Review: Archer “London Time”

Overview:

Archer and the rest of The Agency find their new freelance espionage efforts taking them all the way to London. However, once the team is across the pond they learn that Malory is uniquely equipped to handle this situation and that her glory days as a superspy bear a crucial significance to their latest mission. A suspenseful chase gets underfoot and Sterling has just as hard of a time keeping up with his target as he does relinquishing control to his mother. 

And Pam and Cheryl learn that there are just as many odd eccentricities to English culture as there are ways to get sloshed and bladdered.

Our Take:

Archer is a series with such heightened characters who frequently function like pure id, yet it’s easy for the show to prioritize Sterling, Lana, Pam, and Cheryl as they recklessly move through life. Malory is never completely absent from the series, but she’s a central figure who usually doesn’t get the respect or attention that her character deserves. Malory can often be more of a background presence, so it’s fortunate on Archer’s part that they didn’t just finish this season before Jessica Walter’s tragic passing, but that it happens to be a year that gives Malory plenty of representation. While not intentional at the time, this showcase now means even more since future Malory appearances are no longer possible. “London Time” does become one of the better Malory stories, even if at times it still feels derivative of past classic Malory installments. The episode operates like a greatest hits for why Malory’s character works, but it’s still a pleasant episode that properly spotlights the stalwart character and Jessica Walter’s intrepid performance in the role.

Archer never fully wipes itself clean of its past, but the changes felt between seasons eleven and twelve represent some of the least substantial developments. The Agency, as a whole, has faced setbacks. However, the stresses that occupied these characters last year still control them and their individual emotional arcs are more or less identical to where they were last season. This leaves the characters with a lot of soul searching to do, but it’s extremely helpful to get a callback to Cyril’s junk food binging and that it’s still a regular struggle for him to keep at bay. He nearly falls off the wagon during this episode. 

“London Time” separates its cast into smaller groups, which isn’t exactly necessary, but still results in some entertaining material. Pam and Cheryl continue to fulfill the roles of farcical dunces as they head further into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern territory. If nothing else, the laid back duo’s contrasting takes on old-fashioned British aristocrats are nicely complimented with outfits that are as fancy as their fabricated personalities and accents. This frivolity is fun, but it’s hopefully not the gear that Pam and Cheryl are stuck in for the entire season. It undersells them both and speaks to how Archer’s cast can sometimes feel unnecessarily large. There was a solid stretch of time where Pam was one of the most competent characters in the series, so for her to now be relegated to “Idiot #2” is a disappointment. At least the magnetic chemistry between these two characters hasn’t faded.

Another compulsion that’s not only present with Pam and Cheryl is that “London Time” engages in a lot of easy British jokes, which hopefully doesn’t become the norm as Archer continues to hop around the world this season. It’s fully within Archer’s capabilities to culturally engage with its locations while it also exhibits sophistication towards its worldwide scope rather than comedically gripe over it. That being said, the generalizations that Pam and Cheryl trade in are earnestly balanced through Lana’s genuine surprise over the level of diversity that’s present in London. It’s a simple, yet solid joke that reminds the audience that despite Lana’s many skills, she can still be just as obtuse as anyone else on her team.

“London Time” isn’t without its faults and it’s an episode that’s content to have fun with minutiae that could be better served elsewhere. However, the episode pulls off such an exciting finale that redeems what’s otherwise a fairly paint-by-numbers episode that prolongs this season’s trend of conveniently wrapped up conclusions. It’s appreciated that this season has already allowed supporting players like Malory to shine, but there’s a more disposable quality to the beginning of this season that will hopefully get ironed out as this season progresses. It’s entertaining to watch Sterling, Ray, or Lana stumble through cultural norms as a new mission sends them to another corner of the world, but Archer’s Tacti-Cane isn’t a magic wand that can make their repetitive antics suddenly feel new. Something is still missing.