 Jonathan Boudreaux, a reviewer for TVDVDReviews.com, felt the episode was one of the season's strongest, thanks to the focus on characters, with "kryptonite taking a backseat"; he referred to "Tempest" as the "slam bang season ending cliffhanger".Eric Moro of Mania.com believed that "Tempest" proved "Smallville" could "utilize the supernatural as a metaphor for teenage life", and that the finale managed to "recap the theme of the entire season, brought every dangling plot point to a head and closed with an ending sure to bring viewers back for a second season of super-entertainment".Author Neal Bailey was little more mixed in his opinion.