"What I find fantastic is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there - you just have to know where to look." - Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully
The X-Files: Mythology Collection: Abduction DVD Review
By A.J. Carson
Ah, the '90s. Arsenio Hall had his own talk show, Bill Clinton was in the White House, and a geeky sci-fi show about a pair of F.B.I. agents investigating paranormal phenomena became the subject of an endless number of magazine cover stories. Not bad for a show that cracked the top twenty once in its nine season run.
Unless you were abducted by aliens for the entire decade, you're probably already familiar with The X-Files' premise. Agent Fox "Spooky" Mulder (David Duchovny) is haunted by his past. When he was twelve years old, his younger sister, Samantha, mysteriously disappeared from her bed one night. Now he spends his time investigating weird cases that no one else in the F.B.I. will touch - the X-files. Even though these paranormal cases are considered bunk, Mulder's investigations are seen as a threat by several shadowy forces within the government. Bureau officials partner rational, no-nonsense Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) with Mulder in the hope that she will discredit him. Scully is skeptical of Mulder's methods and beliefs at first, but as their relationship grows, she comes to realize that things aren't always easily explained by science and rationalization.
The series' episodes fall into two basic categories: monster-of-the-week vs. mythology. In the monster-of-the-week episodes, Scully and Mulder investigate an endless variety of strange creatures and unexplained phenomena - including the Jersey Devil, flesh-eating insects, and a killer who can morph his body to squeeze into tight spaces. The mythology episodes center on Mulder's quest for answers about a massive government cover-up that seemingly stems from the 1947 crash of an extraterrestrial spacecraft in Roswell, New Mexico. The monster-of-the-week episodes are self-contained. The agents start their investigation at the beginning of the episode and wrap up the case - satisfactorily or not - by the end of the episode. The plotlines of mythology episodes unfold over the course of entire seasons as, bit by bit, the scope and scale of the conspiracy becomes clearer.
The X-Files Mythology: Abduction collects fifteen mythology episodes from the series' first three seasons:
Pilot: In their first case together, Scully and Mulder investigate an Oregon town where several members of the class of '89 have died under strange circumstances.
Deep Throat: A mysterious benefactor puts Mulder on the trail of military test pilots who may have been flying aircraft developed using alien technology.
Fallen Angel: When Mulder investigates what the government claims is a chemical spill caused by a train accident, he discovers a UFO crash site and a killer alien.
E.B.E.: Mulder and Scully go on a cross-country pursuit of a truck that may contain an Extraterrestrial Biological Entity shot down over Iraq. This episode introduces Mulder's nerdy conspiracy theory friends, the Lone Gunmen.
The Erlenmeyer Flask: When Mulder is captured while investigating an alien virus, Scully is forced to turn to Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) in an effort to get him back.
Little Green Men: An abandoned radio telescope in Puerto Rico may hold the key to extraterrestrial contact. While investigating, Mulder remembers more about his sister Samantha's abduction.
Duane Barry: Was ex-FBI agent Duane Barry (Steve Railsback) a victim of alien kidnapping, or is he having hallucinations caused by a bullet to his brain? And more importantly, is that a pistol Mulder's packing in his clingy red Speedo during the infamous swimming pool scene?
Ascension: Mulder leads a desperate search for Scully when she is kidnapped by Duane Barry.
One Breath: A comatose Scully mysteriously reappears in a hospital, her DNA apparently altered.
Red Museum: Teens in a small Wisconsin community have been found wandering the forest in a daze with the words "HE IS ONE" written in magic marker on their backs. Is the local vegetarian cult responsible?
Colony: What could be stranger than the series of abortion clinic doctors murders in which the otherwise unrelated doctors look identical to one another? How about the appearance of a woman claiming to be Mulder's lost sister, Samantha (Megan Leitch)?
End Game: Mulder and Samatha try to track down Scully, who has been kidnapped by a shape-shifting alien bounty hunter (Brian Thompson). Mulder learns from Samantha that aliens have been attempting to colonize Earth since 1942.
Anasazi: Mulder comes across a coded file detailing the government's extraterrestrial conspiracy. While in New Mexico having a Navajo code breaker decipher the file, Mulder discovers a buried boxcar containing alien corpses.
The Blessing Way: Mulder is nursed back to health by Navajos after an encounter with the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis). With Mulder presumed dead, Scully is relieved of her duties and discovers a computer chip implanted in the back of her neck.
Paper Clip: Mulder learns that his recently murdered father may have been involved with the Paper Clip project, in which Nazi war criminals were secretly given asylum by the US in exchange for scientific research. While investigating, Mulder and Scully discover a massive bunker holding medical records on thousands of US citizens.
What becomes obvious upon revisiting these episodes is how self-contained the early mythology shows are. In some ways, episodes like "Fallen Angel" and "Red Museum" are typical "monster-of-the-week" stories with bits of conspiracy theory overtones thrown in for good measure. The plotlines are generally wrapped up by the end of the episodes, although Scully and Mulder are aware that there is more to the story than they've been able to discern.
"Colony" is the first episode to focus almost exclusively on the series' mythology. Clones, alien DNA, extraterrestrial bounty hunters, government cover-ups, abductions - it's all here. These episodes are much more narratively sophisticated than those that precede them, but are also less satisfying. Since their story arcs are meant to carry over throughout the entire run of the series, very little is resolved within each episode. The result is a succession of fast-paced episodes that ironically have very little momentum. Entertainment that poses more questions than it answers can be fascinating, but at least a few questions need to be answered so that audience feels involved (see ABC's Lost). Otherwise, it just seems as if the show's creators are making it up as they go along.
Several of the episodes are also bogged down in mystical mumbo jumbo. As she verges on death in "One Breath," viewers are presented with a sequence of clichéd images of Scully adrift in a rowboat on a calm pond. At one point, the rope tethering her to the dock snaps ominously. What is meant to be a profound moment actually comes across as laughably juvenile, like a scene from an art film made by a pretentious teenager. Mulder's resuscitation by Navajo mysticism in "The Blessing Way" is even worse. Inspired by The X-Files creator Chris Carter's vacation to Sedona, these scenes are about as deep as the Sundance home furnishings catalogue.
Suspension of disbelief has always been a major requirement of sci-fi, and The X-Files is no exception. After all, this is the kind of show where the government is somehow capable of perpetrating a massive cover-up to hide its use of alien technologies, but is unable to adequately secure the airbase that houses those technologies. The series' monster-of-the-week episodes are known for their punchy thrills, while the mythology episodes are paranoia-fueled tales of government run amok. Fans of the series' mythology episodes will definitely want to pick up The X-Files Mythology: Abduction. Those of us who prefer its tales of monsters and ghoulies (and are unwilling to spring for season sets) may want to wait for the inevitable collection of those episodes instead.
This set's fifteen episodes are divided onto four discs. The discs are housed in two slim plastic keepcases - each keepcase holds two discs. The fronts of the cases are decorated with large, green-tinted images from the episodes. The backs of the cases include episode titles, airdates, writing/directing credits, and brief synopses of each episode. The keepcases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve that features an eerie composite of images from the episodes. The design of the packaging is simple and elegant.
The full-motion DVD menus are appropriately evocative of the series. There is no play all feature.
