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The agents are asked to help capture a murderer who can control people with the sound of his voice in Pusher. But when the fugitive turns his talents on his pursuers, no one can resist his will--not even Mulder.

In one of the series' finest and funniest episodes, Mulder and Scully investigate reports of a UFO abduction in a small town and become the subjects of a book by author Jose Chung, played by perennial center square Charles Nelson Reilly. Filled with self referential humor, laugh out loud satire and conflicting points-of-view, the story goes from the strange to the bizarre to the unbelievable as the work of the agents is seen through the eyes of an outsider. Some highpoints: Mulder's squeal of excitement, the Men in Black, and "a bleapin' dead alien".

In the pilot episode of the hit TV show, we meet FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Mulder, nicknamed "Spooky" because of his obsession with paranormal phenomena and UFOs, is lodged in the basement of the FBI's headquarters from which he investigates unexplained cases that no other agent will touch. Scully is assigned to be Mulder's partner, ostensibly to spy on him and debunk his work. She soon finds that there is more to learn from "Spooky" Mulder than she imagined. While all of the elements that make The X-Files special are not quite developed here, and it only hints at the series' potential, the pilot episode is a great deal of fun nonetheless, and essential viewing for any X-Phile.

By contrast, the series' first regular episode, Deep Throat contains all of the factors that fans expect of The X-Files. While investigating the case of a missing Air Force test pilot, who may or may not have been flying a craft built from Alien technology, Mulder is contacted by a shadowy "Deep Throat" figure who warns him to drop the case. This one has it all--government cover-ups, paranoia, alien spacecraft, and then some.

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The definitive American television series of the '90s comes to the big screen with an anticlimactic whimper. And how could it be otherwise? Why should material so perfectly realized in one medium necessarily translate well into another? The series is crisply and thoughtfully executed in just about every detail, but the heart of its appeal lies in the elegant handling of complicated and evolving ongoing story lines, which is not something movies are especially good at. The big-screen drive for closure cramps the creative style, though it may also help nonfans get a grip on the proceedings. We do get some invigorating thrills and chills, however, and a more satisfying sense of the scale of an all-enveloping human-alien conspiracy than ever before, but there's no more plot development here than in an average two-part season-ending. FBI black sheep Mulder and Scully have been temporarily transferred from the X-Files project to an anti-terrorist unit to investigate an Oklahoma City-style bombing. They uncover a new wrinkle in the Syndicate/Cancer Man conspiracy--basically an attempt to help one bunch of (benign?) aliens fight off another bunch who want to colonize Earth. A spectacular, ice-bound finale thrillingly staged by series-veteran director Rob Bowman offers Mulder (but not a conveniently unconscious Scully) his first clear look at a You Know What, which in some quarters qualifies as an epochal event. Martin Landau offers the agents some crucial clues, and several familiar TV faces (including the Lone Gunmen and Mitch Pileggi's indispensable Assistant Director Skinner) turn up briefly to wink knowingly at faithful fans. --David Chute

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More than any other writer on the show (including series creator Chris Carter), Darin Morgan has managed to capture the essence of The X-Files and distill it into singular stories that combine elements of humor, terror, and humanity. Two of his best episodes, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and War of the Coprophages are available on this tape.

In the first episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of brutal murders of a professional psychics. The trail leads them to an insurance salesman, Cldye Bruckman, who seems to possess a psychic talent of his own. Mulder becomes convinced that Bruckman can lead them to the killer, but Scully remains skeptical (naturally). Peter Boyle is perfect as Bruckman, providing the series with one of its most memorable (human) characters.

Cockroaches are the eponymous stars of War of the Coprophages. This lighthearted but creepy-crawly episode finds Mulder investigating the bizarre death of a scientist at the hands of a swarm of roaches and Scully on the verge of losing her patience with her eccentric partner. Every theory under the sun--from alien probes disguised as roaches to government experiments on the insects--crawls out of the woodwork (so to speak). The high point of this episode may very well be Scully's reaction to Mulder's new friend Dr. Bambi.

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One of the most distinctly creepy characters ever to appear on The X-Files, Donnie Pfaster is a guy with a few personal issues. Fired after his funeral director boss catches him clipping the hair from a corpse, Donnie begins to pursue his real interests in earnest. His escalating fetish leads him to seek out new, living victims, despite Mulder and Scully's attempts to stop him.

Sporting the funniest opening sequence in the show's history, Die Hand Die Verletzt tells the story of a small town with very singular religious practices. When teenagers begin to be murdered, Mulder and Scully investigate the locals' claims of witchcraft, but find instead a number of unexplained occurrences that defy the laws of nature and evidence of possible misconduct by the local school's officials. This lighthearted yet disturbing episode exposes the true nature of substitute teachers and demonstrates the repercussions of becoming lax in certain faiths.

This outstanding set of six episodes from the fourth (1996) season of The X-Files offers 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-hard X-philes, this is arguably the finest boxed set available. --Jeff Shannon

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A mail order "Alien Autopsy" videotape appears to capture the execution of the men involved in Nisei. When Mulder and Scully attempt to separate fact from fabrication, they find the man selling the tape murdered, most likely at the hands of a Japanese diplomat caught fleeing the scene. While Mulder tries to make sense of a web of murdered scientists, satellite photos, and mysterious cargo, Scully encounters a group of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) members who seem to share a great deal in common with her. The story is continued in 713, as Mulder's quest for "The Truth" leads him to board a mysterious train that may be carrying the alien corpse from the videotape.

Mulder and Scully's investigation of the murder of a circus performer brings them to a town inhabited entirely by sideshow performers in Humbug. Filled with fantastic cameos--including members of the Jim Rose Circus--this light-hearted episode explores conventional notions of "ordinary" and "weird". Added bonus: Scully eats a grasshopper.

In Anasazi, the first of a trilogy of episodes, Mulder comes into possession of a tape filled with stolen secrets of the Defense Department's involvement with extraterrestrial life. As he attempts to decipher what may very well be the proof he has been seeking, his behavior grows more and more erratic, his life in greater danger, and the more everything he has even believed is thrown into question. Continued in The Blessing Way.

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The first of many episodes of The X-Files featuring spooky children, Conduit tells the story of a young boy who may in fact be receiving communications from "out there". Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearance of a girl from a so-called UFO hotspot, a case with which Mulder heavily identifies.

The X-Files does a turn on the horror classic The Thing in the episode Ice. In one of the finest (and scariest) episodes of the series, Mulder and Scully journey into the Antarctic to investigate the bizarre suicides of two scientists. What they find is a trail of gruesome murders and the possible evidence of extraterrestrial life Mulder has been seeking--but no one may survive long enough to examine it.

The death of Scully's father figures prominently in Beyond the Sea, an episode in which the agents must scrutinizie claims of psychic powers by a convicted murderer. Brad Dourif is memorable as Luther Boggs, the death row inmate who seems to possess intimate knowledge of another madman poised to strike again if he is not caught.

In E.B.E., Deep Throat resurfaces to inform Mulder about a U.F.O shot down while flying over Iraqi airspace. The agents' faith in their informant is put to the test when he deceives them, hampering in their investigation. This episode also introduces Frohike, Langly, and Byers--collectively known as the Lone Gunmen--three paranoid hackers whose conspiracy theories fuel Mulder's own search for "The Truth.".

When Deep Throat alerts him to the existence of a UFO crash site in Wisconsin, Mulder sneaks behind the lines of an Air Force recovery operation to gather evidence. After he's is discovered, Mulder and Agent Scully have to work quickly to expose the truth before the government shuts the X-Files down for good.

Two identical murders witnessed by two identical young girls at exactly the same time pull Mulder and Scully into a case of human genetics gone awry in Eve. The first of many clones, another set of perfectly cast spooky children, and evidence (of course) of a government cover-up are the highlights of this creepy episode.

When dozens of loggers disappear without a trace, Mulder and Scully travel to the Pacific Northwest to investigate the possibility of foul play. Local feuds, ecological issues, and personal differences help to fan an already incendiary situation, but when evidence suggests that something else is sharing the woods with them, such human concerns turn out to be the least of the agents' worries. Darkness Falls is a classic X-Files thriller, wrought with suspense and paranoia.

In the final episode of the show's first season, The Erlenmeyer Flask, a police chase ends mysteriously as a fugitive completely disappears after being shot. Deep Throat approaches Mulder about the incident, pressing him to look deeper into the case. The investigation uncovers evidence of strange experiments, green-blooded individuals of unknown origin, and the beginnings of the conspiracy further uncovered in subsequent seasons.

In Ascension, the sequel to Duane Barry, Mulder and his partner, Alex Krychek race to save Scully from the clutches of a madman. What Mulder doesn't know is that Scully's fate has already been decided by higher powers, and he is helpless to stop their plans from unfolding. One Breath continues the story as Scully struggles between life and death, and Mulder tries to find the men responsible and bring them to justice.

Clones, submarines, and an alien bounty hunter are the highlights of this classic two-part episode of The X-Files. The agents investigate the murders of identical victims, which leads to a surprise reunion for Mulder. Nothing is what it seems, however, and he must choose between his family and his greater quest in one of the show's finest "mythology" moments.

In Little Green Men, the second season opener of The X-Files, Mulder and Scully have been separated, the X-Files closed down, and the truth buried more deeply than ever. A tip from a U.S. Senator hints at proof of extraterrestrial communication, and Mulder risks his career and his life to uncover the mysteries of a S.E.T.I. facility in Puerto Rico.

One of the best monster episodes of the series, The Host finds Mulder and Scully knee deep in the sewers of New Jersey where something is devouring sanitation workers. Complete with fluke worms, portapotties, and a few tons of raw sewage, this episode is not for the faint-hearted.

With the X-Files shut down, Mulder is reluctanly saddled with a new partner, Alex Krychek, and assigned to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a doctor specializing in sleep disorders. What he finds is evidence of government experiments on soldiers during the Vietnam War, and one angry test subject who wants to share his nightmares with those who tormented him. Horror movie mainstay Tony Todd is quietly menacing as Augustus Cole, the vet who's unique abilities are his greatest curse.

In Duane Barry, Mulder and Krychek are called in to help resolve a hostage situation involving a former FBI agent who claims to be a victim of multiple UFO abductions. Mulder succeeds in trading himself for one of the hostages, using his own belief in UFOs to breakthrough to Barry. Scully soon learns of Mulder's involvement and discovers that Barry may not be at all what he claims to be. Continued in Ascension.

Is television responsible for a series of brutal murders in a peaceful suburban town? Or is a more sinister force at work behind the glow of the picture tube? The agents uncover evidence of government experimentation on the populace in Wetwired, a white-knuckle thriller that brings Scully in touch with a new level of paranoia.

In Talitha Cumi, a mysterious healer may hold the key to many mysteries, including a possible connection between Mulder's mother and the Cigarette Smoking Man. The first part of a two-episode story, this one's got it all: aliens, clones, and covert government operations.

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The definitive American television series of the '90s comes to the big screen with an anticlimactic whimper. And how could it be otherwise? Why should material so perfectly realized in one medium necessarily translate well into another? The series is crisply and thoughtfully executed in just about every detail, but the heart of its appeal lies in the elegant handling of complicated and evolving ongoing story lines, which is not something movies are especially good at. The big-screen drive for closure cramps the creative style, though it may also help nonfans get a grip on the proceedings. We do get some invigorating thrills and chills, however, and a more satisfying sense of the scale of an all-enveloping human-alien conspiracy than ever before, but there's no more plot development here than in an average two-part season-ending. FBI black sheep Mulder and Scully have been temporarily transferred from the X-Files project to an anti-terrorist unit to investigate an Oklahoma City-style bombing. They uncover a new wrinkle in the Syndicate/Cancer Man conspiracy--basically an attempt to help one bunch of (benign?) aliens fight off another bunch who want to colonize Earth. A spectacular, ice-bound finale thrillingly staged by series-veteran director Rob Bowman offers Mulder (but not a conveniently unconscious Scully) his first clear look at a You Know What, which in some quarters qualifies as an epochal event. Martin Landau offers the agents some crucial clues, and several familiar TV faces (including the Lone Gunmen and Mitch Pileggi's indispensable Assistant Director Skinner) turn up briefly to wink knowingly at faithful fans. --David Chute

By defining one of the show's most effective trademarks--the combination of the unbelievably monstrous with the recognizably human--Squeeze set the pace for some of the finest episodes of The X-Files. Agent Scully is asked by one of her classmates to help him in a serial murder investigation. In each of the cases, the assailant gained access to the victims under seemingly impossible circumstances and subsequently removed their livers. When Mulder hears about the case, he recognizes a connection to a series of unsolved cases dating back to 1903. The other agents are not terribly amenable to Mulder's theory that all of the killings were commited by the same man, who has stayed alive for decades by devouring human livers. When Scully's profile leads to the capture of a suspect, Eugene Victor Tooms, it looks like Mulder may be as crazy as everyone thinks. But then it wouldn't be The X-Files, would it?

The formula of the episode and the character of Tooms were so effective that both were brought back at the end of the first season in Tooms. At least as chilling as it's precursor, this episode once again finds Mulder trying in vain to convince the skeptics that Tooms is more than he appears to be. In both episodes, Doug Huthchison is perfectly creepy as Tooms, affectionately known to fans of the show as "Liver Boy".

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