Deep Throat (The X-Files Episode) - Broadcast and Reception

Broadcast and Reception

"Deep Throat" premiered on the Fox network on September 17, 1993, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on September 24, 1994. This episode's initial American broadcast was viewed by approximately 6.9 million households and 11.1 million viewers. It earned a Nielsen rating of 7.3, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 7.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. The episode was released on VHS in 1996, alongside "Pilot"; as well being released on DVD as part of the complete first season. It was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction, a DVD collection containing episodes centered on the series' mythology.

In a first season retrospective in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated a B+, with praise for Hardin's "world-weary" performance, though the review noted that the "querulous, ominous tone" of the episode was "a little awkward, but full of promise of things to come". Adrienne Martini of the Austin Chronicle called the episode "fun to watch", describing it as "great TV"; while the San Jose Mercury News called the titular character "the most interesting new character on television", also calling the episode "strange but marvellous". The Toronto Star's Mike Antonucci wrote that the episode demonstrates that Carter "can blend subtle, complicated elements with heart-pounding action", adding that "Nothing is obvious about The X-Files, in fact, except its quality". Michael Janusonis of The Beaver County Times was more critical, calling it "an acquired taste" and noting that it "sort of diddled out in the end", lacking "a completely satisfactory resolution".

Writing for The A.V. Club, Keith Phipps rated the episode an A-, finding it "almost like an extension of the pilot". Phipps felt the scene featuring Mulder's kidnapping to be "one of the scariest moments from the series' early days, as much for what it suggests as for what it shows". Writing for website Den of Geek, Matt Haigh reviewed the episode positively, praising its decision not to answer all of the questions that it asks. Haigh noted that "the fact that we are left as clueless about what really happened as Mulder and Scully only enhances the viewing experience", finding such mystery to be "a rare thing indeed" on network television. 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 five stars out of five, finding it to be "much more confident in its pacing and tone" than the previous episode. Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode was "a skilfully scripted story of cover-up and paranoia", and noted that "it sets up the overall themes of the show so well, it almost seems like a primer".

"Deep Throat" was cited as beginning to "set the stage for the central conflicts" of the series. IGN's Dan Iverson felt that the episode served to "open the door to the possibilities of this series"; while Tor.com's Meghan Deans noted that "although the pilot introduced the idea of government conspiracy, it’s 'Deep Throat' that kicks out the edges of the canvas". The introduction of Hardin as Deep Throat in the episode was listed by Entertainment Weekly as number 37 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Television Moments" of the 1990s.