Archer Season 3

It was a very good one. I'm sure they'll reshow next week. Don't watch the second ep until you've seen the first.

It wasn't a season long return. It is a three episode treat...a bit of a sales pitch to follow Sunny. Last night was hysterical.

Brock Samson, baby.

"Cooch-Chili."

"KING of the Pirates."

"And whatever my equivalent of 'sploosh' is...which, I guess, is just 'sploosh'...only with semen."

The sad part is, until this comment last night, neither me or the friend I was watching it with had understood the 'sploosh' joke in the first place. She turned to me said something like "Oh, I feel so dumb, I didn't get that until now" and I had to admit that I didn't either.

Argh! I keep forgetting Archer is back for a few episodes. I have not recorded a single one of these. Thank goodness, it's On Demand on my cable system, and I did watch the first episode that way. Hopefully, the other two will be there when I find some time to catch up with them. I really love this show.

Just kidding...

Crab Rangoon.

Big casting news...

...Scratch that, the BIGGEST casting news:

Playing the role of an astronaut on the space station in the (two-part) season finale will be...Bryan Cranston.

SPLOOSH.

Every time Burt did his trademark laugh, I lost it. That was a great way to kick things off!!

I thought they overdid the laugh bit. Once or twice would have been MORE than enough for me (not a huge Reynolds fan; I do like some of his work). The episode otherwise was very entertaining. Archer's man crush on Burt is so funny.

I thought last night's was probably the best of season 3 by far.

"De-dildo" needs to be added to the dictionary so I can use it in "Words With Friends."

 

That may have been the most twisted episode the show has ever done (seriously, the reveal that Sterling spends his Friday nights throwing flour on a half-nude Woodhouse was only about the 7th most-disturbing thing here), and consequently, my favorite ever. God...a dash of Krieger just makes everything, particularly bodily-dismemberment and freakish sexual perversions, go down smooth.

 

Krieger's throaty "Thaaank you" after being told the body was "all his" was amazing. And his shaking of the tube with his "prize" inside. And, "You might want to wash your lips."

 

But my favorite exchange:

 

"Is Krieger hard at work in there?"

 

"He might literally be."

Besides all the twisted stuff I also really liked "What year do you think this is?" "Well uh, that's a good question."

Yep, I pretty much laughed from beginning to end, and really lost it when the gang arrived in the second half of the show.

You forgot the first part -- "They don't have a king."

And the dinner party was fantastic, mainly because there's a dead body in the house, and the police at the door -- OF COURSE you'd re-create a drunken Algonquin round-table scene.

(I kinda wish the detective had questioned why Malory has a middle-American accent, while her son has a dubious British upper-class accent...that disappears from time to time.)

However, I must correct you here that the line was "They don't use a King?"

At the very least, you can place it in the 90's because they have internet and Archer made a reference to Zima in an episode. Maybe even later since they have shown Smartphones as well. Has to be a least after '86 when Ferris Bueller was released.

The whole episode was so twisted and hilarious that by the time they reached the dinner party I lost it! "By God, if you were my servant I'd have you over my knee in a trice!"

Archer's been renewed for season four:

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/fx-renews-archer-signs-production-deal-with-eps-adam-reed-matt-thompson/

You could totally drown a toddler in my panties right now.

(Not...that you would.)

Trixie playing Janelle? Very nice.

I rewatched the beginning of this latest episode just because of how rapid-fire it was. I loved Archer yelling at Ray on the ladder, and mentioning that Ray was wearing "what better not be my night-vision goggles!" As Ray is responding, he removes and hides them without saying a word.

(Also in that same scene: "For all we know, they're in there building a Gundam suit with bazookas for arms!!")

Some more thoughts:

• I love how Michael Rooker's casting throws us off -- you totally expect his character to be a corrupt hick because, well, it's Michael Rooker. But no, we get a nice twist on the whole trope, and looking back, his performance reflects that right from the very beginning.
  
  
• Jack McBrayer and Paula Malcomson were solid gold in their roles, though I can't help but wonder if Paula is getting tired of being cast as the "promiscuous Southern woman."
  
  
• I nearly howled at the reveal when Cheryl/Carol poked her head into the front seat. Her actions in the rest of the episode (insisting that the marriage didn't count, since it hadn't been "consummated," snapping a rooster's neck, shaving it, cauterizing Janelle's tiny scratch, slamming down as much moonshine as Archer) did not disappoint.**
  
  
• "You drank too much!" "That's a thing?" Yes, Archer, it's called alcoholism. Which you pretty much have.
  
  
• "The city is FULL of them...you knows." "Yep, we DO have a lot of 'em."
  
  
• Jon Benjamin's giggling, high-pitched "Phrasing!" slayed me.
  
  
• Amber Nash needs to be in everything. She didn't get much this week, but her of delivery of "Hello there, game-changer" was one of the best in the episode.
  
  
• I adore how Malory's yell of "LAAAAAAANNNNNNNNA!!!!" at the end is very similar to how Archer screams it sometimes.
  
  
• That verse in the Bible Randy was talking about? Turns out that's a verse that basically says, "Sleep with your dead brother's wife so she can procreate." Though, as Archer points out in the episode, this is, of course, open to interpretation...

It's going to take a hell of a lot to oust the dead Prime Minister from "best of the season" for me, but this was a fun one, despite a distinct underuse of Krieger. I'd actually like to see more of the holler, so if they could finagle a return trip, that would be aces. Only next time, get Walton Goggins to do a voice, for God's sake.


(**Judy Greer's "EllllllllllllEGahnt DEEEEEEINNNNER paaaaht-eeee" accent is one of those things that I still laugh just thinking about over a week later.)
Edited by joshEH - 2/24/12 at 2:00pm

Hilarious from beginning to end. One of my favorites in a season of favorites. No wonder FX renewed it. These guys are firing on all cylinders.

Also, ratings are up evidently 62% from over last season's numbers. They'd be pretty stupid not to renew it.

Another highlight for me was the absolute randomness of Ray NOT being paralyzed -- "I couldn't get a cab, so I got back in the chair."

(Also-Also: "Sarcasm! Because apparently we're announcing it whenever we use it now!!")

(**Judy Greer's "EllllllllllllEGahnt DEEEEEEINNNNER paaaaht-eeee" accent is one of those things that I still laugh just thinking about over a week later.)


QFT.

I thought the first part was stronger than the second part, but agreed.

I tried to watch it at lunchtime, but the audio kept cutting in and out; I guess the cable company was having atmospheric issues last night. I'll have to catch it On Demand next week once it shows up.

The finale was good stuff.

Got to see it at last, and had some really good laughs. Overall, a very good season for the show.