"The Profligate" received highly positive reviews from critics. Matt Purslow of
IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "Civil wars are erupting all over the wasteland in
Fallout Season 2's third chapter, and in the middle of it all are two men making hugely important decisions that will shape their destinies. While it's a shame that Lucy had to be put in crucifixion time-out for most of this episode, and Robert House's not-so-mysterious identity continues to be a sticking point, this is an otherwise fantastic, character-driven episode that thrives on bringing important elements from the New Vegas video game into the spotlight. It's packed with so much good stuff that I didn't even get to mention Victor the Securitron's guest appearance, but I'm sure you're as pleased as me that he's still rolling around the Mojave." William Hughes of
The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "So, a few minor performance and script quibbles aside, “The Profligate” is easily the most focused episode that
Fallout has posted in its second season to date, following just two plotlines, which manage to meaningfully rhyme with each other in genuinely interesting ways." Jack King of
Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "As in season one, the best part of these first three episodes has been the continued exploration of the duality of the Ghoul and Cooper Howard." Sean T. Collins of
Decider wrote, "When I press play on any given episode, I sit back secure in the knowledge that everything I see will be entertaining. Some of it will be funny in a nice way. Some of it will be funny in an extremely nasty way. [...] All on Amazon's dime!
Fallout has the giddy feeling of people getting away with something, and it's infectious as fuck." Eric Francisco of
Esquire wrote, "Only in the wastelands can child labor look like summer camp. In the newest episode of
Fallout, our characters split up once again to push forward a plot that is (finally!) really getting somewhere." Ross Bonaime of
Collider gave the episode a 8 out of 10 and wrote, ""The Profligate" at times feels like a side quest, especially surrounding Lucy and the Ghoul at the Legion's headquarters. Yet Episode 3 is great at mixing absurdity and brutality while also showing how the characters are evolving this season. As the show recenters itself around its three characters and starts to explore the history of the Wasteland and the people who made it what it is today,
Fallout makes its world feel more fleshed out than ever before in Season 2." Alexandria Ingham of
TV Fanatic wrote, "These slower episodes are needed because of that, but as a standalone episode, this one didn't work. At least, one bad episode does not a show destroy." Greg Wheeler of
The Review Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The best written character in the show though is the Ghoul/Coop. The ironic symbolism of him cutting out a toxic part of himself before deciding to do something good and help out Lucy is a nice way of developing his character too." == Notes ==