Original sentence: " /Films Matt Donato gave the episode a rating of 7 out of 10 and said of it, "Not the conventional Christmas nightmare one might expect, but sharpened enough to expose purposefully provocative seasonal traumas regarding control, regret, and the psychological toll holidays can take on those still nursing open wounds – self-inflicted or otherwise." Laughing Places Mike Mack commended the episode declaring, "The plot of this episode is so perfectly dark and twisted, the cast is fantastic and Pooka himself is the perfect mix of everything this series is going for." Pastes Jacob Oller gave the episode a rating of 7.9 out of 10 and  complimented it saying, "While it’s not especially tight—even when the cuts, transitions, and timelines are vague and strange on purpose—and opts for a few stilted narrative shortcuts, "Pooka." The Daily Dots Eddie Strait awarded the episode 3 out of 5 stars and said that it was, "a solid entry for Into the Dark
Edited sentence: " In a further approving editorial, /Films Matt Donato gave the episode a rating of 7 out of 10 and said of it, "Not the conventional Christmas nightmare one might expect, but sharpened enough to expose purposefully provocative seasonal traumas regarding control, regret, and the psychological toll holidays can take on those still nursing open wounds – self-inflicted or otherwise." In a similarly favorable analysis, Laughing Places Mike Mack commended the episode declaring, "The plot of this episode is so perfectly dark and twisted, the cast is fantastic and Pooka himself is the perfect mix of everything this series is going for." In an additional acclamatory critique, Pastes Jacob Oller gave the episode a rating of 7.9 out of 10 and  complimented it saying, "While it’s not especially tight—even when the cuts, transitions, and timelines are vague and strange on purpose—and opts for a few stilted narrative shortcuts, "Pooka." In an another encouraging criticism, The Daily Dots Eddie Strait awarded the episode 3 out of 5 stars and said that it was, "a solid entry for Into the Dark