Archer - "Heart of Archness, Part 3"

Season 3, Episode 3

How funny does an episode have to be in order to be satisfying?

So maybe Archer shouldn’t become serialized after all. After two hilarious episodes, the wrap-up to the trilogy was left with a lot of weight to pull in order to finish out the story. I don’t want to say that this episode wasn’t enjoyable – the pace was nice and fast, and the entire plot kept things from getting boring – but the episode wasn’t nearly as funny as the first two offerings. We can bicker all we want about whether or not this funny – and more on that in a bit – but considering that Archer is a show known for being uproariously funny, and I’m not sure if only being sort-of funny it’s the best business move, considering the low viewership. (Remember, this miniseries is mostly to lure some of the Sunny audience to watch in the spring.)

I’m not going to say that this episode wasn’t funny; it was, just not in the laugh out loud mode that it normally is. Instead, I mostly spent the episode’s run time with a silent smile on my face, enjoying the episode without really making too much noise. The reason for this, I think, is that as much as Archer is a comedy, it’s also heavily indebted to the action drama. Part of this is that the best send-ups manage to get the trappings of their genres down pat, and the show does that. But scenes like the closing one tonight, where Lana opens fire on the lacrosse game, also seems to indicate that Adam Reed also really enjoys the actions genre in general, and over-the-top violence specifically.

While Archer sometime uses this violence for laughs – like when Noah accidentally stabbed Riley in the eye – but other times it likes violence just for the sake of excitement. And as long as the show can keep those episodes moving at an acceptable pace, I’m okay with that. I’m just not sure if other people will feel the same way.

Quotes, Etc:

“Good god woman, where’s your pride?” “In my work?” “That might be the funniest thing you’ve ever said.”

“I can’t with everyone looking at me…with all the judgments.”

"Don't talk like black people, OK?"

"I don't even remember who peed on your sofa, although if I was a gamblin' man..."

"I'm kidding. Crab rangoon."

“Rock beats spoon, you should now that Noah, you’re an archeologist.”

“Missed it by that much."

"It's Algonquin for bloodsport?" "It's not Algonquin for anything!"

"We're leaving... before this cruddy school burns to the ground."

"Sterling, get your things... he's gay."

“Lana, don’t get me wrong, I like your spunk.” “Phrasing.”

“I figured we would kind of work backwards from the ship stealing…”

“Houdini’s dead?”

"For shit's sake, mother! How short is the list of guys you haven't screwed?"

“I mean her, yes, kinda maybe, but there's a lot of weird sexual tension."

“Yup, they got ol’ Ray this time.”

“Can I just run up to my hovel and grab the only extant copy of my dissertation?"

“Hey, relax Nick Furious.”

“Who am I Carl Lannstiener?...Discoverer of blood groups?”

“WOOOOO! Bird’s eye view of lacrosse!”

“The crease, idiot, guard the crease!”

“But now I guess The Archers of Loaf-crosse can just forget about winning the Southeast Asian Championship.” “That’s not a thing.” “When and if it’s a thing.”

“'Fairy tale'? Uh, phrasing?”