Product Description
The Lone Gunmen was the short-lived spin-off series starring those scene-stealing conspiracy theorists from The X-Files. To recap, there is buttoned-down Byers (the bearded, relatively normal-looking one, played by Bruce Harwood), the "man of action" Frohike (the short one who had the hots for Scully, played by Tom Braidwood), and master hacker Langly (the one with the long blond hair, played by Dean Haglund). They also meet some new characters who both help and hinder: a female agent calling herself Yves Adele Harlow (and other anagrams for Lee Harvey Oswald, played by Zuleikha Robinson), who always seems a step ahead of them, and James "Jimmy" Bond (Stephen Snedden), the dimwitted benefactor who thinks that the Gunmen give him a purpose in life.
The series lasted a mere 13 episodes, and in retrospect probably plays better now than it did in the spring of 2001 when the peak years of The X-Files were still fresh in the memory. Thanks to direction and writing by the same creative talent and music by Mark Snow, The Lone Gunmen has the feel of Chris Carter's signature series, though without the impenetrable mythology and the sexual tension (Robinson is beautiful, but let's be serious). The episodes are generally stand-alone affairs reflecting the goofy humor that made the trio part of the comic relief in The X-Files. Light-hearted topics include a blind football team and a super-intelligent chimpanzee, but the closing episode dealt with the familiar themes of alien abduction and government cover-ups (a thread that after the series' cancellation had to be concluded in an episode of The X-Files, which is also included in this set). And particularly chilling is the pilot: aired six months before 9/11, it deals with an attempt to fly an airplane into the World Trade Center. The Lone Gunmen couldn't match the brilliant inspiration of The X-Files (few shows could), but for fans it might just be the next best thing. --David Horiuchi
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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.