The X-Files: The Event Series (2016)

Details: By Loron Hays; 26 June 2016

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The X-Files: The Event Series (2016) - Blu-ray Review

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Something strange happened on the evening of the 24th of January this year. People were actually watching Fox again; a lot of people. When all fast-tracked Nielsen figures were in, the network reported that 13.5 million people, on a Sunday night after extended NFC championship football coverage, were glued to their sets. Why? It was simple. After 14 years (including a year of promotions), The X-Files was returning to television. And, with those reported numbers, Fox had reason to celebrate the kick-off of its 6-episode Season 10 revival of the biggest-game changers in television history…even if it was preempted by 30 minutes.

To put it bluntly, Fox owes The X-Files big time. It is, after all, the show that single-handedly turned the network into what it is today. While it dipped in quality it its final two years and was shuffled around in its time slot from the very beginning, the show grew to become a pop culture phenomenon that – at its zenith – was on both the small screen and the big screen. It continues to be a money maker for the network.

And, we, the fans who have been waiting for the show to return either on the big screen of the small one, were definitely not going to miss its return to the small screen…even if we had to sit through 30 extra minutes of sportscasters going on and on about football. So, yeah, Fox owes The X-Files. But, with this release on blu-ray, we can finally see the missing 30-minutes that many – using their DVR to record the series never saw.

The six episodes that make up what is now being marketed as “The Event Series” are going to be more appreciated by the older fans than the newer ones. The “shippers” might be disappointed by the divide between Mulder and Scully BUT everyone is in agreement that it is a collection of episodes that we’d rather have than not … even if it does end on a cliff-hanger. Don’t worry, though, the limited series was such a monster in snatching up ratings that it will be back…just not until next year or the year after that or the next one or, well, you get it.

Beginning with Mulder (David Duchovny) narrating his complex history with aliens and conspiracies, the show and its writers – Chris Carter, James Wong, Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan – add a new wrinkle to the alien conspiracy with started in 1993. Turns out, in 2016, that Mulder isn’t alone in his belief about a widespread conspiracy involving aliens, a shadow government, and a collection of rich, white men trying to take over the world. He just has to cross a huge political line.

In the first episode, right-wing online webcaster named Tad O'Malley (Joel McHale) is able to reunite Mulder and Scully (Gillian Anderson), now separated, and present them with a woman name Sveta (Annet Mahendru) who has disjointed memories and physical proof of having her fetus removed from her during an alien abduction. This stirs a passion in Mulder that results in a re-opening of not only his cases but of others. Also starring series regulars Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, and Annabeth Gish, the limited series introduced two new faces into the mix with Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein and Robbie Amell as Agent Miller as it tackles everything from terrorism to corporate takeovers.

Alien abductions are so passé in 2016. Or are they? Carter has managed – which was the aim of the limited series – to successfully bring back a format for the show to explore all the dark dealings that have gone on since the FBI closed The X-Files’ doors and America went into panic mode after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, surrendering personal freedoms along the way. Corporations and the government have grown twisted together into an ugly beast with no division between humanity and horror.

With Mulder and Scully back investigating in a new political atmosphere, the re-opening of The X-Files as a show – even in a limited run – makes perfect sense. Most critics were annoyed by the first and the last episode of the updated run, with the middle section – the monster-of-the-week episodes – earning the most praise. They noted Duchovny’s world-weary tone as a note of boredom instead of recognizing it as the futility his character was facing. Both Anderson and Duchovny have gone on the record saying how hard it was to get back into character – to remember how it was speaking like their character – when they had spent forever trying to distance themselves from the role.

From the water-cooler conversations I had and read online, it seems fans were divided, too. When all is said and done; however, I think – with episodes as strong as “Founder’s Mutation”, the comic genius and Easter-egg overload of “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster, and the darkly stirring showcase for Anderson in “Home Again” – The X-Files: The Event Series is the reboot we needed to celebrate the highs of the show’s legacy as it does indeed soldier on, warts and all.

It’s been seven long years since the second movie but the 6-episodes that make up this release are, ultimately, a strong collection in a return to television which will likely continue for a couple of years. And then, maybe, Chris Carter’s third big screen adventure for Mulder and Scully can finally happen. After all…

…the truth is STILL out there.

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The X-Files: The Event Series (2016) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - June 14, 2016
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; French: DTS 5.1; German: DTS 5.1; Spanish: DTS 5.1; Italian: DTS 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BD-50)
Region Encoding: A

Released by Twentieth Century Fox, The X-Files: The Event Series looks damn-right dapper in its 1080p presentation. The AVEC-encode is presented in 1.78:1. The “look” of this limited series fits right in with what has gone on before – especially now that the show in its entire run – is now available on blu-ray. Colors are well-saturated and warm. Tones are strong with dominate blues and heady blacks. Contrast is strong. The special effects are especially good for television, too. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track doesn’t dominate but provides a nice vehicle for the dialogue and for Mark Snow’s score.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Spread across two discs, there is individual episode commentary for “Founder’s Mutation” by Chris Carter and James Wong, “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster” by David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Kumail Nunjiani, and Darin Morgan, and “My Struggle II” by Chris Carter and Gabe Rotter.

Special Features:

The gang is all here. With a detailed look that goes behind the scenes of the reboot of the show, the supplemental material is extremely satisfying. We get about 5 minutes of deleted scenes, a 10-minute gag reel (worth it), and a 23-minute reflection on the achievements of the event series. There is also a recap of the monsters in the original run of the series, a look at the ecological-minded production of the new show, and a short film by the series’ script coordinator. Fans will appreciate this one.