it three-and-a-half stars out of four. She referred to the episode as "one of [the show's] darkest ever" and called it "a triumph for director Manners, cinematographer Bartley, and The X-Files art department." Vitaris, however, was critical of the episode's closing monologue, noting that "[Mulder] spells out what the camera is saying a hundred times more effectively with its finale shot of a pairing of a gargoyle." Jonathan Dunn, writing for What Culture, described "Grotesque" as a "deep, dark, twisted psychological moment for The X-Files that I absolutely love" and included it in the "5 Episodes [of The X-Files] That Could Be Made Into Movies" list. Not all reviews were positive. Author Phil Farrand was critical of the episode, rating it his fourth least favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Entertainment Weekly gave "Grotesque" a D, labeling it as "ponderous, oblique, and featuring one of Mulder's always annoying, easy-way-out soliloquy summations". Awards "Grotesque" earned an Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding Cinematography - Series. Footnotes Bibliography External links "Grotesque" on The X-Files official website 1996 American television episodes Gargoyles in popular culture The X-Files (season 3) episodes Television episodes set in Virginia