The X-Files

:

Season 3
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 10, 1993
Season #: 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 86
  3. Negative: 3 out of 86
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User Reviews

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  1. drlowdon
    Dec 23, 2016
    9
    After two good seasons The X-Files really kicked things up a notch in terms of consistency in its third year. The episodes focusing on the shows mythology were a lot more generally a lot more cohesive and episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chungs from Outer Space" are great pieces of television and rank amongst the best the show ever produced.
  2. Lokathor
    Sep 18, 2014
    6
    This Season is where the show seems to be shaping up and embracing the metaplot more. There's some strong UFO episodes, some strong monster of the week episodes, and even one episode that plays around with the format some to keep things interesting (the novelist one).
  3. bsmith
    Jul 6, 2014
    8
    There's a sense of strength that is undeniably absent in the first two seasons. Some interesting new characters are brought in, and the partnership between Mulder and Scully reaches engrossing levels.
  4. MorbidPig
    Aug 17, 2014
    8
    There's a sense of strength present here that is undeniably absent in the first two seasons, but the writing isn't as bold. Some interesting new characters are brought in, and the partnership between Mulder and Scully reaches engrossing levels.
  5. fbtimes
    Mar 30, 2015
    9
    There's a sense of strength present here that is undeniably absent in the first two seasons, but the writing isn't as bold. Some interesting new characters are brought in, and the partnership between Mulder and Scully reaches engrossing levels.
  6. fbtimesofficial
    Sep 1, 2015
    9
    There's a sense of strength present here that is undeniably absent in the first two seasons, but the writing isn't as bold. Some interesting new characters are brought in, and the partnership between Mulder and Scully reaches engrossing levels
  7. bsmith94
    Dec 15, 2015
    9
    There's a sense of strength present here that is undeniably absent in the first two seasons, but the writing isn't as bold. Some interesting new characters are brought in, and the partnership between Mulder and Scully reaches engrossing levels.
  8. MovieMasterEd
    Mar 22, 2016
    9
    The second season of The X-Files was quite experimental in nature. Not all of that experimentation was intentional or planned, but the second season worked quite hard to demonstrate what the show could do. Gillian Anderson’s pregnancy forced the show to plot a relatively long-form arc, with Scully getting abducted and the X-files remaining closed for the first six episodes of the season.The second season of The X-Files was quite experimental in nature. Not all of that experimentation was intentional or planned, but the second season worked quite hard to demonstrate what the show could do. Gillian Anderson’s pregnancy forced the show to plot a relatively long-form arc, with Scully getting abducted and the X-files remaining closed for the first six episodes of the season. In essence, Anderson’s absence forced the show to embrace serialisation.

    Other second-season experiments seemed more relaxed. The show discovered that big two-part mythology episodes did well during sweeps. Die Hand Die Verletzt and Humbug proved that the series could do comedy. David Nutter, Rob Bowman and Kim Manners became the show’s go-to directors. The show’s alien conspiracy arc became a recurring thread rather than a subset of the monsters of the week. There was a lot learnt during that second season.

    The third season of The X-Files feels a lot more relaxed, and a lot more comfortable. The third season seems to be largely about reinforcing the lessons learned during the second season. The third season gives more work to writers, directors and actors who made an impression during the second season. It works hard to solidify the concept of The X-Files. It seems like Chris Carter and his collaborators have finally figured out exactly what The X-Files should be, and are delivering it consistently.

    The result is one of the most impressive seasons of television produced in the nineties, beginning a hot streak for the show. Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen would manage to produce three consistently fantastic seasons of television between September 1995 and May 1998. The third season of The X-Files really gets that ball rolling in a very profound and meaningful sense.

    The third season of The X-Files capitalises on the lessons learned during the production of the second season. It avoids the high-concept science-fiction that powered episodes like Fearful Symmetry or Død Kälm or Soft Light. It allows Darin Morgan complete freedom to tell his stories the way that he wants to tell them. The show forges ahead with a mythology that exists clearly distinct from the other stand-alone episodes that populate the season.

    In essence, the third season of The X-Files hits the sweet spot – there is a sense that the show has finally become what it always wanted to be. There is no need for another massive change or upset at the end of the year. The third season opens with massive change, and closes with the promise that things are not going to be that different when viewers come back in September. It is amazing how far that rebirth between the second and third seasons took the show.

    This is most obvious in the show’s central conspiracy arc. The first two seasons did not really have a strong sense of continuity between the mythology episodes, except where necessary. Gillian Anderson’s pregnancy meant that Scully had to be abducted in Ascension and then returned in One Breath, for example. However, there was no firm link between Fallen Angel and E.B.E. or Duane Barry and Colony. The Cigarette-Smoking Man and Deep Throat wandered into and out of episodes at random.

    However, despite these new boundaries, the third season does have a very clear sense of identity and purpose. The twenty-four episodes comprising the third season fit together quite comfortably, with themes echoing both into and out of the show’s mythology episodes. There is a sense that the writing team was on all the same page when it came to The X-Files, even if they approached their scripts in different ways.

    Episodes like 2shy and Oubliette and Grotesque are all building on episodes from the previous two years. In some cases, it is very easy to draw a line of evolution from earlier episodes. These stories are executed in a way that makes it clear the production team has learned what works and what doesn’t work. Episodes like Fresh Bones or Tooms or Our Town are no longer exceptional examples of the form, they are now the expected level of quality.

    Looking at the show’s occasionally turbulent production history, it seems like the third season was the only season of The X-Files where everything was perfectly under control. Both Duchovny and Anderson were fully available and engaged, and the show was still Chris Carter’s primary interest. It is no wonder that everything turned out so well, and the show felt so comfortable in its own skin. The third season of The X-Files is perhaps the platonic ideal of X-Files television seasons.

    Which is enough to mark it as one of the best seasons of television ever produced.    … Expand
  9. ForReals13
    Apr 7, 2018
    9
    The Blessing Way A. Paper Clip A. D.P.O. B.
    Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose A. The List C+. 2Shy B-.
    The Walk C+. Oubliette B. Nisei A-. 731 A. Revelations C+.
    War Of The Coprophages A. Syzygy B. Grotesque B-.
    Piper Maru A-. Apocrypha A. Pusher A-. Teso Dos Bichos D+.
    Hell Money C+. Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space' A. Avatar B.
    Quagmire B+. Wetwired A-. Talitha Cumi A-.
  10. Onlyclassicvg1
    Jul 17, 2022
    8
    er two good seasons The X-Files really kicked things up a notch in terms of consistency in its third year. The episodes focusing on the shows mythology were a lot more generally a lot more cohesive and episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chungs from Outer Space" are great pieces of television and rank amongst the best the show ever produced.

Critic Reviews

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Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
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  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Jun 11, 2013
    100
    Well into its third season, X-Files shows no sign of flagging inspiration; its ability to find paranoia in the paranormal appears to be limitless.
    Read full review