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 four stars out of five. The two noted that Gordon was able to make "the cliche of Vietnam war guilt" feel "very personal and even sorrowful." However, Shearman and Pearson noted that the revelation of Krycek as an enemy was "the biggest shame" in the episode. Zack Handlen from "The A.V. Club" wrote that, while the episode is "your standard MotW riff", it is important because it features the on-screen introduction of both Krycek and X.