The X-Files Boxed Set - Vol.7 (Herrenvolk, Home, Unruhe, Paper Hearts, Tunguska, and Terma) [VHS]
This outstanding set of six episodes from the fourth (1996) season ofThe X-Filesoffers an equal balance of superior stand-alone stories and intricate chapters of the show's ongoing conspiracy "mythology," providing viewers with an opportunity to savor consistently excellent writing and direction. The primary reason to own this set is the inclusion of "Home," an episode so unsettling that it was banned from Fox-TV after just one network broadcast (thus making it the most cherished episode for collectors). But the good news here is that all of these episodes are equally outstanding, representing the series cast and crew at their seasoned best, when the show had fully settled into the tantalizing complexities of its overall structure (most evident here in the related episodes "Herrenvolk," "Tunguska," and "Terma"). These shows also give David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson some of their finest moments, both dramatic and deliciously sarcastic, as the Scully-Mulder dynamic reaches its most satisfying level of comfort and teasing ambiguity.From deeply disturbing plots to the brand of offbeat levity that gives the show its unique appeal, these six episodes reveal the series at peak maturity, willing and able to push the limits of terror as never before seen on television. Certainly not for every taste (since they're sure to prove unsettling for the uninitiated viewer), but for die-hardX-philes, this is arguably the finest boxed set available.--Jeff Shannon