of Doux Reviews rated the episode with 3.9/4 thanking the writers (Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain) for their work on the episode. "Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain have worked on some great shows, but I never loved their episodes on Angel or Dollhouse. So I was both nervous and excited when I saw that this was their first VD episode. And then I forgot all about both nerves and excitement, as I was too busy hooting with merriment and then, at the end, gasping a "No they didn’t!" at the unanswering TV screen. And then doing it again, five minutes later." Alyse Wax from Fearnet gave a good review to the episode saying that it was good and brutal. "I don’t think I have ever seen such intense torture on network television. I honestly did not see it coming that Jenna would be compelled to stab herself. It was an intense episode, with lots of darkness, and not too much mushy-gushy stuff." Reagan from The TV Chick gave a B+ rate to the episode saying that it was another great one with a lot of information and several touching moments. "I can’t wait for the masquerade ball and to see who else will crop up this season (surely we’re not going to fight only Katherine and it’s still early in the season). [...] My score’s a little lower because I really think they killed off Hot Uncle Mason a little early." Despite the positive reaction, Robin Franson Pruter of Forced Viewing rated the episode with 2/4 saying that the episode had a few good scenes but was hampered by excessive violence. "The violence in this episode is unrelenting and largely unmotivated. I felt bad for Mason. [...] The torture scenes that follow are out of character for Damon and extreme enough to make even Dick Cheney uncomfortable. [...] The violence wouldn’t bother me so much if it was 1) in character; 2) in service of good-storytelling; or 3) socially responsible. Damon is erratic but not a sadist." References External links 2010 American television episodes The Vampire Diaries (season 2) episodes