Season 3, Episode 7
“So, how much did Dodge kick in?”
As I have said repeatedly in these posts, Archer's MO tends to be splitting the episode into two stories: Whatever Archer (and who ever he's with) is up to, and a second story for the remaining characters. It's a solid formula, if a bit predictable, as it allows the show to get good mileage out of simple setups without over-stretching any one idea. This also allows for a madcap nature that makes it seem as if each episode is packed wall-to-wall with an overabundance of jokes, gags, and idea, regardless of whether or not it is true. It's funny then that “Drift's” main problem seem to be that the episode suffers from an actual overabundance of idea, which leaves each one underdeveloped and underexplored.
The central conceit of the episode - that it's Archer's birthday, and he gets a sweet car as a present – seems like a good one, as it allows for the maximum exploration of his selfish, asshole-ish nature. In fact, just “it's Archer's birthday” alone would be a good enough premise for that, to the point that I'm surprised the episode didn't just stay there, given how his general pissiness with no one remembering his birthday made for some good early-episode humor, and could have been built up to something hilarious in the back two-thirds. The show tried to keep this a narrative thread by giving Archer a few lines about it in third act, but at that point there were so many other plots piled on that it kind of got lost in the fray.
What were these other plots? Well it started when Archer's car gets stolen from his apartment complex's parking lot, which of course spins him into a uncontrollable hissy fit. (Again, the show missed another opportunity by not just leaving Archer with the car for he whole episode.) This leads him for some reasons leads Archer to a Asian drag racing ring, which inevitability end up in a car chase/shootout combo.
It seemed like an excuse for the show to take advantage of the product placement money that Dodge was throwing at them, and while I don't begrudge the show for the product placement (especially when they got some solid jokes out of it), I do regret that they used it so haphazardly. Archer's done on a shoestring budget, but it makes the animation style work by knowing it's limitations and sometimes playing off of them when cheese factor helps sell the jokes. But the effect used for the race? That flattened 3-D shit looks good for backdrops, but doesn't really work when it's meant to be putting us into the action.
That the Asian drag racing didn't actually lead to any real leads for Archer wasn't surprising, given that it was terribly obvious from the flashback to Archer losing his bicycle as a child forward that it was Mallory who stole both modes of transportation as an exercise in her very poor ideas of mothering. This was supposed to be funny, but comedy doesn't really work when it's predictable, and a lot of the punchlines just fell flat here because of it.
In fact, the ultimate downside to this is that the episode just wasn't very funny, mostly for the reasons listed above, but also because there just weren't that many good one-liners either. There's usually something of a built to the best Archer gags (think those tiger jokes from “El Contador”), and with so many things going on tonight, that just wasn't really possible. Perhaps the biggest laughs from the night – and even these were a bit muted in comparison to the normal laughs that get elicited from me by the show – was the brief runner at the tail end about Carol becoming enamored with Mallory through the latter's physical abuse. And when an episode can only make three good jokes out of one gag, then you know it's got problems.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
I did appreciate another substantial look into Pam's private life/psyche, especially since the last time the show did so, it ended up leaving me a little cold.
The central conceit of the episode - that it's Archer's birthday, and he gets a sweet car as a present – seems like a good one, as it allows for the maximum exploration of his selfish, asshole-ish nature. In fact, just “it's Archer's birthday” alone would be a good enough premise for that, to the point that I'm surprised the episode didn't just stay there, given how his general pissiness with no one remembering his birthday made for some good early-episode humor, and could have been built up to something hilarious in the back two-thirds. The show tried to keep this a narrative thread by giving Archer a few lines about it in third act, but at that point there were so many other plots piled on that it kind of got lost in the fray.
What were these other plots? Well it started when Archer's car gets stolen from his apartment complex's parking lot, which of course spins him into a uncontrollable hissy fit. (Again, the show missed another opportunity by not just leaving Archer with the car for he whole episode.) This leads him for some reasons leads Archer to a Asian drag racing ring, which inevitability end up in a car chase/shootout combo.
It seemed like an excuse for the show to take advantage of the product placement money that Dodge was throwing at them, and while I don't begrudge the show for the product placement (especially when they got some solid jokes out of it), I do regret that they used it so haphazardly. Archer's done on a shoestring budget, but it makes the animation style work by knowing it's limitations and sometimes playing off of them when cheese factor helps sell the jokes. But the effect used for the race? That flattened 3-D shit looks good for backdrops, but doesn't really work when it's meant to be putting us into the action.
That the Asian drag racing didn't actually lead to any real leads for Archer wasn't surprising, given that it was terribly obvious from the flashback to Archer losing his bicycle as a child forward that it was Mallory who stole both modes of transportation as an exercise in her very poor ideas of mothering. This was supposed to be funny, but comedy doesn't really work when it's predictable, and a lot of the punchlines just fell flat here because of it.
In fact, the ultimate downside to this is that the episode just wasn't very funny, mostly for the reasons listed above, but also because there just weren't that many good one-liners either. There's usually something of a built to the best Archer gags (think those tiger jokes from “El Contador”), and with so many things going on tonight, that just wasn't really possible. Perhaps the biggest laughs from the night – and even these were a bit muted in comparison to the normal laughs that get elicited from me by the show – was the brief runner at the tail end about Carol becoming enamored with Mallory through the latter's physical abuse. And when an episode can only make three good jokes out of one gag, then you know it's got problems.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
I did appreciate another substantial look into Pam's private life/psyche, especially since the last time the show did so, it ended up leaving me a little cold.
I'm sorry, I cannot get over how awkward that title is. It just does not sit right when said aloud.
“Then make Nutella waffles.” “Hmmmmm.” Dammit. Nutella steak 'n' eggs?”
“Cookie Puss...those guys at Carvel know what they're doing.”
“Seriously, does nobody remember what today is?” “Ummm...Tuesday?” “The Rapture?”
“Owwwww....I think.”
“THANKS, DODGE!”
“It makes the Mach 5 look like a vagina.”
“It's black, powerful, sexy. Like if Ron O'Neil was a car.”
“I'm kidding; you couldn't have stopped her. She would have snapped your spine. You're just so...tiny.”
“Modified limited rampage?”
“So just a head up, I'm starting the rampage now.”
“Jeez, ow....got another one in ya?”
“Who taught you how to drive?” “Oh, this guy I know named MY DEAD FATHER!” “Oh, ummm...” “Yeah, I bet you feel like a dick right now.”
“She beat it out of me...rrrrrrrr.” “Oh, stop it.”
“That was for Pearl Harbor.”
“Then make Nutella waffles.” “Hmmmmm.” Dammit. Nutella steak 'n' eggs?”
“Cookie Puss...those guys at Carvel know what they're doing.”
“Seriously, does nobody remember what today is?” “Ummm...Tuesday?” “The Rapture?”
“Owwwww....I think.”
“THANKS, DODGE!”
“It makes the Mach 5 look like a vagina.”
“It's black, powerful, sexy. Like if Ron O'Neil was a car.”
“I'm kidding; you couldn't have stopped her. She would have snapped your spine. You're just so...tiny.”
“Modified limited rampage?”
“So just a head up, I'm starting the rampage now.”
“Jeez, ow....got another one in ya?”
“Who taught you how to drive?” “Oh, this guy I know named MY DEAD FATHER!” “Oh, ummm...” “Yeah, I bet you feel like a dick right now.”
“She beat it out of me...rrrrrrrr.” “Oh, stop it.”
“That was for Pearl Harbor.”
No comments:
Post a Comment