Oubliette

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.

A concept is only one part of the story. In addition to the premise, there is the well-known tense action, but most powerful piece to me was the crucially important topic. We see on the news about kidnappings, rape, and murder, but this episode brings all three right in front of our faces in a very real way.

The supernatural element is weaved throughout to fit right into the X-Files, but even without the ethereal fiction, the tale stands strong on its own. A lot to consider, contemplate, and absorb about the evil nature present in predators. At the end, a plot twist tells us a lot about self-sacrifice and finding peace.

Oubliette follows the story of a girl who was abducted and a woman across town who collapsed and muttered the exact same words the abductor says at the exact time of the abduction. Mulder and Scully investigate this bizarre connection. A poignant line towards the beginning of the episode is when Mulder is talking to the mother of the abducted girl, Amy. Mulder says, "I know you must be feeling..." When the mother interrupts Mulder and exclaims, "I'm sorry … but how could you really know how I feel?" Mulder says nothing in reply. It's powerful because Mulder does know the feeling of having someone close to him abducted. Mulder separates the events of his sister's abduction from this case and manages to make a connection with Lucy, the woman who has the bizarre connection to Amy. However, when the police and Scully suspect that Lucy was involved in the abduction, Scully accuses Mulder of allowing his sister's abduction to cloud his judgement. Mulder responds by telling Scully, "And not everything I do, say, think, and feel goes back to my sister." And this is what made this episode special to me, Mulder's emotional connection to Lucy. He truly wanted to help Amy AND Lucy to "escape". Scully finally realizes this at the end. "Mulder, whatever there was between them, you were part of that connection." David Duchovny gives a great performance that you shouldn't miss.

"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.