Despite the criticisms of season ten, it has been included in some definitions of "The Simpsons" golden age, usually as the point where the show began to decline but still put out some of the last great episodes. Ian Nathan of "Empire" described the show's classic era as being "the first ten seasons", while Rubbercat.net believes that "discussing what constitutes "The Simpsons" 'golden era' is a universal constant," in this case being seasons 3–10. Jon Heacock of LucidWorks states that while season ten was "the season in which, according to many, the show starts to go sour," it was also the final season where "the show was consistently at the top of its game," with "so many moments, quotations, and references – both epic and obscure – that helped turn the Simpson family into the cultural icons that they remain to this day."