 Website IGN named " Paper Hearts " their sixth favorite " standalone " episode of the show , calling it " creepy and unsettling " , and claiming Noonan 's character was " one of the most disturbing villains to make an appearance in the series " . Noonan 's acting has also been praised by Vince Gilligan , who says the " understated " manner in which Roche is portrayed " sends chills down [ his ] spine every time " . The A.V. Club 's Todd VanDerWerff reviewed the episode positively , rating it an A. He felt that Noonan 's performance was " terrific " , noting that the actor " makes Roche into one of the series ' great human monsters " ; and believed that the episode 's premise was important to developing the character of Mulder further . The website later named the episode the sixth best example of a television dream sequence , noting that it " suggest [ s ] how this methodical man [ Mulder ] might puzzle over cold cases in his subconscious " . The article also complimented the entry 's metaphor that laser pointers were Mulder 's mind that pointed " out bits of evidence his conscious brain missed all those many years ago . " Starpulse named it the second best episode of the series . 
