Season premiere review: Archer ‘Fugue and Riffs’ – Like A Latex Gimp Suit

While I’ve always enjoyed Archer‘s standalone missions of earlier seasons, I think the show’s at its best when its dealing with the maturity of Archer, as he searches for his identity. ‘Fugue and Riffs’ is an episode that works on a lot of levels – what begins as a wink to the audience, turns into another off-site adventure for the ISIS team, concluding by teasing the season’s overarching narratives  out from the events that led to Archer’s amnesia.

The season’s opening scene is one of the show’s most ingenious – a Bob’s Burgers reference infused with a heavy dose of A History of Violence. Archer’s assumed the identity of Bob (the obvious catch being H. Jon Benjamin, who voices both characters on their respective shows), and when a group of KGB agents attack him, he murders them in brutal fashion, unaware of the instincts rising up in him until Linda wonders what the hell is going on.

We find out later that Archer’s amnesia stems from his mother getting married to Ray Cadillac (the biggest Cadillac dealer in the tri-state area) – a perfectly understandable reaction from the guy who’s lost the woman he loved to death AND his nemesis (in that order) and the man he thought was his father (murdered of course, by Barry). It’s the second season in a row that opens with Archer running away from his problems: showing us that while he might have grown a bit in last season’s finale, he’s still not quite the adult he could be.

Adam Reed’s talked about season four making Barry a bigger character on the show – something I think will really allow us to dig into Archer’s psyche and unravel the confident, womanizing spy. He’ll be on edge with a new stepfather in his life, and with Barry pushing the KGB buttons from space, he’ll be getting challenged at every turn. Nobody can ruin Archer’s life like Cyborg Barry, and he’s getting a little uncomfortable in space (“Are we losing our mind Barry? I think so, Other Barry”), undoubtably leading to an epic showdown between them in the latter episodes of the season.

Slowly the show’s dug into why Archer is Archer over the years – showing that Archer’s intelligence spreads far beyond their tightly plotted escapades, and beautifully designed dialogue that makes every episode one extended, action-packed conversation (even when every character is in a separate room). Like I said, this show has mastered its formula as only the best shows on TV know how to – and ‘Fugue and Riffs’ is a fine example of that mastery, weaving in tons of inside jokes and obscure pop culture references (Shazam!) for a fun re-introduction to the Archer universe.

Grade: A-

Other thoughts/observations:

– All Kreiger has to do is say “Aww” off screen and I’m in hysterics. Love that German piece of schlitz.

– quite a gory opening, even for Archer: “Better grab the purple stuff.”

– I was wondering how the ostrich jokes were going to hit home, and Carol’s LSD shriek was terrific.

– another great line I wish we heard more often: Cyrill’s “SUPRESSING FIRE!!!”

– how many episodes will Lana’s nipples get covered with random things this season? I’m setting the over/under at 4.