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (480i; 4:18)


• Special Effects Sequences by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin (480i; 1:49)


• The Truth International Clips include German (480i; 1:27), Italian (480i; 1:47), Japanese (480i; 1:55)


• Reflections on The Truth Featurette (480i; 13:12)

Disc Six
• 2008 WonderCon Panel (480i; 26:48)


• Documentary: The Truth About Season 9 (480i; 20:44)


• The Making of The Truth (480i; 1:07:45)


• Secrets of The X-Files (480i; 42:58)


• More Secrets of The X-Files (480i; 45:05)


• Reflections on The X-Files (480i; 17:42)


• Threads of Mythology: Super Soldiers (480i; 26:59)


• X-Files Profiles: Monica Reyes (480i; 6:46) and Brad Follmer (480i; 7:46)


• Television Spots (480i; 11:02)

The X-Files: The Collector's Set Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a world of cookie cutter entertainments, The X-Files was largely sui generis and continues to be one of the more distinctive entries in series television of the past couple of decades. Fans are already jonesin' for the reboot, but will at least have this massive new set to keep them knee high (or higher) in conspiracy theory until the new version begins airing in 2016. While some fans are understandably upset about the absence of the original aspect ratios for the first few seasons and/or the kind of weird decision to replace the show's iconic fonts, when taking this release as a whole, The X-Files: The Collector's Set comes Highly recommended.