Writing for Zap2it, Ryan McGee characterized the episode as having a "weak backstory with a creeptastic ending," although he enjoyed Locke for being "incredibly sage and incredibly terrifying all at once."[7] In her 2006 work Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide, Nikki Stafford critiqued the writers for having some of the characters act inconsistently with the events of previous episodes, citing Jack and Kate's "jokey and sweet" interactions as an example.[15] Robert Dougherty, author of the 2008 book Lost Episode Guide for Others: An Unofficial Anthology, compared Shannon and Boone's relationship to that of a soap opera.