 Chris Carabott from IGN thought Richard featuring in Ben's flashback as a Hostile was "one of the more surprising revelations of The man behind the curtain" because Alpert doesn't seem to have aged a day in thirty-plus years".Many reviewers were pleased when Richard returned in season four's "Cabin Fever" after being absent for ten episodes.Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post called him a "fan favorite" and speculated that although it is less plausible his appearance at Locke's birth is due to time travel, this seemed more believable than Richard not aging.