The Man from Jupiter

"The Man from Jupiter" was originally broadcast on January 19, 2012, in the United States on FX. Upon airing, it attained 1.309 million viewers and a 0.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.[7] The installment became the eleventh high-rated cable television program of the day, scoring higher than the documentary series The First 48 on A&E but obtaining lower ratings than the satirical television program The Daily Show on Comedy Central.[7] "The Man from Jupiter" achieved record-breaking demographic ratings; it became the third-most viewed cable telecast of all time amongst men in the 18–34 demographic, as well as key men in the 18–49 group. In comparison to the season two premiere, "Swiss Miss", ratings in the 18–49 demographic during the first fifteen minutes vaulted 31% to 689,000 viewers.[8] Although ratings showed similar increases during the second quarterly hour, ratings in the 18–49 demographic declined 21% from the previous season premiere, translating to 220,000 viewers. Overall, ratings amongst key adults in the 18–49 group declined 4% from "Swiss Miss" to 950,000.[8]

"The Man from Jupiter" was widely lauded by television commentators. In her A- review, Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club felt that the episode contained many great moments and felt that it was a strong opening for the season.[9] VanDerWerff wrote: "Archer has always been a show I enjoyed more for the fast-paced dialogue and weird office plots, but every so often, the show does something pretty awesome, even on what's probably a fairly limited budget, and it turns out an action sequence that you just won't see on most other animated shows. FX has usually chosen to open seasons with these big action episodes, for fairly obvious reasons, and this one has the added benefit of Burt Reynolds hanging out as another potential ratings bump."[9] VanDerWerff noted that the storyline between Sterling Archer and his mother Malory Archer was the highlight of "The Man from Jupiter"; "Archer's so often at odds with her because he's unable to see her as a person and not just his mother, as Reynolds expresses while roaring down the highway at dangerously high speeds. Until Archer accepts that Malory has needs—some of them sexual—he’s always going to be trapped in a weird, co-dependent relationship with her. Archer isn't a show that tries to shove tons and tons of deep character moments into its episodes, which makes it all the better when it does do so. The show usually nails those little moments, and this was no exception."[9] Creative Loafing journalist Scott Harrel asserted, "If the debut episode is any indication, you can expect another satisfying season from this intelligent, imaginative and button-pushing mix of high and low humor."[10] Ross Bonaime of Paste issued the installment an 8.8 out of ten rating, signifying a "commendable" rating. Bonaime affirmed that Reed adequately developed the characters, citing that "The Man from Jupiter" further established greater expectations for the series.[11]

Carp evaluated the script as "impeccably written", adding that "The Man from Jupiter" was a hilarious episode. Cites of adulation stemmed from the animation, which Carp described it as "likely the best you'll see anywhere on television."[6] He wrote, "It's just so unique the way they use state of the art 3D computer animation to create a retrofitted look. It takes them months to animate each episode and the hard work really pays off in the unique visuals of the show."[6] Writing for TV Fanatic, Eric Hochberger stated that "if this week combined with the mini-series was any indication, we're in for a damn strong season of Archer."[12]

Reynolds' appearance was critically acclaimed. VanDerWerff professed that she was surprised that it was executed well, as she avouched that shows featuring guest appearances ruin the chemistry of the main cast. "Episodes with big special guest stars can often ruin the rhythm of the main gang, but I was surprised at how readily the show incorporated Reynolds into the storyline, to the point where he almost felt like an organic part of the ensemble," avouched VanDerWerff.[9] "The fact that he's still dating Malory at the end of the episode implies that he might pop back in as the season proceeds, and I wouldn't be adverse to that happening, where many special guest stars might make me roll my eyes in irritation."[9] She praised the chemistry between Reynolds and Benjamin, and commended Reynolds for having the will power to poke fun at himself.[9] Carp echoed similar sentiments; "H. Jon Benjamin alone is a voice-over superstar [...] but combined with Reynolds and the rest of the cast, that was some animated magic and a fantastic way to kick off the third season."[6] Bonaime thought that Reynolds was "fine with being self-deprecating, and he gives some fantastic moments with Archer."[11] HitFix's Alan Sepinwall enjoyed how Reynolds was utilized in "The Man from Jupiter". "There are times when it can feel awkward when a show spends an episode sucking up to a very special guest star, but it worked here because so much of Archer's personality—and so much of the show's approach to action—feels inspired by all those movies Reynolds did in the '70s and early '80s when he was the biggest movie star in the world.[13]