The couple were called "the unofficial heart of the show" by the critics, who noted every appearance made by them was a welcome one. Erin Martell from TV Squad thought Rose's role in "Something Nice Back Home" was "awesome", because she asked all the questions fans have been asking. "Variety"s Cynthia Littleton "loved seeing Bernard in Grizzly Adams mode" in the season five finale, while Ryan McGee from Zap2it compared Bernard's appearance to both Moses and the Gorton's Fisherman. McGee said "It's a gorgeous, gorgeous scene, even if it stands as a meta-criticism of the angst and turmoil of the show's major characters". Alan Sepinwall from "The Star-Ledger" called it "one of the best, most moving scenes of the finale". Noel Murray from "The A.V. Club" thought the scene was useful as it allowed the characters to leave the show, but also it caused him to question whether opting out was the right or wrong thing to do. The Huffington Post's Jay Glatfelter thought their decision not to participate "all but solidified them as the 'Adam and Eve' [skeletons] from the caves", although this was shown not to be the case in season six. Maureen Ryan of the "Chicago Tribune" listed the pair amongst her favourite characters of the series, commenting "Few things made [her] happier than seeing them comfortably ensconced in their retirement cabin with Walt's dog, Vincent. They had the good sense to give up the whole island rat race, and their optimistic, straightforward attitudes and down-to-earth humor grounded "Lost" and gave us a window into normalcy, which, goodness knows, we needed sometimes".