According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.55 million household viewers and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
As they retrieve the fallen, Jones passes away from his wounds, and Burgin announces that Haldane died as well when a Japanese sniper shot him while assessing the area of Hill 140, devastating the unit.
He almost removes the gold teeth from a dead Japanese soldier, until Snafu points out the germs inside them, prompting Sledge to instead take his insignia.
Ramsey Isler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 and wrote, "In general, although this is another battlefield-centric story, it manages to combine the battles with poignant storytelling that goes beyond the graphic loss of life and explores the other things our nation's fighters lost in this war: great leaders, morality, and even hope.
This is the episode that most accurately captures the sense of these men that their slow advancement across Peleliu is costing too many lives, is a slog they may never wake up from.
The shot of Sledge regarding the nurse and the glass of lemonade and seeming almost ready to throw it back in her face said as much about the cost of a grueling battle like Peleliu than any monologue could have.
"[5] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger wrote, "Because we spent a fair amount of time with Sledge as a naive kid eager to go to war to prove himself, it's far more striking to now see him as the veteran who leaves Peleliu haunted by what he saw and did there.
"[8] Den of Geek wrote, "The final struggle for Peleliu begins in the latest episode of The Pacific, and it is, by far, the most visually and psychologically grim depiction of the war yet, and possibly ever in a mainstream show.