3 (The X-Files) - Broadcast and Reception

Broadcast and Reception

"3" premiered on the Fox network on November 4, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on October 9, 1995. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.4, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9 million households.

Co-writer Glen Morgan felt doing an episode on vampires was a mistake, and said that they also took heat for having Mulder fall for Kristen. Co-writer James Wong was also disappointed, saying that the script was a lot better than the show and that the episode was weakened when Fox censors had problems with the episode. Actor David Duchovny thought the episode had style, but suffered some lapses in logic, including the scene where Kristen shaves Mulder before the two kiss.

While writing about vampire-related television shows for Metacritic, Zeenat Burns described the episode as "wretched". Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a C, criticizing the fact that it did not explore enough the "promising premise" of Scully's absence. Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club also considered that without said premise"deserve better than to be background noise for a by-the-numbers erotic thriller". Handlen described Mulder and Kristen's "tedious romance" as "all kinds of misguided", and felt the episode indulged in "lazy writing" regarding the over-explored theme of vampires which resulted in "terrible dialogue and heavy-handed attempts at mood". He still praised David Duchovny's performance and felt the first twenty minutes were "endurable trash" with a "serious USA Up All Night vibe".