Review: Archer ‘Pocket Listing’

 

Spoilers Below:

As far as actual CIA missions go, the last five weeks were pretty much a break for Archer. We saw Pam’s sister get married, an elevator bottle episode, a fathering test for Sterling, an escape from Area 51, and a visit with Lana’s parents, but no real CIA work. Granted, there was still a lot of action and the CIA became involved several times, but it was always an intervention into a side story. That’s the flexibility a show like Archer has now that it’s shown it can be more than just a secret agent show following last season’s cocaine smuggling story arc.

However, this week was a return to form. Joining the Japan episode, the Alps episode, and the Buenos Aires one, we now have what’s essentially a local job.

Slater tasked the team with helping to drug & acquire scans of fingerprints, retinas, etc. for Fawad Fawaz, the Prince of the Kingdom of Durhan – an ally – while he’s in the city looking for new living accommodations.

The mission took place at Tunt Manor, with Cheryl acting as a real estate agent, Lana & Pam as maids, Cyril and Sterling as butlers – with the additional task of the latter trying to get inside the attractive Queen Yasmin (because queen is a title Archer has yet to check off his list).

Using a laxative, Ray took care of the prince’s bodyguards, Lana seduced him, while Sterling intervened and tranquilized him. While Lana and Sterling began making out, the Queen got tranq’d too, and the guards came after everyone. Most of the team escaped through a secret passage, but Lana and Sterling banged in the bathroom. Someone how everyone got away.

In Case You Missed It:

1) What about just plain old pickles? Are they allowed in the office?

2) Oddly, I really enjoyed Cheryl’s sad, dark soliloquy.

3) A real estate agent named Escrow and a butler named Butler? Such a creative bunch we got here.

4) “Love to, can’t, got a pussy to break.”

5) Ray comes up with clever lines even when he’s essentially alone: “I swear to God I had something for this…something with “dukes”?

6) I feel like we haven’t seen any of Cheryl’s fetishes lately, until she was slapped last night, of course.

7) Lana Cougar Mellencamp: “He’s 21! I think!”

8) Is it just me, or are cartoon sex scenes slightly off-putting? Consider the hit numbers for our cartoon porn parodies, it’s probably just me.

My first reaction to this episode’s mission is a poor lack of communication. Not between team members (although that also occurred) but between the show and the audience. For starters, we were never told why the prince needed to be spied on, other than it being part of “Operation Because-I-Said-So.” I know this doesn’t really matter, but it would have at least made the plot a bit more interesting. Also, as I alluded to earlier, there’s no mention of how the gang escaped (except something to do with secret passages) and nothing about Sterling and Lana’s getaway from the bathroom sex lair either. Again, not that important, but why set an episode around a mission and then gloss over most of it half-assedly?

Still, this was a solid episode, and had its share of strengths. There were some great running gags – which are always amusing on Archer – with the constant insults and “burn” remarks, as well as the gaining and sound of an erection. I’m a big fan of movie references, so I appreciated the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park nods too.

Also, many of the characters were very emotional caricatures of themselves. Cheryl was especially excited to have such a major role, Lana really sexed it up, Sterling boldly put Slater to sleep, and Slater was more active than usual. Actually, scratch that, he’s usually active; this time he was just an open participant in the mission, as opposed to just coming in at the end or turning up in a strange situation.

Following earlier episodes this season like “Edie’s Wedding” (and last season’s “Southbound and Down”) it was once again nice to see Pam and Sterling get a bit of time together. As a couple of the crudest and random members of the group, seeing them mano-a-mano is endlessly entertaining, and they actually shared a slightly touching moment when Pam realized Sterling was her second best friend (behind Cheryl).

And finally (fittingly) I’d like to commend the show for ending on a high note with a dig at Ray and his newest handicap, of which Sterling feigned thankfulness to Gillette by stating: “I think Ray deserves a hand.”