: Reviewers from The Killing Times and The Review Geek highlighted the strong performances by Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, though some felt the actual murder plot was slightly convoluted.

Viewers and critics generally praised this finale as a "solid" conclusion to the four-part adaptation.

: The episode also explores the depth of Strike’s past as his ex-girlfriend, Charlotte Campbell , reappears, forcing him to confront his lingering emotional walls.