 " Per Manum " received mostly positive reviews from critics . Todd VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club awarded the episode a " B + " and called it " good " . He appreciated the fact that the show revealed that Mulder was possibly the father of Scully 's child , saying that it " ups the stakes in a lot of ways and redefines [ Scully 's ] mission " to find Mulder . Despite this , VanDerWerff noted that the episode " has some issues " , largely due to the convoluted nature of the mythology at this point in the show 's run , as well as the fact that Duchovny looked " a little bored " at times . However , he wrote that the episode , along with the subsequent episode " This is Not Happening " was a showcase for Anderson 's acting ability , and her performance " knits all of this together " . Writing for Television Without Pity , Jessica Morgan rated the episode a " B + " , deriding some of the episode 's plot points , such as the hospital 's locking doors , and questioning the villainy of the antagonistic doctors . 
