The episode received generally mixed @-@ to @-@ positive reviews . Ryan McGee of Zap2it wrote that " this episode wasn 't a stinker by any measure , but after the run of early episodes , this is the first that really didned 't hold its own when compared to the others " , adding that " The moth imagery / metaphor just beat you down by episode 's end , making you long for the more subtle writing the show have produced up until this point . " The TV Critic gave the episode a 68 / 100 , writing that it fall between being " obvious and cheesy " and " beautifully paced and structured " . Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B , and shared his opinion that it is " one of the more intensely metaphorical — and thus writerly — episodes of the series . The eponymous metaphor — delivered by Locke — is one of the series ’ most blatant , and the moth ’ s consistent reappearance in the episode call a lot of attention to the construction of the narrative . "