Thanks to the wonderful coming timing of one H. Jon Benjamin, with his deadpan tone and flawless delivery, the returning hit show Archer finally hits the home video shelves, if only in time for fans to catch up, as the third season gets ready to air in January 2012.
So, What is Archer About?
In a not-so-subtle nutshell, Archer follows the exploits of one Sterling Archer (voice of Benjamin), a capable but completely socially inept super spy who works for ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service), an American spy agency run by none other than Sterling's own mother, the veteran Malory Archer (voice of Jessica Walters, from TV's Arrested Development).
As if this mother-son relationship didn't already make for bad enough of a situation, the agency's other top spy, Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler, sarcastic and cynical to perfection in the voice role), happens to be Sterling's ex-flame.
Round up this happy-go-lucky group by throwing in an eccentric computer scientist (Lucky Yates), a flamboyant analyst (Adam Reed), a vapid sado-masochistic assistant (Judy Greer) and the dim-witted office gossip (Amber Nash), and you have yourself a working spy agency any sane man or woman would want to avoid hiring.
Highlights of Archer Season Two\
Given the nature of this show's narrative --- that is to say, containing some recurring elements but without following any chronology or mythology, there isn't really a need for viewers to go back and catch the last few episodes of season one in order to make sense of this second outing.
(Then again, I try to recommend this show to all of my friends and colleagues, given how fun it is, so go back and watch Season One anyway...)
This time around, danger takes all manner of forms. Archer discovers he may have cancer; an eco-terrorist may plan to destroy part of the Gulf of Mexico, unless Sterling and Lana can stop him...assuming they themselves don't cause even more damage in the process; one of Archer's favorite hookers comes forth announcing he may be the father of her baby; a dangerous (but incredibly catchy) computer virus threatens to ruin ISIS forever, unless Cyril (Chris Parnell, Saturday Night Live) comes to the rescue. You get the gist of the weekly plot you can expect.
Archer Season Two Blu-Ray Special Features
Other than the fact that the crisp animation style of this series looks even better in high definition, expect some familiar nuggets from Season One's bonus lineup. Among them, a brief bio of Archersaurus (based on the character of Sterling Archer being replaced by a velociraptor in the pilot, whereas the rest of the dialogue and plot remained the same...ludicrously funny), footage of the voice cast at Comic-Con, a segment called "Ask Archer", where the title character answers fan mail, and so on. One bit, where Archer's face turns into the voice actor's, feels like filler and should be skipped.
The Final Word on Archer Season Two Blu-Ray
Like many other successful animated show out there, much of the strength of this series rests with its awesome voice cast. Benjamin's delivery, even on its own, carries so much of the humor of the show. With such a group of gifted voices, there's almost little point in discussing plot value. You basically want to see what the actors and writers will come up with next. Also, it helps that the show airs on FX, rather than some heavily censored Big Four network. This way, you can get laughs and some harsh language, all rolled into one.
Give it a try, you'll thank me later.
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
