A Good Man Goes to War
"A Good Man Goes to War" received generally positive reviews. IGN's Matt Risley rated the episode 9 out of 10, describing it as an "epic" mid-series finale which "opened with a grandstanding, wonderfully pre-credits tease and didn't really let up from there". He praised the spectacle and character development, but felt it led to a certain amount of "the odd rushed scene...forgettable supporting [characters], and little opportunity to develop the Headless Monks into anything particularly imposing". Dave Golder of "SFX" gave "A Good Man Goes to War" four and a half out of five stars, feeling it "saved" the sixth series and offered "a satisfying slice of fantasy television which ticked lots of boxes: it featured dashing, daring storytelling which was bold and confident; it looked fantastic, there were some hilarious lines and the performance of the star upped his wattage a couple of notches once again". However, he was more critical of the Headless Monks and the direction of the battle at the end. Neela Debnath of "The Independent" was also favourable, praising the use of the cliffhanger and felt the complicated nature of the episode "draws people more into the show and gets them thinking about it".