The Blessing Way (The X-Files)
"The Blessing Way" | |
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The X-Files episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
Directed by | R. W. Goodwin |
Written by | Chris Carter |
Production code | 3X01 |
Original air date | September 22, 1995 |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"The Blessing Way" is the first episode of the
The show centers on
Series creator Chris Carter, who called the episode one of his favorite episodes to write, created the episode as a way to explore how the character of Fox Mulder would react to the death of his father. The episode contained several elaborate special effects; effects producer Mat Beck considered the sequence where Mulder has a vision of his father and Deep Throat to be one of the most difficult of the season.
Plot
In Two Grey Hills,
Meanwhile, in
Scully's sister
Melissa calls Scully and tells her she is coming over. After receiving a call from someone who immediately hangs up, Scully leaves her apartment and tells Melissa that she'll head to her home instead. As she leaves, Skinner pulls up in his car, telling her they need to speak in private. Melissa shows up soon afterwards and is mistakenly shot by Luis Cardinal, who is hiding there with Alex Krycek. Realizing they shot the wrong person, the two flee. Meanwhile, after taking Skinner to Mulder's apartment, Scully holds him at gunpoint, believing he is the traitor the Well-Manicured Man spoke of. Skinner tells Scully that he is in possession of the digital tape. Just then, someone steps outside the door. This distracts Scully enough for Skinner to pull his gun on her.[1][2]
Production
Series creator Chris Carter felt this was one of his favorite episodes to write, as he found it interesting to explore how the character of Fox Mulder would react to the death of his father. Carter had recently lost a parent himself when he began work on the episode.[3] Frank Spotnitz said of the episode "The expectations were very high coming after a summer's worth of anticipation to see how Mulder got out of the boxcar. We knew we had to answer that question and still leave an intriguing enough dilemma at the end of the show to bring viewers back for the third and final part. I also thought it was a big gamble to do all that Indian mysticism stuff. I thought a lot of people would not necessarily respond to that. So I was nervous about that, but very excited about the Scully storyline and the way all of that played out with Mulder and Skinner."[4] Carter attended Navajo chants and rituals to ensure the accuracy of the events in this episode, after being alerted to inaccuracies in the previous episode by Navajo scholars.[5] A sand painter was brought in to create the two sand paintings for the Blessing Way sequence, which took an entire day to create.[6] The scenes set in New Mexico were filmed in the same Vancouver quarry that had been used as a stand-in in the previous episode, "Anasazi", the repainting of which required only minor touch-ups.[7]
Visual effects producer Mat Beck considered the sequence where
Reception
Ratings
"The Blessing Way" premiered on the
Reviews
"The Blessing Way" received mixed reviews from critics. The episode, along with both other parts of the story arc, were listed concurrently as the second-best episode of the series by Den of Geek's Nina Sordi. Sordi noted that the plotline "laid the groundwork for the mythology arc for the rest of the series", adding that it "brought much more significance to what is to come".[13] John Keegan, writing for Critical Myth, gave the episode a largely positive review and rated it a 10 out of 10. Keegan described it as the "perfect counterpoint to Anasazi" and a "strong beginning to the third season".[14] Other reviews were more mixed. In an overview of the third season in Entertainment Weekly, "The Blessing Way" was rated a B+. The episode was derided for its "corny dream sequence and high-flown cosmic hooey", although the introduction of the Well-Manicured Man and Mitch Pileggi's portrayal of Walter Skinner were seen as highlights.[15] Writing for The A.V. Club, Emily VanDerWerff panned the episode's "pseudo-mystical bullshit", rating the episode a B−. She felt that the resolution of the cliffhanger from the previous episode "Anasazi"—that of Mulder's apparent death—was poorly handled, and that the character of Albert Hosteen was perhaps the worst in the series. However, the introduction of plot threads such as Scully's implant and the alien–human hybrids were deemed positive factors.[16]
David Duchovny was somewhat disappointed with the episode, hoping he would have had a chance to do more in an episode that was primarily a symbolic journey for him rather than a real one. The actor said "I like the psychology, and I like the thinking that went into the episode as a viewer. As an actor, I felt like an opportunity passed me by. If I had to do any episode over again, it would be that one." The actor called the episode in 1995 the greatest missed opportunity they had. Chris Carter disagreed, stating that Fox Mulder's role in the episode was the right way to do it, and that the dramatic weight for the episode had to shift from Mulder to Dana Scully.[8]
Footnotes
- ^ Lowry (1995), pp.231–233
- ^ Lovece, pp.181–183
- Fox.
- ^ Edwards, pp.138–139
- ^ Lowry (1995), p.233
- ^ Edwards, p.139
- ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p.84
- ^ a b Lowry (1996), p.78
- ^ Lowry (1995), p.234
- FOX Home Entertainment.
- Goodwin, R.W.; et al. (2001). The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (booklet). Beverly Hills, California: 20th Century Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Lowry (1996), p. 251
- ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ Keegan, John. "The Blessing Way". Critical Myth. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007.
- ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (July 4, 2010). ""The Blessing Way"/"Paper Clip"/"DPO" | The X-Files/Millennium". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
Bibliography
- Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
- Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
- Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
- Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
- Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105353-8.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- "The Blessing Way" on The X-Files official website
- "The Blessing Way" at IMDb