After a fantastic first season of The X-Files, new challenges awaited the cast and crew at the start of the second season. For one, co-star Gillian Anderson was pregnant. Although she was sure she would be replaced, the producers chose to do something else and incorporate her disappearance over the course of a number of episodes taking the series in a different direction. This storyline - having her abducted by aliens - led to an on-going story throughout the remainder of the show, and much of what made The X-Files a legendary television show.

The premise of the show surrounds unconventional FBI agent Fox Mulder (portrayed by David Duchovny). In the first season, his supernatural take on the cases that crossed his desk led to him to be partnered with new agent Dana Scully (Anderson). Scully's mission was to de-bunk much of what Mulder was coming up with. Their superiors believed her medical background would make it a piece of cake. That wasn't quite the case, and although Scully was not a believer at the end of the first season, she was definitely looking at things a bit differently.

At the end of the first season, The X-Files had been shut down and Mulder and Scully re-assigned. The beginning of Season Two finds Fox Mulder trying to get around the sanctions against him. He is on wiretap duty in Washington DC and bored out of his mind. Dana Scully is teaching forensics to students.

The bond between the two which would be paramount in later seasons of the series had not been forged yet. Mulder still sees himself as a loner and doing this on his own, despite overtures from Scully. The first episode of this second season helps forge the bonds of their friendship all the more when Scully risks all to come after him in Puerto Rico. This storyline also brings in Assistant Director Skinner (portrayed by Mitch Pileggi) more. He becomes a pivotal character this season as well.

This season also builds on what we've already learned about the characters. There's more about Mulder's background and the alleged alien abduction of his sister. While he talked about it the first season, during the second season it's brought to the forefront and becomes more real.

Scully's absence also allows for the introduction of what will become the recurring character of Alex Krycek (portrayed by Nicholas Lea). This was done to give Mulder a partner temporarily, while the charadcter of Scully was written out due to Gillian Anderson's pregnancy. Krycek makes his appearance early in the season, when Scully was still around a bit, and later gets brought to the forefront.

New recurring characters are introduced and the old ones make appearances again. Mr. X (portrayed by Steven Williams) takes over where Deep Throat left off in the first season. The Cigarette Smoking Man (portrayed by William B. Davis) seems to be shadowing Mulder's every step in the central conspiracy, dangling carrots of information in front of him, only to have it lead to a dead end or use it to manipulate Mulder into doing what he wants. The Lone Gunmen (portrayed by Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood, and Dean Haglund) are back as well, providing comic relief in even the most serious episodes.

As the season wore on, it would seem Mulder managed to capture his personal holy grail. But is it really what he wants? And will he trade it for Scully's life?

My favorite episodes always were the stand-alones with the strange cases that weren't related to the central alien abduction story and government conspiracy. There's plenty of those this season. One of the great ones is The Host which takes place in the sewers of New Jersey, but there are also plenty of stories of odd happenings, including the occult, visions, miracle cures, cults, mysterious illnesses, and spontaneous human combustion. Not to lose sight of some of the acerbic comedy the series is known for, one of the funniest episodes of the series airs midway through this season. Humbug is about a murder that takes place among sideshow freaks.

There are some episodes that really seemed to pick up on what drives us as a culture. In particular, Blood dealt with the culture of fear and how our own government could try to use fear as a weapon. As unrealistic as that might have sounded back then, looking a the culture of fear that has pervaded this country in the last seven or eight years makes what was implausible then quite plausible now.

At times the shows seem redundant, especially with the episodes that are separate from the core alien virus story. Many episodes start after the credits with Mulder and Scully discussing a case they have been assigned. Mulder can extend his thinking beyond the ordinary and is excited about the case while Scully is frustrated, believing the team is on a wild-goose chase at the hands of those above them in authority. However, there is enough that is different and mysterious that I find it continues to hook me in.

The season-ending cliff-hanger, Anasazi, is great, and the one I remember most from my days of watching the show. Mulder's father is about to reveal all he knows to his son when he is gunned down. To top it off, Mulder isn't acting like himself and seems to be lashing out in anger at everyone around him, including Scully when she's trying to help him. Just when it seems he's made a huge breakthrough, government agents show up and torch the scene with Mulder apparently inside! I can remember waiting all summer trying to decipher just how they were going to get him out of this one.

The DVD release is pretty comprehensive. There are seven discs to the set with four episodes on each. There's also plenty of bonus material for anyone who enjoys that. I am a bonus material junkie and I was more than satisfied although I didn't like the way the deleted scenes were handled. I would rather have them set up and shown all together at the end of the episode or separately, rather than having to watch the episodes again and look for the "X" in the lower right of the screen. This is on all of the episodes in this season that have any sort of deleted scenes or behind the scenes clips. The seventh disc only contains the final episode of the season, but then there are a three featurettes about the season, plus behind the scenes clips. There's a lot here to see that's both interesting and relevant to the show.

These early seasons of The X-Files were whent he series was great. It hadn't yet become bogged down in conspiracies and grandiose stories. There was enough balance between what would become the mythology of the series and episodes that stood on their own to keep it interesting and accessible to all. I highly recommend this season, but I'd definitely opt to take the series in order and check out all that was good in the first season before this one.



Disc One:

• Little Green Men
• The Host
• Blood
• Sleepless

Extra Features:

• Deleted Scenes from Sleepless

Disc Two:

• Duane Barry
• Ascention
• 3
• One Breath

Extra Features:

• International Clips from Duane Barry
• Deletec Scenes from 3
• International Clips from One Breath

Disc Three:

• Firewalker
• Red Museum
• Excelsius Dei
• Aubrey

Disc Four:

• Irresistible
• Die Hand die Verltzt
• Fresh Bones
• Colony

Disc Five:

• End Game
• Fearful Symmetry
• Dod Kalm
• Humbug

Extra Features:

• Deleted Scenes from Humbug

Disc Six:

• The Calusari
• F. Emasculata
• Soft Light
• Our Town

Disc Seven:

• Anasazi

Extra Features:

• Documentary: The Truth About Season Two
• Chris Carter Talks About Season Two
• FX: Behind the Truth
• Behind the Scenes Clips
• Deleted Scenes
• Promo Spots

My other X-Files reviews:

Season One ~ Season Two ~ Season Three ~ Season Four ~ Season Five ~ Fight the Future ~ Season Six




© 2008 Patti Aliventi

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD