Daniel Faraday - Reception

Reception

Producers Lindelof and Cuse were worried about how the new characters would be received by fans, after the unhappy reaction to new characters Nikki (Kiele Sanchez) and Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro), introduced in season three. However, following their introduction in "Confirmed Dead", the four characters were well received, with Paige Albiniak of the New York Post citing them as a reason behind the show's improved ratings. IGN's Chris Carabott described Daniel, as well as the other new characters from the freighter, as "great" and "exciting". James Poniewozik of Time liked the introduction of the new characters from the freighter because "Each got just one flashback and a little time on the island, and yet by the end of the episode, felt had a true handle on what they were like as individuals". Oscar Dahl of BuddyTV called it the "perfect introduction". Michael Ausiello of TV Guide also liked their introduction, and praised the actors' performances. Jeff Jensen from Entertainment Weekly liked that the "fascinating" new characters brought "mind-blowing new possibilities, and exciting new theory fodder".

Many critics praised Davies’s performance and appearance. Tom Iacuzio of The Daytona Beach News-Journal deemed Jeremy Davies's performance deserving of a Primetime Emmy Award. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger claimed Davies's performance to be "outstanding" . Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post said that Daniel "more and more becoming one of favorite characters". Chris Carabott wrote that Davies presents Faraday's awkward mannerisms well. In a later review, Carabott commented, "I've become a huge fan of Davies over the course of the last couple of years thanks to his performance on this show." Rachel Dovey of Paste said The Variable revealed "a whole different" side of Daniel: "We've oscillated before about the true nature of the physicist, whether it's good or evil We decided he's mostly a decent guy, barring the whole experimenting-on-his-girlfriend-then-running-away-when-her-brain-turned-to-mush thing. In the past, he's just seemed lost and confused, and, since he has those big, earnest puppy eyes, we decided to forgive him. But the episode showed us the dynamic at the heart of Daniel's stuttering vulnerability. Like all broken superheroes and Freudian beings, the man has mommy issues. This week we dove inside the dynamic between Daniel and his mother growing up." Also, Adam Sweeney believed Davies's acting was the "high point" of the episode. A reviewer for TVoholic claimed he would have "loved any sort of explanation as to why changed his mind about changing the past or how he thought this could work. There must have been something that made Daniel think this was possible, but he was in such a rush that he never took care to explain."

Critics expressed shock regarding Daniel’s death. David Oliver of CHUD.com felt "bummed" to see Daniel go. Dan Compora of Airlock Alpha also said the shooting of Daniel at the end was “stunning.” Jon Lachonis of TVOvermind claimed that as an internal character piece, "The Variable" was "not so much a great ending for Daniel.

Jeremy Davies submitted the episode "The Constant" on his behalf for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.