Chris Carabott from IGN "loved" Tom's first appearance because "It's a great scene and our first introduction to The Others besides Ethan's infiltration of the camp."[5] Gainey found the fan reaction to his first appearance "really tough", because "everywhere [he] went people would just give [him] dirty looks and they were like 'What are you going to do with that boy?'", but he noted this gradually improved after his appearances in season two.[6] In another IGN article, Eric Goldman ranked "Exodus, Part 1" as 52nd out of all the episodes of Lost, while he ranked "Exodus, Part 2" higher in the 19th spot, praising the tension wrought in both parts.[7] Erin Martell from AOL's TV Squad listed Tom in her five "most entertaining guest roles" from the first three seasons, commenting "I am counting his first episode as my favorite.