 Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote that both " Within " and " Without " form " a great way to pick up after the cliffhanger ending of the previous season " and that " the pair of episodes [ ... ] work well as an introduction to the new narrative status quo . " He awarded both entries a " B + " and praised the characterization of Doggett , writing that " Robert Patrick brings a distinct , charismatic energy to the part . " However , he was slightly critical of some of the episode 's features , such as the " trope " of Scully being sad or " melodramatic gloom and overheated monologues " . 
