Talitha Cumi continues the great tradition of x-files myth/arc episodes. Myth/arc episodes tend to be filled with more drama, suspense and action than the stand-alone episodes, which is more to my liking. Talitha Cumi introduces the character of Jeremiah Smith, a shape-shifting alien who is against colonization. I really like this character. It's nice to see an alien who doesn't want to obliterate the human race, but has some compassion for them. When he is captured by the Cigarette Smoking Man(CSM), Jeremiah is strapped down very similar to Hannibal Lector from 'Silence of the Lambs'. I thought it to be an interesting comparison. The highlight of the episode is when CSM is interrogating Jeremiah Smith in his jail cell. As they are talking with each other, Jeremiah attempts to intimidate CSM by morphing into Bill Mulder and Deep Throat, two men that CSM was involved in murdering. Great scenes. This episode also gives the first indication as to the actual paternity of Fox Mulder when CSM and Mulder's mother are seen arguing at the Mulder's summer home. Finally, X and Mulder get into an all-out brawl in a parking garage(apparently the best place for such fights), to put an exclamation point on this episode. Talitha Cumi is an excellent end to an excellent season.
11 Reviews
Men can never be free, because they're weak, corrupt, worthless and restless.
Sanpaco1313 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Talitha Cumi is one of my favorite mythology episodes. I love how fast paced it is and I love some of the dialog between characters. Especially the conversations between CSM and Jeremiah Smith posing as first Deep Throat and then Bill Mulder. It is so confusing the entire time trying to remember which Jeremiah Smith we are talking to now or if this one is a bounty hunter posing as Jeremiah Smith and such. I like it. I also enjoy Mulder's confrontation with X and where they kick the crud out of each other in the parking garage. And then Mulder and CSM's confrontation in the hospital, how Mulder smacks the cigarette out of his mouth just like in One Breath. I think some of David Duchovny's best Mulder moments are when Mulder is at wits end and starts getting kind of crazy, like the little smile he gives the nurse as he points a gun at CSM. I don't really like the follow up episode Herrenvolk as much as this episode. It has some good moments but this is the better of the two. 9 out of 10. Oh and by the way, I'm convinced after this episode that it is pretty safe to assume that Mrs. Mulder and CSM had an affair.
"Who are you to give them hope?"
classicsoncall15 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Once I understood that Jeremiah Smith (Roy Thinnes) was a shape shifting alien, the best part of the story for me was when Smoking Man (William B. Davis) tried to intimidate him while under restraint a la Hannibal Lector. Their back and forth was well defined on both sides of the argument, with Smith stating confident defiance against 'the greater purpose' involved with alien colonization. You can sense the fear in Smoking Man when Smith morphs his appearance into Deep Throat and Bill Mulder, but the icing on the cake was when Smith told him he was dying of cancer. Great writing there.
You know, there's just no way to tell in which direction the writers will take the story line and this episode proves it. When Smoking Man pays a visit to Mulder's mother (Rebecca Toolan) and claims that he was better than her husband Bill in a lot of 'other ways', what is one reasonably supposed to think? I had forgotten about a lot of those riveting details having viewed the series over a decade ago, so catching these bombshells once again makes the repeat effort more than worthwhile.
And say, what is that business with the title of the episode, 'Talitha Cumi'? The third season was resplendent with words that one needed a dictionary for, with such names as 'Oubliette', 'Nisei', 'Coprophage' and 'Syzygy'. It turns out that 'talitha' is an uncommon Armenian word that literally means 'little girl'. In the Biblical Gospel of Mark, Jesus resurrected a dead child with the words 'Talitha cumi', translated as 'Little girl, I say to you, arise'. The reference obviously refers to the healing powers of Jeremiah Smith.
You know, there's just no way to tell in which direction the writers will take the story line and this episode proves it. When Smoking Man pays a visit to Mulder's mother (Rebecca Toolan) and claims that he was better than her husband Bill in a lot of 'other ways', what is one reasonably supposed to think? I had forgotten about a lot of those riveting details having viewed the series over a decade ago, so catching these bombshells once again makes the repeat effort more than worthwhile.
And say, what is that business with the title of the episode, 'Talitha Cumi'? The third season was resplendent with words that one needed a dictionary for, with such names as 'Oubliette', 'Nisei', 'Coprophage' and 'Syzygy'. It turns out that 'talitha' is an uncommon Armenian word that literally means 'little girl'. In the Biblical Gospel of Mark, Jesus resurrected a dead child with the words 'Talitha cumi', translated as 'Little girl, I say to you, arise'. The reference obviously refers to the healing powers of Jeremiah Smith.
Season Three Review
ametaphysicalshark28 February 2008
*This is a review of the entire season, not the season finale.
Season Three is where The X Files really got going. Don't get me wrong, seasons one and two are certainly worthwhile, but they did have a tendency for too many average monster of the week episodes. Season 3 kicks the mythology arc into high gear with three multi-part mytharc stories, in addition to the season finale, to be concluded at the beginning of season four. The monster of the week episodes have also become more imaginative and better-written, with some excellent contributions by quality X Files writers like Howard Gordon and Vince Gilligan, and no less than three absolute masterpieces by Darin Morgan. Season 3, as usual for The X Files, doesn't really have a 'season arc' like many (most?) TV series do. The mytharc in this season is brilliantly-done, and the monster of the week episodes are very effective.
I thought the best episodes were: "Paper Clip"- all the drama, action, and intrigue you could possibly want from a mytharc episode.
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"- featuring a stunning guest starring turn by Peter Boyle and a script that covers more of the human range of emotions and psychology in 45 minutes than most feature films manage to, all while maintaining a humorous and clever surface level make this episode possibly one of the entire series' finest.
"Nisei/731"- Nisei is the weaker of the two, but "731" is another exciting mytharc episode, as well-done as possible.
"War of the Coprophages"- while not as ambitious as some of Darin Morgan's other scripts, this is a perfect monster of the week episode, with lots of humor, so much you wouldn't notice half of it the first time around. Plus, it's about killer roaches, how rad is that?
Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"- Other X-Philes have covered this one for me. In short, however, it is an extraordinarily complex, detailed, and deep script brought to life brilliantly with extraordinary narrative structure. It's a humorous episode you can take seriously, because it works on so many levels.
"Quagmire"- Ah, finally, an unorthodox choice. This stuff has been done before, but not with quite as much panache. Mulder and Scully's respectful, intellectual romance comes to light here and we say goodbye to poor Queequeg.
"Talitha Cumi"- Lots and lots and lots of CSM. 'I believe that says it all.
This season also holds the dubious honor of including the worst episode of The X Files, bar none, in "Teso dos Bichos", but the vast majority of the rest of the episodes are so good it barely affects the final score of the season.
The cast seem to have finally fully settled into their roles, chemistry is at a peak, certainly. The visual style of the series has also fully matured, often indistinguishable from a feature film, although season 5 would introduce the widescreen format that completed the transformation.
Season 3 is where the series properly hit its stride. It's simply exhilarating television.
Avg. Score based on all episodes: 8.25/10
Season Three is where The X Files really got going. Don't get me wrong, seasons one and two are certainly worthwhile, but they did have a tendency for too many average monster of the week episodes. Season 3 kicks the mythology arc into high gear with three multi-part mytharc stories, in addition to the season finale, to be concluded at the beginning of season four. The monster of the week episodes have also become more imaginative and better-written, with some excellent contributions by quality X Files writers like Howard Gordon and Vince Gilligan, and no less than three absolute masterpieces by Darin Morgan. Season 3, as usual for The X Files, doesn't really have a 'season arc' like many (most?) TV series do. The mytharc in this season is brilliantly-done, and the monster of the week episodes are very effective.
I thought the best episodes were: "Paper Clip"- all the drama, action, and intrigue you could possibly want from a mytharc episode.
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"- featuring a stunning guest starring turn by Peter Boyle and a script that covers more of the human range of emotions and psychology in 45 minutes than most feature films manage to, all while maintaining a humorous and clever surface level make this episode possibly one of the entire series' finest.
"Nisei/731"- Nisei is the weaker of the two, but "731" is another exciting mytharc episode, as well-done as possible.
"War of the Coprophages"- while not as ambitious as some of Darin Morgan's other scripts, this is a perfect monster of the week episode, with lots of humor, so much you wouldn't notice half of it the first time around. Plus, it's about killer roaches, how rad is that?
Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"- Other X-Philes have covered this one for me. In short, however, it is an extraordinarily complex, detailed, and deep script brought to life brilliantly with extraordinary narrative structure. It's a humorous episode you can take seriously, because it works on so many levels.
"Quagmire"- Ah, finally, an unorthodox choice. This stuff has been done before, but not with quite as much panache. Mulder and Scully's respectful, intellectual romance comes to light here and we say goodbye to poor Queequeg.
"Talitha Cumi"- Lots and lots and lots of CSM. 'I believe that says it all.
This season also holds the dubious honor of including the worst episode of The X Files, bar none, in "Teso dos Bichos", but the vast majority of the rest of the episodes are so good it barely affects the final score of the season.
The cast seem to have finally fully settled into their roles, chemistry is at a peak, certainly. The visual style of the series has also fully matured, often indistinguishable from a feature film, although season 5 would introduce the widescreen format that completed the transformation.
Season 3 is where the series properly hit its stride. It's simply exhilarating television.
Avg. Score based on all episodes: 8.25/10
Cigarette-Smoking Man: I thought we might at least allow ourselves to reminisce.
bombersflyup8 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Talitha Cumi is about both Mulder and CSM, for different reasons trying to detain an alien who healed people in a public shooting.
A good myth-arc episode, with plenty going on and a lot of CSM and Bounty Hunter involvement, ending on a cliffhanger. The question I have is why it all came about, why's this alien hanging around the diner in the first place, heh. Mulder tussles with Mr. X. as well, which is excellent. Scully's on an entirely different level to Mulder here though, her naivety a tad annoying.
A good myth-arc episode, with plenty going on and a lot of CSM and Bounty Hunter involvement, ending on a cliffhanger. The question I have is why it all came about, why's this alien hanging around the diner in the first place, heh. Mulder tussles with Mr. X. as well, which is excellent. Scully's on an entirely different level to Mulder here though, her naivety a tad annoying.
Season Three
zkonedog7 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The third season of the X-Files is widely regarded as the best season of the show at seamlessly showcasing the three areas in which the X-Files came to be known for:
1. First, this season kept progressing the show's "mythology" in fascinating fashion. From the introduction of the shadowy Syndicate (of which the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis is a member) to the continued betrayal of Alex "Ratboy" Krychek (Nicholas Lea), the myth-arc episodes were some of the best in the show's history. A different interpretation of Scully's (Gillian Anderson) earlier abduction is also touched on, as well as a strange alien substance brought up from the depths of the ocean.
2. This season also continued the high-quality "stand-alone" X-File case episodes. "Revelations" probes the religous differences between Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully, "Pusher" introduces a psychologically-terrifying villain, and "Avatar" explores the personal life of A.D. Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi).
3. Finally, three comedic episodes are featured in this season, providing a much-appreciated breath of fresh air to a show that regularly delves into some very serious content. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" pays tribute to the silent films of yesteryear, "War of the Coprophages" is full of witty Mulder-isms, and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" is considered the ultimate comedic X-File to this day.
To conclude, the Third Season of the X-Files does a remarkable job of blending an over-arching mythology with single-hour paranormal excursions and short doses of comedy to keep things fresh.
Update (12/2015) -After a re-watch of this season, I actually felt the need to drop the star rating down from five to four. A big reason for this was because the comedy episodes aren't nearly as good in retrospect as they were closer to the live airing. "War of the Coprophages" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" just seem odd now instead of inventive. There are also some really strange standalones, as the writers really seemed to branch out into uncharted territory. Still a strong season overall, but I was a bit let down coming off the astounding Season Two.
1. First, this season kept progressing the show's "mythology" in fascinating fashion. From the introduction of the shadowy Syndicate (of which the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis is a member) to the continued betrayal of Alex "Ratboy" Krychek (Nicholas Lea), the myth-arc episodes were some of the best in the show's history. A different interpretation of Scully's (Gillian Anderson) earlier abduction is also touched on, as well as a strange alien substance brought up from the depths of the ocean.
2. This season also continued the high-quality "stand-alone" X-File case episodes. "Revelations" probes the religous differences between Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully, "Pusher" introduces a psychologically-terrifying villain, and "Avatar" explores the personal life of A.D. Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi).
3. Finally, three comedic episodes are featured in this season, providing a much-appreciated breath of fresh air to a show that regularly delves into some very serious content. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" pays tribute to the silent films of yesteryear, "War of the Coprophages" is full of witty Mulder-isms, and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" is considered the ultimate comedic X-File to this day.
To conclude, the Third Season of the X-Files does a remarkable job of blending an over-arching mythology with single-hour paranormal excursions and short doses of comedy to keep things fresh.
Update (12/2015) -After a re-watch of this season, I actually felt the need to drop the star rating down from five to four. A big reason for this was because the comedy episodes aren't nearly as good in retrospect as they were closer to the live airing. "War of the Coprophages" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" just seem odd now instead of inventive. There are also some really strange standalones, as the writers really seemed to branch out into uncharted territory. Still a strong season overall, but I was a bit let down coming off the astounding Season Two.
The date is set and the outcome inevitable
devonbrown-906498 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The episodes from the main story always seem to deliver as they give us more and more breadcrumbs each time but leave us with so many unanswered questions.
The dialogue between Mr Smith and CSM makes this episode brilliant. CSM represents a ruling overlord that thinks the humans he walks alongside are weak and feeble minded, which helps him rationalise keeping the truth away from them.
I assume Cancer man has had an affair with Mulders mother. He speaks to her with such arrogance. It goes to show that Mulder really knew nothing about who his parents are.
Mr X had always been a grey character that seems to ally with both sides. But in this episode is very apparent that he uses mulder for his personal gain above all else. He wanted the weapon to protect himself against the colonising aliens. He has another pivotal role in this episode his dynamic between CSM and mulder will be interesting in future episodes.
Overall this a great episode to end season 3.
The dialogue between Mr Smith and CSM makes this episode brilliant. CSM represents a ruling overlord that thinks the humans he walks alongside are weak and feeble minded, which helps him rationalise keeping the truth away from them.
I assume Cancer man has had an affair with Mulders mother. He speaks to her with such arrogance. It goes to show that Mulder really knew nothing about who his parents are.
Mr X had always been a grey character that seems to ally with both sides. But in this episode is very apparent that he uses mulder for his personal gain above all else. He wanted the weapon to protect himself against the colonising aliens. He has another pivotal role in this episode his dynamic between CSM and mulder will be interesting in future episodes.
Overall this a great episode to end season 3.
This is one of the episodes that provides even more clues into Cancerman's "master plan"
robertmaybeth18 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
That Cancer man and his evil cronies are planning for all of humanity. This is part 1 of 2 and I found it to be probably the best episode of the season - since we find out Mulder's relation to the quietly evil Cancer man, the fate of Mulder's secret source "X", the incredible powers possessed by aliens hiding in plain sight, and the true reach of Cancerman's villanous cabal. As a season ending episode this is almost as good as last season's cliffhanger, and you might have to watch the next episode (S4E1) right away, since the payoff is fairly huge to the plot and one of the best episodes ever.
I honestly hope I didn't spoil this 2 parter for you but if you watch only one episode from season 3, this is the one to see.
I honestly hope I didn't spoil this 2 parter for you but if you watch only one episode from season 3, this is the one to see.
Talitha Cumi
lassegalsgaard14 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The sins of our parents is something that we all hope never to repeat or face the consequences of while we are alive. But when your parents were involved in a big conspiracy to cover up alien activity, which directly contradicts the work that you are doing, then it can be pretty difficult to not pull a lot of skeletons out of the closet. At this point, it seems like everything is against Mulder and that everything he knew about his family has been a lie, which has directly influenced his own search for the truth and an answer as to what actually happened to his sister. Those answers have been gradually answered during the show's run, but there are still a lot of questions as to how deep this all goes, with this episode directly implicating Mulder's mother in things as well. It's a question as to whether he will save the people that he loves despite their many secrets, or if he will continue to search for the truth through the very thing that everyone in his life is fighting against. Mulder is the heart of this show and it always gets complicated when the heart is involved, but it sets the stage for an absolutely explosive finale that easily outdoes what has happened before as it sets up a new interesting being in this universe and features some excellent emotional moments, as well as sets up the coming season with a perfect cap-off that will keep people guessing about many characters' fates.
The episode's title refers back to a story from the Bible where Jesus healed a bleeding woman, which ties into the new introduction who is Jeremiah Smith, a very interesting character, not necessarily because of his powers, but because of his involvement in what's happening. He's not the usual opposition for the duo, but rather someone who wants to help, adding a nice twist to the "monster-of-the-week" idea and hopefully setting up a character that won't simply appear in this episode and the next and then be done. Hopefully, this one will stay around for a little while longer.
This show is very good at barking the same words, but not making it feel like we've heard it before. It changes up the game once in a while and decides to put a different twist on the mythology. There are a lot of ideas here that aren't new to the show, but are explored in a new way. The interrogation scene has been praised for how it subverts those expectations, yet still fuels our urge to know more, and that's a testament to the great writing, with Chris Carter showing that he's still one of the show's most interesting writers.
There's also the interesting details of creating a world where we all live side-by-side by colonization, which isn't necessarily something that the show hasn't tried to convey before, but it gives a new meaning to all these X-files cases, with much of the work here giving some answers to questions we may have had in the past. It does create new questions, though, that the show may or may not decide to give us the answers to. No matter what, they continue to set up exciting ideas for us to hold on to and probably enjoy when the answer comes.
The mythology of this show seems to be coming to a big head soon, which may prove to be the show's biggest gamble, but because of all the many details that we want to tie up, there's a lot riding on the fact that all of this works. So far, they've gone a great job of making it tie together, and this episode isn't an outlier there. This definitely makes all the mythology elements work and adds the new spice to the mix, finding ways properly continue the storyline with great storytelling with the goal of bringing the endgame closer.
"Talitha Cumi" is not light on its religious connections, but makes sure that it stays in the realm of this universe, adding to the mythology. A lot of new details are conveyed through excellent exchanges and storytelling, with a finale that clearly works as superior to the previous ones, both in terms of conception and execution.
The episode's title refers back to a story from the Bible where Jesus healed a bleeding woman, which ties into the new introduction who is Jeremiah Smith, a very interesting character, not necessarily because of his powers, but because of his involvement in what's happening. He's not the usual opposition for the duo, but rather someone who wants to help, adding a nice twist to the "monster-of-the-week" idea and hopefully setting up a character that won't simply appear in this episode and the next and then be done. Hopefully, this one will stay around for a little while longer.
This show is very good at barking the same words, but not making it feel like we've heard it before. It changes up the game once in a while and decides to put a different twist on the mythology. There are a lot of ideas here that aren't new to the show, but are explored in a new way. The interrogation scene has been praised for how it subverts those expectations, yet still fuels our urge to know more, and that's a testament to the great writing, with Chris Carter showing that he's still one of the show's most interesting writers.
There's also the interesting details of creating a world where we all live side-by-side by colonization, which isn't necessarily something that the show hasn't tried to convey before, but it gives a new meaning to all these X-files cases, with much of the work here giving some answers to questions we may have had in the past. It does create new questions, though, that the show may or may not decide to give us the answers to. No matter what, they continue to set up exciting ideas for us to hold on to and probably enjoy when the answer comes.
The mythology of this show seems to be coming to a big head soon, which may prove to be the show's biggest gamble, but because of all the many details that we want to tie up, there's a lot riding on the fact that all of this works. So far, they've gone a great job of making it tie together, and this episode isn't an outlier there. This definitely makes all the mythology elements work and adds the new spice to the mix, finding ways properly continue the storyline with great storytelling with the goal of bringing the endgame closer.
"Talitha Cumi" is not light on its religious connections, but makes sure that it stays in the realm of this universe, adding to the mythology. A lot of new details are conveyed through excellent exchanges and storytelling, with a finale that clearly works as superior to the previous ones, both in terms of conception and execution.
Good series finale, just a bit heavy for a casual viewing.
Sleepin_Dragon7 October 2021
It's personal....
...my favourite series this far on my X Files journey concludes here, I was blown away by the previous episode, and had equal hopes for this one. Question is, was it better, or equal?
Not for me, it was good, but if I'm honest I found this quite heavy going, it felt more like a piece of the puzzle rather than a single, grounded episode. I found a few bits of it quite hard to follow, a few elements just didn't sit right. So much mythology, references to the past, and I assume to many future plots.
The opening sequences are great, the ending is suitably dramatic, I was intrigued by the character of Jeremiah, I just found some of it, perhaps a little too clever for its own good.
I did enjoy it, I just wouldn't rush to watch it again soon, 7/10.
...my favourite series this far on my X Files journey concludes here, I was blown away by the previous episode, and had equal hopes for this one. Question is, was it better, or equal?
Not for me, it was good, but if I'm honest I found this quite heavy going, it felt more like a piece of the puzzle rather than a single, grounded episode. I found a few bits of it quite hard to follow, a few elements just didn't sit right. So much mythology, references to the past, and I assume to many future plots.
The opening sequences are great, the ending is suitably dramatic, I was intrigued by the character of Jeremiah, I just found some of it, perhaps a little too clever for its own good.
I did enjoy it, I just wouldn't rush to watch it again soon, 7/10.
My least favorite Season finale
SleepTight66625 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Instead of going out with a bang, Season 3's finale ends up being a disappointment and as my least favorite Season finale of the series.
Let's see, where did it go wrong? It reminds me of Season 1's finale. It provided absolutely no information, but instead made the mythology more confusing. Unlike Season 1's finale, this one provided absolutely no closure to the season and only felt like the first part of a two-part episode.
However, there were some strong points that keep the episode from being a disaster. The biggest of all is Cancer Man. He's such a great character, that all his scenes in this episode were memorable compared to the rest. We learn that he used to be involved with Mulder's mom. And that he genuinely cares for her. Another great scene was the confrontation between him and Mulder. Mulder got to get some anger out on CSM, and that was just great to see.
Some other memorable scenes were Cancer Man's conversations with Jeremiah whilst turning into dead characters like Deep Throat and Bill Mulder. It is also revealed that Cancer Man was dying of Lung Cancer. Who would've thought? And last but not least, X played a good role and his little fight with Mulder was pretty intense.
Unfortunately, that is just not enough to save this episode from being one of the weakest episodes of the great third season. THREE stars.
Let's see, where did it go wrong? It reminds me of Season 1's finale. It provided absolutely no information, but instead made the mythology more confusing. Unlike Season 1's finale, this one provided absolutely no closure to the season and only felt like the first part of a two-part episode.
However, there were some strong points that keep the episode from being a disaster. The biggest of all is Cancer Man. He's such a great character, that all his scenes in this episode were memorable compared to the rest. We learn that he used to be involved with Mulder's mom. And that he genuinely cares for her. Another great scene was the confrontation between him and Mulder. Mulder got to get some anger out on CSM, and that was just great to see.
Some other memorable scenes were Cancer Man's conversations with Jeremiah whilst turning into dead characters like Deep Throat and Bill Mulder. It is also revealed that Cancer Man was dying of Lung Cancer. Who would've thought? And last but not least, X played a good role and his little fight with Mulder was pretty intense.
Unfortunately, that is just not enough to save this episode from being one of the weakest episodes of the great third season. THREE stars.
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