marked an increase in nearly 400,000 viewers from the previous episode, "Mars, Bars", which earned 2.27 million viewers. Reviews The episode received mixed reviews from critics, with reviewers generally calling "Papa's Cabin" a solid finale to the Dean O'Dell mystery but one that was less entertaining than previous mystery-ending episodes. Eric Goldman of IGN rated the episode an 8.2 out of 10, indicating that it was "great". He wrote that it was "an interesting episode that went against the grain as far as what the show has done with similar reveals in the past." While stating that Tim being the actual murderer was not very surprising, the reviewer felt satisfied with the scene in which Veronica pieces the clues together to implicate Tim. He also commented on how "Papa's Cabin" differed from previous mystery-ending episodes by having lower stakes, a characteristic he felt was appropriate. He thought it was similar to a traditional detective story model, meaning that it "fell in line with the feel of the show." However, he did not enjoy the fact that Fabian's character was being written out of the show. Rowan Kaiser, writing for The A.V. Club, lauded the episode. She referred to the conclusion of the Dean O'Dell story arc as the closure to a conventional mystery in the sense that Veronica and Keith slowly built up evidence instead of stumbling on one incriminating object by chance. The reviewer also thought that the episode provided an intellectually satisfying conclusion to the mystery and that it "maintains that level of involvement." Jon Lachonis of BuddyTV sharply criticized the episode, opining that it was predictable, contrived, and unsatisfying. Calling the Dean O'Dell storyline "Veronica Mars weakest mystery," the reviewer thought that "Papa's Cabin" spent too much time on Mindy and Hank, arguing that it was obvious they were not the culprits. In addition, he derided the decision to make Tim the murderer, stating that it was not true to his character. Television Without Pity graded the episode a "B". Alan Sepinwall, on his blog What's Alan Watching?, was mixed towards the episode, stating that it was "a solid resolution to the Dean O'Dell mystery", he thought more highly of the last several episodes. However, he criticized the fact that the mystery only lasted for six episodes, arguing that these smaller story arcs were not working well for the show, referring to this episode as feeling "rushed"