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18 out of 18 people found the following review useful: So long, Vancouver!, 27 December 2006 Author: Muldernscully from Washington Terrace, Utah
After five dark, cold, and rain-filled seasons filming in Vancouver, the x-files wrapped up production and moved to warm and sunny L.A. It was a great five years, and the dark and wet atmosphere really helped set the tone for the series. For the opening teaser, the show used a large arena and advertised for all the locals to come fill up the arena as extras for the chess tournament. Those aren't CGI people. They're all real. It was the x-files way of thanking the people of Vancouver for five wonderful years. It's hard to believe that that many people would watch one chess match, but it's still a cool visual. The season goes out with a bang in 'The End', a fitting finale for Vancouver. It's cool to see the syndicate out of their usual office. I believe this is the first time you see all of them together in a different setting. It's interesting how the cartoon Gibson is watching mirrors the episode. The emotional tension in this episode is heightened, especially between Mulder and Scully. This is caused by the addition of Diana Fowley, excellently played by Mimi Rogers. The character of Diana Fowley adds a certain amount of dramatic tension to the show, when she apparently horns in on Scully's territory. The scene of Scully seeing Mulder with Fowley and then returning to her car to call him is very poignant. The Cigarette Smoking Man's vocabulary is replete with chess terms in his conversations with others. And the final scene of Mulder's office is very powerful. The whole episode is layered with meaning. 'The End' means so many different things in this episode; an excellent title for the episode. It's a very fitting end to the Vancouver years of the X-Files.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Season Five Review, 28 March 2008 Author: AdnanZ
Season Five is certainly a continuation of the excellence we expect from "The X Files", with the strongest mythology episodes since season 2 and a few memorable Monster of the Week episodes. I feel like there's something missing here though. One of the things that set "The X Files" apart was that it always had a sense of humor about itself, and despite containing what is perhaps the funniest X-File of all, "Bad Blood" ("Oh now what did you DO THAT for?! When I'm done you're in BIIIG trouble!") and perennial feel-good classic "The Post-Modern Prometheus", this season mostly feels joyless, and quite frankly, sometimes the drama isn't strong enough to substitute for the almost complete lack of humor present in most episodes here. That's not to say season 5 isn't great, because it really is a terrific bunch of episodes with several outright classics, perhaps more than all but one or two seasons, just that it feels a little... angsty.I thought the best episodes were: Redux II- everything an X-phile should expect from a good mythology episode Unusual Suspects- The Lone Gunmen's own episode? Of course it's great. You have to love the presence of disoriented young Mulder.The Post-Modern Prometheus- Sure it's gimmicky. It's also genuine and sweet and effective and hilarious.Bad Blood- One of the best X File scripts. How can anyone dispute this episode's greatness? Folie a Deux- BUG ZOMBIES.The End- a perfect episode, one of the very best. Too bad this would mark the end for Vancouver and the move to LA. The mythology arc would stay good all through season 6, then fall apart.Average rating based on ratings for all episodes: 7.8/10
You have a dirty mind., 21 November 2009 Author: Sanpaco13 from Sandy, UT, United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This episode is much better than its counterpart which I will talk about when I review that episode. For now let's enjoy "The End". This is the episode that introduces us to the character of Gibson Praise, a boy who we find out is capable of reading thoughts. The boy becomes very important to a lot of people when he is almost assassinated at a chess match. Do people really go to chess matches like that in huge basketball stadiums? Strange. It is fun to watch some of the character interactions in this episode. We are first introduced to Diana Fowley and at first we are still somewhat unsure of whether she is a good guy or a bad guy. One thing is for sure though and that is that she doesn't like Scully and Scully doesn't like her. We also meet for the first time, Agent Spender, who it is obvious that we don't like because he is a typical jerk who is more interested in his own image than he is about facts as we see from the very beginning when Mulder points out his flaw in who the target of the shooting was. Anyway, CSM is called in on this case by the shadow government in order to kidnap Gibson so he can be studied. One thing confusing about this to me was why they would order him to be assassinated, and then after a failed attempt, instead decide to capture and test him? Also one thing that kind of bugs me about Gibson is how he has this great ability and could easily help those who are trying to protect him by giving them some warning that they are about to be shot, but instead he just kind of sits around with a hopeless look on his face like he just doesn't care about anything. "Yeah you're about to die but there's nothing anyone can do about it." Also I'm curious what ever happens with his parents. They never show up and they don't seem to care when he disappears and never sees them again. Later in the series he is in hiding at some orphanage. We know he has parents but apparently he is as emotionlessly attached to them as he is to his own life. Anyway, the rest of the episode mostly consists of Mulder's office being burnt down and the viewers finding out that CSM is Spender's father. Not a bad episode which could have led into a nice conclusion but fails somewhat. I give this one an 8 out of 10.
0 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Worst continuity issues ever......, 4 July 2008 Author: Penaltyb0x414 from United States
While the episode is great filled with awesome performances and a great way to end the season, I can't get past the opening of the chess board and game. The overhead beginning view of the game shows no rook checking the king, but the Russian's move is for the king to take the rook next to it. Then the American boy is shown to move another rook to check the king again, but he has a 3rd rook next to his king. Then when the Russian moves his king again to move out of check his queen which was blocked by a pawn and a queen moves in and checkmates the Russian's king. Now I know that details get overlooked in between takes, but I would think that an important set up of this chess match and subsequent moves should have been much more closely watched and pieces should have been reset corresponding to each take. It really bothers me, and it shouldn't, I just find the lack of attention to details annoying. Bash me if you want, but it ruined the episode for me and dropped it from great to good.
10 out of 27 people found the following review useful: The end for the X-files indeed...., 16 October 2006 Author: Michiel Heinicke from Amsterdam, Netherlands
Yes it went on for another 4 seasons, BUT....After this episode, the X-files wouldn't be the same. Season 5 ended, the production moved from Vancouver to L.A. They made X-files fight the future, and the movie ruined a lot for me, (too dumbed down for a mass audience) but the move to L.A. was the worst they could do. Enjoy this episode, for it is the last X-files with that dark tone you love. (L.A. was just too sunny) After this the comedy eps would get overhand and every season would just get more and more pathetic (with exception of the Doggett MOTW's in the first half of Season 8 which i really liked)Seasons 1,2 marked the brilliant start of the series, Seasons 3,4 were the climax, Season 5 marked the last true X-files season, Season 6,7 were way too light, Season 8 started great, but they ruined it and with Season 9... X-files died a horrible death.
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