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Box set containing the entire eighth season of the popular sci-fi drama. In 'Within' Scully and Skinner help search for the missing Mulder. 'Without' sees the search for Mulder reach the Arizona desert. 'Patience' finds Doggett on his first X Files case, investigating a series of strange murders. 'Roadrunners' has Scully in hot water when she meets a slug-worshipping religious cult. 'Invocation' concerns the case of a young boy who, after ten years missing, reappears without having aged a single day. 'Redrum' sees a high-profile lawyer baffled when he is imprisoned for a murder he can't remember. In 'Via Negativa' Doggett and Skinner come up against a cult leader who can kill people by entering their dreams. 'Surekill' finds Scully and Doggett investigating an unusual assassination. 'Salvage' has Doggett investigate the case of a man whose blood is turning to metal. 'Badlaa' concerns a mystical revenge carried out after a tragic industrial accident. 'The Gift' sees Doggett working on one of Mulder's old cases. In 'Medusa' Doggett and Scully undertake an investigation in the tunnels beneath Boston. 'Per Manum' finds Scully developing doubts about her pregnancy. 'This is Not Happening' has Doggett come closer to solving the riddle of Mulder's disappearance. 'Deadalive' sees Skinner offered a powerful vaccine which could save Mulder's life. 'Three Words' finds Mulder investigating the death of a census worker on the White House lawn. 'Empedocles' has Reyes uncover new evidence connected to the death of Doggett's son. In 'Vienen' a number of deaths on board an oil rig raise suspicions of alien activity. 'Alone' sees Doggett teamed with a young agent who is fascinated by the work of Mulder and Scully. 'Essence' has Mulder and Doggett look into some attacks on a genetics research lab which has apparently been performing alien experiments. And finally, 'Existence' finds the other agents coming to the rescue as alien interference threatens the safety of Scully and her unborn child. .co.uk Review ------------- 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 men, 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