Season: 6 / Episode: 8 / FX
After about a three episode lull of “decent” episodes, Archer got back on it’s murda murda comedy game this week with a visit to the grandparents. Lana’s parents. With Sterling. Yes, that is as terrible an idea as it sounds, but the train wreck that is Sterling with a couple of academics was supplemented by some really good jokes, action and revelations. The traditional “meet the parents” trope with Lana’s parents is elevated by the fact she’s been hiding her job (they think she’s still pursuing her PhD in social services) and by the fact that they picked probably the two most ideal people to do the voice acting for her parents. Keith David (who gets a little more run) and CCH Pouder are perfect for Lana’s parents and the continual ridicule of Sterling. Lemuel (David) has some invaluable research he’s been working on, which leads to a theft, a high speed chase (with the car from Bullitt) and Lana having to reveal to her pops what her real skill set is.
While brief, the b-story with Pam, Krieger, Carol and Cyril has some pretty funny bits. Their van breaks down in a rough part of town on the way to a league bowling match. Of course they are in a bowling league. One of the funniest parts was probably Carol saying something completely racist and then turning on the Japanese hologram and telling her(it) that her people invented racism. Only on Archer.
All in all, this was a pretty funny episode, helped by some great guest voice acting and taking some TV tropes and turning them up to 11. We’ve seen the personal lives outside of the spy agent for almost all the characters, so it was definitely a long time coming seeing where Lana Anthony (from Susan B) Kane came from.
Mic Drops
[check_list]
- “Nobody is guessing who’s coming to dinner.”
- “My father might be up for the Nobel Prize” / “Holy Shit.” / “Right?” / “Yeah…what happened to you.”
- “We got those mashed potatoes just the way you like them…98.6”
- “Yeah Lana.” / “Don’t do that.” / “Mm….Nope.”
- “Algae is always challenging” / “Yeah, as a flip-flop.”
- “Where are we?” / “Brownsville.” / “Hey whoa, it might be a bit rundown, but no need to be racist.”
- “Can I call you Lem?” / “Of course you can, absolutely. But it’s pronounced Dr. Kane.”
- “That’s not so hard, is it?” / “So, do you guys do phrasing or…”
- “How does an entire city get a pass on acceptable behavior.”
- “No daddy, Archer is actually pretty good at this…when he’s not busy ejaculating.”
- “And we’ll always love you. Even when you make stupid, stupid, stupid choices like him.”
[/check_list]
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