The X-Files (TV Series) 3 (1994) User Reviews

"Agent Mulder, all this time I've been putting raspberry sauce on ice cream."

[DWilliams1089 · 6/10 · 15 September 2010]

"3" is the first episode following Scully's abduction, and is one of few X-Files without any appearance from Gillian Anderson. The third Morgan/Wong script for this season, "3" finds an adrift Mulder obsessed with tracking down a trio of bloodthirsty killers in California. This episode is notable for starring the stunning Perrey Reeves, who portrays enigmatic Kristen Kilar and dated David Duchovny around this time. There is a very strong, believable sexual energy between them that is the highlight of a somewhat uneven script.

The episode starts with a well-directed teaser of a young woman seducing a much older man and proceeding to murder him with the help of two others in his jacuzzi. The premise is that this Unholy Trinity had pursued Kristen across the country to turn her into one of them, a vampire. Mulder captures one of the Trinity members who is subsequently killed in his sunlit cell, only to return to life in the episode's final third. He then encounters Kristen in a nightclub, in the episode's strangest scene, and believes she too is a bloodsucker until he spots a gore-filled bread loaf in her oven (apparently this has defensive properties in vampire lore).

There are some interesting ideas and new spins on vampiric mythology that are unfortunately presented in such a way that the audience becomes as lost as Mulder seems to be. Kristen, though an interesting character, is too ambiguous for much of her storyline to make any sense on first view. It is implied that consuming the blood of a believer and sacrificing a human life can convert one into a vampire, yet this is a detail touched upon far too late for the denouement to seem anything but convenient.

"3" gets a pretty bad wrap from hardcore fans for the lack of Scully and Mulder's eccentric behavior but is enjoyable when not viewed from an analytical lens. Though the script is a tad pedestrian from the writers who brought us masterpieces like "Beyond the Sea," there is still some good character study which is the trademark of any Morgan/Wong affair, with Duchovny's chemistry with Reeves and ability to play Mulder in a different yet believable way being the high spots.

Well, not if drawstring pants come back into style.

[Muldernscully · 7/10 · 20 April 2006]

3 is the much despised "tweener" episode that falls between the Scully abduction and recovery episodes. I think 3 is still a decent episode, however.

I like the idea of Mulder trying to lose himself in his work. There's nothing he can do about Scully right now, so he has no other choice but to work. There's a parallel made between Mulder and the vampires. Vampires traditionally sleep during the day, meaning they're awake at night. Mulder comments that he doesn't sleep anymore, meaning he is awake at night, just like the vampires.

3 is not just the traditional vampire story of a vampire biting beautiful virgins' necks. A history is established as them being some sort of unholy trinity. I find this different aspect quite interesting. However, John, the Son, says that he can't be seen in a mirror although he says it as Mulder is viewing John's reflection in the mirror. Also, Kristen doesn't have any mirrors in her house. I'm not sure what the writers were driving at with that. I think it would have been better to skip the "vampires don't like mirrors" aspect of their mythology and just leave it that they receive immortality from drinking human blood and that they have an aversion to light.

An odd, rhythmic tone plays during the exam of the Son's body. I just found it to be an interesting choice of music.

Mulder has a very weird first encounter with Kristen. It's almost as if she were expecting him and it seems as if they are speaking passwords to each other. I like the mysteriousness that surrounds Kristen. It makes her character very interesting.

It's too bad Mulder was willing to get it on with Kristin so soon after losing Scully. I guess depressed people will sometimes do things they normally wouldn't do. Coincidentally, after Mulder gets it on with Kristen, he does sleep, which earlier he said he wasn't doing anymore.

I do like the twist towards the end involving Kristin and the Unholy Trinity. It surprised me. The extreme criticism toward this episode is undeserved, probably stemming from Scully being absent and Mulder being amorous with another woman. 3 is still a good episode that highlights the loneliness that consumes Mulder while Scully is missing.

It's like a blood filled donut.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 25 September 2020]

3 features some great ideas, I was genuinely excited to see that this was going to be a vampire story, sadly the sum is only a fraction of the value of its parts. It's nice around the edges, but essentially has no core.

I understand that Anderson was busy at the time, but Mulder doesn't seem to have any impact from her vanishing it's quite odd.

It's essentially Mulder versus some sexy vampires, that is essentially it, it doesn't have the depth that every other episode in this series had.

It isn't bad, it looks nice, but lacks any bite. 6/10.

All I know is... normal is not what I feel.

[alexandercappelli · 10 August 2015]

"All I know is... normal is not what I feel." - Fox Mulder.

Episode 7, '3', original air date November 4th, 1994. Written by Chris Ruppenthal, Glen Morgan and James Wong, directed by David Nutter. Monster of the week episode count, 21. Chris Ruppenthal, who also wrote season 1's 'Roland', is a freelance writer who submitted the script for '3', which was then edited significantly by Morgan & Wong. It's the first show that explores the classic vampire myth and is also the first of four episodes to not feature Gillian Anderson. The mythology takes a break this week to explore a side of Mulder we haven't seen before. '3' is an erotic thriller that received heavy criticism from fans who reacted against the romantic scenes between Mulder and guest star Kristen (Perrey Reeves, Duchovny's girlfriend at the time.) I find '3' to be successful at handling Anderson's absence by focusing heavily on Mulder's sense of loss and hopelessness at his current situation. The vampire's in this episode can be seen as a metaphor for Mulder's sleepwalking, anaemic state, in which he no longer sleeps, devoid of the soul that has been ripped from him along with Scully's presence. We are witnessing him in a vulnerable and weakened state, it's common for grief stricken people to look for comfort in the form of physical affection and thus it's justifiable that he would be lured in to Kristen's embrace. This intimate connection is helping him to cope with the loss he feels. It's arguable then that even though we see the character in the arms of another woman, this episode only serves to strengthen the bond between the two agents. It's never been clearer the value that Mulder places on his relationship with Scully. The angered response from some fans is a typical knee jerk reaction towards what appears on the surface to be a betrayal by the writer's. However, one only needs to look just below the literal surface here to understand what the writer's are trying to convey with this story of heartache and mourning.

The story revolves around the search for a trio of vampires that consider themselves the holy trinity, the father, the son and the holy spirit. Mulder attempts to bury himself in work in order to cope with Scully's absence. The X-Files have now been re-opened and we have a nice scene early on in which Mulder removes the plastic covering from his office and wistfully places an X-File document in the cabinet labelled, 'Dana Scully'. He works his way in to the case presumably by his own authority but is sceptical at first, believing that the so-called vampire 'The Son' is simply suffering from a psychological disorder. However we then witness John (The son) burn up in the light of the sun and it appears as if there is some truth to his claims. Mulder meets a woman who can help his investigation as she knows a thing or two about the motives of the trio. He learns that she is in danger and feels compelled to protect her, perhaps compensating for his inability to protect Scully. Typical of a vampire story there is a lot of sexually charged moments between the two until they finally give in to their desires. Ultimately Mulder fails to save her as she chooses to burn herself alive along with the trio themselves. It's a dismal end to Mulder's story, once again he fails to save someone he cares about and is left alone to wallow in his misery.

David Nutter's direction helps to bring life to this familiar tune. The red lit interrogation scene is a memorable moment that's both visually arresting and thematically appropriate. The guest stars this week, particularly Frank Military as the enigmatic 'Son' delivers captivating performances. Vampire stories are probably the most common monster tale in Western literature, with Zombie's a close second, so it's a testament to the writing and direction that this doesn't feel like a stale or unnecessary monster of the week. With shows like 'True Blood', 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Being Human' and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', these stories have in recent years been done to death, pardon the pun. At the time that the X-Files was airing though, these sorts of monster tales where actually quite rare for network television. Certainly there have been a multitude of cinema releases that have tackled the subject well before the 90's but mainstream television had not yet reached the saturation we see today. Duchovny has stated that he felt vampire stories where some of the more 'lame' monster stories that the show covered at the time. Of course now it seems that audiences can't get enough of the blood sucking undead.

It's somewhat surprising that I don't miss Scully in this episode, though of course her presence is felt within the narrative. We're treated to another side of Mulder, a more desperate and broken shadow of his former self. Even though we know Scully's return is imminent we still feel for the character. What could have easily been a filler episode designed to give Anderson a quick reprieve turns out to be a thoroughly entertaining vampire story that feels significantly different from the MOTW episodes we've seen so far, but in a good way.

Good Episode- I Just Want It To Make More Sense

[ddeboer · 7/10 · 5 May 2009]

So who cares if he slept with someone while Scully was away?! Scully and Mulder are NOT a legitimate couple. Their work comes first and this is the nature of their bond and respect for one another (not to mention why the potentially romantic tension between them works so well). Upon revisiting this episode I liked it better after not seeing it after so many years. I just don't get it entirely. Who was the third? The son is back? How did he escape the morgue? Oh he's not the third.....the strange woman is. Who is she? You have to be a believer and take a life to become a vampire? I also thought having him wait for the girl in her home was a bit silly. I wanted her to be more of a seductive bad ass instead of a poor misunderstood beauty who was just waiting for a man like Mulder to come along and save her. Speaking of damsels in distress. I still have a hard time believing that Scully could be taken. That woman was always a good ass kicker! Macho fantasies abound in the trilogy and in "3".

Just ashes and Bones.

[devonbrown-90649 · 6/10 · 10 April 2023]

This episode could have easily been skipped. Seemed like Mulder is a different person after Scullys abduction. He's somewhat gone off the rails a little. I'm happy they reopened the x files but they need to answer a lot of plot holes and cliffhangers in the coming episodes.

I don't really fully understand the father the son and unholy spirit blood ritual. As well as the gaining the ability to become on of them by killing A believer.

Not Sure how how Mulder will explain this one in his field report to make it remotely believable.

Seems like the episode was somewhat a waste of time or it went over my head.

Loner Mulder is Danger Mulder

[feedandseed-99210 · 6/10 · 2 April 2018]

Admittedly this is one of my least favorite episodes and in large part it is because, as many have pointed out, that we see Mulder "sleeping around" while Scully is in peril. I would however point out that there appears to be more than a little death wish tied up in Mulder's pursuit of a suspect whose vampire lover and his thrill kill cult exsanguinate anyone she has sex with. Early on Mulder admits to local police to not sleeping at all anymore which may be more than a small indication that his actions don't exactly fall in the "swinging" category. A better reason to give this episode a lower rating is that Perrey Reeves who plays the central character of Kristin Kilar was not a good enough actress to pull off the part. She somehow manages to make joining a vampire cult sound really boring. And since her belief is the lynch pin around which the whole plot operates, nothing else in the episode works.

One of the few truly bad episodes

[ebeckstr-1 · 4/10 · 12 June 2022]

Morose, brooding episodes of The X-Files are common, and that feature is part of the show's greatness; but the tone of this one when combined with how poorly paced and excruciatingly slow it is, make it simply boring. It appears to be trying to do something deep and momentous, but is smaller than the sum of its parts and achieves nothing interesting by way of plot or character development. The plot itself, in fact, makes no sense. There is no internal logic to what unfolds and how the episode concludes. That isn't because of the usual X-Files obliqueness or the elliptical nature of its story. It's just a badly written script, poorly directed. The only interesting thing is the lighting, but even that is done with such a lack of subtlety that it too becomes a part of how annoying this episode is. Having been through the series from beginning to end a number of times, when I rewatch it nowadays this is one of two or three episodes I skip. One of the few saving graces of the episode is that it contains one of the most unexpectedly hilarious lines of any episode, which you will recognize when you hear it if you've never seen this episode before.

"You are really upsetting me..., on several levels."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 25 May 2017]

Just like the werewolf episode "Shapes" during the first season, it wouldn't have been X-Files if they hadn't have come up with a vampire story along the way. The thing is though, the 'unholy trinity' weren't really vampires, they just thought they were vampires and lived their lives accordingly. I got the biggest kick out that scene where Mulder was explaining to the doctor what he knew about vampire victims and porphyria from cases he studied, resulting in the doctor's response in my summary line. Like how would a normal person invest that much time and energy in studying blood suckers? It just made me laugh.

So taking a cue from the 'Sleepless' episode earlier in Season Two, Mulder tells a local detective "I don't sleep anymore". The idea integrated well into the fact that he was spending his nights investigating potential vampire hangouts and sinking his own fangs into the devilishly inspired Kristin Kilar (Perrey Reeves). I didn't know that David Duchovny and Reeves were an item around the time this show was made, so I have to wonder now how much private time they spent rehearsing their lines. Inquiring minds like to know.

As far as the story went, I do have to admit I was left totally lost when John 'The Son' (Frank Military) showed up again after he burned to death in police custody. There didn't appear to be any attempt to explain that, and it seemed to add a brand new concept to well established vampire lore - you know, stuff like burning up in sunlight, fear of crucifixes and no reflection in mirrors. The mirror concept got a pretty good workout in the story so that was cool. Not having Scully around for this one was not so cool. But then again, if she had gotten a look at Kristen, she might have driven a stake right through her heart.

Better in the 90s

[highbob · 6/10 · 6 August 2018]

This was the first X-Files episode that I ever saw-I got started late to the series, and I didn't realize at first what was going on. But I really did like the stylishness of the thing. The episode had a feeling of a Patrick Nagel illustration from playboy magazine-he was very popular during the 80s.

But I'm re-watching the series while I'm sick, episode by episode, and this one just doesn't work for me anymore-it's just too wan and worn out. Good Lord, their ennui is killing me. And X-Files without Scully and Mulder don't seem to be really worth the trouble.

Moody

[sarajimi · 4/10 · 1 July 2019]

Atmospheric is the best adjective I can think of to describe this episode. in other words, it contains lots of poorly lit shots (more than usual), little cohesive dialogue, and some random, non-applicable establishing shots. I could barely sit through it.

They have the same feeble grasp of the Bible as all those big-haired preachers do.

[Sanpaco13 · 8/10 · 27 April 2008]

3 the Limerick:

Some vampires out in LA

Have a blood fetish in their own way

In the sun burnt one got

And another's way hot

And assures us that Mulder's not gay.

This was the first attempt at a vampire episode. I love them both. Bad Blood is definitely more a favorite than this, but I love the element of vampirism that this brings more than that of Bad Blood. This episode is a lot darker and creepier and stays quite true to the Gothic feeling that most vampire stories have. I remember watching this and not really noticing that Scully was not in it. Mulder does a great job solo but it is definitely evident that he needs Scully to keep things straight sometimes. The poor reputation of this episode that I have seen usually has to do with the fact that Mulder has a thing for the vampire chick. This criticism, I find very annoying and inconsistent. How often do we see Scully falling for another dude? I mean yeah in The Jersey Devil she dumps the one guy to go off with Mulder to the Smithsonian at the end but then in Never Again she totally sleeps with Ed Jerse (hmm… never made that connection before; JERSEY Devil/Ed JERSE) but she's Scully so its excusable right? But Mulder should never have a non-Scully moment. Every girl that he has a thing with other than Scully is an evil tramp. That's really how it comes out with all of them. Scully herself is quite hostile towards these characters. My opinion on this is of course that everyone is human and I believe it was necessary to have both characters have other relationships while working together. They didn't really fall in love until around season 6 or 7 so anything before that is pretty much fair game. Shippers, seasons 6-9 go to you. Leave seasons 1-5 to us that could care less. 8 out of 10 on the episode for me.

Death Wish...

[toactistolive · 6/10 · 10 June 2019]

This is one of the most despised episodes in the entire series, and though I can see why people loath it, I also see it as an interesting choice made to show the audience where Mulder would be if Scully was truly gone. Unfortunately the use of vampires in sci-fi rubs the die hard lovers of this genre the wrong way, which is clearly evident in all of the reviews. I see the use of them as more symbolic than clique. Vampires are the undead, unholy, soulless, creatures of the night that can't live in the sun. All of these descriptions can also be used to describe Mulder right now. Without his yin to his yang, he becomes the walking dead. He is just going through the motions of this case trying to find a way to escape from his pain. There is only darkness in him and as the days creep by without Scully, he too moves further away from the light into darkness. Without her he clearly lacks his usual spirit and drive in the case, his spirit can be seen as his soul. As his spirit aka soul disappears, so to does his usual open mindedness that he uses to question every situation and to believe in what society views as abnormal and even impossible. When he is questioning the first suspect he is condescending and disbelieving right from the beginning. This is not like him. He even goes so far as making the man talk with the threat of sunlight. Usually he connects to the characters by believing their version of truth, and being open to it being a reality. This is evident in past episodes when he is talking to Duane Berry. The other officers refuse to "entertain his delusions," whereas Mulder doesn't just entertain them he is truly trying to understand and believe that Berry has had an encounter with Aliens. That version of Mulder is absent during his interrogation. Then when the suspect actually does burn bc of the light, he acknowledges that he made a mistake and does everything he can to rectify it by finding a woman who claims to be vampire and believes in her right away. This brings me to the other part in this episode that really turned off many viewers; he has sex with her. Most people are so adverse to this because they can't fathom how he could be thinking of carnal pleasures when Scully has barely gone missing. However, I think that it makes sense for a couple reasons. First, if the vampires represent him then it's important that to go back to the lore of such creatures. Vampires are usually associated with fulfilling their carnal desires and their base instincts, and sex, in its very nature is that. He is quite possibly doing this also to feel alive, bc without Scully he is dead inside. Secondly, it's also common for people to use sex as a way to escape their painful reality and to have those moments where u feel good. In the movie "High Fidelity" with John Cusack, his girlfriend asks to have sex with him, "because I want to feel something else than this. It's either that or I go home and put my hand in the fire." I personally don't see it as an affront to Scully, though I will admit I don't like seeing him with anyone else but her!! This just goes to show how well the show has done at creating the relationship between them! Clearly we all very invested in it!!! But the writers let the audience down in many other ways in this episode. The myth that vampires can't see their reflection was confusing! The vampire that Mulder interrogates says he has no reflection in mirrors and then we see Mulder holding up something that clearly is his reflection, thus proving he is not a vampire. However, he burns up in the sun and cannot die. I wish they would've decided whether or not vampires were real and what mythology they are going to adhere to in this show. Another example of the writers dropping the ball is questions being raised that are never fully answered. You would think that when the chick sees her ex boyfriend alive and tells Mulder that he would've had some reaction to it. I know a lot is happening then, but there should have been some acknowledgement of him being alive!!! Then she evidently kills the other female vamp, or maybe she doesn't and just stops her for a little bit till she can heal. We will never know. The only reason I can see as to why these things were overlooked is that this episode wasn't about the vampires as much as it was about what parallels one can draw between Mulder and the undead. I choose to look at this episode and see the symbolism instead of the literal aspects and details that were never quite fleshed out. If I do that, then I can see this episode in a better light than most. With that being said, I miss Scully and Mulder working together and I'm glad I don't have to wait to long for that!!

Shh. It'll be worth it.

[bombersflyup · 5/10 · 5 July 2020]

3 is about Mulder investigating a series of killings involving vampires.

It's atmospheric, but I can't see the intent or value of the episode. It's about vampires and it's filler, it's not bad, nor is it good. Mulder's in a dark place and wants company, that's about it. Love the scene with Dr. Browning though.

Dr. Browning: An edema ball at the nostrils. Rupture of the skull due to internal steam pressure ... these are indications of long term exposure to extreme temperatures, not a sunburn for 15 seconds.

Mulder: The guards found no flammable materials? I had believed that this man's illness was psychological.

Dr. Browning: There is a condition known as Gunther's Disease - congenital erythropoietic porphyria creating cutaneous photosensitivity.

Mulder: I'm familiar with porphyria. It's an affliction which causes lesions and blisters when skin is exposed to sunlight, not fourth degree burns. Sufferers may have a hema deficiency which can be supplemented by a small ingestion of blood, not the kind of bloodthirst this man had. It's probably ignorance of porphyria as a disease that led to the creation of vampire myths in Asia in the Middle Ages. I had dismissed the possibility of the actual existence of such a creature as myth.

Dr. Browning: You are really upsetting me. On several levels.

The more serious vampire episode

[ametaphysicalshark · 10 November 2008]

Season 5's "Bad Blood" was an outright comedy with basically no dramatic or really 'serious' elements. Season two's "3" creates an odd and different mythology for vampires, and it's a shame that the episode as a whole isn't as strong as the concept.

"3" is one of the most despised "X-Files" episodes, and I don't think it would be presumptuous of me to suggest that the hatred might have something to do with what fans (particularly shippers) perceive as Mulder betraying Scully. His relationship with Kristen here is something I myself have dismissed as 'playa Mulda' in the past, but I think I was being unfair. Blame peer pressure. It's entirely believable that this mopey, depressed, and frustrated version of Mulder would be drawn to this mysterious and seductive woman, it's not like he 'had' a $20 whore. The motivations for his character are sensible, and there's depth in the concept of the episode here.

Alas, the execution is not as strong as it could have been. While "3" proves not nearly as bad as I once thought it was, the script by Glen Morgan, James Wong, and Chris Ruppenthal (of "Quantum Leap" and "The Outer Limits" fame) is, well, a mess. Where this could have been a character-driven masterpiece, it ends up a confusing, largely pointless mess, in spite of us seeing Mulder like we never saw him before (and never really did we see him like this again), and the interesting mythology developed for vampires here.

"3" has a good premise, and gets too much criticism for not including Scully, for having Mulder 'sleep around', when the real problems with the episode lie simply in the script not being very good, and evidently quite rushed as well.

5/10

Mulder makes out with a vampire 🙄

[jayscricia · 6/10 · 4 February 2021]

This episode is awful. While our beloved Scully has been abducted, Mulder hooks up with a weirdo that thinks she's a vampire. The three vampires go around killing people and of course our favorite FBI is on the case. Mulder seems to befriend the vampire girl while questioning her. She tries to get him to lick her bloody finger, gross! Mulder tells her it's not safe because the possibility of AIDS but then she goes and has someone else lick it....wtf and then later on he makes out with her while wearing our precious redhead's necklace! It just doesn't seem like something Mulder would do. He's weird but not an idiot. Some of the ideas were pretty cool and I like vampire stories but geez they could have done way better than this cringy episode. That being said, I am a big fan of xfiles. I am currently rewatching the series and I hope there are no more episodes without Gillian because they sure don't know what to do without her lol.

Why stopped searching for scully?

[CursedChico · 7/10 · 24 October 2020]

Instead the episode goes for middle age mythologies. It was interesting to see that wampire myth.

Also to see mulder having connections was good. He was so upset lately.

The LA police was so nice. They did not care about FBI is involved or not. They saw mulder was very helpful and hardworking. So they let him egt involed.

Worse than it should be.

[paulkersey-31019 · 4/10 · 8 January 2024]

Strangely enough Bad Blood would make a perfect juxtaposition to this episod, albeit with a much lighter tone and more traditional approach to vampire lore, in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek fashion.

Overall this ep should be have been something i liked with it's dark more serious tone & seductive club style. Alas, Forever Knight did that far better, despite a shoestring budget i would recommend that series for vamp lovers based on it's leading man & interesting characters & plotlines. Except season 3s dive in quality. First 2 are worthy of a glance.

All around this episode excelled at making the fang tooths boring. Not much more to say.

A lot of people will hate it

[SleepTight666 · 9/10 · 20 July 2008]

Yup, I still this much despised Vampire episode.

It's just like last Season's 'Shapes'. A lot of people will hate it because it's a cliché storyline. and more fans will hate it because Scully doesn't appear in it. Just like any episodes where either Mulder or Scully have sex with anyone other than each other. Damned fan girls.

I love vampires, and I find this episode to be extremely erotic. The sexual tension between Kristen and Mulder has been far stronger than between Mulder and Scully. Don't hate me, i'm just telling the truth. I heard that David Duchovny was dating Perry Reeves when they filmed this episode. Perhaps it's why I felt such a strong sexual connection between the two. My favorite scene was probably when she was shaving him, and tried to taste some of his blood.

I also love the way this episode ends, she took her own life to kill the others. I think that it was clever written. G

It gets FOUR stars from me.

An underestimate episode

[nicofreezer · 9/10 · 6 June 2022]

"3" is an Incredible episode of TV, but not one of the best X files. The episode is so dark, the atmosphere is spooky like Never before, to have an episode with Mulder alone is cool, a Mulder that seems lost, Lost without Scully. This one makes me thing of the show " Angel" about a vampire in L. A, just like in "3" A great watch and a very important episode before the masterpiece " one breath"

Excellent Outing

[thebigeasy555 · 24 April 2006]

this episode is without any doubt my favourite.Sure the entire x-files were great but this fantastic piece of work stands out.With scully still missing mulder sets off to investigate murders carried out by modern day vampires and subsequently ends up falling for the female vampire! Whilst appearing on the outside to be happy with this predicament,underneath it all his feelings to do his job and his concern for scully shine through.Personally i feel David duchovny's acting in this episode rank high in anything he's ever done.The script is perfect,the directing flawless and Duchovny's performance alone carries it though the supporting cast don't put a foot wrong.

The final scene at the end where mulder is sitting at the foot of the hill and is approached by the fireman who informs him there was no survivors in the fire(The blaze can be seen in the background)is hugely gripping.the expression of sorrow is etched firmly on mulders face.

Sexy

[nmv33 · 9/10 · 26 April 2020]

I forgot about this episode. It's so good and the sexual tension is palpable. And yes, he slept with someone because he could. Mulder and Scully were not, I repeat, WERE NOT a couple so fans can stop being mad that he slept with the vampire. Great episode, tense, weird, funny and a typical X-File.

Whaaa...

[willard-138-283663 · 9/10 · 10 March 2016]

Well, re-watching X-Files almost 17 years later doesn't help interpret "Canadianism." Having lived in So Cal almost my entire life (No Cal native) I have never heard the term "grache" or "grash" (phonetic spelling), the indiscernible term used by the "LAPD" detective when approaching the residence on Malibu Cyn Rd.

A minor detail but still frustrating and distracting when trying to follow the script, especially trying to decipher Canadian-speak 17 years later. Sure wish producers would use the money they save by hiring Canadian actors to give these people basic English tutorials.

Additionally, the lead detective is described as "Commander." No such title or position in LAPD detectives. Chris, if you're gonna' continue to make TV series for the U.S. market, sure hope you stop trying cut costs by hiring Canucks and use more U.S. actors so that we can spend more time trying to follow the plots instead of trying to decipher the script.

Other than those annoyances, this episode (7) was just as entertaining as all the others, well done (other than the linguistics barrier!).

One of the best episodes of the series entire run!

[jellyneckr · 31 October 2006]

The great thing about "The X Files" was its splendid blend of sci-fi, horror, and drama. In 3, all three genres are intertwined perfectly, creating one of the most unique and fascinating hours of television of the 1990s. The story concerns Mulder's investigation of a trio of hungry vampires in L.A., a concept that may not seem original at first, but eventually comes into its own shortly after the cold opening. If there is a flaw in the episode, it is the opening that simply seems like it was shot within an hour period. It doesn't match the stylish direction of the rest of the episode. David Nutter always did a bang-up job on the episodes he directed, bringing a distinctive mood and artfulness to the proceeding yet the opening here is weak. The rest of 3 is exceptionally well done with the usual solid directing by Nutter, very strong performances by David Duchovny and guest star Perry Reeves (probably best known as Will Ferrell's wife in Old School), slick visuals, and a surprise ending. The closing scene is especially moving. Even for non-'Files' fans, 3 is a must-see. 9/10