The X-Files - The Complete Eighth Season

The eighth season of The X-Files will always be remembered as the year of brave decisions. David Duchovny's increasing dissatisfaction with the role meant he'd only appear in a few episodes. The solution? Enter Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) who basically stole the show within his first two minutes of screen time (and watch out for several Terminator 2 in-jokes too!). Scully (Gillian Anderson) switched roles to being the believer alongside Doggett's skeptic in a year that was more reliant on the background story arc than ever before. Her pregnancy remained at the foreground, while a more prominent Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) joined in a hunt for the abducted Mulder that drew upon the black oil, cloning, and bounty-hunting aspects of the convoluted alien conspiracy story. A distinct lack of guest stars or writers indicated maturity beyond the need for ratings stunts: dedicated fans were pleased to see sinister Krycek, the reliable Lone Gunmen, and the return of the show's very first abductee. The real strengths of the season came from new characters, including alternative female role model Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and some terrific standalone episodes. Investigations covered a man going backward in time, deaths aboard an oil rig, a contagion in the Boston subway tunnels, and creatures resembling bats and slugs. Agent Leyla Harrison (named after an X-Files fan who died of cancer) got to ask all the petty questions regular viewers want to know themselves. With season 9 promised to be the last, this year was a remarkable achievement so late in a show's life. --Paul Tonks

Movie Details

Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi
Running time: 984 mins.
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.78:1

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DVD Features:

Available Subtitles: English, Spanish

Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

21 episodes on six discs

Commentary by Frank Spotnitz on 'Alone'

Commentary by Kim Manners on 'Existence'

All-new documentary: "The Truth About Season Eight"

Seven deleted scenes with optional commentary by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban

Seven special-effects sequences with commentary by Paul Rabwin

Character profiles on Alex Krycek, Gibson Praise, and John Doggett

42 promotional television spots

6 international language clips

All-new DVD-ROM game: Existence

DVD International release dates:
North America: May 11, 04