Anamnesis (Millennium)

"Anamnesis" earned an audience of approximately 5.2 million households in its initial broadcast, and received mixed responses from television critics.

The episode opens in medias res as social worker Catherine Black (Megan Gallagher) arrives moments too late to prevent a shooting in a school prayer group.

Catherine returns to Shetterly's office and is met by Lara Means (Kristen Cloke), who works with her husband Frank in the Millennium Group.

Catherine thinks the girl is acting out, but Means reveals that she is reciting passages from the non-canonical Gnostic Gospels, which posited that Mary Magdalene was the only disciple to fully understand the teachings of Jesus.

[1][2][3] Reindl and Maher researched early Christianity while writing the episode, learning that the traditional depiction of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute was probably an incorrect interpretation added later.

Maher felt that Magdalene and early Christian priestesses were "pretty much weeded out of the Bible" over time, and wanted to explore the reasons why female religious figures may have been seen as threatening.

[4] The writers faced difficulty from the network's standards and practices office, who had taken exception to the depiction of Jesus Christ as having had a family.

[5] Bill Gibron, writing for DVD Talk, rated the episode 3 out of 5, finding it to be "out of step, both with the series and the times".

[8] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated "Anamnesis" one-and-a-half stars out of five.