Robert Dougherty, author of Lost Episode Guide for Others: An Unofficial Anthology, said that the episode is "important in establishing Kate's past life", but that "it isn't that important in the grand scheme of the Lost design."[15] Ryan Mcgee of Zap2it called the episode a "slight letdown in comparison to the pilot episode", but arguing that "most episodes fall short of the pilot's brilliance" and that the use of flashbacks "demonstrated [Lost] would be a character-based drama, a move that solidified its audience and let [its viewers] gradually know the many people that crash landed on the Island."[16] Dan Kawa of Television Without Pity gave the episode a C+.[17]