The episode was written by Andy Black, executive producer Chris Brancato and series creator Bryan Fuller, and directed by John Dahl.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.40 million household viewers and gained a 1.0/3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised Hugh Dancy's performance, Ellen Muth's guest appearance, tension, exploration of mental illness and cinematography.
In Greenwood, Delaware, after fixing a hole in her roof, Beth LeBeau (Hilary Jardine) is attacked by a home intruder and drowns in her own blood as a result of her face being cut into a Glasgow smile.
During a session, Graham (Hugh Dancy) tells Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) that he feels he is losing perception of reality.
Graham's mental state continues to sharply decline; he loses hours at a time and a vivid hallucination causes him to contaminate the crime scene at LeBeau's house.
While at a session, Lecter deduces the killer must have Cotard's syndrome, a delusional disorder that has her convinced she is actually dead and takes away her ability to identify people's faces.
The episode ends with a flashback, which reveals that Lecter killed Sutcliffe and then handed over the scissors to Georgia, who just walked into his office.
Georgia, like Eddie Izzard's Dr. Abel Gideon, is imbued with menace because we see her stalk Beth Labeaux before ultimately slitting open her face.
"[10] Laura Akers of Den of Geek wrote, "With the abrupt turnaround in Lecter's character, the writers are simply continuing the pattern they've already set.
For the writers who will get the opportunity to give us a second season, Georgia's mother summed up not just the failings of the psychiatric profession, but the secret of Hannibal's success: 'It's rarely about finding solutions.
'"[11] Kevin Fitzpatrick of ScreenCrush wrote, "For as much of a new layer to Hannibal as the episode uncovers in the good doctor denying Will the truth of his condition, a number of questions arise over how the series intends to continue on with Will as an FBI profiler, given the lengthy measures taken to portray its adverse effects on the protagonist.
From its very pilot Hannibal has ranked above the usual TV conventions, though the series could have difficulty maintaining a plausible status quo in pushing Will any further.