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The Lone Gunmen - The Complete Series

List price:	~~$39.98~~
Our price:	$29.99 that is 25% off!
Media:	DVD
Directed by:
Starring:
Release date:	29 March, 2005

Average user rating: Average user rating: 3.5

Underappreciated show finally on DVD!

It must've seemed like a good idea at the time. Take the three most popular supporting characters from The X-Files and give them their own show. A few episodes aired before it promptly disappeared from our TV screens. So, what happened? Had Chris Carter and the network miscalculated on the size of The Lone Gunmen's fanbase, or was it a case of too little going a long way? What made the Gunmen work was that we were subjected to their quirky, entertaining ways in small, concentrated doses. Are these characters rich and interesting enough to carry their own show? Obviously, mainstream audiences didn't think so.

Not surprisingly, The Lone Gunmen has a lighter tone than The X-Files. It's more playful in nature but does take itself seriously as well. These guys seemed pretty wacky on The X-Files but on their own show they cross paths with people even stranger than they are: a poacher who deals in grizzly bear gallbladders, a tango-dancing smuggler and a secret government terrorist organization. The show is well made but missing that certain quality that made their appearances in The X-Files so memorable. The satire that they represented, being even more paranoid than Mulder, worked well on that show but is missing on their own. It's almost too much of a good thing.

On disc one there is an audio commentary on the pilot episode by director Rob Bowman, cinematographer Robert McLachlan and writers Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban. They address the similarities to 9/11 and how much things have changed since then.

There is also an audio commentary on "Bond, Jimmy Bond" by the Gunmen themselves, Dean Haglund, Tom Braidwood, and Bruce Harwood, along with director Bryan Spicer and actors Stephen Snedden and Zuleikha Robinson. As one would expect, this is a spirited track as the Gunmen actors playfully make fun of each other and recount the occasional amusing anecdote about filming the episode.

Disc two features an audio commentary on "Tango de los Pistoleros" by Haglund, Braidwood, Harwood, writer Thomas Schnauz, Spicer, Snedden and Robinson. This is another rousing track as everyone jokes and recounts anecdotes from filming the episode.

The third disc includes an audio commentary on "All About Yves" by Shiban, Spotnitz, Gilligan and Spicer. They talk about how this was the last episode that aired and how it parodied The X-Files.

The last commentary is for The X-Files episode, "Jump the Shark," that wrapped up all the loose threads of the Lone Gunmen series. Spotnitz, Gilligan and Shiban return to talk about their intentions for this episode to be an elegy to these characters and how their ultimate fate was decided.

"Defenders of Justice: The Story of The Lone Gunmen" traces the characters' first appearance in "E.B.E" in the first season of The X-Files, to their own show to their demise on "Jump the Shark." This is a good look at these characters, their legacy and how each episode came together.

Finally, there are some TV spots.

Good series; Subpar DVD presentation

Well, my set didn't have any defects like the other folk are talking about here, but I still frown upon the double-sided DVD. This is fine for films with wide and full screen options, but I don't like it for something like this. If you get prints on one side, you run the chance of damaging it. Disc 1 has a tendency to not stay in its tray and falls onto disc 2.

14 episodes could have easily been done with 4 discs, 4 per disc like X-Files and 2 on the last one. The slim cases I don't mind. Maybe a re-release sometime?

Anyway, the picture quality and audio are top notch. Subtitles, commentaries are present. I'm not sure if the Pilot episode was edited. I have a video of it with some different music and the opening theme. The one on the DVD does not have the opening, oddly.

My favorite episodes are "The Cap'n Toby Show", "Like Water for Octane", "The Lying Game", and "Eine Kleine Frohike".

Thus sums up my review. The shows are fun, watchable, just the lousy double sided disc release is where my big gripe is.

Great show, Lousy packaging

I received my copy in the mail today and subsequently planned my evening around watching this as this is the first opportunity I've had to take a break from homework for the week and will probably be my last chance until next Thursday. I opened my package and I wasn't even lucky enough to have a disc with one side repeated. The box was missing DVDs one and two! No fault of the show of course, which will always be great, but Fox Home Entertainment should be ashamed of themselves! So, when you buy it, beware and be prepared to have to submit yourself to the return process at least once.