Season Four

Series 4 finished on Sky TV some months ago. It is due to air on terrestrial tv here in the UK in the Autumn. I am not ready to do a full overview of this season yet, but generally, while the quality was good, I don't think it was as good as series 3. There were some very good episodes like Paper Hearts, Never Again, Small Potatoes and the final two, Demons and Gethsemane. In particular, I thought Gethsemane, the season final was excellent. However, there was a lack of freshness or originality about many of the shows. Teliko was a rip off of Sqeeze, El Mundo Gira was silly, Kaddish was dull.
I was also uneasy about the Scully storyline that has her with inoperable cancer. While there were some very emotional and touching scenes and good work from Gillian Anderson, it seemed to indicate a certain desperation. There were persistant rumours of discontent this season. Duchovny apparently wanted out, Anderson was miffed that she was on a lot less money than her co-star, Duchovny got married, Anderson split from her husband, a lawsuit for sexual harrassment was filed against some of the execs. It was a busy time for all concerned. Filming is taking places on the movie right now, and then its into season 5.

Season 4 episodes

4X01 Herrenvolk
Conclusion to S3 cliffhanger. Alien bounty hunter, Mrs Mulder and Cancer man, bees and clones. Quite a good episode, although as a seson opener and resolution to a cliffhanger I was a bit disappointed.
4X02 Unruhe
Psychic photos and another sick little man. Scully in jeopardy again, but this one was quite stylish.

4X03 Home
A VERY strange family and killing in a small town. About as close to Horror as the series has got, this was a gruesome and unpleasant episode.

4X04 Teliko
Tooms like killer on the loose. Very disappointing and unoriginal.

4X05 The Field Where I Died
Past lives and souls mates. Kristen Clokes from Space:Above and Beyond appears in a slightly disappointing but thought provoking story.

4X06 Sanguinarium
Very bloody killings in a hospital. Another gory and violent one that could put you off hospitals.

4X07 Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man
Cancer Man's past explored, or is it? Amusing Mulder and Scully free episode that may or may not be completely irrelevant!

4X08 Paper Hearts
A serial killer may have information for Mulder. Good acting from Duchovny as he searches for what may be a different truth about his sister.

4X09 Tunguska (1/2)
Krycek and the Oily alien return. Moderately successful

4X10 Terma (2/2)
Russian prisons and Scully locked up!

4X11 El Mundo Gira
Goings on in an imigrant camp. El Chupacabra is just silly!

4X12 Kaddish
Killings in a small comminity. Dull, First season like episode. Yawn.

4X13 Never Again
Scully goes it alone and gets a tattoo. Enjoyable episode featuring Scully as we haven't seen before. Rodney Rowland from S:AAB is Scully date - and a "friend" of Gillian Anderson's for a bit too..

4X14 Leonard Betts
Another strange killer and consequences for Scully. More on the Scully illness in this odd story.

4X15 Memento Mori
Scully's illness is diagnosed and she and Mulder seek out the truth behind it, with little success.

4X16 Unrequited
Rather unoriginal story a la Sleepless about a war veteran with unusual skills and deadly intent.

4X17 Tempus Fugit (1/2)
Max Fenig returns in a two part story. A mythology episode- aliens conspiracy but no hard facts.

4X18 Max (2/2)
Max's return is very brief, and he actually doesn't even get to see his old pals Mulder and Scully. Not the most effective two-parter.

4X19 Synchrony
No Scully as Skinner takes centre stage to fulfil his obligation to Cancer Man, but Mulder smells a rat.

4X20 Small Potatoes
Darin Morgan returns-as an actor in this comedy episode that is one of the best episodes for a while.

4X21 Zero Sum
Skinner is framed for murder after he covers up the death of a women by killer bees.

4X22 Elegy
A handicapped man who sees the spirits of dead people is the main feature of this downbeat episode.

4X23 Demons
Mulder awakes in a strange room covered in blood and with amnesia!

4X24 Gethsemane
great finale. Is Mulder dead!!

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Click here to see the episode guide from the official XF site