This DVD set includes the pilot episode which many people wondered would ever get to see the light of day as it predicted the World Trade Center being hit by an airplane six months before the disaster actually occurred.
--Randy
Lone Gunmen, The: The Complete Series
Directors: Bryan Spicer And Various Others
Producers: Bryan Spicer
Writers: Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shibon, Frank Spotnitz And Various Others Based On Characters Created By Glenn Morgan And James Wong
Features: Widescreen(1.78: 1), Color, Five Episode Commentaries, 35 Minute Featurette, Four TV Spots, (CC), English And Spanish Digital Surround Sound With English And Spanish Subtitles.
Characters:
John Fitzgerald Byers...Bruce Harwood
Richard 'Ringo' Langly...Dean Haglund
Melvin Frohike..Tom Braidwood
Jimmy Bond...Stephen Snedden
Yves Adele Harlow...Zuleikha Robinson
Kimmy...Jim Fife
Genre: Comedy
Review:
The first thing that strikes you about the three disc DVD set of "The Lone Gunmen: The Complete Series" is the high production values that went into it's manufacture. First off, the DVD is widescreen, which does not happen that often for a network television series. Then, the picture and colors are so sharp that it is again hard to believe that the series came off of a regular network though some may argue the Fox network is not your regular network. Digital Surround Sound rounds off the surplus of quality put into this DVD package.
"The Lone Gunmen" television series only lasted for thirteen episodes, from March to June of 2001, including the pilot. The show was a comedic look at the adventures of three conspiracy hacks as they tried to uncover secret plots by whomever to publish in their newspaper called "The Lone Gunman." These men were John Fitzgerald Byers played by Bruce Harwood, Richard Langly played by Dean Haglund and Melvin Frohike played by Tom Braidwood. Joining them on their television series were two other regulars. One was Yves Adele Harlow played by the beautiful Zuleikha Robinson and the other was Jimmy Bond played by Stephen Snedden. Harlow was introduced in the pilot episode and was a sort of friendly nemesis to the group. Bond was a pretty boy type klutz that joined the team in the episode following the pilot.
The television series of "The Lone Gunmen" was a spinoff of "The X-Files" television series. The characters were seen off and on beginning in the first season of that series. They got so interesting that when Duchovny and Anderson had to take time off to make an "X-Files" movie the three held the show down until the two stars returned starting with the "Unusual Suspects" episode. In one of the commentaries on this DVD set, it is mentioned that the character of Frohike almost bit the dust during the "X-Files" fourth season. A scene showing Frohike getting killed had to be reshot after some writers complained that they had further intentions for the three man team.
The three disc set of "The Lone Gunmen: The Complete Series" has five commentaries on the fourteen episodes included in the set. There are thirteen shows of "The Lone Gunmen" and one episode of "The X-files" called "Jump The Shark." The "X-Files" episode wraps up all the loose ends that were left over when "The Lone Gunmen" series was cancelled. For all intents and purposes it might as well have been called another episode of "The Lone Gunmen," that show's influence is so strong in it. Annabelle Gish and Robert Patrick as agents Monica Reyes and John Doggett get very little to do, but guest star in their own series. This episode has one of the five commentaries, though the narrative gives the impression it was done a while ago, probably for an "X-Files" DVD set.
There is also a featurette on the DVD called "Defenders Of Justice: The Story Of The Lone Gunmen." This thirty-five minute featurette has all the main actors from the series shown including Snedden and Robinson. Writers like Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan, Chris Carter, John Shibon and others are shown talking about the series. Rob Bowman, who directed the pilot episode with the airliner set to crash into the World Trade center, talks about his reactions to the day of 9/11.
Four television spots which are just different advertisements for the series round out the extra features on the DVD.
I will now go through the episodes:
Episode One: "Pilot"- Called that because it is the pilot episode. I thought this show was filmed a little too darkly. In it's commentary it is mentioned that everything was done in a rush and in a 'shoot from the hip' style. Yves Adele Harlow is introduced as a spy/thief who steals the latest in computer chip technology, an Octium chip. Our boys arrive too late to procure it for themseves so they can write an expose in "The Lone Gunman" that the chip also spies on it's users. Kimmy(Jim Fife) makes an appearance as a super hacker that helps out Langly. Byers later finds out that his father was killed. The death was meant to cover up a government plot to send an airliner into the World Trade Center and spark up munitions sales. This show aired on March 4, 2001, six months before the actual event happened. Director Rob Bowman, and Robert McLachlan, the cameraman, are joined in the commentary by three writers: Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban. The writers talk about how they expected the U.S. Government to have a contingency plan for something like this because if they could think this plot up then so could anyone else. Rob Bowman, who went on to direct "Elektra," talks about how he felt on the day of 9/11.
Episode Two: "Bond, Jimmy, Bond"- This and episode ten are my favorites. Bryan Spicer, who directed more of "The Lone Gunman" shows than anyone else, directs both of these shows. Melvin Frohike starts the show off as a Matrix-like, Japanese samurai fighter with catastrophic results. Later, our three investigators meet their new assistant, James Bond. He actually uses the first name of Jimmy and is an unknowing front for an organization that uses computers to steal money. Jimmy also coaches the world's first and only blind football team. Yves helps the boys, but is it the kind of help they can do without? This episode has commentary to it in which the narrators discuss Braidwood injuring his ribs and taking a pain medicine that has since been taken off the market. Stephen Snedden talks about how most of the crew thought his character of Jimmy Bond was just there for that one episode and that they said goodbye to him at the end of the shooting.
Episode Three: "Eine Kleine Frohike"- The Gunmen search for the son of a German officer concieved in World War II. His mother was a nortorious German spy known for poisoning her victims and she may be looking for this grown up son too. Just to show that the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree, the son is suspected of being a murderous former member of the East German police before the Berlin wall came down. Frohike who bears a striking resemblance to the deceased father has to pretend to be the lost son and draw out the deadly widow.
Episode Four: "Like Water For Octane"- While making his routine run at the Freedom Of Information office, Byers accidentally recieves a secret government paper that gives some clues to the location of a defunct car that runs on water. The existence of this car turns out to have been the personal obsession of a younger Frohike, and now the current Frohike once again finds himself driven to locate this hidden vehicle with the aid of his friends.
Episode Five: "Three Men And A Smoking Diaper"- The Gunmen find a live baby thrown in a garbage dumpster by a man who turns out to be a policeman. They uncover that the mother died in a mysterious car wreck and was a campaign worker for a Senator seeking re-election. Upon further investigation the Gunmen find a trail of evidence leading to the womanizing Senator who bears a very strong resemblance and personality to our world's Bill Clinton.
Episode Six: "Madame, I'm Adam"- This is another wacky episode directed by Bryan Spicer and tells the story of a man who finds out he does not exist. Seeing a discarded issue of "The Lone Gunman" newspaper the man named Adam seeks out the Gunmen to help him. Get ready for some midget wrestling and midget love.
Episode Seven: "Planet Of The Frohikes"- An intelligent chipanzee being studied at a secret government installation manages to get out a message of help to the Gunmen. Not knowing who is requesting their aid, the Gunman free the chimpanzee who warns them there is a chimapanzee assassin on the loose that they must stop before it kills a government official. This will clearly be a battle of wits with the Gunmen lookng to be on the losing side. The voice of Edward Woodward, television's "The Equalizer," is used as the computer voice of the chimpanzee requesting the Gunmen's help.
Episode Eight: "Maximum Byers"- Despite Jimmy Bond impersonating Elvis and singing "Hound Dog" in the beginning of this episode, this show has a more serious tone than most. An urgent request from a woman who says her innnocent son is set to be executed by the state of Texas causes Jimmy Bond And Byers to enter the Texas Department of Corrections as Death Row inmates. Once inside they uncover a plot to have the son murdered before his scheduled date of execution.
Episode Nine: "Diagnosis: Jimmy"- While spying on an illegal transaction taking place on a ski slope, Jimmy Bond skies into a tree and wakes up in a hospital where he thinks his doctor is a wanted killer. In the meantime the rest of the Gunmen are after a wilderness poacher who may be tied in with a group of spies. Back at the hopital, a cute nurse and Yves vie for Jimmy's attention though he has no clue. Bill Macy of former "Maude" fame plays Jimmy's cantankerous roommate.
Episode Ten: "Tango De Los Pistoleros"- This show directed by Bryan Spicer and written by Thomas Schnauz comes with a commentary. They are both on the commentary as are the show's five main stars. Zuleikha Robinson discusses how she somehow had grabbed a real knife for a scene in which her character of Yves was supposed to stab the character of Langly in the back. It is mentioned that online fans complained that the music used was not tango music and one of the narrators explains that the studio gave them a choice of only eight songs to use. The reason I like this show so much is that this episode has a feel or style to it. It is very expressionistic and melds the 'tango' music with what is happening on the screen. Women should especially like this show as love and death intermingle to romantic Latin music. Bryan Spicer is a genius.
Episode Eleven: "The Lying Game"- This episode was a little cluttered. A man is murdered in a bathroom who turns out to be an old college roommate of Byers. The man's sister enlists Byers help and soon the three investigators find that FBI assistant Director Walter Skinner(Mitch Pileggi) might be involved too. Add in some Russian Mafia, a man being blackmailed for cheating on his wife, and Kimmy, and soon Jimmy Bond has to narrate parts of the story. By the end of the show, Byers has a secret that comes out.
Episode Twelve: "The 'Cap'n Toby' Show"- Tom Poston stars as Cap'n Toby, a children's show host, who finds himself to be the main suspect in the death of two stagehands who turn out to be FBI agents investigating him for passing government secrets to the Chinese. Langly takes a personal interest in this case as Cap'n Toby has always been his childhood hero. Look for Yves to use martial arts on an evil female spy, Diana Rigg style.
Episode Thirteen: "All About Yves"- After interrogating a government agent named Morris Fletcher(Mark McKean), the Gunmen find themselves aiding Fletcher in trying to locate Yves whom Fletcher has revealed as a Super Soldier up to no good. Jimmy Bond is upset with this turn of events as he now has feelings for Yves. Kimmy, the super hacker, makes a third appearance in this series to help out the boys. This episode has commentary by the director, Bryan Spicer, and the writers: Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz. They all rave about Canadian actor Mark McKean who was brought in to help rev up the ratings of the series. At this time the show's fate was up in the air even though it's audience was steadily increasing. The show ends with, "To be continued...," but since this did turn out to be the last show the storyline had to be finished in an episode of "The X-Files."
"The X-Files" Episode: "Jump The Shark"- Agents Doggett and Reyes interview Morris Fletcher about some mysterious happenings and soon they are enlisting the aid of the Gunmen in the search for the mysterious Yves. Yves has killed one man and the Gunmen now have to stop her from killing again. Some of Yves's background is uncovered as well as her real name. This episode has commentary by the writers: Vince Gilligan, John Shoban, and Frank Spotnitz. They reveal the title, "Jump The Shark," is a reference to a "Happy Days" episode where the Fonz jumps his motorcycle over a tank full of sharks. This was a ruse to help flagging ratings. Now the phrase has come to mean that whenever a show is felt to have problems and it creates an unseemly plot to provide a bang, then it is 'jumping the shark.' Online, the television series of "The X-Files" had recently been accused of this so the writers incorporated it in the episodes title for fun. The narrators talk about how Yves had another name for this episode, but the sequence that revealed it was cut because it was too long. They speculate that it might show up on a deleted scenes feature, but it is not on this DVD set. Since this commentary sounds like it is for an "X-Files" DVD then maybe it has shown up there.
I have to give an 'A' to the quality that went into the making of this DVD set called "The Lone Gunmen: The Complete Series." Not all the shows were perfect, but overall they worked as a whole.
I would give this DVD set four out of five stars.
----Randy