5 to 9 the episode's central character, "In "5 to 9," we get more face time with Cuddy, and she's less of a cypher than usual, but her true nature remains tantalizingly out of reach." Handlen commented that the episode had some good scenes, but ultimately did little to advance the show, grading it "B". TV Squad's Jonathan Toomey raised similar issues, noting that "'5 to 9' wasn't a bad episode (in many ways, it felt like a back-door pilot for Cuddy), but it was, in a word, pointless." Toomey wrote that "At the end of the day, '5 to 9' doesn't really
How Many Licks? "a celebration of autonomous female sexuality" to a "vulgar, demeaning moment of black female objectification". Some critics compared "How Many Licks?" to Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj's 2014 single, "Anaconda". Alex Kristelis of "Bustle" noted that both songs focused on men's appreciation of the singer's body. A "Khaleej Times" writer called "Anaconda" a "blatant copy" of "How Many Licks?", with Minaj's song sharing "the lyrical blue print and theme" of Lil' Kim's. "Westword"'s Cory Lamz wrote that Minaj parodied "How Many Licks?" and its associated visuals in the music video for her 2011 single "Stupid Hoe". According to Michael Arceneaux, "How