 " Three Words " received mixed to positive reviews from critics . Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson , in their book Wanting to Believe : A Critical Guide to The X @-@ Files , Millennium & The Lone Gunmen , rated the episode five stars out of five , calling it " extremely well @-@ performed by all concerned . " Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode was similar to the earlier " Per Manum " and was somewhat formulaic ; however , they noted that this was a necessary and positive step towards redefining the series after the changes made in its last two seasons explaining " the point of all this is only to emphasise how different The X @-@ Files universe now feels , the familiarity of the ingredients only making us more aware that the mix is never going to be the same again " . Writing for Television Without Pity , Jessica Morgan rated the episode a " B " , although she felt that by this stage the series ' mythology was moving " in concentric circles of pain and confusion " . 
