David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson. The complete third season includes The Blessing Way," Paper Clip," D.P.O," Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," The List," 2Shy," The Walk," Oubliette," Nisei," 731," Revelations," War of the Coprophages," Syzygy," Grotesque," Piper Maru," Apocrypha," Pusher," Teso Dos Bichos," Hell Money," Jose Chung's From Outer Space," Avatar," Quagmire," Wetwired" and Talitha Cumi." 24 episodes on 7 DVDs! 1996/color/approx. 21 hrs/NR/fullscreen.

Condition: New

Format: DVD

Box set; Closed-captioned; Color; DVD; NTSC; Full Screen

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For many seasons Carter maintained the integrity of an artistic vision that the Fox executives were smart enough to take a gamble on. Given the "franchise" nature of the X FILES, their gamble certainly paid off. And, if parts of the last 2 seasons have been rough ( a portent that the show will not necessarily fade gloriously into the sunset ) that does not take away from Carter and company's magnificent achievement.

Although a casual awareness of the X FILES may bring to mind government conspiracy, aliens, "spooky" supernatural phenomenon, the core issues in the show are that of truth, faith, love, good and evil; those issues that have captivated mankind's imagination for as long as it has had the capacity to record its artistic, philosophical and revelatory reactions.

Another very strong part of the X FILES' appeal is obviously the complex relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully; one needn't be "married" ( pardon the pun ) to the notion that the show revolves COMPLETELY around some sort of nascent romantic relationship; it's sufficient to acknowledge the respect, camaraderie and genuine love ( whether it's romantic or platonic ) the two share. Mulder and Scully, two deeply serious ( however witty ) people help "ground" each other in their respective "quest" (s).

As good as the actors and production team are, the writers are the bedrock of the X FILES. And, if irony constitutes one of the primary elements in the work of great writers, the core writing staff can at least be described as striving for greatness. The self-reflexive humor constantly on display in the central characters of Mulder and Scully, superbly acted by Duchovny and Anderson, fleshes out the nuances appropriate to the background of these committed and eccentric personalities. Also, the 1013 team delights in a playful, "embedded" concepts that recur time and time again in the background of the show. Without going into ridiculous detail ( which others can document better than I can ) there is a certain archetypal X FILES "iconography", which has developed more and more with each successive season. A fondness for neon lights or flashing sirens of ambulances and police cars; a humorously morbid fascination with the bathroom as a crime scene ( etc. ). One of the true beauties of the X FILES is that it so "layered" that one can appreciate it on any one of a number of levels. This is why it's possible to watch these episodes over and over again and not be bored.

As far as this DVD box is concerned, the 3rd season's consistency episode to episode is magnificent. The "mythology" two-parters are tightly written, beautifully produced ( amazing stunts and cinematography ). "NISEI / 731" and "PIPER MARU/APOCRYPHA" are really "mini movies". I'm still flabbergasted that these episodes could actually be prepared for television.

The "stand alone" ( or "monster of the week" ) episodes are equally well done. "OUBLIETTE" has a tremendously strong performance from David Duchovny and the guest actress; a real heartbreaker, this superior episode strikes me as a precursor to the more acclaimed 4th season "PAPER HEARTS".

The ongoing exploration of Scully's conflicted inner feelings ( manifested in her two "contesting" traits, scientific rationalism and religious faith )are nicely portrayed in "REVELATIONS".

"PUSHER" deserves its reputation as one of the most popular "stand alone" episodes. Its famous villain, Robert Patrick Modell, has a favored place among the most memorable evil characters from the show ( Eugene Victor Tooms and Donnie Pfaster also come to mind ).

"QUAGMIRE" fits into a sort of outdoor or "forest" X FILES sub-genre ( first seen in Season 1's "DARKNESS FALLS" and continuing in Season 5's "DETOUR" ). All these "forest" episodes were hellishly difficult to film in Vancouver's rainy woods but the results are yet another of the series' delights; the location shooting is spectacular. In particular, the scene in "QUAGMIRE" with the "stranded" Mulder and Scully is priceless.

Then there are writer Darin Morgan's three masterpieces, quirky and self-mocking yet at the same time strangely touching. In particular, "CLYDE BRUCKMAN'S FINAL REPOSE" and "JOSE CHUNG'S `FROM OUTER SPACE' are two of the finest individual episodes in the entire history of the X FILES.

Inevitably, even in such a strong season, there are "clunkers". To a certain degree, "DPO" and "2 SHY" fit this category but I consider "HELL MONEY and especially "TESO DOS BICHOS" as the worst of the 3rd season ( however, these two episodes, judged by the standards of other television programs, would be graded more leniently ).

The season closing cliffhanger,. "TALITHA CUMI", displays the type of writing, acting and production strengths exhibited throughout most of the glorious third season. This was from a time when the myth arc was fresh and excitement among fans at a fever pitch waiting through the summer for the next developments.

Fnally, while it is legitimate to argue that Season 4 offered more opportunities for Gillian Anderson to develop the character of Dana Scully, Season 3 still ranks at the top for me. I'm partial to the variety and freshness of the stand alone episodes and the excitement of the mythology arc was never topped.

88 of 99 found the following review helpful:

3rd SeasonMay 12, 2002
By Ned "java_ned"
In the third season of The X-Files, we learn more about Cigarette-Smoking Man (CSM), Mulder�s father, and a few other goodies.

All 24 episodes are on 7 discs, with documentaries, deleted scenes, etc.

Episodes:
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1) The Blessing Way � Mulder lies somewhere between life and death. His spirit goes through a Navajo healing ceremony and his father and Deep Throat visit his spirit. Scully is searching for the MJ documents and the Well-Manicured Man delivers her a warning.

2) Paper Clip � In this episode, the Navajos return Mulder to health. Mulder and Scully find their way to a mine in West Virginia where Mulder see a UFO take off and Scully see a �group of aliens.� Scully see rows and rows of cabinets, which contain medical records and DNA samples (there is one dating back to her abduction in season two).

3) D.P.O. � Mulder and Scully investigate a teenager that has the power/ability to control lighting.

4) Clyde Bruckman�s Final Response � Mulder and Scully are contacted by an insurance salesman that has the ability to foresee how people will die.

5) The List � Mulder and Scully are called in on a case of a man executed that swears he will seek vengeance from beyond the grave.

6) 2Shy - Mulder and Scully investigate a case where lonely, overweight women are contacted over the Internet. The �killer� has the ability to suck the fat from the women�s bodies.

7) The Walk � Mulder and Scully investigate a number of Gulf War veterans who have tried to kill themselves but can�t. The investigation leads to a quadruple amputee.

8) Oubliette � Mulder believes there is a psychic connection between Lucy Householder, who had been kidnapped as a small child and a little girl recently kidnapped.

9) Nisei � Mulder and Scully investigate a salvage ship after Mulder receives a mail-order �alien� autopsy tape. Mulder winds up on a train that may be carrying an alien.

10) 731 � Mulder finds himself in a train car with a bomb. X shows up kills the assassin and helps Mulder escape just before the explosion.

11) Revelations � In this episode, Scully believes that there is a phenomena and Mulder believes there is a more ration explanation.

12) War of the Coprophages � Mulder and Scully go to Miller�s Grove based on a report that cockroaches are overrunning the town.

13) Syzygy � Mulder and Scully arrive in a small town where it appears that a satanic cult has taken over the local high school.

14) Grotesque � Mulder and Scully work with Mulder�s former mentor of the behavioral sciences unit. His mentor, Bill Patterson, arrest a serial killer obsessed with gargoyles.

15) Piper Maru � In this episode a French salvage ship finds a WW II plane at the bottom of the ocean and the pilot is still alive. The pilot was �possessed� with an alien who finally works his way to Krycek.

16) Apocrypha � Assistant Directory Skinner in shot by the same man that shot Scully�s sister. Mulder return with Krycek, CSM�s agents run them off the road and it appears that Krycek will be stuck in a spaceship forever.

17) Pusher � Mulder and Scully investigate a man that has the ability to control people with his voice.

18) Teso dos Bichos � Mulder and Scully investigate the removal of ancient archaeological artifacts from a sacred burial ground.

19) Hell Money � Mulder and Scully investigate an ancient cult where they hold a lottery in which the players wager parts of their body.

20) Jose Chung�s from Outer Space � In this episode, Scully is interviewed by the famous author Jose Chung, who is trying to expose the truth about alien abductions.

21) Avatar � Assistant Directory Skinner is accused of murder when he is found in a hotel next to the corpse of a prostitute.

22) Quagmire � Mulder and Scully go to Georgia after receiving a report of Loch Ness type monster.

23) Wetwired � Mulder and Scully investigate a number of Maryland homicides and it appears the only thing these people had in common was they watch a lot of television.

24) Talitha Cumi � Jeremiah Smith heals the wounds of several shooting victims. Jeremiah is well known to CSM and it appears that CSM is working closely with the aliens. We also find out that CSM know Mulder�s mother better that anyone knew.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

"The X-Files" in its prime repackaged and more affordableDec 28, 2005
By WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.-Albert Einstein"
The third season of "The X-Files" found Chris Carter and the writers/producers on the show taking chances. The series entered into whimsy and humor with two great episodes written by Darren Morgan ("Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" with Charles Nelson Riley we hear all about alien visitation from the most unlikely and uncredible of sources. Alex Trebeck guest stars as, well, one of the Men in Black. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" about a nice man who can see the future and doesn't want to and his involvement with a serial killer looking for someone who can--which won an Emmy).

There were plenty of the mythology episodes as well and we meet the shape shifting alien Jeremiah Smith who may or may not be out to help humanity. We also discover about Scully's neck implant. It's a stellar season with a strong series of story arcs and stand-alone episodes. Mulder also discovers the alien "black oil" that appears to migrate from person to person.

What's different about this set? It's less expensive and it's in the better slimline DVD boxes (the really skinny ones). This set should stand up to wear and tear a bit better than the more expensively produced fold out set. The episodes look the same because the same digital masters were used to produce this set as the other sets. It all comes down to a more affordable set for fans of the series. The disc with all the extras is not part of this set as well and this is basically just the episodes with whatever extras were on the first disc discs of the set (commentary tracks, etc.).

Is it worth it? Absolutely as this is one of the best seasons of the long running series (the show would continue to get better with each successful season and peak around the fifth season). A great show, a great price and in great packaging. What's stopping you from buying it? Oh, by the way Fox plans to release everything from the show through the sixth season (at this writing 12/27/05) through mid 2006.

16 of 16 found the following review helpful:

One of the best seasonsSep 07, 2001
By David Roy
This season is, to me, one of the best ones for the X-Files. There are so many good episodes, it's hard to know where to begin. I guess the beginning.

The Blessing Way / Paperclip is the best season-opening story in the history of the show, IMO. It's non-stop action and revelation, tinged with a bit of mysticism as well. The stand-off between Skinner and Scully at the end of Blessing Way is not to be missed, along with the exchanges between CSM and Skinner.

It continues on with other winners, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Jose Chung's From Outer Space (both by the incomparable Darin Morgan), Oubliette, Revelations. My favourite of the conspiracy eps, though, is Wetwired. I've seen it many times since I bought this DVD, and it never fails to thrill. The descent of Scully into mania, Mulder's determination to know the truth, save his friend, and unmask what's really going on, it's all here. All of the episodes (with the exception of the really terrible Teso Dos Bichos) have at least something to offer, even if they're not the best.

I've talked a lot about the season itself, but how are the discs? The picture quality is really good, the extras are interesting, but there's one thing that brings this set a step above the first two seasons (other than the season itself being the best). Commentaries!!!!!

Yes, the X-Files people have finally decided to include audio commentaries of a couple of episodes. I didn't realize what I was missing until I watched Jose Chung's From Outer Space with the commentary track on. Darin Morgan is a god, and Rob Bowman plays well off of him. I loved hearing the behind the scenes details of why this happened, what Darin was trying to say when that happened, etc.

The commentary for Apocrypha is also very interesting, though I find Chris Carter's voice a little annoying. Still, he is the main X-Files guy, and it was interesting. Being from Vancouver, I found Carter's insights about shooting up here were worth the price of admission by themselves.

Buy this DVD set now. Buy the first two if you can, but definitely buy this one. Then, in November, buy Season 4, which is the second best season. Then prepare to be entertained for a long, long time.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:

Great Season - okay DVDMay 10, 2001
By Stephen McLeod
From the outset, Season 3 established THE X-FILES as one of the most interesting television shows ever. With the two-part denoument of the season 2 cliffhanger, TXF completed its first 3-part epic, and gave notice that the mythic themes (of which investigation into the "paranormal" becomes emblematic) would henceforth be developed on a much larger canvass.

The 3-part opening salvo begun with the previous season's ANASAZI and continued in THE BLESSING WAY-PAPER CLIP (my favorite episodes in the whole series) features the nothing less than the Heroes death, descent into Hell, and resurrection, in the context of an ever more cosmic confrontation of Freedom vs. Tyranny, Truth vs. The Lie, and Life vs. Death. The cinematic 2-parter, NISSEI-731, sets up the heroic quest as an extension of the Grail myth -- you can even hear strains of Lohengrin and Parsifal in the scoring -- with Mulder and Scully as the chaste knights whose heroic virtue stands in stark contrast to the sinister "black ops" forces that would keep hidden the Truth That Is "Out There." The mytharc continues with a third double episode, PIPER MARU-APOCRYPHA, in which the Black Oil is introduced and the wily Krycek establishes himself as an independant antagonist whose agenda remains mysterious. The season concludes with the great cliffhanger TALITHA CUMI, an episode that is so nerve-wracking, you may want to put off watching it till Season 4 is released.

Stand alone episodes in this season, especially CLYDE BRUCKMAN'S FINAL REPOSE, PUSHER, AND JOSE CHUNG'S "FROM OUTER SPACE," raised the bar for network television and, as nutty as it sounds, seem to be unimaginable on any other network than Fox.

The set lost a star for one reason: the quality of the image is just too grainy in places. That doesn't mean that it's unwatchable -- far from it. It's just that, by DVD standards, this could have been better. The sound is fine and the extras are pretty good. Especially entertaining are the international clips where you can watch Mulder and Scully scream at each other in Japanese, for instance.

Overall, the set is highly recommended with the one reservation. Of course, X-Philes will want it anyway, and will forgive the drawback.

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