The show's cast and crew repeatedly praised Vincent Kartheiser for his professionalism and ability to bring much to his character. "You can bet the family fortune on this kid, he can really do it," stated director Vern Gillum. Producer Tim Minear described Vincent as one of the main reasons of their avoidance of giving the character a ghastly send-off as planned before, “We’ve all grown so fond of the character and the actor that we didn’t want do that.” Although fans and critics reception to Kartheiser's portrayal of the disturbed teen was also very positive, the character and his storylines turned out to be controversial. His sexual relationship with his surrogate mother, Cordelia, particularly evoked attention. Most responses to this couple were negative. Darkworlds.coms columnist Amy Berner declared them a "finalist in the Most Disturbing Couple In Television History“. In her academic essay "The Assassination of Cordelia Chase," Jennifer Crusie complained that this plot line led to the destruction of Cordelia's character. Charisma Carpenter herself, despite previously noted to have fun portraying the role, became critical of the storyline over time, declaring her character’s seduction of a teenage boy creepy. Yet, a few gave a positive response. Liz Gasto of Moviefreak.com included the Angel–Cordelia–Connor triangle in the plus points of fourth season. Underland.com praised the plot line as a "very King Arthur like tale of love and betrayal." Another group was neutral towards the development. In his book Blood Relations: Chosen Families in Buffy and Angel, Jes Battis simply observed that the relationship completes the already present “circuit of erotic incest within Buffy and Angel.” Jean Lorrah, in her academic essay "A World Without Love: The Failure of Family in Angel," agreed with previous statements, further noting that Connor is the product of a relationship with incestuous tones: ”Angel is seduced by Darla, formerly his sire (mother), now his granddaughter [..] Connor’s life, unbeknownst to either parent, has begun.” Connor’s characterization and main storyline with his father in season three and four received mixed reviews. Ben from thescifichristian.com was not fond of the initial episodes with baby Connor because Angel wasted time “baby-talking,” but he loved the development with teenage Connor, “The [third] season ends with a great storyline as Connor returns [..] and betrays Angel.” Jes Battis praised the father/son dynamics and described as “highly dramatic and (engagingly perverse)”. Journalist Sarah D. Bunting called Connor "a frustrating character" and