Television Review: Archer

How do you define Archer? It’s not really an action show, and it’s not really an ensemble comedy- not to mention it’s animated, a highly unusual choice for a spy show. It’s like taking Mad Men, Arrested Development, the good parts of The Office, and throwing them in a blender. Blend it, sprinkle the 4,685 spices of Bond movies, and what you’ve got is Archer.

The story revolves around ISIS secret agent, Sterling Archer, and the exploits of his mother Malory, chief of ISIS (and former secret agent herself). Archer possesses all the best and worst qualities of spies: an abundance of awesomeness, a penchant for strong drinks and soft bodies, and a self-obsession Charlie Sheen would be envious of. Of course, like any son, he’s a reflection of his mothers values and lessons- this would explain Archer’s ping-pong paddle fetish and his constant need for acceptance, among many other things.

Like any good spy show, Archer‘s list of international enemies with ridiculous surnames is long, and these enemies seem to escape most climatic situations, usually due to Archer’s ignorance and complete disregard for standard procedures (he has a habit of quoting random Burt Reynolds movies at inconvenient times). There is a fine line between satirical and offensive when dealing with these sometimes goofy enemies, but Archer handles issues of class and race just like anything else on the show; they make it hilarious.

The action doesn’t disappoint, either. There are cool gadgets, big explosions, and lots of hot animated women for Archer to sleep with. But the best aspects of Archer‘s action scenes aren’t these crazy stunts and situations ; it’s the conversations taking place during those scenes. Every time gunshots and explosions ring out on the screen, the focus is on the characters. Where else can you find profound moments of honesty, shouting and arguing during gunfights and car chases? The scenes are always entertaining and revealing, and it keeps Archer from falling into the typical action-comedy mold.

It’s these little touches which make Archer wonderful. It takes superfluous drama like hostage situations and turns them into hilarious moments of exposition (or, in Archer’s case, moments for him to forget his witty line and say “Shit, I had something good for this!”) without becoming lost in the minor details of trying to explain its mythology, or feel obligated to tie up loose ends (aka the last season of LOST).

Most of the time, the episodes end with major dramatic elements of the story unresolved, very reminiscent of Seinfeld (as is the element of running background jokes throughout the season, which there are plenty). Some people call it lazy storytelling, but Archer‘s true focus isn’t on who wins the Spy Wars, but the life of the primary and ancillary characters living in this spy world. It’s a breath of fresh-air amongst the fecal spray known as 2011 network television.

Archer is the type of show which people will either love or hate: it’s rude, violent, extremely sexual, and very blunt. The deadpan delivery of the show’s jokes shows the sophisticated (though low-brow)nature of the show’s comedy, and the voice talent (including the always-brilliant F. Jon Benjamin in the titular role)is remarkably sharp. It makes political statements without soap boxing (or most of the time, without making a direct reference), its constantly hilarious, and it’s not clamoring to reach mass audiences, which keeps it from becoming vanilla. From the sharply-written dialogue to the concise and always-focused plot lines and season arcs, Archer is easily the best animated show on television, and presents a convincing case as the funniest show on television.

Personally, I can’t recommend Archer enough. It’s hilarious, vulgar, obscure, intriguing, and while it operates way outside of reality, its grounded morally in a way most shows wouldn’t bother to attempt…. and that’s because most viewers don’t really care about morals (or else why would in every action movie, the guy who kills everyone gets the girl in the end?). But Archer does- as he says at one point in an early episode; “Big picture, I’m probably not a very happy person.” And it’s that perspective (plus the fact Malory, Archer’s mother, seems to have more influence around the world than the President) which separates Archer not only from the Get Smarts and Mission: Impossibles of it’s genre (been a long time since there was a good spy show, huh), but from every other show, comedy or otherwise, found on television today.

If you haven’t seen it…. go do it. Now.

Acting (Voice): A+
Production Values: A
Characters and Plot: A+

Overall: A