The Man from Jupiter
"The Man from Jupiter" was well received by television commentators, who praised the episode's cultural references, character development, and the storylines.
However, Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler) quickly figures out that the letter was written by Sterling himself (citing how no star actor uses the term "Tinseltown").
Lana, along with Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell) and Ray Gillette (Adam Reed), go to try to reason with Sterling.
Once there, they encounter the Cuban hit squad, who believe Gillette is the real Sterling based on the recon photo they have (taken during the events of "Honeypot") and a firefight begins.
Meanwhile, Sterling holds Burt hostage, promising to never let him date his mother again, but he is interrupted by the firefight between the ISIS agents and the Cubans.
Burt Reynolds makes a guest appearance on "The Man from Jupiter", as the love interest of Malory Archer.
Series creator Adam Reed opined: "I think the only person on the planet who's a bigger fan of Burt Reynolds than me is Sterling Archer.
'"[5] A sequence which features Sterling strapping Reynolds onto a handtruck reflects homage to the thriller film The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
[6] The song "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed is presented in the episode, while Sterling makes several references to several American cinematic works from the 1970s.
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.
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] 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.
Bonaime affirmed that Reed adequately developed the characters, citing that "The Man from Jupiter" further established greater expectations for the series.
"[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.
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] 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.
