In the episode, Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) frantically searches for a missing Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton) meets with several people regarding his reward to find his daughter's killer.
At the station, she storms into Carlson's office and warns him that if Internal Affairs finds out he did nothing while a cop died in the field, it will come back to haunt him.
While searching a nearby dump in the morning light, Linden notices a young girl, who points towards the woods (in the opposite direction from where the Pez dispenser was found).
The search team is redirected, and the K-9 units pick up a scent as Wapi tribal chief Nicole Jackson (Claudia Ferri) and her lawyers meet Carlson at his car.
Liz tells her that Holder insisted on giving it to Linden, who notes the "Tomorrow 11 a.m." written on the matchbook and checks her watch.
Tad Marek (Tim Henry) arrives to look after the Larsen boys while Stan takes care of incoming tips.
Outside the hospital, Richmond (Billy Campbell) tells the press he is relieved to be going home but ignores a reporter's question about his activities on the night of Rosie's murder.
At the City Council chambers later, Mayor Adams (Tom Butler) reveals that he is working a deal with Jackson to obtain the waterfront property from her tribe.
At the station, Stan gives Linden a notebook filled with tips, but she waves them off, adding that if he pursues the reward aspect, people will only take advantage of him.
She arrives at her office to find her belongings being packed into boxes, including the evidence bag containing Rosie's keys.
Carlson asks for her badge and gun, blaming her for putting them in a political mess by disobeying orders and nearly getting her partner killed, which has led to every officer's wanting retribution.
Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic rated the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating: "The ending was by far more quiet than last week, but it returned Holder to the stage and had the two [detectives] ready to figure out what the mysterious tenth floor is all about.
Club's Brandon Nowalk rated this episode a B+, saying: "It feels like only yesterday I was prattling on about The Killing's lack of momentum, but 'Off The Reservation' opens with one of the best, most propulsive 12-minute passages of the entire series, a pulpy race through the black of early morning to find a fallen officer.
He added, "'Off the Reservation' doesn't quite jump the shark for AMC's series, but it seems abundantly clear that The Killing has been hovering over the selachimorpha for some time now, unclear what side it wants to fall on.