Review: Archer: Danger Island “Strange Pilot”

We’ve officially been welcomed to the jungle.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

It’s 1939 and we find ourselves in a hotel on the quaint island of Mitimotu run by owner and local airway investor Malory Archer. Her son, Sterling Archer, flies the planes for the airline that she owns along with his co-pilot Pam and his parrot “Crackers”. Right away, the family business isn’t so copasetic as Sterling has found himself in the sheets with abandoned heiress Charlotte Vandertunt which of course causes all sorts of drama in the hotel. So much so that local French Capitaine “Reynaud” has to show up and arrest Charlotte for being a non-paying patron.

Charlotte, and her probably now ex-husband, aren’t the only visitors to the hotel as local revolutionary Princess Lanaluakalani and German businessman Siegbert Fuchs request a perusal of “Danger Island” with Archer as their guide. Once aboard the “Loose Goose” (pronounced “Lucy Goosey by the pilot), Archer, Crackers, Pam, Fuchs, and the Princess take off and it’s here we learn about some of the perils that await us on “Danger Island”. One of those dangers appears to be air travel as Archer is forced to try and crash land his ailing plane while the rest of his stowaways parachute to safety.

Our Take

The premiere episode of Archer’s ninth season was just that…a premiere. A premiere of a new setting, new characters, and new dangers that have officially put on notice for the rest of the season. As such, this week’s episode certainly give us a lot of “play time” with our new characters and setting and as such everything felt somewhat rushed to get the pieces set for the next seven episodes. Prior non-alternate universes of Archer work so well because we, the longtime viewers, already have the established characters known like the back of our hands, it’s just a matter of how those pieces get moved on the board. “Strange Pilot” doesn’t get that luxury, and as such, suffers a bit in its execution as an animated comedy and instead almost takes on the role of an anime “arc” episode that essentially sets everything in place and in motion for what will hopefully be a fun ride the rest of the way. I mean, the fucking show is called “Danger Island”, so let’s see some danger, amiright?

In any event, a lot of the trademarks of classic Archer are still here. Breath-taking visuals, dramatic elements, and the patented comedic qualities that have made this franchise so good over the years.