 " Secrets " was well received by television critics . Gina McIntyre of the Los Angeles Times concluded that the episode " dispensed with almost every hidden truth the survivors have been keeping from one another . " Scott Meslow of The Atlantic described the episode as one focused on love and relationships . IGN 's Eric Goldman evaluated the episode as " satisfying " , and added that its character development was executed strongly . Ultimately , he issued " Secrets " an eight out of ten , signifying a " great " rating . Aaron Rutkoff of The Wall Street Journal echoed synonymous sentiments ; " Viewers tuning in each week in the hope of watching pulse @-@ quickening battles between overmatched humans and armies of the undead are sure to be frustrated . Things are static in an action sense , but the show ’ s admirably nuanced characters are changing and reacting to the world in surprising and complicated ways . " Writing for Cinema Blend , Nick Venable stated that the characters became more distinguishable . 
