*this is a review of season four. The rating you see above is for Gethsemane. Season rating follows after the review.
Season Four of The X Files is a slight drop in quality from the exhilarating season three, but it's still simply incredible television which is consistently enthralling.
One thing I missed in season four was consistently interesting mythology plots. I've said it before and I'll say it again: other than the super soldiers, the 'black oil' section of the mytharc is by far the weakest. I really enjoyed the 'abduction' and the later 'colonization' sections. There are still some great mythology arc episodes to enjoy in this season but overall I felt the quality decreased.
The monster of the week episodes are not lacking in typical X Files creativity, wit, and energy, however, delivering on both the horror/suspense and humor angles with series-defining classics like "Home" and "Small Potatoes".
I thought the best season four episodes were: "Home"- Peacocks. Bed. Inbred. Mutant. Brutal. Violent. Really, really creepy. About 10X more effective than most horror movies.
"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man"- exactly what I look for in The X Files- intelligent, creative, witty writing.
"Paper Hearts"- one of the best X Files from an emotional viewpoint.
"Small Potatoes"- Babies with tails, shapeshifters, hilarity, frustrated Jehovah's Witnesses.
"Gethsemane"- A brilliant season finale with one of the most effective cliffhangers ever on TV.
Out of all the rated episodes, the average rating for season four is 7.9/10, a bit of a drop from the exhilarating high of 8.25/10 for season three, but still enthralling TV and better than most shows could dream of managing.