Archer - "Space Race, Part II"

Season 3, Episode 13 

Given the relatively poor job that Archer has done in wrapping up hanging storylines, both in terms of how the “Heart of Archness” trilogy played out, and really just the overall Katya storyline, I think I can be forgiven for being skeptical of this, the season finale of Archer and the second half of the “Space Race” storyline. However, given that “Part I” was so much better than any of the three “Archness” episodes, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that “Part II” managed to pull just about everything off so well. 

Archer - "Space Race, Part I"

Season 3, Episode 12 

“Fucking space.” 

Here we are, the first part of the two-parter that will close out the third season of Archer, and the show went with an idea that really could only be pulled off on a show such as Archer: the entire crew somehow ended up in outer space. It's a genre trapping so clichéd, awful and awesome at the same time, that this very easily could have been disastrous for the show. Luckily that wasn't the case. 

Archer - "Skin Game"

Season 3, Episode 11 

After a few bumps in the road, Archer returned with a strong episode in “Skin Game”, and it did so by using some of the same narrative tricks that I have decried the show using in the past. 

Archer - "Bloody Ferlin"/"Crossing Over"

Season 3, Episodes 9-10 

One of the pressures that most comedies face as they grow on in years – especially those comedies that have one bombastic personality in the center, with a lot of secondary and tertiary characters to fill in the background – is to give those second- and third-tier characters stories of their own. It's usually a move that's brought about by both creative and artistic needs, as writers search for new stories to tell, and/or actors buck for more screen time. It's something that Archer's done in the past, and given how poorly it worked in the first two seasons, it's surprising that the show would try again. Yet that Mallory-centric episode was actually pretty solid, so maybe there's something there. Yet when you take “Bloody Ferlin” and “Crossing Over” as a pair, it's clear that the show still has some work to do. 

Archer - "El Scandalo"

Season 3, Episode 8 

Continuing the seasons' theme of referencing and proportioning past episodes to generate laughs, “El Scandalo” is perhaps the episode that has done the greatest amount of lifting so far this season. Unsurprisingly (and perhaps a bit troubling) is the fact that this also makes it one of the strongest episodes of the seasons. 

Archer - "Drift Problem"

Season 3, Episode 7 

“So, how much did Dodge kick in?” 

Adam Reed has written for every single episode of Archer to date, and with a few exceptions, he does this entirely on his own, which is probably both a cost-cutting measure, and a way to exercise strict creative control. It's work that I'm sure is quite tiring for Reed, and I bring this up as the only half-assed way I can think of to bury the lede. This just wasn't a good episode of Archer. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this is the worst that the show has ever done, and what makes it really disappointing was that it comes in the middle of an incredibly strong season, one that was giving me plenty of material to work with critically, And yet somehow that all fell apart with “Drift Problem”. 

Archer - "The Limited"

Season 3, Episode 6 

Tackling Archer's third season as I have, by discussing the various ways that the show does and does not conform to it's formula (or if it even has a formula), and whether or not that is a detriment to the show's humor and comedic rhythms, has been an interesting one, for while I still enjoy the show immensely, I'm always waiting for that other shoe to drop, and for the format to stop paying off dividends. But “The Limited”, which works in many ways like a sequel to the first season classic “Skytanic”, would seem to suggest otherwise, that the show can keep working in the same format, provided it finds ways to changed up the elements for every episode. 

Archer - "El Contador"

Season 3, Episode 5 

Last week, I discussed at some length how Archer seems to have fallen into a predictable episodic formula, and while it's one that still works – based mainly on the fact that's it a formula that's open ended and allows for a wide-variety of stories to be told within the confines of the genre – it's also one that feels like it will eventually lose it's charms. That being said, it was nigh impossible not to notice the formula (or rather, another, more “classic” version of it) being used in this episode, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't good fun nonetheless. 

Archer - "The Man From Jupiter"

Season 3, Episode 4 

Welcome back, Archer fans, to the rest of season three, which frankly has a lot to live up to after the fairly ambitious three-part epic, “Heart of Archness” mini-series that aired back in September. Since those three episodes were obviously paired with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in an attempt to boost ratings, it would be correct to say that there's a lot riding on the next few episodes in terms of holding new viewer's attention week-to-week – or least there would be, if “Archness” had experienced any sort of rating bump. (Tellingly, it did do better in that time slot than The League usually does.) Of course, I can't tell if that was for the best, because I'm not entirely sure what to make of last night's episode.

Archer - "Heart of Archness, Part 3"

Season 3, Episode 3

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

Archer - "Heart of Archness, Part 2"

Season 3, Episode 2

The question of serialization 

Archer - "Heart of Archness, Part 1"

Season 3, Episode 1

A three parter???

Archer: "Double Trouble"

Season 2, Episode 13

A frustrating ending to a solid finale

Archer: "White Knights"

Season 2, Episode 12

A step up from last week’s episode, yet still below the season’s heights

Archer: "Jeu Monegasque"

Season 2, Episode 11

A disappointing drop in quality from an overall strong season

Archer: "El Secuestro"

Once I bemoan the absence of Krieger, I’ll offer up a review of tonight’s episode, after the jump….

Archer "Placebo Effect"

Once I deiced to rearrange my life so I can catch Regis every morning, I’ll offer up a review of tonight’s episode, after the jump….

Archer: "Stage Two"

Once I get the image of two skeletons banging out of my head, I'll offer up a review of tonight's episode, after the jump....

Archer: "Movie Star"

It's a been a pretty big week over here at the blog, what with achieving 1,000+ page views, and (including this writing) publishing 100 posts. So once I through myself a low-key, one man party, I'll offer up a review of tonight's Archer, after the jump....

Archer: "Tragical History"

Once I learn how to spell 'onomatopoeia,' I'll offer up a review of last night's episode, after the jump...