X-Files Review – Season Three

Now that I’ve recovered from my week of feverish delirium, I can
start clearing out the backlog of reviews I’ve get. (Expect at
least seven comic reviews to come by the end of the week.)

Cast

David
Duchovny

as Fox Mulder.

Gillian
Anderson
as Dana Scully.

The series creator was Chris
Carter
.
Complete cast and crew info can be found at this IMDB
page
.

Original Airdate

This season originally aired from 1995-1996.

Synopsis

Mulder and Scully are introduced to the black oil, interplanetary
cockroaches, a psychic of limited ability, a leper colony, and
more. Krycek goes into business for himself, in something of an
awakening for the character.

High Point

“Paper Clip.” This may be the best mythology-based episode the
series
ever produced. There are also great monster-of-the-week
episodes
(like “Pusher,” “Grotesque,” and “D.P.O.”) and
hysterical comedic episodes
(like “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Respose,” “War of the
Coprophages,” and
“Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space'”.)

Low Point

“Teso Dos Bichos.” This had a weak concept, and Gillian
Anderson’s
severe allergy to cat hair but some strict limits on how well it
could
be executed. (Did anyone seriously believe the block wrapped in
rabbit hair was actually a live cat attacking her?)

The Review

The show found its footing in this season. This was the year the
world started to take notice. This was when sitcoms could make
jokes
about Mulder and Scully, and the audience would get them. They
were
doing things TV hadn’t done before. They had two leads that
weren’t
sleeping together, and showed no desire to. They had stories
that
didn’t mind throwing you curveballs with actual mysteries one
week and
then throwing out an episode purely for laughs the next week. It
crossed genres within the realm of sci-fi/fantasy as easily as it
crossed between drama and comedy. I give it 6 out of 6.

The effects produced this season had finally reached
the
point where they could put anything on screen should the need
arise:
cockroaches crawl under someone’s skin; Jeremiah Smith
morphs into
Bill Mulder, Deep Throat, and the Bounty Hunter; a man’s head is
buried inside a clay gargoyle; a sea monster swims through a
typical
lake… Mat Beck organized some great work, and still found time
to
write the above-average “Wetwired.” I give the effects 5 out of
6,
hampered by the attacking cat.

The stories told were almost always complex and
told
extremely well. “Teso Dos Bichos” and “Hell Money” form the
one-two
punch that may be the exception, TDB with its weak monster and
limited
special effects execution followed a broadcast week later
(although
the delay was three weeks real time, the two intervening weeks
did not
have new episodes) by “Hell Money,” a concept that could really
work
in a 30-minute series that just felt stretched to fill the time
available in a televised hour. I give it 5 out of 6.

The acting by the leads had hit its stride. Mitch
Pileggi
was given his chance to shine in “Avatar,” and he did it very well
(not that it’s particularly hard to act attracted to Amanda
Tapping.)
William B. Davis remains the only cast member that didn’t seem
to fit
his role, in my opinion. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response this produces after
repeated viewings
often holds up. The season premiers still hold up, the comedic
episodes still make me laugh from start to finish, and the cliff
hanger in “Piper Maru” still gives me chills, even though I know
exactly how it’s going to play out. “Grotesque” still stands as one
of the creepiest hours of television I’ve ever seen. “Pusher” still
features one of the most strangely likeable villains I’ve seen on
television, particularly in that opening teaser. I’ve seen some of
these episodes a dozen times each, but they still work. That’s a
major achievement in my mind. I give it 6 out of 6.

The production had reached its peak along with the
effects.
It was the production that made “Grotesque” as effective as it is.
The blue lighting, the pacing, the camera moves, the makeup,
and all
of the elements that add up to make a show were firing on all
cylinders in this year. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, I think this is in contention for the greatest
season the series ever produced. (Season five is also in the
running.) The pieces were coming together, right down to the
supersoldiers that some people felt came out of the blue in
season
eight. (These people need to review the “Nisei”/”731” pair.)
Even
the worst of the bunch isn’t all that bad. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, The X-Files: Season Three receives 38 out
of 42.