02.05
Those who know me are aware of how Archer is not only one of my favorite animated series currently airing, but is one of my favorite animated series period. I’ve been casually watching the show since its premiere, catching new episodes on and off, enjoying what I was seeing, but not really sticking around, yet didn’t become a lifelong fan until catching the last 2 episodes of the second season basically back-to-back. This prompted me to marathon season 1 on Netflix and keep an eye out for season 2 repeats on FX, and ultimately come to this decision- Archer is one of the smartest programs out there.
Here we have a show that’s readily able to reference X-Men comics, as well as Herman Melville, sometime almost side by side. The main cast of characters are deliciously layered, each with their own vices, desires, and depressingly accurate pathos which not only help to define each person, but explain how their friendships toward each other stems beyond their work duties. It’s consistently fascinating that despite how goofy each of the characters act, from ditzy Cheryl to overweight nympho Pam to… however the hell you can describe Krieger, they’re all rather competent at their jobs. And this is merely the tip of the iceberg of Archer‘s strengths, but I’ll save this for another article.
As much as I love the show though, I can’t say that it’s perfect. In fact, all things considered, while I highly enjoyed the third and fourth seasons, the show has been suffering from some stagnancy over these years.
I don’t want to be too harsh on the show, since some of its best episodes came out over these two seasons, but my problem with the series as of late seems to have stemmed from creator Adam Reed- the man has apparently become tired of the show’s format. Even though there has been some damn fine espionage tales as of late, Reed has gone record stating that he’s become bored of making such stories, and his attempts at overarching storylines conversely are flat. Barry worked as a side nuisance to Archer, one who had every right to hate the dickish agent, but as a seemingly-endless Big Bad, the character just isn’t fit. Similarly, while Pam’s endeavors as a field agent worked surprisingly well in the fourth season, the show’s attempts to have Cyril join the action hasn’t been as successful in either a narrative or practical manner.
So naturally, when word was coming around town that season 5 was going to shape things up, I was conflicted. On the one hand, if there’s one thing the show could use, it’s a change of pace, yet often, changes in format are for the worst. I had faith in Reed and the Archer staff, however, so I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and came into this season with open arms.
As you can tell by this post’s title, I was right to do so. Four episodes in, and this has got to be the best season of the show since season 2. Why? Let’s discuss it. And yes, there will be some spoilers here.
The first episode kicked things off with a deceptively excellent idea- by revealing something observant viewers have likely been speculating for ages, that ISIS is a non-government sanctioned organization, the members of the agency have been acting illegally for years. It takes Malory some weaseling to get the core ISIS members out of jail time, but one thing’s certainly clear with her bargain- the agency is no more. But that’s okay, because it turns out they’ve been stashing a buttload of cocaine the whole time. With everyone now relocating to Cheryl’s family mansion, the group’s current plan is to make money of their own, while Miss Tunt shapes herself up to be THE great country singer of our time.
After this twist, we get a little preview at the end of the episode showing some footage that’s expected to roll out over the season, and yes, a good amount of clips have shown up in the following three episodes, confirming that there is an endgame planned to this season.
It’s a little early to write about the storyarc, since we’re only up to four out of thirteen episodes, but since the show’s on hiatus for the next few weeks, why not reflect on what we’ve got?
So far, every episode since the premiere has worked wonderfully towards building up to a new kind of arc for the show. There’s no impending Big Bad; Barry and Katya have indeed been MIA since around the half-point of last season, while the closest thing we’ve had to a menace is FBI Agent Hawley, who resembles pre-Agents of zzzS.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson more than anything. No more straight spy stories, either. Now there’s a new playing field of narrative for Reed and his crew to explore, which they’ve begun here. While the call back appearances that have shown up so far in other shows may have very well set up potential for a big blow out in the next few episodes, Archer has a smart way of making each appearance count without directly making its reappearances become too on-the-nose. In other words, while this probably isn’t the last we’ll see of Ramon, Charles and Rudy from “Honeypot” or Pam’s yakuza team, and each of these returns certainly mattered, they aren’t the driving force of their episodes. Hopefully, I’ll have more to say about these appearances later on in the season, but it’s safe to assume that there’s more to talk about.
But you know what really has mattered so far? The main cast, and yes, their development has occurred for the best over these episodes. When you take away the top-paying jobs the ISIS members have become accustomed to, we slowly begin to see the paper unravel behind each of them. Even Cheryl, who’s deceptively wealthy, is cracking as she practices her country twang with Ray. This most recent episode is the best example of how everyone is doing without ISIS. Especially for Pam, whose recent cocaine addiction is in the center of the episode. “House Call”, the most recent episode to date, is among the show’s finest, keeping the action entirely in the Tunt Mansion, as the gang tries to hide their stash of blow from Agent Hawley, meanwhile dealing with Pam’s addiction. It’s not a secret that Pam has an addictive personality, which we’ve seen bits of her struggling with such previously on the show, but here, it becomes an essential part of her not only her character, but the show in general. It was a bit of a controversial decision to not instantly cure her when there was a possibility that they could, which is a move that will eventually make for a fascinating turn over the next few episodes.
This isn’t a full review of the season thus far, but rather a look at what we’ve received, and a plea that the rest of the season turns out this strong. Archer had the chance to change things up before becoming stale, and the move has worked to its advantage. If the show keeps this up, it could easily stay strong for a few more years, if not another five. Let’s just hope that the best has yet to come, however.