"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" play against tropes and the established formula of the series, subverting themes the series usually followed. Cast Main cast Starring David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully Also starring Mitch Pileggi as Deputy Director Walter Skinner Recurring cast Guest cast Episodes Episodes marked with a double dagger () are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc. Reception Ratings The third season of The X-Files debuted with "The Blessing Way" on September 22, 1995. 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 22 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. The episode was viewed by 19.94 million viewers. "The Blessing Way" was, at the time, the highest-rated episode of The X-Files to air; the previous record belonged to the season two entry "Fresh Bones", which only scored an 11.3 rating with a 19 share. As the season continued, however, ratings dropped slightly and stabilized. After the season premiere, the highest-rated episode of the season was the finale, "Talitha Cumi", which was viewed by 17.86 million viewers. The season hit a low with the twenty-third and penultimate episode of the season, "Wetwired", which was viewed by only 14.48 million viewers. The series was ranked as number 55 during the 1995–96 television season, and was viewed by an average of 15.40 million viewers, an increase in almost seven percent when compared to the second season, which was viewed by 14.50. In its third season, The X-Files became Fox's top-rated program in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic. The third season of the show was the last to be aired on Friday nights; for its fourth season, the show was moved to Sunday. Reviews Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club called the third season The X-Files "best season and maybe one of the greatest TV seasons of all time", noting it was consistent and "[swung] from strength to strength" between mythology and stand-alone episodes. However, she thought it "starts out kind of terribly" with "The Blessing Way". Zack Handlen, VanDerWerff's colleague, wrote that the third season was "one of the show's strongest, with the conspiracy arc still keeping tension high instead of just vamping for time. By this point, the sometimes awkward effects work of the early years is gone, and the overall direction