and awarded it a 4 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this episode fails to capitalize on the idea of delving into the world of Walter Skinner. The conspiracy elements seem a bit redundant, and the paranormal side of the episode is a forced and inconsistent mess. Instead of developing something unique about Skinner, the episode dwells on what is already known or suggested, leaving the character in the same emotional place at the end as in the beginning." Entertainment Weekly gave "Avatar" a D+, describing it as "ridiculous" and saying, "The clench-toothed Skinner deserves more air time, but not this USA Network reject". 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 three stars out of five. The two were critical of the storyline, noting that it "doesn't really work as either a Don't Look Now ghost story or as a conspiracy piece", but praised the acting of Pileggi and the dialogue written by Gordon; the two called the former "great" and the latter "so terse and so real". Paula Vitaris of Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four. She referred to the scenes between Skinner and Sharon as "contrived" and derided Skinner's bedside confession as "simply poor writing". Vitaris was positive of Duchovny and Hetrick's acting, and wrote that Pileggi gave "his best" despite the fact that there was little chemistry between the characters to make it effective. David Duchovny, on the other hand, was very pleased with the episode and Mitch Pileggi's performance; he later noted, "It was nice for Mitch, and I think he deserved an episode after two years. He did a great job". Footnotes Bibliography External links "Avatar" on The X-Files official website 1996 American television episodes Television episodes about crimes against sex workers The X-Files (season 3) episodes Succubi in popular culture