The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen gave the episode an "A−" rating, and praise it as "about as close to a straight putt as the series is capable of: Rick and Morty go on an adventure, a concept is introduced, and there are then horrible consequences which keep escalating until the status quo is restored."[3] Jack Shepherd of GamesRadar+ gave it a four-star rating, describing it as "certainly a bold opening to the season" and lauding its closing monologue for a mission statement for the season as similar to that of the second season's premiere.[4] Jesse Schedeen of IGN also praised it as the show's strongest to date, extolling the heavy emphasis on Morty himself, saying that it "helps the new season begin on a compelling and, at times, even heartwarming note".[6] Vulture's Liz Shannon Miller described the episode as a "bleak beginning to the season" and commented that there is the brutal reality that fascism has become "the default" for most of the multiverse.[2]