" Gehenna " received mixed reviews from critics . Writing for '' The A.V. Club '' , Emily VanDerWerff rated the episode a C , finding that it was " almost completely crippled by ... self-seriousness " . VanDerWerff felt that the episode reflected '' Millennium '' seeming simultaneously both " intrinsically of the 1990s " and " ahead of its time " , find that its treatment of " the dread and shadowy fear and sense that the world held several cloaked and mysterious evils for well-to-do Americans " was a symptom of 1990s preoccupation with " the end of the world " while foreshadowing the mood of the United States following the September 11 attacks in New York in 2001 . As a result , VanDerWerff described the episode , and the series , as being " the first post-Sept . 11 show " . Bill Gibron , writing for DVD Talk , rated the episode 4.5 out of 5 , noting that there is " more here than just your standard serial killer show " . Gibron praised the episode 's " atypical storyline " , which he felt was achieved through " some suggestive effects and wonderful crosscutting " . Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson , in their book '' Wanting to Believe : A Critical Guide to The X-Files , Millennium & The Lone Gunmen '' , rated the episode two-and-a-half stars out of five , calling it " a somewhat humdrum story " . Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode 's core premise — that of " a telemarking company being a front for a terrorist cult " — was intriguing , but that the " millennial flavour " that accompanies this resulted in the episode seeming " a little confused "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Gehenna (Millennium)