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The X Files : Season Three

D

DATA476

Ensign
Red Shirt
Season: Three
Air Dates: 22nd September, 1995 - 17th May, 1996
Episodes: Fifty through Seventy Three

The X Files | Season Three
Just to remind you, below is the list of episodes from the third season...

(9.0) 50. The Blessing Way (Part 2)
(9.0) 51. Paper Clip (Part 3)
(8.3) 52. D.P.O.
(9.1) 53. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose
(7.6) 54. The List
(7.8) 55. 2Shy
(7.5) 56. The Walk
(8.1) 57. Oubliette
(8.9) 58. Nisei (Part 1)
(8.9) 59. 731 (Part 2)
(8.1) 60. Revelations
(8.9) 61. War of the Coprophages
(8.4) 62. Syzygy
(8.2) 63. Grotesque
(8.9) 64. Piper Maru (Part 1)
(9.0) 65. Apocrypha (Part 2)
(8.9) 66. Pusher
(6.6) 67. Teso Dos Bichos
(7.4) 68. Hell Money
(8.9) 69. Jose Chung's From Outer Space
(8.3) 70. Avater
(8.7) 71. Quagmire
(8.8) 72. Wetwired
(9.0) 73. Talitha Cumi (Part 1)

My View: Season Three is where The X Files really got going. Don't get me wrong, Seasons One and Two are certainly worthwhile, but they did have a tendency for too many average monster of the week episodes. Season 3 kicks the mythology arc into high gear with three multi-part mytharc stories, in addition to the season finale, to be concluded at the beginning of Season Four. The monster of the week episodes have also become more imaginative and better-written, with some excellent contributions by quality X Files writers like Howard Gordon and Vince Gilligan, and no less than three absolute masterpieces by Darin Morgan. The myth arc in this season is brilliantly-done, and the monster of the week episodes are very effective.

This season holds the dubious honour of including one of the worst episodes of The X Files, in "Teso dos Bichos", but the vast majority of the rest of the episodes are so good it barely affects this fantastic season. The cast seem to have fully settled into their roles, the chemistry is at a peak, certainly. The visual style of the series has also fully matured, often indistinguishable. The third year is where the series properly hit its stride, there's no question about that from what I've seen. To be brief... "It's exhilarating television!"

What are your views on Season Three of The X Files?
 
Season three is a great season for standalone episodes, be it Jack Black and Giovanni Ribisi in DPO or the three excellent episodes penned by Darin Morgan or the absolute creepiness of 2Shy, the coolness of Pusher, or the semi-mytharc episodes of Avatar and Wetwired.

The mytharc...I'm not so much into it here. The two-part opener is good, perhaps great, but it never quite builds up the energy Anasazi had. Nisei/731 is incomprehensible, even if it is fun. Piper Maru/Apocrypha have to fudge Cancer Man's age a bit, and they still don't seem to have the idea of the black oil fully developed, either. Finally, Talithi Cumi just isn't a fully developed episode. Cancer Man dying of cancer isn't made out to be as big as it should and the cliffhanger isn't as big as it should be. The best mytharc episodes are the quasi-Mytharc installments of Wetwired and Avatar that I already mentioned. Season four manages to get back on its feet with the mythology. And I'm glad the Well Manicured Man was introduced this season.
 
Some uneven episodes, yes...but it also has two fan faves!

Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and Jose Chung's From Outer Space! :techman:
 
Brilliant season chock-full of classics, with the show really coming into its own. I love it, and can't wait to reach it on the boxed sets...

Mind you, it got slaughtered in the UK, with the teaser for DPO being sliced because the programmers thought it was too long (the teaser, not the episode, too long!) and some episodes being shown in the wrong order, leading to Scully's sister's dog getting a miraculous resurrection!
 
Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose is my favorite from this set. I honestly don't recognize most of the other plots from the titles.
 
Pusher is my favorite villain, aside from those featured in the mytharc episodes. I'm glad they brought him back for a second round.

"The Blessing Way" opens up strong - I love the creepy beginning, with Scully on the highway, and the chopper coming down to intercept her. However, the episode loses steam and drags, especially during the "Mulder Resurrection" scenes. A common problem with the second of three-part storylines.

"Paper Clip" makes up for it, though. It's intense, with a LOT of payoff. I love the Skinner/CSM scene at the end, as well as the chase through the mine. A lot is revealed, while other mysteries are deepened. They really effectively capture the "Mulder and Scully" on the run feel, with the entire government out chasing them - a common theme in the X-Files, which is sometimes pulled off well (as it is here) and sometimes not so well. Really amps up the paranoia.

Because of the strength of "Anasazi" and "731," it may be my favorite three-parter of all time.

I liked "Nisei/731" quite a lot - it was cool to see the alien being experimented on, the raid on the trains, the autopsy tapes, the mass killings - a lot happened, and Mulder/Scully only scratched the surface.

I'll agree that "Piper Maru/Apocrypha" was not so good. I also was generally not a fan of black oil episodes - I prefer the grays and the creepy conspiracy, more than the "Let's fight a black alien virus" storyline.

The season finale was one of the weaker season finales of X-Files history, though it's slowly grown on me over time. I agree that it didn't seem as climactic or heart-stoppingly important as others - what was at stake was much more personal than global. But I love the chilling scene with Mulder and X in the parking garage - the fight between them (they really make fights look like they HURT in this show), and the creepy revelation - "The date is set" - colonization is imminent, and nothing can be done to stop them. All we can do is prepare, and arm ourselves for the fruitless fight to come.
 
Loved "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." But allow me to be heretical: I wasn't totally in love with "Jose Chung" like many people are. "War of the Coprophages" was classic X-Files quirkiness.
 
Jose Chung is a classic and I liked the Piper Maru/Apocrypha two parter and I loved Quagmire, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and The Pusher had an intense ending. I have mixed feelings though about the Nisei/731 maybe I'll need to see it again but some for odd reason I didn't quite like it as much some others did. And Talitha Cumi was a touching story as well. War of the Coprophages had Bobbie Phillips was cute as always in it. Hell Money had a young Lucy Liu in it and of course the always great James Hong. And Wetwired was an interesting one and the first one by William Gidson.

All in all it was a good season and the show really started to take off I think.
 
Temis the Vorta said:
Loved "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." But allow me to be heretical: I wasn't totally in love with "Jose Chung" like many people are. "War of the Coprophages" was classic X-Files quirkiness.
Click to expand...

It's grown on me. Honestly, I think I like the Millennium episode featuring the character more. Still, it's my least favorite of the three Morgan episodes from the third year.
 
D.P.O. was definately my favorite episode this season, with the war of the Coprophages a close second, but season 4's "Home" reigns supreme as the best x-files ep ever, and s4 is my favorite season
 
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