The X-Files (season 3)

The X-Files Season 3
Region 1 DVD cover art
Country of origin	United States Canada
No. of episodes	24
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox
Original run	September 22, 1995 – May 17, 1996
Season chronology
← Previous Season 2 Next → Season 4

Season three of the television show The X-Files ran from 1995–1996.

Chris Carter, the series creator, was still the lead writer - writing eight episodes (including co-written ones) - and the sole executive producer. Glen Morgan and James Wong continued their roles as co-executive producers, though they began to write less for the series (their final credit is season five). This season also marked the first appearance of John Shiban, who became an executive producer in season nine, as a story editor - who wrote a few episodes - and Frank Spotnitz moved over from story editing to production, becoming a producer (he would gain executive producer honors in season six). Howard Gordon, a major writer in the first two series, always writing with Alex Gansa (and in one case Carter himself), after writing "Sleepless" in season two, continued writing solo with the episode "D.P.O.", featuring the acting talent of a young Jack Black and Giovanni Ribisi, which often appears on his list of favorite episodes. Also Vince Gilligan became more involved after writing "Soft Light" for the previous season, and gaining a co-producer credit.

Season 3 also marks the end of the most ambitious story in the series alien Myth-Arc with "The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip", marking the first three-parter, following on from "Anasazi" at the end of the second season. All three episodes were written by Carter.

Reception

Cast

Main cast

• David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
• Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully

Recurring cast

Also Starring

• Mitch Pileggi as Deputy Director Walter Skinner (10 episodes)

Guest Starring

• William B. Davis as The Smoking Man (7 episodes)
• Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike (5 episodes)
• Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers (4 episodes)
• Dean Haglund as Richard Langly (4 episodes)
• Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek (4 episodes)
• Brendan Beiser as Pendrell (4 episodes)
• Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal (4 episodes)
• Don S. Williams as First Elder (4 episodes)
• Steven Williams as X (4 episodes)
• Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully (3 episodes)
• John Neville as Well-Manicured Man (3 episodes)
• Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder (3 episodes)
• Peter Donat as William Mulder (2 episodes)
• Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat (2 episodes)
• Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully (2 episodes)
• Stephen McHattie as Red-Haired Man (2 episodes)
• Morris Panych as Gray-Haired Man (2 episodes)
• Floyd Westerman as Albert Hosteen (2 episodes)
• Roy Thinnes as Jeremiah Smith (1 episode)
• Brian Thompson as Alien Bounty Hunter (1 episode)
• Robert Wisden as Robert Patrick Modell (1 episode)

Episodes

Episodes marked with an asterisk (*) are broadly part of the series' mytharc. Episodes with a double asterisk (**) are primary episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc.

See also: List of The X-Files episodes

№	#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (millions)
50	1	"The Blessing Way"**	R.W. Goodwin	Chris Carter	September 22, 1995 (1995-09-22)	3X01	19.94[1]
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 (1995-09-29)	3X02	17.20[1]
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 (1995-10-06)	3X03	15.57[1]
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. Guest starring Jack Black and Giovanni Ribisi.
53	4	"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"	David Nutter	Darin Morgan	October 13, 1995 (1995-10-13)	3X04	15.38[1]
Skeptical of a famous psychic’s predictions regarding the murder of several prognosticators, Mulder instead finds someone who he believes truly can predict the future. Catching the killer could prove difficult, though, particularly if the murderer can also see into his future. Guest starring Peter Boyle.
54	5	"The List"	Chris Carter	Chris Carter	October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20)	3X05	16.72[1]
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. Guest starring Badja Djola and Bokeem Woodbine.
55	6	"2Shy"	David Nutter	Jeffrey Vlaming	November 3, 1995 (1995-11-03)	3X06	14.80[1]
Meeting insecure women through an on-line 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. Guest starring Timothy Carhart, Catherine Paolone and James Handy.
56	7	"The Walk"	Rob Bowman	John Shiban	November 10, 1995 (1995-11-10)	3X07	15.90[1]
Another failed 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 invisible killer begins stalking him. But none believe when the primary suspect is a quadruple amputee. Guest starring Thomas Kopache, Willie Garson, Don Thompson, Nancy Sorel and Ian Tracey.
57	8	"Oubliette"	Kim Manners	Charles Grant Craig	November 17, 1995 (1995-11-17)	3X08	15.90[1]
When a young 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. Guest starring Tracey Ellis, Michael Chieffo, Jewel Staite and Ken Ryan.
58	9	"Nisei"**	David Nutter	Chris Carter & Howard Gordon & Frank Spotnitz	November 24, 1995 (1995-11-24)	3X09	16.36[2]
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 murdered 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. Guest starring Stephen McHattie and Robert Ito.
59	10	"731"**	Rob Bowman	Frank Spotnitz	December 1, 1995 (1995-12-01)	3X10	17.68[2]
Mulder is trapped on a train carriage with a ticking bomb and a killer who claims to be an NSA agent. Guest starring Stephen McHattie and Robert Ito.
60	11	"Revelations"	David Nutter	Kim Newton	December 15, 1995 (1995-12-15)	3X11	15.25[2]
Mulder tracks a series of religiously motivated murders. 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 (1996-01-05)	3X12	16.32[2]
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 (1996-01-26)	3X13	16.04[2]
Mulder and Scully investigate strange murders 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 (1996-02-02)	3X14	18.32[2]
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 murders 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 (1996-02-09)	3X15	16.44[3]
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 (1996-02-16)	3X16	16.71[3]
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 (1996-02-23)	3X17	16.20[3]
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 (1996-03-08)	3X18	17.40[1]
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 (1996-03-29)	3X19	14.86[2]
A string of mysterious deaths of recent Chinese immigrants brings Agents Mulder and Scully to 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 (1996-04-12)	3X20	16.08[2]
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	Teleplay by: Howard Gordon Story by: David Duchovny & Howard Gordon	April 26, 1996 (1996-04-26)	3X21	14.62[2]
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 (1996-05-03)	3X22	16.00[2]
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 (1996-05-10)	3X23	14.48[2]
As the agents investigate a series of murders 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	Teleplay by: Chris Carter Story by: David Duchovny & Chris Carter	May 17, 1996 (1996-05-17)	3X24	17.86[3]
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.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} "The X-Files Compilation: Nielsen Ratings". Compilation. http://x-files.host.sk/nielsens.php. Retrieved February 15, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. HarperPrism. p. 251. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Lowry,Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. p. 251. 

External links

• Season 3 on The X-Files Wiki, an external wiki
• Season 3 at Rotten Tomatoes
• Season 3 at AllRovi
• Musings of an X-Phile: Season 3 Episode Reviews