Review: Archer ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ – Shut Your Dick Holster

Sterling Archer is such a fantastic character because he’s so deeply flawed. He’s a momma’s boy, never had any friends, and has enough sexual quirks to fill up a lecture on Freudian behavior. He’s great as a spy, but he’s mentally fucked as a human being, something ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ focuses on, but unlike last season’s ‘Crossing Over’, there’s less emotional beats packed into Archer’s reunion with his one friend in life, and more throwaway jokes that mostly work, but still left me a little unsatisfied with the arc.

At times it felt like ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ was just one endless gay joke: from Lucas Troy’s mannerisms to the pink handcuffs he ties Archer up with, there’s less character building with Lucas than most of Archer’s acquaintances or adversaries. He doesn’t talk to Archer for years after taking a job at Odin, but he steals uranium and sells it for $10 million, faking his own death so he can build a life with Archer at a rundown bed and breakfast in Vermont.

What’s odd is how the show goes out of its way to avoid making Lucas legitimately gay: Ray says he’s not gay about halfway through, he’s always saying over-masculine things (“Your mom said!”), and he later admits to Archer he’s the only man he’s ever been attracted to. On the surface it makes sense, but under a microscope, the character motivations fall apart a bit. Archer’s the butt of many of his jokes, yes, but it’s almost too cruel to make the only friend he’s ever had someone who is attracted to him (which is clear from the outset, with a cutaway to them entwined in a wrestling pose, suggesting early that homo eroticism is the theme of tonight’s episode).

Don’t get me wrong: it doesn’t necessarily bother me in the realm of sexual politics – it is just a little odd how far they go to define Lucas’s character as not gay. I think it would’ve been funnier if he actually was, sending Archer into either a masculinity-fueled rampage to prove his straightness (which of course, nobody would believe in) or if he spent the rest of the episode trying to figure out his feelings for Lucas. It’s quietly hinted at that Archer’s attracted to him, but the show stops short of them sharing a tender moment.

On the other hand, having the episode end with Lucas admitting to raping Archer in his sleep is a little too far off-color, even for a show like Archer. Sure, it’s a joke that serves a purpose (the hilarious closing shot… “Can we have the radio?”) but I think it pushes the line of attraction between Lucas and Archer a little too far. It’s funny yes, but at what expense? So Archer’s best friend can die as a rapist homosexual in denial?

It’s just slightly off from Archer‘s normal tone, which knows what gender and racial buttons to push for comedic effect (season 1’s ‘Diversity Hire’ is a fantastic example). The rest of the episode – a large collection of Krieger cutaways and office humor – is as sharp as always, but I’ve really been looking forward to this season diving into Archer’s past a lot more, and trying to trigger some growth in a man whose maturity equivalency is that of an alcoholic 15 year old. Tonight wasn’t a wasted opportunity – Timothy Olyphant is great as Lucas, and we get to see Archer with a military haircut – but it lacks the same emotional punch as most Archer character studies are.

Grade: B

Other thoughts/observations:

– Lana is two for two losing clothes in episodes this season. Today, she takes her pants off to crush Lucas under a tree.

– putting Lana and Cyril together was a fantastic pairing (something we haven’t seen much since early season two), and gave us the sad moment of Cyril admitting being with her was the happiest he’s ever been. Reunion?

– the ISIS office has a new “gun librarian”.

– Krieger’s new van provides another fantastic visual: Van By Night.

– possible Arrested Development shoutout: the stair car in the picture of Lucas Malory and crew and looking at.

– “First of all; shit ass!” – Lana is the best

– What is Archer’s new ringtone?

– “I’ve got an El Camino full of rampage.”

– Pam is the best, whether it’s dropping broken mics or shitting on Carol (whose glue-eating habits have returned).