Mother Knows Best (song) own gains. Falco continued, "The audience knows what Gothel wants with Rapunzel, but the fact that we are unable to protect the naïve princess results in further hatred for the witch." Falco also concluded that Gothel's "sinister reprise at the end of "Tangled" allows for these horrifying undertones to emerge, which makes 'Mother Knows Best' one of the most sinister villain songs in the Disney library." Similarly, Elissa Smith of Paper Droids wrote that while the audience is fully aware of Gothel's evil intentions, Rapunzel is denied "the outsider's point of view." Glen Chapman of Den of Geek wrote that
Mother Gothel has gone missing. With her life endangered and her age rapidly increasing, Gothel desperately pursues Rapunzel and Flynn. Enlisting the help of the Stabbington Brothers, a duo of muscular thieves who were once betrayed by Flynn, Gothel offers them both revenge on Flynn Rider and Rapunzel's gift once they agree to help her find them, not intending to keep the latter half of her promise as she only wants Rapunzel for herself. When her initial attempt to convince Rapunzel to return home with her fails, Gothel, upon a second encounter, tricks the Stabbington Brothers into immobilizing Flynn, later knocking them