The X-Files season 3
The X-Files | |
---|---|
Season 3 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 24 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | September 22, 1995 May 17, 1996 | –
Season chronology | |
The third season of the American
The season features the conclusion of several plot-lines introduced in
The season attained higher ratings than season two, the highest viewing audience the series had yet achieved. Season premiere "
Plot overview
The show centers on
Investigating evidence of an
The crew of a French salvage ship trying to raise a World War II-era submarine from the sea floor are stricken with massive radiation burns—except for one, who has been infected with a parasitic
Writing
Development of the first episode of the season, "The Blessing Way", began with the second-season finale "
Darin Morgan had a small involvement in the second season, and was asked to contribute more content for the third.[14] He first appeared in "The Host" as the Flukeman, and was brought on by his brother Glen Morgan to help write the episode "Blood".[14][15] Morgan's first sole credit as a writer came in the episode "Humbug", which received a positive reception by the staff.[14] David Duchovny expressed an enjoyment for working with Morgan, commenting "what I loved about his scripts was that he seemed to be trying to destroy the show."[14] Morgan wrote a total of three episodes, but later left the series because he could not keep up with the fast-paced nature of network television. He also expressed a negative opinion of the way his teleplays were handled, despite a positive reception by both critics and the crew of his work.[13] He also contributed to the script for the episode "Quagmire".[13][14] After writing one episode the previous season, Vince Gilligan returned to write another solo episode for the season, now credited as a creative consultant.[16] Cast member David Duchovny collaborated with Howard Gordon and Chris Carter for two episodes receiving story credit.[12]
New writers in the third season included story editor
Themes
"
Aliens and serial killers are not the only antagonists in the season; several episodes revolve around more traditional,
Cast
Main cast
Starring
- David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
- Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully
Also starring
Recurring cast
- William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
- Melvin Frohike
- John Fitzgerald Byers
- Richard Langly
- Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
- Pendrell
- Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal
- First Elder
- Steven Williams as X
- Margaret Scully
- John Neville as Well-Manicured Man
- Teena Mulder
Guest cast
- William Mulder
- Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat
- Melissa Scully
- Stephen McHattie as Red-Haired Man
- Morris Panych as Grey-Haired Man
- Albert Hosteen
- Jeremiah Smith
- Alien Bounty Hunter
- Robert Wisden as Robert Patrick Modell
Episodes
Episodes marked with a double dagger (‡) are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc.[nb 1]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [12] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | 1 | "The Blessing Way"‡ | R. W. Goodwin | Chris Carter | September 22, 1995 | 3X01 | 19.94[18] |
The Cigarette Smoking Man works quickly to recover the stolen computer files, but finds himself thwarted by a man who he hoped was dead. Meanwhile, Scully finds herself at a loss for her next step and turns to her family for support, since Mulder is otherwise engaged fighting for survival. | |||||||
51 | 2 | "Paper Clip"‡ | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter | September 29, 1995 | 3X02 | 17.20[18] |
Mulder and Scully search for answers regarding the old photograph with his father and other unnamed men. Their search takes them to the abandoned Strughold Mining Facility where they uncover a dangerous secret. | |||||||
52 | 3 | " D.P.O." | Kim Manners | Howard Gordon | October 6, 1995 | 3X03 | 15.57[18] |
Mulder is skeptical over a coroner's report regarding the fifth person to be struck by lightning in a small Oklahoma town. Their investigation into the latest death seems to point to the only person to have survived a lightning strike, an emotionally charged youth. | |||||||
53 | 4 | "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" | David Nutter | Darin Morgan | October 13, 1995 | 3X04 | 15.38[18] |
Skeptical of a famous psychic's predictions regarding the death of several prognosticators, Mulder instead finds someone whom he believes truly can predict the future. Catching the killer could prove difficult, though, particularly if the killer can also see into his future. | |||||||
54 | 5 | "The List" | Chris Carter | Chris Carter | October 20, 1995 | 3X05 | 16.72[18] |
A death row inmate makes good on his promise to come back from the dead and kill the five people involved in his death. The fear of his retribution has everyone scrambling to determine if they are on the list, while Mulder and Scully attempt to determine how he has returned to execute his tormentors. | |||||||
55 | 6 | "2Shy" | David Nutter | Jeffrey Vlaming | November 3, 1995 | 3X06 | 14.83[18] |
Meeting insecure women through an online service, a serial killer seduces his prey with the right words. However, Mulder and Scully determine these killings are far from ordinary by the presence of a strange substance coating the victims, a substance which seems to digest the fatty acids in flesh. | |||||||
56 | 7 | "The Walk" | Rob Bowman | John Shiban | November 10, 1995 | 3X07 | 15.91[18] |
Another suicide attempt by a patient in a military hospital interests Mulder with the talk of a "phantom soldier" which has prevented the man's death. The general in charge is at first opposed to the FBI's involvement until the phantom soldier begins haunting him. But when the primary suspect is a quadruple amputee, they are met with ridicule. | |||||||
57 | 8 | " Charles Grant Craig | November 17, 1995 | 3X08 | 15.90[18] | ||
When a young teenage girl is kidnapped from her home, a fast food worker miles away collapses on the job, apparently experiencing exactly what the child is feeling. When Mulder learns that the woman was kidnapped and held hostage for years as a child, he begins to believe that she may be the key to help find the missing girl. | |||||||
58 | 9 | "Nisei"‡ | David Nutter | Chris Carter & Howard Gordon & Frank Spotnitz | November 24, 1995 | 3X09 | 16.36[18] |
A mail order videotape of an alien autopsy blossoms into a much more complicated investigation when Mulder and Scully find the distributor of the tape killed in his own home apparently by a high-ranking Japanese diplomat. While Mulder's search for the video leads him to a train car, Scully investigates a Mutual UFO Network group and discovers several women who claim to know her. | |||||||
59 | 10 | "731"‡ | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | December 1, 1995 | 3X10 | 17.68[18] |
Mulder is trapped on a train carriage that could be wired with a bomb, according to a killer who claims to be an NSA agent. Meanwhile, Scully digs deeper into the mystery surrounding her abduction. | |||||||
60 | 11 | "Revelations" | David Nutter | Kim Newton | December 15, 1995 | 3X11 | 15.25[18] |
Mulder tracks a series of religiously motivated homicides. Each of the eleven victims claims to have been stigmatic but all turned out to be frauds. When Mulder and Scully discover a little boy displaying inexplicable wounds of religious significance, they try to protect him from the killer they know will be coming. | |||||||
61 | 12 | "War of the Coprophages" | Kim Manners | Darin Morgan | January 5, 1996 | 3X12 | 16.32[18] |
A small town is plagued by deaths in which the bodies are found covered in cockroaches. Working from home, Scully has scientific explanations for all of them but Mulder—at the crime scene with an attractive bug expert—suspects the insects may not be organic, or earthly. | |||||||
62 | 13 | "Syzygy" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter | January 26, 1996 | 3X13 | 16.04[18] |
Mulder and Scully investigate strange homicides in New Hampshire that may be due to a rare planetary alignment that affects people's behavior. | |||||||
63 | 14 | "Grotesque" | Kim Manners | Howard Gordon | February 2, 1996 | 3X14 | 18.32[18] |
Agents Mulder and Scully join Mulder's former mentor, the FBI's chief profiler, on a case involving a serial killer who claims to be possessed by a demonic force. The case gets even more mysterious when the suspect is apprehended and the killings continue. Mulder gets involved more deeply than expected and Scully as well as Skinner are deeply concerned. | |||||||
64 | 15 | "Piper Maru"‡ | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter | February 9, 1996 | 3X15 | 16.44[18] |
When a French salvage ship sends a diving crew to recover a mysterious wreckage from World War II, the crew falls prey to a bizarre illness and Agents Mulder and Scully join the investigation. The investigation leads to the discovery of a familiar face, and to Skinner's life being threatened. | |||||||
65 | 16 | "Apocrypha"‡ | Kim Manners | Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter | February 16, 1996 | 3X16 | 16.71[18] |
While Mulder continues to investigate a bizarre illness that originated with the discovery of a mysterious World War II wreckage buried at sea, several government figures try to thwart their efforts. And as Skinner recovers from his shooting, Scully discovers that he is still in danger, from the man who killed her sister. | |||||||
66 | 17 | "Pusher" | Rob Bowman | Vince Gilligan | February 23, 1996 | 3X17 | 16.20[18] |
Agents Mulder and Scully's assistance is requested for a case involving a man seemingly capable of bending people to his will. The suspect uses his mysterious abilities to manipulate Agent Mulder into a dangerous end game. | |||||||
67 | 18 | "Teso Dos Bichos" | Kim Manners | John Shiban | March 8, 1996 | 3X18 | 17.38[18] |
A series of deaths occurs immediately after an ancient artifact is brought to Boston from an excavation site in Ecuador. According to Scully, the deaths appear to be the result of political terrorism, but Mulder suspects something more improbable. | |||||||
68 | 19 | "Hell Money" | Tucker Gates | Jeffrey Vlaming | March 29, 1996 | 3X19 | 14.86[18] |
A string of mysterious deaths of recent San Francisco's Chinatown . The Agents team up with a Chinese-American detective to better understand the language and customs of the Chinese culture, but one thing remains frighteningly clear—all of the bodies are missing various internal organs. | |||||||
69 | 20 | "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" | Rob Bowman | Darin Morgan | April 12, 1996 | 3X20 | 16.08[18] |
When a couple claims to have been abducted by aliens, Agents Mulder and Scully try to get at the truth but everyone has a different version of the story, including the "aliens" themselves. | |||||||
70 | 21 | "Avatar" | James Charleston | Story by : David Duchovny & Howard Gordon Teleplay by : Howard Gordon | April 26, 1996 | 3X21 | 14.62[18] |
During a difficult time in assistant director Skinner's life, he meets a woman in a bar and spends the night with her. The next morning, the woman is dead and he is accused of murder. Agents Mulder and Scully join the investigation to clear their supervisor's name. As they unravel the threads of a conspiracy, they also learn more about Skinner's personal affairs. | |||||||
71 | 22 | "Quagmire" | Kim Manners | Kim Newton | May 3, 1996 | 3X22 | 16.00[18] |
When a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances are reported near a lake in a small town, Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate. With local folklore of a killer sea serpent running rampant amongst the locals, the agents must take their search for the truth to the water. | |||||||
72 | 23 | "Wetwired" | Rob Bowman | Mat Beck | May 10, 1996 | 3X23 | 14.48[18] |
As the agents investigate a series of homicides committed by ordinary citizens angered after seeing illusory images, Scully's trust in Mulder is put to the ultimate test. | |||||||
73 | 24 | "Talitha Cumi"‡ | R. W. Goodwin | Story by : David Duchovny & Chris Carter Teleplay by : Chris Carter | May 17, 1996 | 3X24 | 17.86[18] |
Agents Mulder and Scully search for a man who seems to possess strange powers, which leads to the discovery of a dangerous secret from Mulder's past. The secret could bring Mulder and Scully to the brink of exposing the truth about alien existence. |
Reception
Ratings
The third season of The X-Files debuted with "The Blessing Way" on September 22, 1995. The episode earned a
The series was ranked as number 55 during the 1995–96 television season,[26] and was viewed by an average of 15.40 million viewers, an increase in almost seven percent when compared to the second season, which was viewed by 14.50.[27] In its third season, The X-Files became Fox's top-rated program in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic.[27] The third season of the show was the last to be aired on Friday nights; for its fourth season, the show was moved to Sunday.[27]
Reviews
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club called the third season The X-Files' "best season and maybe one of the greatest TV seasons of all time", noting it was consistent and "[swung] from strength to strength" between mythology and stand-alone episodes. However, she thought it "starts out kind of terribly" with "The Blessing Way".[28] Zack Handlen, VanDerWerff's colleague, wrote that the third season was "one of the show's strongest, with the conspiracy arc still keeping tension high instead of just vamping for time. By this point, the sometimes awkward effects work of the early years is gone, and the overall direction is highly polished, giving even the season's weakest entries a cinematic feel". He also stated that Morgan's "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" were "The X-Files's two greatest hours".[29] The writing credits provided by Morgan was widely cited as a highlight of the season. "War of the Coprophages" written by him received positive reviews, and Entertainment Weekly gave "War of the Coprophages" an A−, who praised the absurdity and entertainment value of the episode.[13] Another episode, "Quagmire" containing some writing credits by Morgan received positive reviews, with the 10-minute dialogue sequence featuring Mulder and Scully receiving highly positive reviews.[30][31]
Gilligan's episode "Pusher" was also cited as one of the best episodes of the series by both IGN and Den of Geek, and Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files, named the episode the third best episode of The X-Files and called it the "best MOTW ["monster-of-the-week"] in the series history"[32][33][34] Duchovny considers his performance in "Oubliette" as his favorite of the season, an episode that also received mostly positive reviews.[21][35] Writing for DVD Talk, Earl Cressey rated the season overall four-and-a-half stars out of five, finding that the series' increased budget meant that its production values and the quality of its guest appearances were better than previous seasons.[16]
Accolades
The third season earned the series eight
DVD release
The X-Files – The Complete Third Season | |||||||
Set details[12] | Special features[12] | ||||||
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Release dates | |||||||
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | |||||
May 8, 2001 | November 26, 2001 | November 12, 2001 |
Notes
- ^ The episodes were included in the DVD collections The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction and The X-Files Mythology, Volume 2 – Black Oil, released by Fox.
References
- R.W. Goodwin (director); Chris Carter (writer) (May 19, 1995). "Anasazi". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 25. Fox.
- R.W. Goodwin (director); Chris Carter (writer) (September 22, 1995). "The Blessing Way". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 1. Fox.
- Rob Bowman (director); Chris Carter (writer) (September 29, 1995). "Paper Clip". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 2. Fox.
- ^ Lowry (1996), pp. 225–237
- Rob Bowman (director); Frank Spotnitz (writer) (November 24, 1995). "Nisei". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 9. Fox.
- ^ David Nutter (director); Chris Carter, Howard Gordon Frank Spotnitz (writers) (December 1, 1995). "731". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 10. Fox.
- ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 204–208
- Rob Bowman (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (February 9, 1996). "Piper Maru". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 15. Fox.
- ^ Kim Manners (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writer) (February 16, 1996). "Apocrypha". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 16. Fox.
- ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 211–212
- Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ a b c d "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Kirby, Jonathan (October 29, 2007). "Not Just a Fluke: How Darin Morgan Saved The X-Files". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 34
- ^ a b Collura, Scott; et al. (May 12, 2008). "IGN's 10 Favorite X-Files Standalone Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
- ^ Delasara, p. 181
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Lowry (1996), p. 251
- ^ Keegan, John. "Grotesque". Critical Myth. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ Lowry, p. 121
- ^ a b Lowry, p. 120
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (August 1, 2010). "The X-Files: "Syzygy"/"Grotesque"/"Piper Maru"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Harrisson, Juliette (September 6, 2011). "The X-Files: Best Monster-of-the-Week Episodes". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (August 15, 2010). "The X-Files: "Hell Money"/"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"/"Avatar"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Lowry (1995), p. 249
- ^ "Season Winner NBC Coasts, While CBS Outrates ABC". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 30, 1996.
- ^ a b c Lowry (1996), p. 249–250
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (July 4, 2010). "The X-Files: "The Blessing Way"/"Paper Clip"/"DPO"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (October 21, 2010). "The X-Files". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2010). "The X-Files: "Quagmire"/"Wetwired"/"Talitha Cumi"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1996). "Episode Guide". Cinefantastique. 28 (3): 18–40.
- ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 219
- ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Cressey, Earl (April 18, 2001). "X-Files: Season Three : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 63–64
- ^ "The X-Files". Emmys.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
- ^ "X-Files, The". GoldenGlobes.com. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
Bibliography
- Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
- 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.
- Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55369-812-8.
- Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 978-0-9759446-9-1.
- Delasara, Jan (2000). PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration. Mcfarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0789-1.
External links
- The X-Files at IMDb