the episode, describing it as "epic". IGN's Eric Goldman issued "Days Gone Bye" a nine out of ten, signifying an "amazing" rating. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly evaluated the pilot episode as intense, and felt that it delivered above expectations. He added that it was an "instant classic". Fellow journalist Dan Snierson agreed with Jensen's opinion, complimenting the show for its unpredictability. James Poniewozik of Time reacted positively to the episode, exclaiming that it "paints a thoroughly convincing postapocalyptic world, both visually and emotionally." Variety Brian Lowry avouched that "Days Gone Bye" was "surprisingly fresh", despite having initial thoughts of a stale premise. He wrote: "The Walking Dead draws the audience in almost instantly with its cinematic 90-minute pilot, then incorporates tasty soap-like elements meant to animate the ensuing episodes. Although we've seen no shortage of zombies and post-apocalyptic stories, producer-writer-director Frank Darabont has deftly tackled the seemingly perilous task of adapting a comic book about zombies into a viable episodic series." In a three out of four star review, Linda Stasi of New York Post summarized, "The zombies are truly scary and disgusting. The survivors are terrific characters, and the gore is enough for any lunatic to love." Critics were polarized over Andrew Lincoln's performance. Despite citing that his accent was "dodgy", Pierce lauded Lincoln's acting. "his body language and expression here is totally different now than when we saw him before," he opined. "He's a fast learner." Gilbert referred to his accent as "spotty", while Goldman professed that Lincoln fit into character very well; "For much of the pilot, he's on his own and exudes a lot of believable, shocked emotion, as Rick tries to process what he is seeing. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter felt that Lincoln's performance was one of the episode's drawbacks. He wrote: "One drawback in [The Walking Dead''] is that Lincoln plays his emotion a little too close to his deputy's badge. We're told – by him – that all he wants to do is find his wife and kid. His belief that they still are alive is the emotional drive of the story, but there's not enough deep pain that seeps up to coat the dialogue Lincoln delivers." Accolades At the 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, "Days Gone Bye" received nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series; and won Primetime Emmy