According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.566 million household viewers and gained a 0.12 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, writing, new storylines and tension.
A mother, Dorothy "Dot" Lyon (Juno Temple) starts leaving with her daughter, Scotty (Sienna King).
Deputy Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani) takes her to the police station, where she is placed in a cell until her husband Wayne (David Rysdahl) bails her out.
The following day, Dot is home alone when two masked men, Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) and Donald Ireland (Devon Bostick), enter the house.
Ireland charges outside the stall, only to be hit by Dot with a bag, and he falls back on the toilet, breaking his skull.
In October 2023, it was reported that the first episode of the season would be titled "The Tragedy of the Commons", and was to be written and directed by series creator Noah Hawley.
He said, "To define the term Minnesota Nice and then open with this school board brawl, it felt like both a good joke, but also now you're completely oriented.
You go, ‘Okay, so she is the one decent person left who still thinks that people shouldn't act like this toward each other.’ It tells you a lot very quickly in a series of images.
"[3] In its original American broadcast, "The Tragedy of the Commons" was seen by an estimated 0.566 million household viewers and gained a 0.12 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"[7] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek wrote, "Fargo season 5 is rightfully being hailed as a return to form for the Noah Hawley-created series after an imperfect fourth season that delved far back (perhaps too far back) into America's equally imperfect past.
"[9] Sean T. Collins of Decider wrote, "Usually, on this show, Hawley has an unsubtleness that really works for humor, horror, satire, hardboiled crime, and several other applications.
"[10] Felicia Nickens of TV Obsessive wrote, "Dorothy is a stay at home mom, who cooks pancakes in the morning and likes to knit.