 Tom Kessenich in Examinations : An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6 @-@ 9 of the X @-@ Files commented that the ending of " Sanguinarium " was similar to the ending of episode " Signs and Wonders " , wherein the antagonist manages to get away . Frederick S. Clarke from Cinefantastique gave " Sanguinarium " a mixed review , writing that the episode " combines plastic surgery and black magic into an unsatisfying mix that fails to lampoon our obsession with beauty . " Not all reviews were as negative . Writer Preston Nichols took a liking to the episode , having viewed it " eighteen times and counting " . Michael Avalos and George Liedtke , writing for Knight Ridder , speculated that " Sanguinarium " provided viewers with " haunting memories " . Mark Davis of The Daytona Beach News @-@ Journal , in 1998 , named the episode one of the " Best of The X @-@ Files " . 
