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Take Two: THE X-FILES Season 3 (Part 5)

July 27, 2023 by  

THE X-FILES Season 3 Part 5

Credit: Fox

On Friday, September 10, 1993, Fox debuted THE X-FILES. Now, ahead of the show’s 30th anniversary, Give Me My Remote is looking back at all 11 seasons (and the two feature films) in a new daily series Take Two.

If you’ve read About Last Night, this will be formatted in a similar way: Each episode will get its own subsection/reaction, though in this case there may be slight spoilers or alluding to what comes ahead in the series. In the event a major spoiler is discussed, there will be a warning to be extra safe. Each Take Two will cover approximately 5 episodes and will wrap up the Friday before the show’s 30th birthday.

(I’ll also note how I’m watching the episodes, because some of the streaming platforms have utilized syndicated cuts of this show.)

Today, we’re finishing season 3!

(These were—primarily—viewed on the original season 3 DVD set—released back in 2001. The episodes are streaming for free on Freevee or with a Hulu subscription.)

“Avatar”:

Skinner deserves a showcase (both because the character is such an enigma and as a way to reward Mitch Pileggi/give David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson time off), but…yeah, I don’t love this episode.

There’s a whole lot of Skinner backstory here, which is nice, and Pileggi handles the extra responsibility well. The episode not working for me doesn’t have to do with him. 

Outside of Pileggi’s performance, the most interesting thing is how the writers play with Mulder and Scully and their belief/skepticism translating here. Scully has some doubts about Skinner, pointing out how little they know of/about him outside of work. It’s a smart way to have a little wiggle room for doubt. (Both for them and the audience.) It just feels like the episode as a whole needs…more. 



“Quagmire”:

I love and hate this episode. On its surface, it’s a pretty generic monster of the week episode, with Mulder trying to find a sea creature. It’s perfectly fine, with a surprisingly grounded explanation. (A very normal—but deadly—alligator.)

Of course I hate that Queequeg is killed. The writers have admitted they wouldn’t do that now, but my God, Scully had so few things to give her joy…why did her dog have to be EATEN? Sigh. And then Mulder being so cold about it? Ugh.

I do love the Mulder/Scully conversation on the rock, though, as we get a little more insight into Scully’s relationship with her father—and, uh, how she sees Mulder. There are beats in the episode you only get when characters are stranded/trapped with time to kill. Honestly, it’s almost a shock the conversation made the final cut, but it’s part of what really makes the episode work.

  • Scully should have pushed Mulder into the water after he asked her if she lost weight.
  • Loved the continuity of them bringing the stoners—hello Tyler Labine—back.

“Wetwired”:

A number of cases pit Scully and Mulder against each other, but this ranks up there as one of the most terrifying instances. Normally, you can understand their suspicion of the other. As an audience here, we know that Scully is irrational about her fears; of course Mulder didn’t abduct her or have anything to do with Melissa’s death. But she’s convinced she’s right and it makes her dangerous.

The scene where Scully, Mulder, and Maggie try to talk it through—well, Maggie is the MVP, successfully talking her daughter down—is so damn good. For as much as Maggie has lost (and for as many reasons as she has for hating her daughter’s job), she trusts that Mulder wouldn’t hurt Scully and is able to logic her way into Scully seeing her side of things.

But, also, my God, the reveal of how close X is to CSM is great. He really played with fire being Mulder’s informant given how closely CSM was also monitoring Mulder.

“Talitha Cumi”:

For as great as most of the myth arcs were this season, the finale is a little flat for me. Parts of it are great! The reveal of how close CSM and Teena were, complete with him taunting her about him being better than her dead ex-husband…whew, CSM is bold, ballsy, and absolutely unhinged for that. And I like Jeremiah! 

The problem is that it just feels like set-up (which, yes, it’s a multi-part arc, but still should be able to stand on its own) and repetitive. (Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but someone close to Mulder or Scully ends up in the hospital, with their life seriously at risk.)

It’s not bad, it’s just not as compelling as it could be. (And now that I think about it, it actually may be my least favorite/compelling finale of the series. Well, at least of the original run.) 

  • “If I told you, you’d never let me go.” Well, at least Mulder is aware he’s about to do something stupid.
  • The Mulder family home just casually housing a supernatural murder weapon. Cool, cool, cool. 
  • “You are dying of lung cancer.” LOL, Jeremiah. Buddy. No one and nothing can kill this man.
  • “I’ve known your mother since before you were born, Fox.” Mhm.

What did you think of these THE X-FILES episodes?

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