The X-Files: 3 (2.7)

I'm always been a fan of vampire stories played mostly straight, with blood-drinkers operating in reality. Hollywood is too a great locale for these stories, a town obsessed with youth a natural setting for those kinds of modern-day vampire tales. So, for me, 3 was a pretty good detour. It doesn't have the greatest of reputations, and there are of course problems, but it's a neat bridge between two very important episodes.

One reason for it's unpopularity may be its look and feel, neither of which are very X-Files. There's an atmosphere alien to the everyday show, and the differences aren't helped by Scully's absence. David Nutter creates a uniquely intriguing world for this episode, with the back-drop of red-tinted wildfires, a teaser sequence straight out of a late-night porno, and lots of scenes bathed in dark, bloody colors. It's certainly striking.

David Duchovny and guest star Perrey Reeves had a lot of chemistry here, Reeves' alluring nature unsurprisingly catching Mulder's eye. Both characters are lost in some way, Kristen on the run from her vampiric pursuers, Mulder numb over Scully's disappearance. They connect in a way that's right for this time in both of their lives, and I liked watching their interactions.

The vampires themselves (outside of The Son) were sketchily drawn, and their deaths ridiculously abrupt, but the sustained tension and genuine atmosphere created by the rest of 3 made it pretty fun, in an erotic, dream-like way. I liked the damn thing. Rating B

Credits
Guest stars Justina Vail (The Unholy Spirit); Perrey Reeves (Kristen Kilar); Frank Military (The Son)
Writers Chris Ruppenthal, Glen Morgan, James Wong Director David Nutter