 Writing for AOL TV, Laura Prudom noted that the episode "proved to be an undeniably satisfying hour of television, deepening our understanding of Archie / Jiminy's character and giving us some welcome development in Mary Margaret and David's tragic romance. I don 't know about you, but I really could watch a whole hour of those two playing hangman and innocently flirting and need nothing else from the show." Entertainment Weekly columnist Shaunna Murphy wrote that while she "ragged on Robert Carlyle initially, his campy Rumpel is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of this show." Tor.com's Teresa Jusino called Espenson's script "so engaging" because it deviated from the series' typical two-story format and "incorporated a third, separate modern storyline" that featured other characters in addition to Jiminy Cricket, in which "each storyline got just enough attention." She added that the episode's best parts were its "intimate character moments, particularly the scenes between Archie / Jiminy and the boys in his life," and attributed this to Espenson's strength as a writer. Jusino felt another highlight was Sbarge's performance, as he "navigated both Archie and Jiminy ’ s journeys from being pawns to being their own men with precision and warmth."
