credited under Also Starring in the opening credits. Reception Ratings "The Blessing Way" premiered on the Fox network on , and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on . The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.3 with a 22 share, meaning that roughly 12.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. A total of viewers watched this episode during its original airing, making it the most viewed episode of the third season. Reviews "The Blessing Way" received mixed reviews from critics. The episode, along with both other parts of the story arc, were listed concurrently as the second-best episode of the series by Den of Geek's Nina Sordi. Sordi noted that the plotline "laid the groundwork for the mythology arc for the rest of the series", adding that it "brought much more significance to what is to come". John Keegan, writing for Critical Myth, gave the episode a largely positive review and rated it a 10 out of 10. Keegan described it as the "perfect counterpoint to Anasazi" and a "strong beginning to the third season". Other reviews were more mixed. In an overview of the third season in Entertainment Weekly, "The Blessing Way" was rated a B+. The episode was derided for its "corny dream sequence and high-flown cosmic hooey", although the introduction of the Well-Manicured Man and Mitch Pileggi's portrayal of Walter Skinner were seen as highlights. Writing for The A.V. Club, Emily VanDerWerff panned the episode's "pseudo-mystical bullshit", rating the episode a B−. She felt that the resolution of the cliffhanger from the previous episode "Anasazi"—that of Mulder's apparent death—was poorly handled, and that the character of Albert Hosteen was perhaps the worst in the series. However, the introduction of plot threads such as Scully's implant and the alien–human hybrids were deemed positive factors. David Duchovny was somewhat disappointed with the episode, hoping he would have had a chance to do more in an episode that was primarily a symbolic journey for him rather than a real one. The actor said "I like the psychology, and I like the thinking that went into the episode as a viewer. As an actor, I felt like an opportunity passed me by. If I had to do any episode over again, it would be that one." The actor called the episode in 1995 the greatest