of 5/5 stars from Tony Sokol of Den of Geek, who praised the performances of Anderson and Reid; 4.7/5 stars from Ashley Bissette Sumerel of Tell-Tale TV, writing that, "'After the Phantoms of Your Former Self' is even more breathtaking than the first episode. It continues to capture the spirit of Anne Rice's works in a way that's thought-provoking and timely. [...] The series continues to be so much better than I could have hoped for, and it has me falling in love with Anne Rice's works in a whole new way"; 4.5/5 stars from Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic, who singled out the cinematography and performances of Anderson and Reid as the highlights of the episode, and wrote, "It's safe to say the first episode wasn't a fluke, as the second installment is excellent"; 4/5 stars from Kathleen Walsh of Vulture; and 3/5 stars from Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek, who noted the episode's "slower" pace, in comparison to the first, and how it "[did not have] much in the way of plot progression". Nonetheless, he still appreciated it as it "sets things up for a much more dramatic chapter to come next week". Concluding his review, Sean T. Collins of Decider said, "This is heady, funny, nasty, sexy, cutting, opulent stuff — again, exactly what you'd want from an Anne Rice adaptation and more. While it often takes itself deadly seriously, as the melodramatic material demands, it's also shot through with that strain of actually funny comedy, letting just a little bit of daylight in to enhance the shadows. An extraordinary balancing act and, I think, an extraordinary show." Collins also praised the writing and directing work of the episode. Sara Netzley of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Dare I say this episode was even better than the pilot? We get more layers of Lestat tonight, more of his humor and savagery, and Jacob Anderson's range continues to be extraordinary." In addition, several critics pointed out the humor as one of the episode's highlights. References External links 2022 American television episodes American LGBT-related television episodes Television episodes about vampires