Oubliette

Oubliette is a harrowing episode with strong material for the character Mulder.

Tracey Ellis is excellent as a traumatised victim continually suffering the aftereffects of abduction and abuse. You feel for her and hope that the same fate does not befall the character Amy.

Carrying the story is Mulder's empathetic portrayal as he (as always) navigates the paranormal aspects in the face of scientific evidence, fuelled by his own experiences. David Duchovny gives one of his strongest performances. I particularly like his improvised moment with Gillian Anderson during an important exchange of dialogue.

The writers revert Scully to the character's usual trope of default scepticism, which, at this point in the show's run, is frustrating given everything she has witnessed and been proven wrong about. Likewise, the other law enforcement characters seem to be at the typical level of competence depicted by the X-Files.

Visually, it oozes fear and dread in all the scenes connected to the abducted girl. The scenes where Lucy (Ellis) has connective moments are very well done, thanks to her physical performance and the use of blood and water.

How on Earth can someone feel the exact feelings experienced by a kidnap victim?

This is very good, it's a chilling episode, it holds up well in this very strong third series. Nice to see the human side of Mulder, Scully is very matter of fact, he is showing a very nurturing side, great episode for Duchovny.

Scenes worthy of a great thriller/horror movie, this was a real change in direction for this series.

Michael Chieffo is very, very good as Cark Wade, menacing in a very human, disturbing way.

Very good, 8/10.

I was so proud of myself when I saw the title of this episode and said, "I know what that word means!" I wanted to write a review to tell you guys because I find it so ironic that the episode is called this, but the word is never even mentioned nor explained. But it completely fits the episode!

"Oubliette" is French for 'dungeon' and can also be connected to another French word, "Oublier," which means 'forget.' In other words...forgotten dungeon. An Oubliette was a Medieval torture chamber in which prisoners were thrown into a room below the floor. This room had no windows and the only way out was by a door high in the ceiling, the very door in which they were cast into. The prisoners in there were then intentionally forgotten about and many of them died from starvation or from going mad.

I love that the writers did their research and I absolutely LOVE this episode! A wonderful Mulder-centered episode and if that wasn't enough, it is also beautifully written.

(PS: I'm sorry if I got some of the French definitions wrong. I don't speak French, but I know all of that through research)

"Oubliette" is a solid, emotionally engaging episode that sometimes gets forgotten amidst all the show-stoppers that aired in Season 3. This is lamentable, as it features a gripping storyline, superb guest cast, and some great tender moments from David Duchovny. On ink and pad the basic premise - a psychophysical connection between two strangers that allows one to feel the others pain - sounds too far-fetched to be taken seriously. Duchovny and Tracey Ellis, as the fragile Lucy Householder, make it work. The incredulity of the plot becomes smothered by the viewer's sympathy for Lucy, who, having been abducted and held captive by a man named Carl Wade many years earlier, is once again a prisoner - trapped by the demons of her past via the young Amy Jacobs (Jewel Staite), who has also been kidnapped by Wade. Michael Chieffo is so convincing in his role as a psychopath he could make the Flukeman seem like Santa Claus. It is nice that the mythology arc is brought in somewhat with the connection to Samantha Mulder, one that is obvious even before it is mentioned.

"Oubliette" is a great Season 3 episode that deserves more recognition. Though it ends on a somber note, it is a beautifully written script whose success rests solely on the strength of its actors. The depth of this caliber would become scarcer and scarcer to find in subsequent years and as such it remains a classic X-File. 9 out of 10.

Currently watching all x files episodes for the first time. This was the first episode that made me cry.

Great acting, especially the character Lucy. Don't understand why this episode dousnt have 9 stars.