According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.57 million household viewers and gained a 0.7/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Amidst heavy media scrutiny, Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn) decides to go forward with her baptism for priesthood, despite knowing her family will not take it well.
Bill discovers a passport for Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin), and she reveals she planned to volunteering on a medical ship while she worked on her Goji venture.
Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) is informed that her adoption has been delayed, and she debates returning to her old family, worrying Nicki (Chloë Sevigny).
Bill dismmisses the criminal charges targeted at him, although he later tells Barbara that the District Attorney has arranged just one year of prison for a guilty plea.
Bill is furious upon learning she changed the car without consulting it with him, also revealing that their financial situation is in trouble as they have lost Home Plus.
At her nursery home, Frank (Bruce Dern) consoles Lois (Grace Zabriskie) before fatally injecting her to end her suffering.
Barbara now leads Bill's church, Nicki takes more decisions at the house, Margie has taken a new job and occasionally visits the family, and Ben (Douglas Smith) and Heather (Tina Majorino) are back together.
[2] On Bill's death, Olsen and Scheffer explained that they wanted to give him a "Gary Cooper exit" but their plans kept changing.
"[12] James Poniewozik of TIME wrote, "With Bill’s death, we’ll never really see whether his vision for his family was doomed or sustainable while he lived.
"[13] Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon.com wrote, "Even when the series got lost in its own often-tangled and distracting subplots, it never relinquished its distinctive viewpoint on religious people living in an increasingly secular nation.
"[14] Aileen Gallagher of Vulture wrote, "Big Love concluded its five-season run last night, with a bang and then a whimper.
"[15] Allyssa Lee of Los Angeles Times wrote, "it was the concluding sister-wife embrace in Barb’s dining room with Bill looking on, and then the tune of Natalie Maines' lovely version of the Beach Boys' classic, that choked me up in the end.
"[16] TV Fanatic gave the episode a 2.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, ""When Men and Mountains Meet," had some shocking scenes, but overall I felt disappointed with how the show ended.
"[17] Mark Blankenship of HuffPost wrote, "My journey with Big Love has been bumpy, but now that the car has stopped and I know we're not going to hit a guardrail, I'm glad I went on the ride.
"[18] Ginia Bellafante of The New York Times wrote, "This was a man who couldn't care for his lawn or even a single wife as Bill simultaneously bed-skipped his way through three marriages.