 Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a " B + " and wrote that the episode , " finds Duchovny back on his feet and ready for action , and he brings a new energy to the part . " He enjoyed the way the show presented the story as one wherein , " we spend as much time watching Mulder from the outside as we do seeing events from his perspective , " because it " makes things interesting . " Handlen also wrote that while the episode did not hit the emotional notes that its predecessor , " Deadalive " , did , it was nonetheless " stronger plotwise " and built to an " inevitable conclusion in classic X @-@ Files style " . 
