Rating: 5/5
Three-Word summary: Buffoon cartoon spy
After a year of waiting, the fourth season of Archer was just released on Netflix. It took me less than a week to watch all thirteen episodes. It was that addicting. And hilarious.
Like the previous spy-themed comedy show I finished watching, it’s all about spot-on comedic timing and fully-developed, absurdly-minded characters.
If it’s safe to say that the entire spy genre is derivative of James Bond, then Archer does perhaps the best job of satirizing said genre. And it does so in true form to other adult cartoon shows (ala the Simpsons and South Park) with plenty of violence and language and sex and alcohol.
Archer is about the inept intelligence-agency ISIS and its wonderfully bone-headed staff — the insensitive, yet indomitable eponymous Sterling Archer; his self-serving mother Malory Archer, who owns ISIS; his former-lover and fellow agent Lana Kane; bumbling accountant Cyril Figgis; debaucherous HR director Pam Poovey; moronic, but wealthy secretary Cheryl Tunt; and creepy, closet-Nazi scientist Dr. Krieger.
The animation itself is clean and bold — realistic enough not to be distracting, while remaining cartoony enough to be still thought of as humorous. The theme song and sequence are both catchy. And the voice acting (done by a number of well-known actors) is impeccable — I can’t hear H. Jon Benjamin’s voice and not immediately see Archer.
Archer and his fellow ISIS agents jet-set around the world going on a number of ill-advised missions with varying levels of success. They often thwart or are thwarted by the KGB, a cyborg named Barry and Archer’s own ego/incompetence. There are the occasional pop culture references (mostly on tangents from Archer), but not too many to be confusing.
Each episode moves quickly and ends satisfyingly. They all fit together, but not so much so that they can’t be enjoyed separately. In other words, its easy to get caught up binge watching an entire season in a short period of time.
The creators of the show called Archer ‘James Bond meets Arrested Development,’ because of the comical family dysfunction and because several of the actors appear in both programs. Both shows are also superbly written and rank among my all-time favorites.