Archer Season 3 airs Jan. 19th at 10 p.m. on FX
Have you meet Sterling Archer? Archer is a super-secret super-agent on the hit show “Archer” that can be found on the FX Network. (Please excuse me while I try to “Search Engine Optimize” this opening paragraph. Archer. I don’t really know how to do it so I merely state the subject of the piece over and again and hope that it works.) “Archer Season 2” is now available on Blu-ray/DVD so go and buy it!
Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is a sort of James Bond doppelganger: He gets the gorgeous women, drives the fast cars and constantly drinks copious amounts of liquor (usually scotch) to such a degree that an intervention is in order. The only difference is that he is a barely functioning moron who somehow bumbles his way out of many dangerous accounts of espionage. Dangerous accounts of espionage that he has usually caused. Archer (codename: Duchess) works for ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service) along side his boorish mother, Malory (“Arrested Development’s” Jessica Walter) and foxy ex-lady friend, Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler).
The rest of the office is populated with equally eccentric crazy people including Pam Poovey (Amber Nash), Cheryl/Carol Tunt (Judy Greer) and Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell). The genius of the show can be found in the banter between the characters. The dialogue is whip smart and whip quick and you must pay close attention to get everything. As juvenile as some of the shows humor can be, the writing is very smart and impossibly well paced.
“Archer” was created by Adam Reed who is known for this sort of entertainment that has usually been found exclusively on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Reed has been involved with such insane and hilarious programming as “Frisky Dingo” and “Sealab 2021”. He also directed many episodes of “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” which started the quick-witted adult animation comedy craze. With “Archer” Reed has hit his stride producing consistently funny material for a half hour show (“Frisky Dingo” and “Sealab” ran only 15 minutes which is the norm for Adult Swim).
Season 2 hits a wide range of topics from a man diagnosed with breast cancer to an auber jean colored vibrator. The animation is reminiscent of old “Jonny Quest” shows from the 60s fused with gorgeous backgrounds that are close to photo realistic. It’s interesting that “Archer” seems to be taking place in an nondescript time frame as the computers and vehicles can be decidedly retro 60s and 70s while the characters chat on cell phones and shoot automatic weapons from the present.
The disc features 13 episodes on 2 discs and a handful of extras. Add it to the collection. Now!!!!
