Three Words (The X-Files)
"Three Words" | |
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The X-Files episode | |
Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 16 |
Directed by | Tony Wharmby |
Written by | Chris Carter Frank Spotnitz |
Production code | 8ABX18 |
Original air date | April 8, 2001 |
Running time | 44 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Three Words" is the sixteenth episode of the
The episode centers on
The episode was written to signal Mulder's exit from the FBI. The producers and writers felt that, if Mulder's character was given a clean exit, the show could more easily focus on the characters of John Doggett and Monica Reyes in the following season. Former series star and recurring actor David Duchovny later declared he had been happy to see his character depart in this way.
Plot
Under cover of darkness, an unidentified man jumps over the fence to the White House and is intercepted by Secret Service personnel. As he struggles with them, he pulls a gun and accidentally shoots himself. Bleeding on the ground, he hands over a computer disk, begging them to give it to the President. Three words are written on the disk: FIGHT THE FUTURE.
While still at the hospital,
At
Absalom duct tapes his gun to Doggett's back in a plan to get Salt's information, with Doggett used as a hostage. The two attempt to sneak into the
Through Scully, Doggett gives the password to Mulder. Mulder breaks into the census bureau with the help of
Production
"Three Words" was written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, directed by Tony Wharmby[3] and saw Nelson Mashita reprise his role of Doctor Lim, having appeared in the previous episode "Deadalive".[4] Judson Scott also made his third appearance in the series as cult leader Absalom, reprising the role from both "Deadalive" and "This Is Not Happening".[5] The baseball field scene was filmed at Cheviot Hills Park, in Los Angeles; the park had previously been used in the sixth season episode "The Unnatural" and would be later re-used in the ninth season episode "Lord of the Flies".[6]
In the episode, Mulder prepares to submit his application to be reassigned to X-Files division. Meanwhile, Mulder's boss, Deputy Director Kersh, informs Doggett that he intends to deny the request.[3] As season eight was nearly over, the producers and writers decided to refuse Mulder re-admittance into the FBI as a way to segue John Doggett and Monica Reyes into the series as the new main stars of season nine. David Duchovny agreed with this method, noting, "I completely thought it was correct that they should be trying to focus elsewhere, and that, since I was going to come back for the second half of season eight, if you were to refocus on whatever Mulder's up to, you'd be in the same lousy situation at the beginning of season nine."[7]
Broadcast and reception
The episode first aired on Fox on April 8, 2001,
"Three Words" received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode five stars out of five, calling it "extremely well-performed by all concerned." Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode was similar to the earlier "Per Manum" and was somewhat formulaic; however, they noted that this was a necessary and positive step towards redefining the series after the changes made in its last two seasons explaining "the point of all this is only to emphasise how different The X-Files universe now feels, the familiarity of the ingredients only making us more aware that the mix is never going to be the same again".[12] Writing for Television Without Pity, Jessica Morgan rated the episode a "B", although she felt that by this stage the series' mythology was moving "in concentric circles of pain and confusion".[13]
Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+" and wrote that the episode, "finds Duchovny back on his feet and ready for action, and he brings a new energy to the part."[14] He enjoyed the way the show presented the story as one wherein, "we spend as much time watching Mulder from the outside as we do seeing events from his perspective," because it "makes things interesting."[14] Handlen also wrote that while the episode did not hit the emotional notes that its predecessor, "Deadalive", did, it was nonetheless "stronger plotwise" and built to an "inevitable conclusion in classic X-Files style".[14]
Not all reviews were positive; Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a mixed review, writing, "This was an episode that had tremendous promise and Carter and Spotnitz almost got it right. Sadly, they failed to invest themselves fully and intelligently into Mulder's return."[15] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a largely negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[16] Vitaris wrote that, despite opening "with tremendously affecting acting from [David] Duchovny", the episode lapses into "a lost opportunity to explore the psyche of a person who has suffered torture".[16]
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ "The X-Files - "Three Words"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Three Words". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
- ^ a b Tony Wharmby (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (April 8, 2001). "Three Words". The X-Files. Season 8. Episode 16. Fox.
- ^ Tony Wharmby (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (April 1, 2001). "Deadalive". The X-Files. Season 8. Episode 15. Fox.
- ^ Kim Manners (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (February 25, 2001). "This Is Not Happening". The X-Files. Season 8. Episode 14. Fox.
- ^ Fraga, p. 82
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 193
- Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ a b c Associated Press (April 2000). "Prime-Time Nielsen ratings". Associated Press Archives.
- Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2001.
- ^ Kim Manners et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). Fox.
- ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 243–244
- ^ Morgan, Jessica (April 13, 2001). "Three Words". Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c Handlen, Zack (November 23, 2013). "The X-Files: 'Deadalive'/'Three Words'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
- ^ Kessenich, p. 169
- ^ a b Vitaris, Paula (April 2002). "The X-Files Season Eight Episode Guide". Cinefantastique. 34 (2): 42–49.
Bibliography
- Fraga, Erica (2010). LAX-Files: Behind the Scenes with the Los Angeles Cast and Crew. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781451503418.
- Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-933784-80-9.
- Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
- 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.
This article incorporates material derived from the "Three Words" article on the X-Files wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License (March 7, 2012).
External links
- "Three Words" at IMDb