According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.461 million household viewers and gained a 0.09 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly Juno Temple, Jon Hamm and Dave Foley), debate sequence and the fight at the barn.
Danish (Dave Foley) examines a ledger book of debtors in North Dakota, selecting three people.
At the hospital, Roy (Jon Hamm) forces a recovering Dot (Juno Temple) to sign a release form, intimidating the receptionist into ignoring her warnings by threatening to send her brother back to prison.
Her pleas to be released in order to return to Scotty (Sienna King) are dismissed by Roy, causing her to promise that she will kill him.
Roy leaves for an election debate, while Karen (Rebecca Liddiard) gives Dot a bed and slaps her for insulting her.
Indira (Richa Moorjani) returns home early after being informed of Dot's release by Witt, wanting to change her clothing.
She later meets with Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and accepts her job offer, informing her of Dot's location in the process.
Still believing her dream to have been real, Dot tells Gator that his mother, Linda, has made it to safety and offers to escape with him.
Roy meets with Danish in his office, who mocks his debate performance, adding that he is going to lose the election and will likely face assault charges.
Dot is horrified to see through her window as Roy's henchmen bury Danish's corpse inside a well next to a windmill.
In December 2023, it was reported that the eighth episode of the season would be titled "Blanket", and was to be written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Thomas Bezucha, and directed by Sylvain White.
"[5] In its original American broadcast, "Blanket" was seen by an estimated 0.461 million household viewers and gained a 0.09 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"[7] Alan Sepinwall wrote, "I'll miss Danish, particularly because Dave Foley was giving the exact same performance he would have in a Kids in the Hall sketch about a smug lawyer.
"[8] Keith Phipps of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Dave Foley has quietly delivered one of this season's most entertaining performances with his understated work as Danish Graves, fixer to the Lyon family.
"[9] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote, "The final shot of Dot peering out a small, broken window on the ranch, fully awake to Roy's capabilities, introduces a genuine fear that we haven't yet seen from her.
"[10] Sean T. Collins of Decider wrote, "In its eighth installment, Fargo Season 5 fields a very early candidate for best episode of the year — an hour of television that alternately had me laughing so hard my family left the room, clapping so hard I actually hurt my hands, and wracked with dread and disgust strong enough to leave me wondering if I could stand to see Jon Hamm's hateful face for one more second.