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To the ranks of shows too brilliant and outrageous for prime time (The Ben Stiller Show, Andy Richter Controls the Universe), add Seth McFarland's Family Guy. This animated series, which debuted after the 1999 Super Bowl, simply sparked too much controversy and offended too many sensibilities to survive (Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). That the Fox network also played hackysack with its schedule, ensuring viewers would not be able to find it, sealed its fate (it was cancelled in 2002). This boxed set containing all 28 episodes from the first two seasons is payback for the show's devoted cult following, who may be moved to echo the words of infant Stewie Griffin, the megalomaniacal 1-year-old bent on matricide and world domination: "Victory is mine!"

The dysfunctional Griffins of Quahog, Rhode Island, invite comparisons to The Simpsons. The testicular-chinned father, Peter Griffin, is a clueless oaf in the Homer mold. "Peter, what did you promise me last night?" asks his long-suffering wife Lois in one episode. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he replies. "And what did you do?" she asks. "Drank at the stag part--oh ho ho, I almost walked into that one," he cackles. Other family members include teenage daughter Meg, a desperate high school social pariah; 13-year-old son Chris, a chip off his father's blockhead; and Brian, the family's sarcastic talking dog. But this series' true inspiration is football-pated Stewie (voiced by McFarlane, who earned an Emmy), who was born to be a Bond villain once he escaped his mother's "ovarian bastille." Family Guy recklessly ventured where The Simpsons feared to tread. In one episode, Meg's one and only friend turns out to be the member of a suicidal cult. In another, Death (voiced by Norm McDonald) becomes an unwanted houseguest. Each episode plays fast and furious with surreal flashes (in one episode, Peter turns his house into a puppet) and pop-culture references and TV, movie, and commercial parodies that invite repeated viewings. Freed from its own family-hour bastille and the whims of dim network executives, Family Guy can be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (471)

Excellent series.
As someone posted here, this set contains 28 episodes (entire first and second season by air dates) and the unaired episode When You Wish Upon a Weinstein (which would've been part of the 2nd season by production number). Despite no pages having this information yet, if you check the front cover you can clearly see it states 'Seasons 1 & 2'. These are the seasons according to air dates.
Eight episodes total will have commentaries, and word has it there are other features. These features don't count towards the running time of the set.

All in all an excellent series. Family Guy packed as much humor as it could in every episode without ever overdoing it. It's comedic style is very different from the Simpsons and South Park (more pop-culture oriented), but i personally find it superior and more clever. The production quality is excellent and constant from the very first season (unlike the Simpsons). Probably best of all is Seth Macfarlane's outstanding job giving the voices of Peter, Brian and Stewie. Excellent story lines with a remarkable and memorable cast of characters. Definitely my favorite animated TV show of all time.

This set is the first part of a two volume collection. Unfortunately Family Guy was only three seasons long when it got canned by Fox.

The Simpsons lost their edge but Family Guy found it.
Let me start my review off wih some good news: Seth MacFarlane revealed in an interview with Cinescape.com that he is hashing out a budget with FOX to create more Family Guy episodes (on tv or dvd, I don't know) and a feature length movie (direct-to-dvd). The projects should take bewteen a year and a year and a half. Now before I decided to write my review on this great show I decided to read the 1 and 2 star reviews (at this time a combined 12) and the 4 and 5 star reviews (at this time a combined 311, mine not included) and alot of the 1 and 2's had kept saying that this show is just a blatant rip off of The Simpsons. Well I'm sorry to tell you this 1 and 2's but it's not. Family Guy is better. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons, I remember watching their first episodes when they were airing on Thursdays I believe. But after about 13 years the show can get a little stale. This will eventually happen to King of the Hill, Futurama and of course Family Guy. But since Family Guy is the new baby in the house maybe it's about time for the Simpsons to bow out gracfully and pass down the torch. Now alot of the 1 and 2's said that the members of both families were exactly the same but this is not true. And I'll prove it to you by playing Simpsons vs. Griffins. I will take the same member of each family (mom vs. mom, dad vs. dad) and I will compare them. We start off with Homer vs. Peter: Same height, same colored hair (if Homer still had his) but Peter is fatter. Now one worked at a toy company making sure they were safe to play with. The other works as a safty inspector at a power plant. Different jobs, same responibility. But while Homer learns from his mistakes, alot of the time Peter learns nothing, like in the episode "He's too sexy for his fat". But in the end: Homer and Peter might have been long lost brothers. Marge vs. Lois: Lois is around 5'2", Marge is around 7'5"-8' (with hair). Both are house wives. One became a flight attendent for a while and ones father was a flight attendent. Lois was born rich, Marge was born just below middle class. Marge and Homer like to do it in public. Lois and Peter do it with whips, chains, leather, and Peter dressing up like the Gimp in Pulp Fiction. In the end: Both are kinky and at times can be as bad as there husbands. Now when it comes to the parents it's almost identical but the kids aren't alright. Take Bart vs. Chris: Both have blond hair, but that's all. Bart is a little chunky, Chris is just fat. Bart is a smooth talker that can get himself out of almost any problem. Chris is kind of an idiot and might be "special". Bart rides a skateboard. Chris can barely walk staight. Bart fears almost nothing. Chris is afraid of the evil monkey in his closest. Sorry but in the end: They maybe two Jacks but their of a differnt suit. NO MATCH. Lisa vs. Meg: Lisa and Meg are both whiners but Lisa whines about social issues, Meg whines about her social life and not having the things her friends have. Lisa is basicly an intellectual loner that doesn't really care what others think about her, all Meg ever cares about is what poeple think about her. In the end: One is a political and environmental activist, the other is just a brat (of course to some people that's two of the same thing). NO MATCH. Maggie vs. Stewie: You can't get more opposite then this. Both are the same age but most of the time Maggie acts her age. Stewie acts like a gay, british Lex Luther hell-bent on taking over the world and getting rid of his mother once and for all. Maggie loves her mommy and her bo-bo (pacifier). Stewie talks eloquently and creates weapons and devices for world domination. Maggie creates drool and the only word I ever heard her say was daddy. In the end: they may be a pair quarters, but ones facing heads and the others facing tails. NO MATCH. When I said you couldn't get more opposite then Maggie vs. Stewie I was wrong beacuse I forgot about Santas Little Helper vs. Brian: S.L.H. eats dog food, drinks water out of his bowl, barks when he wants too and is basicly a stupid dog (stupid as in not smart not stupid as in he sucks). Brian eats whatever the Griffins are having for dinner while sitting at the dinner table. He drinks martinis, gin and tonics, jack and cokes, and other forms of alcohol. He speaks, not like when you ask a dog to speak but he talks like a person (english and bad spanish). He is almost always out-smarting Stewie so he is very intelligent. In the end: Sorry but S.L.H. isn't fit to be near Brians martini glass. NO MATCH. The neighbors are different as well. The Simpsons have Flanders (extremely religous guy), Reverend Lovejoy (not as religous as Flanders) and an old couple. The Griffins have Cleavland (smart black guy), Joe (suped-up cop in a wheelchair) and Quagmire (sex-crazed weirdo). On the political side you have Mayor Quimby and Mayor Adam West (yes, Batman). One is an embezzler (never proven of course) and the other is insane (proven everytime you see him). Some people say that Family Guy is sexist, racist, misogynistic and a little bit anti-semitic but that's what makes it funny. Its political incorrectness is what gives it its edge. Take away the edge and then your ripping off The Simpsons.

Totally Helarious!
This DVD is so funny you'll literally split your sides until you're done watching it you don't want to go to the hospital.

Great Show, Horrible DVDs
I recently fell in LOVE with Family Guy, so I was thrilled when I recieved this set as a gift. I love the episodes, but there is one problem that is bothering me a lot. I can't get to the opening scenes! A lot of the episodes start at the main theme and not the opening scene that is listed in the scene selection. I know it can't be the malfunction of one disc, because they all do it. Also, viewing in "Play all" mode is extremely difficult as it doesn't seem to know which chapter it wants to play next. Worth buying for the episodes, but its worth it to know about the malfuction.

Simply hilarious
If anyone is a fan of animated cartoons with a certain amount of adult-based humor, this is the set you have to get. There are currently two volumes out, but this is the best to start off with. Whereas the 3rd season set has 21 episodes, this first set gives you the 7 extra episodes from their short first season. So- same price, more episodes.

That being said, this set is hilarious in every aspect. I could spend pages of text describing individual bits of hilarity from each scene of each episode, but that would just be mundane and unneeded. The humor ranges all over the spectrum, and some of it isn't quite suitable for younger children (if they see it, just hope they don't understand the sexual innuendo). The commentary is funny as well, although it is only for occasional episodes in the set. They also did an interesting thing with the commentary- it is actually rated R. There is a warning saying that the commentary is not suitable for people under the age of 18, since they made the decision to allow profanity for the commentary.

This does not bother me, but some people may be more sensitive to those kinds of things. But if that offends you, I doubt that you'd appreciate Family Guy's humor. The show is like a combination of The Simpsons' family based wry humor with South Park's outrageous lack of inhibitions. All in all, it equates into hours of laughter.

This DVD set is simply hilarious, as has been stated repeatedly. If you've ever seen an episode of the show, you'd realize that. If you like to laugh (and don't mind the occasional "did they just say that!?" moment), buy this DVD. ... Read more

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Deep Space Nine's seventh and final season came down to loose ends, tying some existing ones together while allowing others to unravel. Symptomatic of the unwillingness to let DS9 go was the immediate arrival of a replacement Dax, though poor Nichole deBoer as Ezri Dax had to have known she'd already missed the boat. Her appearance encouraged last-minute romances to blossom, with Bashir finally getting some action, Odo finally getting together with Kira, and Sisko finally proposing to Kassidy. Another contributing cute factor were numerous trips to the holosuite wherein the all-knowing Vic Fontaine dished out philosophical advice. That was when the crew wasn't in there to play baseball against the Vulcans, or when Nog wasn't commiserating about the loss of a leg.

Oh yes, and don't forget the War! There was an early announcement that the show would attempt a 10-part resolution to the Dominion War, but viewers could be forgiven for forgetting all about it with so much sentimental distraction. When the horrors of war did resurface, they at least injected a few surprises into the mix. Odo and his ambiguously "evil" Founders were hit with a melting disease, prompting a backstabbing race for the power of developing and owning a cure. The original baddie Cardassians finally settled on the Federation's side. Contrary to these interesting twists, however, were the unexpected turns taken by matters relating to Sisko's spiritual destiny. Suddenly the mystery of the wormhole and an entire religious belief system was reduced to the problem of correctly translating the words of a sacred book. The struggle to join with some evil aliens significantly diluted the attempt at resolving what had begun seven years before in the show's pilot episode. Ultimately, Sisko's destiny, as with all those who'd followed him to the open-ended climax, was to be decided elsewhere. In a move that was either bold and daring--or possibly born of desperation for not having thought things through properly--the show's storylines were to be continued in a series of spin-off books. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Excellent; except "special features" could spoil the plot
I couldn't watch DS9 when it was on its initial run because my local station didn't pick it up... I decided to give the DVDs a shot... Slowly and methodically, I've been working my way through each and every episode... Some were outstanding! Some were rather boring (I don't care for the Ferrengi episodes). But I finally made it through to the end and was treated
with an outstanding series finale at the end of Season 7 (much better than "All Good Things" and "Endgame"). All in all, I think that the DS9 series was the best Star Trek franchise to date and well worth the serious investment of time.

*** Spoilers ahead (for those who haven't seen it) ***
However, there was one part that I didn't like and that was spoilers... I couldn't watch any of the crew dossiers because they gave too much of the plot away. Like the Odo dossier that has him finally returning to his people at the end of the series. Well, I accidentely watched the dossier and that
particular ending was spoiled for me. There was another special feature talking about how Rom became the Grand Nagus at the end of the series. Again, this surprise was spoiled for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they put all of the specials in each season. However, I think they should have at least warned which special features had possible spoilers...

Wow
I think that this series never got the respect it deserved when it was on the show, like the times kept getting shifted, and it was never given the chance to be the only new star trek by itself. The hard thing about DS9 was that if you didn't watch it closely, you'd have missed some of the plot-lines that went multiple episodes. Now that they've come out on DVD, it's possible to catch up. Boy oh boy! This would be somewhat hard to watch in syndication unless if the station showed everything in order.

I can't believe how much I cried while watching some of the episodes. The series finale, definitely. But I just watched It's Only a Paper Moon today, and that was another one. It has Nog dealing with the effects of being in the war. What a powerful episode. Nog sure has come long way from the little troublemaker he was in the series pilot.... The actor did a wonderful job in Paper Moon. I think what makes it even more poignant is that we're dealing with wars right now. Vic Fontaine was wonderful in this episode too. I'm so glad they introduced that character. Too bad he hadn't been a regular on the series. Why do we love our holograms so?? :-) Perhaps it's because when they experience day to day living as holograms, it gives us a better appreciation of what it means to be human. Something we so take for granted, maybe.

The reason I'm giving this 4 stars is that because this season has so much to do with war, some of the episodes have been really hard for me to watch. I cry so much that the end I'm just so exhausted. But it's not a complaint about the acting. Rather, the actors have done a great job of making me feel emotionally connected to the situations they find themselves in.

The different love stories that come up in the season do two things. One, love gives you a sense of hope in the midst of the bleakness of the Dominion war. Two, you never know if you're going to lose one of your loved ones to the war, and so it ups the emotional ante.

I would recommend taking this season in small doses.

There were some great eps. and then some lousy ones
This season of DS9 is good, but previous seasons easily outdo it. Ezri Dax was completely pointless and totally irritating...perhaps they should've eliminated the Dax character altogether after Jadzia died and not introduce any new characters in her place. The continuing conflict with the Dominion, and the Cardassian rebellion were wonderful, but pointless episodes like "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" and "It's Only a Paper Moon" dragged this season down. Why was there ever a Vic Fontaine? Easily one of the most ridiculous episodes in the series was "The Emperor's New Cloak". Unfortunately the writers seemed to be suffering from amnesia in this episode, since in "Through the Looking Glass" it was already proven that the Alliance had cloaking technology. It was terribly frustrating to see the Alliance not get a fair shake at the end; at least in "What You Leave Behind" the Dominion puts up one hell of a fight, yet in this episode the only Alliance ship we see is Worf's flagship. And, once again it seems the station has magically re-orbited itself back into Bajor, since in "Shattered Mirror" there's no sign of the planet anywhere. However, this begs the question, if Bajor is a member of the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance, then why didn't they just send an assault force once the station fell into Terran hands and retake Terok Nor? I doubt the rebels on the station would've been a match for an entire planet. This just proves that Star Trek needs to get better and more competent writers pronto, especially with all the screw ups going on in Enterprise.

Masterpiece done in the shade of gray.
I never got a chance to watch this series as it was running, but I finally got a chance to buy the dvds this year. Complex writing, deep characters (I can't believe that some of these actors are so different from the characters that they play in the interview sections of the set). Characters have arch rivals are just a spitting image of themselves in a different light and stories have multiple perspectives leaving you to wonder if anyone really was a "good" guy. I think the writers gave people a lot to think concerning the social issues of the period. The writers were so bold in addressing the concepts and motivations behind religion that you can even see the uneasiness in some of the actors when they recite the lines. This definitely was a masterpiece and has outshone any Star Trek production ever since its finale.

The only downside was that everything was done so well that any successors to this series will find it impossible to follow the act. This show has set a standard and a bar so high that it will take some time for another series to match it and may go down in history as the last Star Trek series to hold any true meaning to Gene Roddenberry's legacy. A true diamond in the rough, something that will hopefully last as long as the original Star Trek series in the . I recommend it whole heartedly.

The end of a great adventure is here...
This was one of my favorite seasons of Deep Space Nine. The exciting conclusion of another chapter in Star Trek History. This season witnesses the climax of the Alliance's(Federation,Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire) was with the Dominion and the introduction of Ezri Dax, Jadzia's successor of the Dax symbiont. Some of the best episodes are on this 7th season set. Any Deep Space Nine fan should invest in this, you won't regret it. ... Read more

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It looked like a standard teen soap on the outside, but once you scratched the surface of the glittery, sun-dappled Fox drama The O.C., you'd find underneath a number of surprisingly well-developed characters, fun plots that played around with their soap conventions, and some of the wittiest dialogue this side of an Aaron Sorkin show. The setup was pure high concept: hunky, brooding Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) was a good kid from Chino starting to go bad, and thanks to the interference of his lawyer, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), finds himself whisked away from the wrong side of the tracks to the mansions and manicured lawns of Orange County. Soon, Ryan finds himself living in the Cohens' pool house, involved with troubled rich girl Marissa (Mischa Barton), and bristling against the societal confines of his new home, as the people may be richer but they're just as screwed up as anyone else. Still, somehow, he manages to bring out the humanity of the superficial people around him, and they become all the better for knowing him.

Okay, enough with the Beverly Hills, 90210 scenario--what The O.C. turned out to be was the most addictive TV soap in recent memory, and one with a brain to boot. Smarter than Melrose Place, sexier than 90210, funnier than Felicity, and not as enamored of itself as Dawson's Creek, The O.C.reveled in clever and hilarious dialogue (the pilot episode earned a WGA nomination) and quirky, eccentric characters. Most noteworthy was breakout star Adam Brody, who as Ryan's geeky newfangled brother-type Seth practically stole the teen heartthrob mantle away from Russell Crowe-lookalike McKenzie. Barton was a bit of a blank as the troubled Marissa, but her best pal, the blissfully superficial Summer, was played by Rachel Bilson as the perfect supporting character in a dizzy farce. And the adults, especially Gallagher and Kelly Rowan as the supportive Cohens, grounded the other half of the show in you know, like, maturity. Not that The O.C. ever forgot the fun that was to be had in TV-land, as most every other episode ended with a fistfight or someone falling into a pool--sometimes both. Here was a soap you could purely enjoy without guilt. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Fine Classic Viewing. A Must for Patrick McGoohan Fans
This megaset is well worth the price. Each episode in original broadcast order, crystal clear uncut in glorious black and white, except for the final two episodes of course. Relive the excitement along with excellent characterizations over 47 episodes. Includes the original U.S. opening Secret Agent Man them.

FIRST SEASON NOW AVAILABLE!!
First off--I wanted to let everyone know that the first season of "DANGER MAN" (all 39 half-hour episodes filmed in 1961) is now available on DVD at www.deepdiscountdvd.com. Type in "danger man" then hit 'search by title'(this item is NOT available on Amazon; that is why i mentioned it!). This 13 disc megaset contains all 47 HOUR-LONG episodes filmed in 1965-66. This is a fantastic show with the great actor Patrick McGoohan and great stories too! I am so glad to see all of these classic TV shows coming out on DVD. As far as i'm concerned, today's television is mostly crap. They don't have the actors, the stories, or the decency that the old shows had. The talent just isn't there in these new shows. When trying this show also try "THE AVENGERS" and "THE SAINT". You'll love every minute!

Good ... for TV
It's important to place any review in context. In the history of TV this was quite a good show, and compared to present-day TV, it is a masterpiece.

It works because it offers a sort of purity, a sincerity. It isn't top-heavy with the preening narcissism that dominates modern acting. McGoohan was a good, though not great, actor with limited range, but he infused the Drake with character, self-effacement, and decency. All one has to do is compare McGoohan to another star of the same vintage, Roger Moore, to appreciate the former's acting substance. After watching dozens of episodes, though, McGoohan's methods are somewhat wearing.

Compared to a good book, the plots are thoroughly characteristic of TV; they are superficial and unrealistic.

An expensive and extensive set like this is for devotees, and they already know they will like it, naturally. Casual viewers will more likely watch a few episodes and leave the box on the shelf gathering dust. But if you have the spare cash, you could do a lot worse than Secret Agent when you crank up the idiot box.

Prince of Spies
What was golden about "Secret Agent" in 1965 remains golden: it tackles the familiar spy-story themes---duty, honor, country; loyalty, brotherhood, betrayal---with a theatrical style, with romanticism, wit, and grace, often with deep human feeling. In 1965, when the moral norms in television and movies were starting to go to hell in a handbasket and the spy genre was characterized by the comic-book vulgarity of the James Bond films and the moral pessimism of John Le Carre, the strong moral tone and absence of promiscuity in "Secret Agent" were remarkable. That turned out to be a deliberate device, at the personal insistence of the star. Certain of the writers and directors seemed to recognize the possibilities and seize on them, deftly exploiting their star's unique characteristics to create some fascinating, unforgettable television.

With this reissue of the complete '65-'66 series on DVD---and now that things in the culture have gotten a lot darker---my own thanks go to Patrick McGoohan for that particular moment in his career: for the glowing, graceful Cold Warrior he made of John Drake; for his insistence on a principled approach to the character; for the enduring mystery of personality he brought to a small-screen hero.

Can't go to the theater? Watch McGoohan, with his strange quality of aggressive shyness, in a repertory of amusing impersonations: the tipsy playboy, the wheeler-dealer businessman, the shy schoolteacher, the crisp colonial officer, the langorous beachcomber, the insolent artist, the veddy English butler, the flirtatious German encyclopedia salesman, the supercilious physician ("It's Bailey-Carpenter---ehm---there's a hyphen"). The darkness of "The Prisoner" and 35 years of villain roles haven't dimmed the glow of this princely performance, or the image of the decent, thoughtful man behind it, who seemed to care so genuinely about his influence on the television audience.

Faulkner said, "The artist's duty is to lift up men's hearts and help them endure." The people who worked on this series did their duty.

So spend your money. This is great stuff.
M.E.M.

Question about other shows
Is this the complete set without the first season, then? If the first season ended in '61, and the rest of this megaset starts from '65, are there episodes from '61-65? My email is Jadziaq@hotmail.com if anyone would pls let me know, Thanks!

Leanne ... Read more

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As the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production, everyone knew that attentions would soon be permanently divided by the debut of Deep Space Nine. Sure enough, that meant crossovers ("Birthright"), guest stars, and references back and forth. The sense of baton-passing drew the TNG family closer, however. Directorial debuts begun in season 5 allowed for repeat group-huddle ownership of several shows. Jonathan Frakes bettered "The Quality of Life" by "The Chase," which finally offered an explanation why most races in the Trek universe are humanoid with knobbly foreheads. Patrick Stewart crowbarred a Western into the franchise in "A Fistful of Datas." LeVar Burton introduced the far more exciting Riker clone Thomas in "Second Chances." But here we still find an inability to follow through a good idea, since it was intended for the clone Tom to replace the real Will. Barclay outstayed his welcome with a lackluster "Ship in a Bottle" (despite a hammy cameo from Stephanie Beacham) after he'd injected creepiness into "Realm of Fear." The same happened with Q and the painfully weak "True Q" contrasted by the philosophically challenging "Tapestry," in which Picard faced the decisions of his youth.

Yet ultimately the year provided more memorable moments than either year 5 did or year 7 would. There was the fun of a pint-sized Starfleet in "Rascals," the shocking comment on political torture in "Chain of Command," the endless Matrix-like guessing game of reality in "Frame of Mind," and even a jokey genre nod often called "Die Hard Picard" instead of its official title, "Starship Mine." The two biggest attention-drawing moments came via stellar cameos. There was the bittersweet sight of James Doohan revisiting the original Enterprise bridge on "Relics," then a quick contribution by Stephen Hawking in the cliffhanger "Descent." Both were attempts at keeping TNG the connoisseur's Trek incarnation of choice. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The Season Of The 2 Parters
The 6th season of Star Trek-TNG began on right foot with some really exciting episodes. Then in its latter half got a bit muddled. This season had the most 2 parters, of any TREK series to date. Aside from the usual resolution to the cliffhanger from the previous year, and the cliffhanger at the end, there were two more multipart stories. Some of the remaing shows were true clunkers. For the most part. TNG kept its cool though, even as the next spin-off, Deep Space 9, made its debut.

Early on, yet another original series character, bridged the generation gap. "Relics" saw the return of Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) What a great episode that was. Picard's first nemesis Q (John De Lancie) made up for being absent last year with 2 appearances "True Q" and the wonderful "Tapestry" saw the charater raise the stakes a bit. Fan favorites Barclay (Dwight Shultz) and Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes) made return trips as well. The best 2 parter though was called "Chain Of Command" It saw the Enterprise being commanded by Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) and Picard (Patrick Stewart in his best performance in the series) being kidnapped and tortured by an evil Cardassian (the great David Warner) Semi regular character Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) departed for DS9, while actress Whoppi Goldberg ended her episodic tenure as Guinan with only 3 episode appearances A "crossover" with DS9's Doctor Bashir (Alexander Sidig) fell kind of flat in "Birthright Part 1" while the 2nd half saw a klingon mishmash The year's cliffhanger missed the mark as well. Actor Levar Burton, joined fellow cast members Jonathan Frakes and Stewart, and got a directing gig with "Second Chances" Finally Leonard Nimoy's Son Adam, got a chance to follow in dad's footsteps and directed the clever "Rascals" and "Timescape"

The 7 DVD box set has about an hour's worth of feturette that discuss the 6th year in depth. The extra stuff is fashioned in the same way as it was on the other sets in the collection. Mixing old and new interview footage, nothing you see or hear on the documentaries should suprise you, if you are already a fan of the show.

Thanks to some strong shows at the start and a couple towards the end of the season, this is another recommended box set. Then again, if you have all of the other sets in the series, you didn't really need me to tell you that, did you?

Stewart's Season
By the sixth season of Star Trek: TNG, the characters had gone through many changes- and the writers, through many ideas. I thought that season six would contain the decline of the quality of the episodes, and that new, unique ideas would be thrown to the wayside as writers focused their efforts on Deep Space Nine. Instead, Star Trek: TNG managed to continue being one of the best shows on television, largely due to the excellent performances of Patrick Stewart.

"Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2" contain what I consider to be some of the best acting from Stewart ever. Picard is tortured for days by the Cardassians, and Stewart plays the role of the victim perfectly. Not only did Part 2 contain some of his finest performances, but it actually managed to convey a message as well. It focuses mainly upon the roles of the characters. The Cardassian who tortures Picard and tries to break his will is left himself a broken man at the end of the episode, while Picard attains true victory by never giving in. An entertaining, powerful episode.

However, this was only one of the many amazing episodes that season six showcased. "Relics", which featured the return of Scotty from the original Trek, was great. "Schisms" put an eerie but interesting spin on the whole "alien invaders from another dimension" idea. "Tapestry" was another episode that made use of Stewart's amazing ability as an actor. John de Lancie guest starred as "Q" in that episode, and forced Picard to relive events in his life. "Face of the Enemy" finally gave the Romulans some action again after being shadowed by the Borg and the Cardassians. "Starship Mine" was probably the most "action-packed" episode of the season, and "Timescape" was another interesting episode involving being stuck in a moment in time. Finally, "Descent, Part 1" lacked the bang of most season finales, but wasn't all bad - after all, it did involve the Borg.

Overall, season six had episodes that really shined, despite suspicions that it might not.

Improvement on Season Five
In the sixth season, Star Trek: The Next Generation decided to go off in some new directions and new ideas. The season opens with the conclusion of the cliffhanger Time's Arrow. The second adventure is better than the first...a great way to finish the story. We revert again back to the Original series a bit with "Relics" which contains James Doohan guest starring as "Scotty". Humor came through in "A Fistful of Datas" and we saw Patrick Stewart give arguably his best performance of the series in "Chain of Command". The sixth season contains my personal favorite sequence of the series which is Data's dream sequence in "Birthright, Part I". I think the sixth season was when Star Trek: The Next Generation was at its best. It was the climax of the entire show. It ends with Descent...probably the best cliffhanger since "The Best of Both Worlds".

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Time's Arrow: Part II, Relics, Schisms, True Q, Rascals, A Fistful of Datas, Chain of Command: Parts I and II, Face of the Enemy, Tapestry, Birthright, Part I, Starship Mine, The Chase, Frame of Mind, Timescape, and Descent: Part I

As Nice as Previous Seasons
Like the previous five seasons, this one has the same physical look and layout, four episodes per disk, six disks full, and the last two episodes on the seventh, special features disk. I have to confess the purple of this box is probably my favorite colour, and it really looks nice stacked up with the other DVDs.

They changed the clip format for this box set, choosing to go with one screen showing clips of the four episodes back to back. While this allows you to focus your attention on only one screen, it can also be annoying. Season six seems to be in heavy rotation on television, and if you've seen a lot of the episodes the wait can be annoying, but it's worth it.

Bring back Wesley Crusher
Wesley Crusher was the best character on any Star Trek series. Since his departure TNG hasnt been the same. He was the ultimate SciFi hero. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always remain a curiosity in TV sci-fi history. Despite the end being definite, despite Deep Space Nine taking over, despite knowing there'd be a movie six months after the series' end, and despite Babylon 5 starting that year with its predetermined story arc, there is nothing here to suggest things were coming to a close. Wesley finally gets dispatched ("Journey's End"), but everyone was waiting for that anyway. Some continuity was attempted: there's a sequel to season 1's "The Battle" ("Bloodlines"), Alexander follows the Klingon soap saga through ("Firstborn"), the Maquis and the Cardassians are mentioned several times, and there are final installments for Lwaxana Troi, Barclay, Lore, Guinan, and Ro Laren. None of this brings any form of resolution, however.

The one-off story lines seem to throw out ideas that beg for development. "Force of Nature" suggests frequent high-warp travel is damaging the very fabric of space/time. "Parallels" has Worf experiencing multiple realities, including one in which the Borg won at Wolf 359. "Lower Decks" finally introduces some secondary crew from the more than a thousand supposedly supporting Picard and company. There are even hints at some romance at long last between Dr. Crusher and Picard as well as Worf and Troi. In the long run, even after terrific guest spots from Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Robin Curtis, and from Paul Sorvino and Kirsten Dunst, there's one thing for which the final year is remembered: "All Good Things..." is a near-perfect denouement for the show. With terrific production values and FX, not to mention standout performances from all concerned, it was an amazing surprise to have Q suggest there'd been a story arc right from the get-go. If only this final script had been fully conceived earlier on, The Next Generation might not have been overshadowed by the glut of TV sci-fi that followed in its wake. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (44)

"I LIVE FOR THIS [STUFF]
This season of STAR TREK the NEXT GENERATION was NOMINATED for an EMMY award, BEST DRAMA.
total EMMYs won for this series, 27.

Plus it highly influenced the blockbuster movie XXX,(just kidding)

But it did influence many syndicated Science Fiction shows in later years.

& If I was forced to destroy all but 1 episode in this season, I would spare "GAMBIT",
seeing CAPTAIN PICARD and CMDR RIKER beet the [stuff]out of each other is awesome.

If I was forced to destroy all but 2 episodes, I would spare "ALL GOOD THINGS...?",
My 2 all time favorite episodes are "Best of both Worlds" & "All good things"(this one)
seeing all life saved at the last minute is phenomenal.

If I was forced to destroy all but 3 episodes, I would spare "MASKS", NO IM KIDDING![.],
It would have to be "PREEMPtIVE STRIKE",
Without this episode, there would be NO "Voyager" (& That was a good show)

Another great episode is "BLOODLINES"
It was just..... COOL![.]

I will reccomend the ENTIRE Star trek the next Generation series,
Get em b4 its too late,

& Dont forget DEEP SPACE NINE coming out in FEBRUARY,

& by the way, Dont listen to anyone who recommends DEEP SPACE NINE over Next Generation, Next Generation is a WAY better show.

Some good episodes but some bad ones too.
Season 7 of STTNG suffers from the "too many episodes" malady with STTNG and STDS9 making 52 episodes per year. ... Halfway through the season,STTNG hits it's stride with an eccellent group of episodes in "Attached,Inheritance,Parallels,Homeward,Lower Decks and Thine Own Self",but as no writers were called for the last seven episodes(to save money),the show peters out right at the end with some truly dreadful episodes in "Journeys End,Masks and Emergence",but other good episodes like "Pre-emptive Strike and Genesis" make it worth buying.I was disappointed with "All Good Things" because they recreated the awful mankind on trial plot from the pilot.that idea should have been rejected.Overall,the poorer episodes didn't deter me from having every box set as the good episodes of STTNG are always worth having.This is truly the best Star Trek series with the best cast and the documentaries complete the box sets.What a pity though that they didn't give the show the send-off that it deserved.

Oh no! It's all over!
The seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation would be its last. A hectic time for Star Trek with so many things going on at once. Everyone knew going into the seventh season that it would be the last. We saw some great episodes in this season, however, the only sense of closure we got was in "All Good Things..." This was a fantastic show and all seven seasons are worth every penny. It had great writers all the way through and the seventh season is no different. It's great to see how the show ends its journey. Great show...great season...It's too bad that it's over. BUT. Don't fret...the Next Generation crew returned to the bridge of the Enterprise in four feature films. Congratulations Star Trek: TNG. You never dissapointed me.

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Descent: Part II, Gambit: Parts I and II, Phantasms, Inheritance, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks,Masks, Eye of the Beholder, Genesis, Journey's End, Emergence, Preemtive Strike, and All Good Things...

All good things must come to an end...at least the series went out on the highest note possible!

The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds ou
The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds out the collection nicely. All seven seasons look great on a bookshelf, and this season has the same layout and quality of the first season.

Season seven has the same interior layout as seasons one and six, with the single screen playing clips of all four episodes. The most interesting feature is noticing that you get a fly-by view of the captain's ready room and the screen he uses to receive transmissions there. It's a variation on the other seasons, which included the communications panels, holodeck, and sick bay.

final season of Star Trek's greatest captain
So what if the story left open plot lines and never came together like in the ethereal final season of Deep Space Nine. That is not what this show was about. Patrick Stewart and his memorable band of space cowboys continued to have new and fresh adventures as in previous seasons, a few episodes including the last one were amazing, and the entire product, the season in general, was some of the best TV you will ever see. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nothing? Seinfeld is a show about everything! It's about the appeal of the posse and coma etiquette. It's about importing and exporting. It's about sneaking a peek, and seeing the baby. It's about this, that, and the other. TV Guide ranked Seinfeld the best TV series of all time. It has become the master of its syndication domain. Its most devoted fans can quote each episode chapter and verse; their absorption of each scene's minutiae anything but a trivial pursuit. With such fervent devotion to the show, and demand for its DVD release, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David could have easily just OK'd a bare-bones set containing nothing but the episodes. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but instead, the creative team came together to create extensive and encyclopedic features that make this four-disc set buy-worthy. The candid and revealing audio commentaries and interviews, deleted scenes and original episode promos, and optional "Notes About Nothing" pop-ups are as irresistible as a Drake's coffee cake.

It's always fun and instructive to return to the humble beginnings of a series that became a pop culture benchmark. Here are Kramer's first not-so-grand entrance, Jerry's first contemptuous "Hello, Newman," and Elaine's first "Get Out!" shove. But what is most revelatory about these episodes from the first two seasons is what Jason Alexander, during his commentary for the episode "The Revenge," calls a "sweet quality" that somehow redeems these characters' more base instincts. Consider the scene in which Jerry gives a freshly unemployed George some career guidance, or Jerry and Elaine's palpably affectionate banter throughout. The "Inside Look" episode intros offer fascinating insights into this singular show that subverted sitcom convention with such now-classic episodes as "The Chinese Restaurant," in which Jerry, George, and Elaine wait in vain for a table. We learn, for example, why movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who guest starred in "The Jacket," never reprised his role as Elaine's father. All of this, of course, is yadda yadda yadda to Seinfeld fans, whose patience for the show's DVD debut has been amply rewarded. As Elaine screams in the third-season episode, "The Subway," "It's not nothing, it's something!" --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Seinfeld Box Set Seasons 1 and 2 for November!
In case you didn't know, there were disputes for years over whether or not to pay the 3 co-stars residuals for doing extra material on the sets (interviews, commentary about the episodes, etc). The arguments dragged on, Yada Yada Yada, they're making the sets now. The first set will have Seasons 1 and 2 (17 episodes), including the pilot. It will have tons of extras, unlike the Curb Your Enthusiasm sets. The release date is set for November, but chances are it will be pushed back until December to get more sales.

Myself and other Seinfeldians have been waiting for this since the Spring of 1998. It will be soooooo great.

Here is a list of episodes that will be included in the first set:

Season 1:
Pilot (Good News Bad News)
The Stakeout
The Robbery
Male Unbonding
The Stock Tip

Season 2:
The Ex-Girlfriend
The Pony Remark
The Jacket
The Phone Message
The Apartment
The Statue
The Revenge
The Heart Attack
The Deal
The Baby Shower
The Chinese Restaurant
The Busboy

I know these aren't the best episodes of the show, but it is a start.

Seinfeld DVD advertisement in "50 First Dates"
I thought I'd just add that prior to viewing "50 First Dates" on DVD, they were advertising a Seinfeld DVD set slated to "be in stores soon". I believe it's a "Best Of", but they didn't specify it in the advertisement. Take what you will from this. All it did was get me excited.

details of DVD
If you want to buy the DVD now on the internet, it is 205 dollars. There are 23 discs with 8 episodes on each one. Im pretty sure that they are low in quality and there will probably be a lot of other stuff messed up, so im gonna wait untill it comes out in stores.

It s coming soon
If you watch the beginning of 50 First Dates, they show add of Seinfeld on DVD. They will have a lot of extras on it and all they say it is being released soon. I have heard around the Christmas time frame.

Every Generation
Every Generation had its great comedy series, from Milton Berle, to Lucy, to the Dick Van Dyke show, to Taxi (my favorite, out in Oct), to Seinfeld. And as time went by it seems like the writers got better. Seinfeld is one of those great timeless classics that will be with us for a long time and will be hard to beat . . . Thank you Larry David ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The fourth series of Deep Space Nine can be summed up in one word: Klingons! The show's producers apparently felt beset from all sides. Babylon 5 was a huge hit, as was Star Trek: Voyager, the flagship of new channel UPN. Stepping up DS9's action quotient seemed to be the answer. Time would tell, however, whether doing so via Trek's tried-and-tested former bad guys was the best solution. Opening with a special two-hour extravaganza, the new year was immediately unfamiliar. Dennis McCarthy's original theme--despite winning an Emmy--had been deemed too subdued. As its upbeat new rendition kicked off, the station was seen in battle and swarming with activity. Moments later, we met old/new crewmember Worf, whose sudden appearance was the result of a brewing invasive strategy by the Klingons. This initiated the first of many loyalty shifts, as the Cardassians became the victims. With plenty of re-appearances by Gowron, Kor, and Kurn, it was clear that an ongoing space opera was being crafted. Dukat revealed a tragedy-ridden daughter; Odo's relationship with his people (and Kira) became increasingly melancholy; and even the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers were given a sympathetic angle by their drug addiction.

Adding to the layers of ambiguity about Earth's (read: the producers') position over being at war, was the "outing" of two recurring characters as rebel activists. Lest we forget the homely/spiritual side of the Captain, time was spent with a future version of Jake, with his father (Brock Peters), and on the nature of his role as "the Emissary." Avery Brooks worked behind the camera a couple of times, but this year the surprise was LeVar Burton directing five shows. There was still time for comedy: the Ferengi warped back to Roswell in 1947 and Bashir played James Bond. But the year will be remembered predominately for its violence. One of the episodes Burton directed had its fight scenes drastically cut, while the series as a whole won an Emmy for its space battle effects.--Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Great viewing
The fourth season of DS9 sees Worf returning to the Star Trek family. Overall this season is great, with only one mediocre episode (The Muse).

My favourite episode are (in no particular order):
- THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR (great double-length episode with plenty of action)
- THE VISITOR (the best episode of this season, if not the whole series, great acting from Tony Todd, Avery Brooks and Cirroc Lofton)
- INDISCRETION (any episode with Kira and Dukat is good)
- LITTLE GREEN MEN (the head-banging scene is hilarious)
- OUR MAN BASHIR (A brilliant, deliberately over-the-top episode with a great musical score. Watch out for Garak's comments!)
- CROSSFIRE (the second best episode of this season. René Auberjonois is brilliant in portraying a man torn between his duty and his feelings)
- RETURN TO GRACE (another great Kira/Dukat episode)
- SONS OF MOGH (a terrific episode with Tony Todd, this time as Worf's brother Kurn)
- RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (A courtroom drama. I love the way this was filmed, with the characters speaking directly into the camera)
- HARD TIME (extraordinary acting by Colm Meaney)
- SHATTERED MIRROR (another visit to the mirror-universe. The scenes with Garak and Worf are very funny)
- TO THE DEATH (introduces Weyoun, played by the great Jeffrey Combs)
- THE QUICKENING (Bashir is taken down a peg or two)
- BROKEN LINK (the ending makes you beg for more, more, more)

The special features are good, especially MICHAEL WESTMORE'S ALIENS. watch WORF''S CREW DOSSIER carefully and you will notice that Michael Dorn does not have the same build as Worf (in a behind the scenes clip you see him wearing padding on his chest, arms and back!).

If you are a DS9 fan you will already have bought this season. If you are not, buy it now and you will be amazed.

Great, great season
As a set, this season ranks highly not only against any other Star Trek season, but any other season of science fiction on TV. I think "The Visitor", "Hard Time" and "The Quickening" are in the top 5 episodes of all Star Trek. "Homefront" and "For the Cause" (and the absolutely brilliant root beer scene in "Way of the Warrior") bring complexity and conflict to the ideals of the Federation, which were not adequately examined before in DS9 (and totally unquestioned in TNG). "Indiscretion" and "Return to Grace" give tremendous depth and understanding to Ducat, one of my favorite characters. "Crossfire" does the same to Odo - I love how the terrorist plotline becomes less important as the episode sinks into Odo's turmoil, and it's anti-climactic ending becoming something of a surprise to the viewer (and Odo). Klingons tend to be very boring characters, but Worf shows some un-Klingon attributes by being both unprepared, but willing to learn from mistakes in "Rules of Engagement" and "Starship Down". Even the Ferengi and Dax episodes were good. I think there was only one sub-par episode ("The Muse").

Getting every season of every Star Trek series is expensive. For those that pick and choose, make sure this set is one you buy.

Great stuff
John Colicos returns as Kor again to find "The Sword of Kahless". This season also contains "Rejoined"..the most controversial Star Trek episode ever. Worf from "Star Trek-The Next Generation" comes aboard.

Ahead -- Maximum Worf!
Season four saw a lot of changes on Deep Space Nine, both in front of and behind the camera. The show underwent its first major cast change in the addition of Michael Dorn's Worf to the lineup, and the storyline accommodated this accordingly. The twists and turns delighted me, and I raced through this season quickly, eager to find out exactly what was going to happen next.

After the Dominion-related adventures of seasons two and three, one would expect season four to continue building up those storylines. But the writers and producers neatly subverted expectations by throwing the emphasis in other directions. While there certainly are some stories which keep hyping the threat of the Dominion, the bulk of the uber-story is focused upon what effect the Dominion has had on the Alpha Quadrant. We therefore see huge changes for the Cardassians, the Klingons and the Federation. The Dominion, the Jem'Hadar and the Founders do pop up from time to time, but they're kept to the shadows -- a menacing presence quietly trying to manipulate events for their own agenda.

Adding Worf to the cast was an interesting and successful evolution. I think what I enjoyed the most about it was the fact that after being thrown into the middle of this ongoing storyline at the beginning of the season, Worf doesn't immediately find himself at home. Given that this is Star Trek we're talking about, I was half expecting Worf to become "part of the family" within a couple of weeks. But he doesn't. In fact, he is continually irritated by this new crew, and is nostalgic for the calm ordered structure that existed on the Enterprise. By the middle of the season, he's become so fed up that he moves his living quarters onto the normally empty USS Defiant. It was great to see a new face on board the station, and it was satisfying to see the creators not violate the individual characters to ease the transition.

Although reviews of Deep Space Nine seasons will tend to talk about what big galaxy-shattering events were going on in that year, I would be neglectful if I didn't also praise the standout standalone episodes. Of particular note is "The Visitor", a story rightly hailed as one of the best of all Star Trek series. And "Little Green Men" is a hilarious romp concerning the real story behind Area 51; it was the Ferengi.

The extras on this DVD are focused towards the events of this season, and most of it concerns itself with how the addition of Worf to the cast affected things behind the scenes. The writing/producing crew explain how it changed the dynamics among the characters. Michael Dorn appears in a handful of interviews (taken from various points during the filming of the series and beyond) talking about how he enjoyed playing the character and what directions he wanted to go in. The producers also mention the freedom they had with Star Trek: The Next Generation being off the air, and Voyager set in a distant corner of the galaxy. Now the Federation, the Klingons and the Cardassians were theirs alone to play with. Also included among the extras is the requisite look at the special effects and the alien makeup featured during this year.

I feel like I'm getting into a rut describing these Deep Space Nine season box sets, but yet again we are left with a year that takes the show in bold new directions while also dropping plotlines to be developed later. I had gradually faded away from the show around this season when the episodes were originally airing, but I'm very glad that I have finally decided to get back into the show now through its release on DVD.

Good Effect and Story line
I've found that Deep Space Nine to have the best story line ever. Especially the "Dominion War". I have only manage to collect up to season 3. To bad my country has banned Season 4 because of violance. Hopefully theres someone out there who could help me bring it in to Singapore. contact me at "xeostyle@pacific.net.sg" ... Read more

Amazon.com

By its third season, The X-Files had grown from a cult hit to a global phenomenon, becoming the most popular show in many countries outside the U.S. Armed with the knowledge that the show was here to stay, series creator Chris Carter expanded its mythology, and the 24 episodes in this boxed set represent arguably the strongest of all the X-Files seasons. As usual, stand-alone episodes explored the paranormal and sometimes terrifying possibilities in mythology, pop culture, and religion. Darin Morgan helps the show to mature by expanding its use of humor, directing classic episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (featuring a fabulous performance from Peter Boyle) and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Meanwhile, two-part episodes continue to delve into the X-Files own mythology, introducing the alien black oil, the implant in Scully's neck, the mysterious Agent X, and the shape-shifting Jeremiah Smith. But following the complex mythology is not crucial to enjoying the show. The strength of the X-Files lies not in resolution but in feeding the paranoia of its rabid audience by revealing conspiracies that linger in the mind as unanswered questions. Series creator Carter realized wisely that fans did not look to the X-Files to explain the unexplained, but to question that which they thought they understood. The third season was effective because it hinted that while the truth was out there, it was more complex, sinister, and amazing than even Mulder had imagined.

Commentaries and deleted scenes are available for some of the 24 episodes, and the last disc in the set contains numerous TV spots and interviews with the creators about the filming of the third season. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Tied for the single best season
Season 3 has got to be the best season in terms of the complexity displayed. The knowledge that The X-Files wasn't another run of the mill tv show with a tiny cult following enabled Chris Carter to expand the mythology episodes to, well, mythic proportions. The third season also gave Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny a chance to do yeoman work, and each came up strong performances. The third season was nominated for a 8 emmy awards, and won five (though both the show and Anderson were overlooked, and Duchovny wasn't nominated!).

The Best episodes (I see no point in limiting myself when there are many of equal quality).

---The Blessing Way/Paper Clip: A Brilliant conclusion to the cliffhanger that Anasazi was in Season 2. Not only a very good wrapping up, this became the episodes that truly (in my mind) kicked off the complex mythology episodes. ---Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Take a very funny Peter Boyle, mix in two bemused FBI agents, an outlandishly hilarious plot, and a superb technical team and what does one get. Merely one of the best episodes period. And that is high praise indeed folks. ---Nisei/731: The episode that introduces the chip in the neck. Anderson and Duchovny are marvelous when apart, but their scenes together are sheer brilliance, something vital to the life of the series. ---Revelations: Sheer beauty. The technical team deserves credit for fashioning this episode, from the brilliant shots, to the Snow score, everything here is dazzling, especially Anderson. ---Piper Maru/Apocrypha: David Duchovny is incredible. The black oil introduced becomes very important later, but it's commencement was another complexity in the mythology. ---Pusher: Another great stand alone. This one is a cut above the rest. My personal favourite of season 3, Pusher gives us what many movies can't: realistic characters, a thrilling set-up, a nail biting climax, all while re-imagining the limits of television. As brilliant as any episode in later shows, I highly recommend one watches this in conjunction to Season 4's Paper Hearts. Two brilliant guest actors give magnificent performances. Gillian Anderson is simply luminous. ---Jose Chung's Aliens from Outer Space: Thought Clyde Bruckman was outlandish. Watch this episode. It defines outlandish, while allowing everyone to be in on the fun. ---Talitha Cumi: Though it pales to the previous year's Anasazi, or the next year's Gethsemane, this is an episode to catch.

All are episodes to catch, and I highly recommend you get this as soon as possible.

X-Files Season Three.. The Search Continues
What can i say? I think we should all give fox a round of applause on they brilliant treatment the have given our favourite show.

Both the series one and two discs had exceptional picture and sound quality which i'm sure were as close to the high-quality film source as possible. i can without a doubt say that season 3 will be worth the money if you have not seen any of the previous disc sets.

in terms of the storyline, season 3 is when the ball was truly in motion. expect to be treated to some classic episodes such as The Blessing Way, Paper Chip, Clyde Bruckman's Final Response, Jose Chung's "From Outer Space", Talitha Cumi and many more. These episodes are simply selections from the series, there are many more gems.

in terms of extra features what more could you want? promos for all the episodes (i believe both the 20 and 30 second versions), documentaries (i believe the "truth about" ones are made specifically for dvd, although i may be mistaken), deleted scenes etc. you can also expect english and spanish subtitles, english and french audio. the only french subtitles that have been on previous series is a translation of text on the screen (such as the location writing).

please note that x-files did not feature dolby digital surround (5.1ch) and widescreen video until season six, but you can still expect excellent prologic surround-encoded audio tracks.

just as a bit of a side note, the x-files dvd sets have previously come in fold-out boxes which expand to a large size and become annoying if you simply want one disc. because of this i have created some high-quality printable inserts for the season 1 and 2 dvd sets to be used in normal dvd cases. these feature an attractive, consistent design including disc number on spine, chapter stops on back, and episode names for the specific disc on the front. please note these covers are a completely non-profit fan based project provided as an alternative for people who don't like the box the discs come in... ...anyway, do yourself a favor and buy/preorder this awesome set.. you won't regret it.

Tv doesnt get much better than this
If this isnt the best season of X files, it must be at least equal. they didnt step a foot wrong here, the pacing of the one shot stories mixing with the on going story arc (which is fully flowing by this season)is amazing. Also great character development and great mix of dark and funny episodes (not unlike Buffy and Angel). This season is a must.

The best season so far...
Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. However, now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. The first two seasons of the X-Files made me become an instant fan of the show, and my only complaint so far has been the lack of consistancy brought on by the 6-8 boring episodes per season. After watching the third season of X-Files, I can finally say that there was a season that deserves a 5 star rating by being great from start to finish. By the end of the third season, the X-Files really becomes established as one of the best and most addictive sci-fi shows ever created.

The third season only featured two bad episodes, which means that 22 out of 24 episodes were fantastic. The third season offers some of the best stand alone episodes of the show like "Clyde Bruckman's Final Response", "Pusher", "Quagmire", "War of the Coprophages", "2Shy", "Hellmoney", and "Wetwired". The mythology episodes - "The Blessing Way", "Paper Clip", "Nisei", "731", "Piper Maru", "Apocrypha", and "Talitha Cumi" do a very good job on expanding the overall conspiracy of the show by introducing a powerful group of men called "The Syndicate" which are connected to the conspiracy and the Cigarette Smoking Man. There is also a few things that are revealed about Mulder's source "Mr. X" as well.

The third season of X-Files on DVD also continues the tradition of offering a fantastic set filled with wonderful extras and wonderful picture/sound quality. As with the previous two sets, series creator Chris Carter takes you through the best 12 episodes from season three and talks about each episode. There is also a great documentary that covers season 3 as a whole. If there was one season of the X-Files that you should buy, it is definately the third season. The season is amazing from start to finish, and the DVD extras are great.

A solid 5 stars...

Top-league stuff from the best TV series ever...
You ask any X-files die-hard fan about which is the best season of the series and they will readily answer either the third or the fourth. This is no coincidence, and i would totally agree with them.
In this third season all the elements of the series come of age: the two main protagonists are at the top of their game giving very high quality performances and cementing the legendary characters of Mulder and Scully. While in the first 2 seasons these two characters were essentially still being constructed and the relationship between them two still being built up, in the 3rd installment this has all fallen into place making it a very solid, very well put together dram-plot, equal of which you'd have to search hard to find in TV history.

But even better than that, the script-writting hits masterpiece levels, not in a few episodes, but rather all and throughout. In fact, as far as season 3 is concerned, any "weak" episode would still be considered top-level stuff for any other TV series. But the overall level of the storylines introduced here is so high that your expectations rise as you move along from episode to episode. This is basically a season that made anyone that watched it at the very least more suspicious (do a simple search on google on some of the storylines and you'll understand what i mean) or simply a more intelligent viewer and thinker alltogether.

Another important factor introduced in Season 3 is that certain plotlines were here to stay, that is, they were stories to be extended and interweaved in following seasons as well, stories that were among the very best the X-files have offered us.

Big time fans of the series (and man, there are many) cherish this season for mega-classic episodes such as :
"Paperclip",
"Nisei",
"731",
"War of the Coprophages",
"Grotesque",
"Apocrypha",
"Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"
"Wetwired" and
"Talitha Cumi"....

But watch anything at random from the 6 DVDs with episodes and the chances are very high you'll be in for a major cerebral treat.

The success of this tremendous series is not only on the artistic achievements but even more so on the fact that most of the dramaturgy involved in the X-files is tied with multiple leads to realities most people are absolutely unaware of, in certain cases even X-Files fans themselves. This is a feat only achieved to a similar degree in that other TV classic from the 60s, the Twilight Zone.

If you're not very familiar with the series i wouldn't reccommend you to start at Season 3, mainly because you simply need to watch the characters develop from the very beginning, at Season 1. What i am saying though, and that with emphasis, is that having watched all of the seasons involving Mulder and Scully, Season 3 and Season 4 are beyond any doubt stunning. ... Read more

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The midpoint of what would be a nine-season show, the fifth season of The X-Files (the first to be put on DVD in anamorphic widescreen format) gives fans a heavy heaping of what they love. For the mythology buffs, riveting episodes from the season bookends "Redux" and "The End" to several episodes in between tease with new revelations about the vast government conspiracies and alien invasion plot lines sketched in earlier seasons. But enough questions are left unanswered for the theatrical X-Files movie, which was released the subsequent summer, and the seasons that followed. Supporting characters like the Lone Gunmen, Agent Krycek, the Pusher Robert Modell, and Fox's father and sister Bill and Samantha Mulder are flushed out in more detail in several episodes that occasionally jump back in time to cover the prehistory of the X-files. New chess pieces are introduced, each raising new questions: the clairvoyant child Gibson Praise, Agent Spender, faceless alien resistance fighters with pyromaniacal tendencies, a child who may be Scully's, and Mulder's old flame, agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers). All the time, no one knows who will be assassinated next, who is or isn't dead, just who isn't potentially a child of the Cigarette Smoking Man, and why the base of the neck is everyone's vulnerable spot. The creature feature stand-alone episodes vary in quality, but all are redeemed by the outrageously funny self-parody episode "Bad Blood," a fan favorite that guest stars Luke Wilson as a small-town sheriff who catches Scully's eye.

Finally, "shippers" (fans who would love nothing better than to see Mulder and Scully act upon their feelings for each other) get a heavy dose of the usual sexual innuendo and lingering, tender glances between the attractive costars. Mimi Rogers and Luke Wilson incite palpable jealousy between the leads; the appearance of a wedding band on Mulder's hand in a back story hints at stories not told; and the usual extreme and dimly lit crises illustrate just how far Mulder and Scully will go for each other. In the end, the complexities of their relationship may be the most tense and intriguing of all the mysteries explored by this epic television series. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Halfway through the show, The X-Files reaches its peak
Season 5 of The X-Files is definitely the best season from the show's nine-year run, in my opinion. Season 5 is where the mythology arc of the show really takes over, resulting in a superb season finale before finally leading to box-office glory in the summer of 1998 with The X-Files Movie: Fight The Future. Season 5 was actually filmed after the movie, despite the movie coming out after Season 5! This brilliant season of The X-Files contains a mere 20 episodes - the movie was Chris Carter's excuse as the concluding "episode/s" to the season. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully respectively are surprisingly not at their best, acting-wise in Season 5.

As previously stated, Season 5 is where the mythology arc of the show really takes over. These conspiracy episodes are the best from any season in The X-Files, and made Season 5 more epic than any other. Season 5 begins with the great episode Unusual Suspects. In a flash back scene from 1989, the Lone Gunmen meet for the first time and join forces with Mulder to stop a covert government experiment that may be targeted at the American public, after been contacted by a distraught woman. We finally catch up with what happened at the end of Season 4 in the first two-parter of Season 5; Redux/Redux II. Mulder was presumed dead at the end of the previous season, yet the agents play the game better and are one step ahead of everyone else - I won't spoil it for you, but it's truly an amazing two-parter, definitely one of the best in the show's history. The next two-parter we receive from Season 5 is Christmas Carol/Emily. In the former, a mysterious phone call leads Scully to investigate a woman's suicide and a young girl who may be the daughter of her deceased sister, Melissa. In the latter, Scully attempts to adopt three year old Emily Sim, only to discover that the girl has developed a disturbing illness that may be the by-product of a sinister conspiracy. The next in a long list of Season 5 two-parters is Patient X/The Red And The Black. In the former - after a group of alien abductees are burned alive by faceless assailants - Mulder and Scully uncover proof that the event is linked to alien colonisation. In the latter, the agents discover more evidence of the planned alien colonisation of Earth and set out to preserve what may be humanity's last remaining link to freedom. Since the beginning of Season 5, Mulder's opinions on what he believes have been severely challenged. We see an extremely sceptical Mulder in this two-parter, not willing to believe anything without proof. The fans aren't used to this, so it's just as glad he reverts to his normal self soon. The Season 5 finale - The End - is another absolutely stunning episode in which Mulder and Scully discover a 12-year-old clairvoyant whose life may be in danger due to his gifted ability to solve all the unexplained phenomena in the X-Files. The Ciagrette-Smoking Man really gets involved in this finale, arriving back with full force - intent on complicating things more than they could be and, of course, covering up the truth.

The stand-alone episodes of Season 5 are amongst the best the show has ever produced. While containing some superb ones such as Kitsunegari, Schizogeny, Kill Switch, Mind's Eye, All Souls, The Pine Bluff Variant and Folie A Deux, it also contains one atrocious one - Travelers. This is just a rubbish episode, which I turned off between the first viewing. One of the best episodes of Season 5 is Detour. In the episode, Mulder and Scully are stalked by an ancient legion of lethal beings while out in the woods investigating a boy's claims that he was attacked by an invisible creature. The striking and rich greens of the trees in the forest make this one of the most memorable episodes in X-Files history. The Post Modern Prometheus is a special episode, filmed entirely in black and white. While investigating the appearance of a freakish creature in a rural town, the agents uncover a dangerous genetic experiment that has spun wildly out of control. The comedy scenes (Mulder and Scully suddenly appearing from behind a door-frame to quiz a suspect is hilarious) make for a much-loved episode. Chinga (called Bunghoney from a few sources for some strange reason) is another one of the season's highlights. Rumours of witchcraft and sorcery surrounding a bizarre murder lead Scully to a little girl and a cursed doll that may be hiding a murderous secret. The episode was co-written by horror story legend Stephen King and contains some truly scary moments - such as the supermarket one...and watch out for the "I want more cherries!" scene! Bad Blood has to be the funniest episode of The X-Files you will ever see. While exploring the deaths of cattle killed by a series of blood extractions, the agents uncover a cult of vampires residing in a small Texas town. Both Mulder and Scully offer their sides of the story on what happened in flashback scenes. At one point, the agents become so annoyed with each other that when Scully explains what location they were at (with that trademark writing appearing at the bottom of the screen), Mulder cuts in and believes Scully to have got the location wrong! The writing at the bottom of the screen then changes to what Mulder believes it to be! Very funny stuff!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Season 5 of The X-Files is one of the best seasons of any TV show I have ever seen - only Seasons 3 and 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer tops it! The season contains many different characters such as Cigarette-Smoking Man, Alex Krycek, the Lone Gunmen, Maria Covarrubias, Diana Fowley and The Bounty Hunter which only add to the season's quality. Be a part of The X-Files legend and own Season 5 on DVD today!

The Greatest Science Fiction Show Hits Season 5
If you are reading this, you are proabbly a very big X-Files fan like me. If you are not a fan, you have no idea what great stuff you are missing. So here is the lowdown. As most of us nerds know, X-Files Season 5 was the first season to be filmed in anamorphic widescreen, but it was broadcast in fullscreen.Fox has announced though that the DVD's (Thank You Jesus!)will be presented in their originall anamorphic widescreen! Now for the episodes...
Disc 1: Unusual Suspects, Redux, ReduxII and Detour
Disc 2: Christmas Carol, Post-Modern Prometheus, Emily and Kitsunegari
Disc 3: Schizogeny, Chinga, Kill Switch and Bad Blood
Disc 4: Patient X, The Red and the Black, Travelers and Mind's Eye
Disc 5: All Souls, The Pine Bluff Variant, Folie a Deux and The End
Disc 6: Supplemental Materials.
And for the special features...
The audio will be presented in Dolby Surround 2.0. There will also be international clips for several episodes, deleted scenes from The Post-Modern Prometheus, Christmas Carol, The Red and the Black and All Souls, audio commentaries for The Post-Modern Prometheus and The Pine Bluff Variant, a thirty minute documentary - The Truth About Season Five, Behind the Truth Spots, special effects clips with commentary, a two minute featurette from the FX network, tv spots, and a DVD-ROM game.
I hope this helps ... and remember THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!

Incredible season.. Best I have seen yet
Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. Now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. After watching the first four seasons on DVD I have become a huge fan, and in my opinion The X-Files is one of the most addictive and well done science fiction shows ever created. However, the only five star season that was great from start to finish, was the third season. Going into season five, I never expected to see a season of The X-Files that could manage to overcome season three in terms of storytelling and episode quality. I was wrong. The fifth season was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every single episode, and I doubt that any season for the rest of the show will be able to top it.

The thing that I probably enjoyed the most about season five, is that Mulder and Scully switch roles. Based on what he learns at the end of season four, Mulder turns somewhat skeptical and comes to think that everything he believed in was a lie, while Scully starts to become more of a believer based on things she discovers about her abduction. The fifth season offers so many wonderful episodes, it is hard to choose a favorite. The first two episodes "Redux" and "Redux II" offer a wonderful conclusion to the season four cliffhanger. One of my favorite episodes "Unusual Suspects" goes into how the Lone Gunmen came to be. "The Post-Modern Prometheus" is loosely based on the Frankenstien monster, and is shot in black and white. This was definately one of the best episodes I have seen so far. Everything from the writing and cinematography, to the music used was fantastic. "Bad Blood" is the funniest and most entertaining episode of The X-Files that I have ever seen, and will probably go down as being my favorite episode of the entire show. "The End" is the best season finale of the show that I have seen so far, and is definately on my top ten list for best episodes.

Overall, the fifth season of The X-Files is the best season I have seen so far. While there were only 20 episodes, each one managed to be fantastic. The fifth season would be worth owning for the episodes alone. However, the DVD package is great. This was the first DVD set to offer the episodes in widescreen! The extras are very good as well. My favorite feature was the 45 minute "Inside the X-Files" featurette. It was very in-depth and featured tons of great information. You also get deleted scenes with commentary from series creator Chris Carter, commentary on the episodes "The Post-Modern Prometheus" and "The Pine Bluff Variant" from the writer of those particular episodes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

End of Vancouver
This season marks the last season that was shot in Vancouver. After that, they moved to L.A. Amidst all of that, as well as writting an entire season to lead up to the movie, this season proved to be really great.

[Spoilers]

As usual, the conspiracy deepens with the season premier, and we get a cure for Scully's cancer, an answer to Mulder's supposed death, and a new monkey wrench thrown into the Syndicate's plans: Mulder and Scully discover a boy that can read minds, which in turn could expose the syndicate.

[End Spoilers]

This season had great stand alone episodes as well as mythology episodes. It proved that The X-Files still had a lot going for it.

This season ended with a pretty good season finale, but wasn't as good as Season 4's. However, this didn't matter, because the REAL season finale was the movie "The X-Files: Fight the Future" that was released a few weeks later in theaters.

Overall, a great season and a great setup for the movie and future seasons.

Great season, great DVD.

End of Vancouver...
For the first five seasons of the show, they filmed in Vancouver. After that, they moved to LA. Even through all that, the show remains incredibly well done.

In this season, we have a cure for Scully's cancer, we find out what really happened in the Season Four finale episode, and we learn just how deep the conspiracy goes. We also learn more about what happened when Scully was abducted in "Christmas Carol/Emily," and more in "Patient X/The Red and the Black." The latter two-parter also expands more into what the aliens are really up to.

The season ends with a decent finale, although not as good as last season's. But that's ok, because a month later we got the movie!

Great season, great DVD. ... Read more