Review: Archer “Photo Op”

Overview:

The Agency embraces the adage that “any press is good press” as their latest PR efforts to make headlines send Archer and Lana over to Africa to aid with humanitarian efforts. The duo may enter this arrangement with skewed moral compasses and ulterior motives, but it’s not long until they’re faced with real danger and an actual opportunity to do some good for some people that are truly in need.

Meanwhile, the rest of The Agency learns the true importance of a functional thermostat and the bliss of room temperature after Krieger debuts his newest mad science. 

Our Take:

Archer’s new season is only four episodes in, but it’s been able to cover a lot of ground–in a physical sense–with the nature of the missions that The Agency has taken on. “Photo Op” traverses to Africa and reveals its location with a brilliant opening scene that’s evocative of a cheesy PSA or a “Very Special Episode of Archer,” only to then pull back and reveal the artifice of it all. “Photo Op” reveals that this introduction is just an extension of The Agency’s most recent marketing ploy rather than some major stylistic pivot on the episode’s part, as entertaining as an entire entry in this style would be. It’s also a very clever idea to have an episode that’s centered around a pandering, orchestrated PR move that then turns into something legitimate. It’s as if The Agency hired Nathan Fielder to help improve their image. 

Season twelve of Archer has been able to use its global missions in contrasting ways and Archer and Lana’s African expedition in “Photo Op” can’t escape the stress of their personal relationships, which bubble over into this mission. This trip, which is meant to alleviate tension, only further exacerbates it. Archer’s twelfth season continues to shine its boots and kick Lana while she’s down as these episodes present the character at her most lost and dysfunctional. Yes, she can still spy the hell out of missions, but every aspect of her life seems to be casually going up in flames. It’s dynamic to cast Lana’s free-floating malaise this season as her own version of Sterling’s depressing soul searching that he went on proceeding his return to society following his coma. In that sense, this rewarding, compelling territory for Lana is helpful, but it’s just painful that the series has to first knock her down to rock bottom before it can begin the healing process. 

It’s a fun idea, but one that might have benefitted from lasting for two, or even several, episodes. It’s just such a bonkers development for this series that it wouldn’t be a pain for it to grow into a longer arc, even though its conclusion is telegraphed from the moment that Krieger first announces Cerebrus. “Photo Op” also makes some very smart use of the season premiere’s doctor who’s been left in a coma as a way to survive this menace. It’s unclear if this was the intention of the doctor’s introduction in the first place, but it’s a surprisingly strong way to tie everything together. It exhibits a level of discipline that can sometimes be absent in Archer. 

Since The Agency team is all the way in Africa, “Photo Op” would be remiss if it didn’t return to one of the series’ most satisfying callbacks and pieces of character development for Sterling. Archer’s unabashed affinity for animals, like the ocelot Babou, is a solid driving force for this episode that feels justified and also returns to one of the purest and least egotistical aspects of the character. Archer’s bond with Poko is consistently adorable and a perk of the episode. 

“Photo Op” is another satisfying episode that’s consistent with the rest of this season of Archer. There are still moments where the show and characters can regress and get a little too comfortable for their own good, but “Photo Op” does push for change and attempts to examine the cracks in who these figures are and not just endlessly praise them or present them as invincible. The humor and dialogue are particularly biting this time around and it’s by far the most visually impressive episode of the year. It makes this season’s geographical gambits continue to pay off. 

Oh, and Archer straight up electrocutes a crocodile so this episode goes hard.