The episode received polarized reactions from television journalists and bloggers , ranging from positive to negative . Emily VanDerWerff of '' The A.V. Club '' gave it a " B " rating , calling it the fifth season 's most " scattered " episode . VanDerWerff argued that " the camera cut from the hovering smog to the Francis Thanksgiving is not exactly subtle , and I tire of when the show presents Betty as this bruised monster who ’s not in control of her own impulses ... the show has always been at its best when it can harness some degree of sympathy for the woman . " IGN writer Eric Goldman gave the episode an 8 out of 10 , and pinpointed the episode 's theme as " insecurity " . '' Paste Magazine '' writer Bonnie Stiernberg criticized the episode , saying : " It ’s not that ' Dark Shadows ' was n’t a good episode — it was . But this week ’s theme felt a little heavy-handed ; nearly every character ’s storyline was dominated by it in an obvious manner . " Maureen Ryan of the '' Huffington Post '' called " Dark Shadows " the worst episode of the season , saying : " It was a bad episode of TV . And it was not in a special class of mediocrity that allows it to still somehow remain elevated above the fray . It made the mistakes that much less brilliant shows make . It repeated a lot of themes that we 're already very familiar with , it did n't add to them in compelling or imaginative ways , and it featured a character that just does n't work . " Tim Goodman of '' The Hollywood Reporter '' was more forgiving towards the episode , noting : " I ’m sure that some of the elements in ' Dark Shadows ' will be table-setters for future storylines . It was an episode that seemed to gather itself , make a point while setting up plotlines , then end on time . That 's all . There ’s no harm in that ; such episodes come along at least twice in the season run of very good shows . But there was a heavy-handedness to the thematic illustration of self-interest in the episode – like the writers backed up a truck full of references to selfish behavior and dumped them into the room for ease of use . '' Mad Men '' can do better than this , of course . It has , and it will again . Just put the anvil down . We get it . " Ben Feldman who plays Michael Ginsberg received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards
64th Primetime Emmy Awards
64th Primetime Emmy Awards
Dark Shadows (Mad Men)