Surfing Cartoons: Archer – “Double Trouble”
We will talk about these spoilers for the Archer season finale IN THE VAN…
“Dark” is a term thrown around a lot in the geek world. The ending of the Game of Thrones premiere was pretty dark. People like The Empire Strikes Back because it’s considered the darkest Star Wars movie. But somehow there’s a difference when we’re talking about a comedic cartoon, even if it’s a cartoon meant for adults. It makes that much-discussed darkness have a greater impact. Thus when Archer Katya grabbed Barry and jumped off a building to save Archer, only for her to die and Barry to not even look worse for wear (because he’s a cyborg now, don’tcha know), my jaw dropped. I often compare Archer to The Venture Bros, and that show has had some epic season finales, but it never ended a season with the main character, in tears over the death of his fiancee, getting called “bitch” by his arch-enemy.
So that said, “Double Trouble” was far from perfect. I really wish we’d spent more time with Katya to make this plot work, but she essentially remains a cipher. Somehow I still bought that Archer would fall so hard for her, mostly because she was indeed smoking hot, and I bought that a woman being able to out-shoot Lana would be the ultimate turn-on for him. Other than that the episode made sense and was funny, even if it packed a lot into twenty-some-minutes. Basically Archer brings Katya back from the Soviet Union and they fall in love with each other, but everyone is sure she’s a double agent, partially because the KGB fakes a file saying she is. Archer sides with Katya and Malory says they’re both double agents and goes after them. This ends in Katya being exonerated and Archer asking her to marry him. Gillette reveals himself to be a “disgraced former minister” and they’re about to get married right there until Barry appears.
Barry has of course been rebuilt by the Soviets as a sort of evil Six Million Dollar Man, though he refuses to do what they tell him. He’s been set up all year as a character who continually gets screwed over by Archer, and to turn him into an over-the-top villain for next year is a wonderful plot twist. I also wish there could have been a little more time for supporting characters again, but at least they were around this week, and Krieger got some of his best bits ever with his jilted anime computer-generated bride. Much of the plot was cribbed from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but somehow that just seems par for the course for this show. Take maybe the least beloved of all the Bond films and make it awesome.
Overall, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I loved, loved, loved Season 2 of Archer. It was very funny, it cared about its characters and filled in their backstories, and it had a sort of sneaky continuity. If you missed it, I highly recommend checking it out on DVD someday soon. Word has it we won’t have to wait nearly so long for Season 3, as it will most likely be debuting in the fall of this year.
Quotes:
-”What in the name of pre-paid venereal disease do you think you’re doing?”
-”It’s OK, we can hear from out here.” “With our earballs!”
-”Krieger-San, my cherry blossoms are… wilting.” “But society couldn’t deal with it!”
-”It’s OK, it was just cancer sex.”
-”Don’t engage him. From there, it’s just all orcs and Gollums and balrogs.”
-”If you don’t find that bag, I will empty the contents of your body and use your leathery skin as a replacement.”
-”Thanks! Or Shalom or… whatever it is we say.”
-”You’ve sown the wind and now you shall reap… the Barry.”
-”This van’s like rolling probable cause.”
-”All ashore from the SS Date Rape!” “Toot toot!”
-”Who do you think pays my salary?” “I just thought you were… well, slave’s not the right word…”
-”Totally being sarcastic about the Georgia O’Keeffe posters. DO NOT DO THAT.”
-”Not really the explosive climax I thought it was gonna be.”
-”I am still licensed by the state to perform marriages, the irony of which is not lost on me.”
-”Because the Russians turned me into… the unholy abomination of metal fused with flesh which now stands before you!”
Affiliates
