Orison (The X-Files) - Broadcast and Reception

Broadcast and Reception

"Orison" first aired in the United States on January 9, 2000. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.4, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 9.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 15.63 million viewers. The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 30, 2000. and received 0.78 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched television episode of any program that week. Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Five years ago, a demonic madman tried to murder Scully. Tonight he strikes again."

The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote positively of the episode, saying, "'Orison' rises above its origins in the depressing, hackneyed genre of serial-killer dramas. The episode combines a fast pace with a richly gloomy mood, and even serves to blur the all-too-sharp distinction between standalone X-Files stories and the series' 'mythology arc.'" Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars and called the episode "creepy, dark and wonderful". Rosell argued that the episode "adds fuel to the fiery argument that it is her, and not Mulder, that the real heart of the series was built on." Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review, writing " was a journey filled with horror, mystery, and self-analysis. It was also one of the most exhilarating journeys the seventh season has produced thus far." Furthermore, Kessenich defended Scully's actions at the end of the episode writing that "what we saw at the end of 'Orison' was a human being pushed beyond the breaking point by a man it doesn't make what she did right, but it certainly wasn't a difficult thing to understand." Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B" and felt that the episode, despite its faults, had elements that were particularly interesting. He noted that the titular chaplain was a "potentially fascinating figure" who was never explored to his full extent, and that the ending was effective in that it "helps transform the episode’s climax into something more than a simple regurgitation". Finally, he positively compared the mood and thematic elements of the episode to Carter's other series Millennium.

Not all reviews were positive. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, were extremely critical of the episode and rated it one star out of five. Shearman and Pearson called the episode a "mess", with the effect that "it cheapens 'Irresistible' badly". The two, however, point out the sequence wherein Scully murders Pfaster as the worst scene in the episode, arguing that the scene was "at worst a betrayal of characterization that has badly damaged the moral fibre of the series." Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a largely negative review and awarded it one star out of four. Vitaris heavily criticized the episode as "a retread of 'Irresistible'". Furthermore, she derided the ending, noting that "nothing in the episode that Scully on the verge of losing her self-control".