"a dark knight: the fear reaper" received generally positive reviews from critics. matt fowler of ign gave the episode a "good" 7.2 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "while scarecrow screamed, swung his scythe, and sprayed lunatics with fear toxin, this episode honed in some more on the gcpd's current crisis of conscience. it's an interesting journey to take but also one that smacks of the shows past sins regarding a poorly-manned (and conceived) police force - with jim gordon now trying to be the guiding light."