Archer 7x3 'Deadly Prep': Peeling an Onion

Archer 7x3 delves deeper into Archer's character to explain, through pitying humor, why he's the way he always is.

Reviewed while listening for a pleasant song, 'Claimed by the Sea.' Both original and remix.

MAN, Archer’s laying it on thick with the character development these days. There was a quote back in season 4, ‘Live and Let Dine,’ when Lana comments that any hint of Archer’s backstory ‘is like peeling an onion.’ It seems the show is taking time to peel those layers. It continues the experimentation the writers are taking to make the show more character-driven. I like it. Mainly because the show is blending it well with the brand of humor we’ve come to expect.

‘Deadly Prep’ is a surprisingly competent shortcut to explaining why Archer is a such a difficult and narcissistic prick some, or most, of the time. And the method of exposition gives an opportunity to showcase on of Archer’s funnier quirks: long rants.* Archer delves into meticulous details of his private school days when he was bullied by meta-prep *cue posh-British accent* ‘Richard Stratton the Fourth.’ Or ‘Ivy.’ Because you can never lay the privilege on too thick. Meticulous, sassy and bitter. In H. Jon Benjamin’s perfect voice. We get an explanation for so many of Archer’s flaws in such a brief period of time, through a story that is perhaps the most sympathetic we’ve ever been towards Archer. Lana, too, when she effectively strongarms Archer into having to accept a case from his rival, Ivy, all so she can maybe send her daughter to a dumb overly stressful school for a TWO-YEAR OLD! But when he ignores her ‘phrasing’ banter, only then does she realize just how hurt he is from his childhood with Ivy. No one’s ever seen Archer this off his game. Which heightens the sympathy.

It’s all about putting the character of Sterling Archer into context, which actually makes things more fearful. Are they doing this to prepare us for his death? Is he actually going to die? Is season 7 Duchess’ swan song? ‘Prep’ works on many levels to maintain humor while raising the stakes, yet again, for our former world’s greatest spy. He even almost makes amends with Cyril for bullying him all these years (Cyril’s still annoying, and that Silence of the Lambs moment was just creepy and does not put Mr. Figgis in a good light). It’s not perfect, and the supporting cast is left quite lacking here with so much onus on shedding light on Archer’s troubled childhood, but it’s just funny enough to build on the intrigue. This is also the first time we actually see Abbiejean since Lana revealed her to Archer, which might just be a subtle hint to showing us all Archer might be leaving behind if he truly winds up being dead. Turns out, Archer’s a guy worth cheering for, and praying that he survives. The heart of the show continues to build, and even if we laugh through the journey, there’s a tension that just won’t go away. Still refreshing, and still interesting. The layers of the onion are being peeled, and there might not be much more left.

Am I getting too emotionally invested in an absurdly hyperbolic Bond-spoof? Probably, but the writers are making it that way. We care. Archer, both show and man, are evolving in ways you couldn’t have expected back in the early seasons. Which just makes me hope even more he’s not dead.

Grade: B+

When I got sidetracked

-When Ivy first said Whitney he basically said it like Stewie Griffin would, 'HWHIT-ney.' Remember THAT gag?

-‘Well, good luck with no vagina!... Not YOU, Ms. Archer!’

-Admittedly, some jokes in this episode were long or confusing, like whatever Malory thought 'exclusive' meant at the school. But they get a pass for how well Archer's backstory was handled.

#review #TV #Archer