 IGN's Eric Goldman felt that the episode's juggling of multiple storylines was "satisfying", and that the scene in which Dexter prepares to kill Castillo was "terrific". Though he praised Debra and Doakes'storyline with Tucci, he wrote that "it was a bit disappointing to then see Deb be a bit too quickly vindicated at the end". Paula Paige, writing for TV Guide, said that the episode "will go down in cable history as Dexter's finest [episode] to date". She was pleased with Debra's character development and the "downright stylish" cinematography, but thought that Jorge and Valerie's final, passionate words to each other were "too much for me". Ray Ellis of Blogcritics believed that the episode "takes the series into a more three-dimensional direction". He described the episode's subplots and themes as what "make Dexter compelling", and wrote that Debra's character reached a more "empathic level" in the episode. TV Squad critic Keith McDuffee praised the increasing complexity of Dexter's relationship with his father through flashbacks, and thought that Dexter's voiceovers were "the best thing about this show". Jeff Lindsay, author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter upon which the show is based, was initially upset with the episode's plot. In an interview, he said that "I was about to be really unhappy with [the episode]. But the twist at the end", referring to the person watching Dexter from the car trunk, "That was wonderful."
