Reception
As the first episode to be aired in 2007, the episode obtained an average of 9.9 million viewers and was placed second in terms of viewership for the Monday 8:00pm timeslot, with a 6.6% household rating and 10% household share.
This episode received both positive and negative reviews.The critics mainly focused on the death of the character Terrence Steadman, who was the most important piece of evidence in proving the innocence of the protagonist Lincoln Burrows prior to this episode. Vinay Menon from the Toronto Star wrote a critique of the episode which included this comment: "It also contains confusion. And trace levels of frustration. I mean, what the hell? Terrence Steadman is now dead? Can I please have 35 hours of my life back?" Similarly, MediaBlvd Magazine's John Keegan was critical of the peripheral stories of the episode, stating, "Right now, many of these side stories suffer from the fact that they don’t really impact the main story, and they are easily dismissed as a result."
On the other hand, iFMagazine's Peter Brown remarked that, "It's obvious the series is taking another turn from them running from the law to proving that there is something going on other than just convicts escaping. All-in-all it will make for good viewing on one of the best shows on TV." Also, Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun commented that, "First up comes Prison Break, and we have to say, our heart almost jumped out of our chest at least three times when watching tonight's new episode, titled "John Doe". Even if you aren't an action connoisseur, this really is what action TV is all about."
Overall, Brian Tallerico of ugo.com gave "John Doe" a B+ grade, stating, "Sure, Prison Break is over-the-top, but, like its brother 24, it moves so quickly that you can't stop to notice the continuity errors and unbelievable behavior because you don't even have time to catch your breath."
Read more about this topic: John Doe (Prison Break)
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