Rowan Kaiser of "The A.V. Club" gave a positive review, stating that the reveal was "an effective narrative, and one which creates a "satisfying" resolution for the viewer as well as the character. Veronica Mars has done a good job of subverting expectations on a regular basis, but it's still a TV show, with requirements for satisfying resolutions. [...] Which is my roundabout way of saying that while I wasn't surprised by the reveal that it was Duncan Kane, I was impressed by how well it worked up to that point. It had to be Duncan or someone totally irrelevant and shocking." "Television Without Pity" gave the episode an "A+", its fourth such rating for the series, after "An Echolls Family Christmas", "Clash of the Tritons", and "M.A.D.".