02.06
As far as I’m concerned, Archer is by far the wittiest and most legitimately clever animated comedy currently airing. Forget the rampant stupidity of today’s family friendly cartoons and the over-reliance on shock value of modern “adult” animation… Archer‘s dialogue is quite raunchy, yes, and the (very) occasional violence is fairly bloody, but it also sports two things shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force (recently renamed for those keeping track) and post-revival Family Guy sorely lack: intelligence and actual cohesion. Sure, there’s not much realistic about Archer, but unlike in so many other series of its ilk, the viewer will never encounter anything that wouldn’t make sense within the established universe.
For those who’ve never seen an episode, Archer is essentially a more adult and up-to-date version of Get Smart (the series, not the godawful film), about Sterling Archer, self-appointed world’s greatest secret agent. He’s a total asshole, but it’s hard to dislike him just because of how legitimately funny he is. Archer works for an agency named ISIS — which happens to be run by his mother — alongside a couple of less douchey (and equally hilarious) agents and some fairly strange/often disturbing pencil-pushers (plus one scientist). I can’t really do the series justice with a basic description like this. Just watch the first episode online or something.
The writing and performances in Archer are top-notch, and both elements have been improved two-fold for the second season. Adam Reed’s scripts are consistently bust-a-gust hilarious, while H. Jon Benjamin’s rapid-fire delivery never gets old. I’m singling out Benjamin here because it’s his performance as the title character that really makes the show work, but it’s worth mentioning that every single voice actor really owns their role here. Aisha Tyler especially is also brilliant as Lana Kane, a character who ends up being nearly as quotable as Archer himself. And quote these characters you will; the recurring gags will no doubt get stuck in your head and make you laugh every time you think about them.
Another great thing about Archer (and its key draw) is its excellent and wonderfully broad sense of humor. Even the easily offended will likely find something to laugh at in every episode, as the jokes run the gamut from stupidly obvious to so goddamn clever that they actually require a bit of thought from the viewer. There’s also tons of replay value here; each episode tosses so many jokes at you that it’s quite possible to miss something hilarious from laughing too hard at a previous bit.
But perhaps my favorite thing about this series is a certain component that often ends up being a weak link in TV comedies… ISIS’ employees — in spite of their dysfunctions — are all shockingly competent and good at their jobs instead of being bumbling morons. Comedy never devolves into “look at how stupid this guy is” pissing contests or bad slapstick, a refreshing change of pace from all the anime I’ve been watching recently. Certain episodes are among the finest television comedy installments I’ve ever seen; Stage Two, Placebo Effect, and White Nights in particular.
The art is pretty good, but the animation is only slightly above that of your average [adult swim] cartoon. It moves well enough, all things considered, but the budget (or lack thereof) is definitely obvious. That’s not such a bad thing for a series like this, though. The video quality on the DVD could be a bit sharper, but I highly doubt that the Blu-Ray format really makes much of a difference.
The second disc contains few special features, but they’re all pretty good, and certainly better than the meager offerings of Season 1’s release. It includes four special shorts, which end up totaling about 15 minutes in length. They’re all reasonably humorous, but not really worth buying the DVD for. There’s also a 13-minute recording of most of the cast (and Adam Reed) being interviewed at a Comic-Con panel, which is interesting but not essential. A bit disappointing overall, but Archer fans (and fans of comedy in general) will want to pick up this release anyway.
TL;DR
Story/Writing (9.5/10): The dialogue is absolutely brilliant and each plot is sensible (in-universe) and serviceable.
Characters (9/10): The dynamic is flawless. Development is kind of lacking, but that’s not really important in a series like this.
Art/Animation (8/10): It looks good but could definitely move more fluidly.
Voice Acting (10/10): It doesn’t get better than this.
Bonus Features (5/10): What’s here is good, but the lack of commentary and/or deleted scenes stings.
Actual Content: 9.5/10
Overall: 9/10
Archer is by far the most hilarious and consistent cartoon currently airing, if not one of the best of all time. Season 2 is even better than the first, and longtime fans and newcomers alike will want to pick up this DVD (or Blu-Ray) for its healthy ratio of belly laughs to dollars paid alone. Just don’t expect anything substantial as far as extra content goes.
Originally posted on December 31, 2011