Archer (FX, Mondays, 10/9C) returns with a bang, literally, in tonight’s season five premiere. After a surreal, paradisical teaser that unspools to music every Chuck Jones fan will recognise, something goes horribly wrong and the credits roll. It’s something that’s a bit shocking and a little disturbing on the heels of something hilarious – a mix Archer fans have come to know and love.
Describing any part of the Archer premiere would be a spoiler, but I can safely say that the employees of ISIS are about to learn that they’ve been living a lie – Malory Archer’s (Jessica Walter) lie, to be precise. That discovery leads to the core cast of characters attempting other, less savory lines of work – and being who and what they are, the results are both not what we expecting and exactly what we should expect from them.
There are the contentious relationships between Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler); Archer and his mother; Archer and accountant/lawyer Cyril (Chris Parnell); Cheryl/Carol (Judy Greer) and Pam (Amber Nash); Archer and Ray (Adam Reed)… Which is to say that every single relationship – personal and professional – is damaged and hysterical.
There are gunfights, explosions, hand-to-hand combat; agendas within agendas. Someone even gets gut shot. Seriously, this show even makes someone getting gut shot funny.
Archer manages to be as entertaining as ever on an episode-to-episode while being more serialized than ever (at least in the five eps made available to critics). It’s an impressive feat for series creator/writer Adam Reed to have pulled off – let along at such a high level.
Archer remains the best animated series on television. Don’t miss it.
Final Grade: A+
Art courtesy of FX