According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.21 million household viewers and gained a 0.5/1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The Blackfoot Magic Casino has refused to pay their percentage to Bill, Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) is fired from her job, and Wayne is bullied at school.
As Margie cries as she packs her stuff, she is approached by a self-help guru, Michael Sainte (Grant Show), who gives her a DVD to help her.
He later confides in Lura (Anne Dudek) that he plans to take revenge on Bill, while Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) is finally allowed to leave the cellar where she is imprisoned.
With their status known, Margie and Goran (Steve Bacic) divorce, giving him and Ana (Branka Katić) two months to leave the United States.
Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) starts working at Home Plus, where she becomes smitten with Don's son, Gary (Cody Klop).
Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "It would be forced to focus on the character stuff it's always done so well, instead of the soapy plotting that so often threatened to sink it (and eventually did).
"[5] James Poniewozik of TIME wrote, "The premiere episode, while not stellar, did a good job tightening the story's focus to show how badly Bill's strategy and its consequences have hit the family's sense of security and confidence.
"[6] Megan Angelo of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "while newly minted state senator Bill Hendrickson outed himself as a polygamist, introducing Barb, Nicki and Margene to the world, behind the scenes the family was starting to splinter.
"[9] TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The fourth season of Big Love ended in a major cliffhanger.
"[10] Mark Blankenship of HuffPost wrote, "I'd much rather see the Henricksons leave with a complete story under their Garments than see them get axed in the middle of an unfinished plot.