By Isaac Piecuch ’14| Staff Writer
It’s difficult to stand out in the bloated mess that is animated television these days. Shows like “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken” fill the airwaves with mindless gags. But with “Archer”, FX’s wacky secret-agent spoof, viewers have been graced with a show that is ridiculous and hilarious yet intelligent and complex.
“Archer’s” season five premier, “White Elephant,” is a triumphant return for the series, and promises to take “Archer” in a bold new direction.
In the episode, the FBI invades the ISIS Agency headquarters. It turns out that most of the agency’s escapades in previous seasons were illegal; as Mallory Archer, head of ISIS and mastermind behind most of the agency’s operations, nonchalantly puts it, “I lied.” With their necks on the line, the gang must figure out how to avoid prison. Deals are made and the cast is able to avoid jail time, but not before the series’ biggest bombshell yet is dropped; the ISIS Agency will be shut downed. With nowhere else to turn, the shows main characters decides to proceed with the only logical plan of action: start a drug cartel.
Season 5 is designed as a reboot for the series, comically titled “Archer Vice”. Departing from the espionage theme of the previous series, “Archer Vice” will provide be a comedic take on the operations of a drug ring. “White Elephant” ends with a thrilling and hilarious montage of the season to come, and it looks like the show will maintain its silly wit despite the different backdrop. This is the same old “Archer”, it just doesn’t center around a spy agency anymore.
The episode is not as gut-bustingly funny as some of the show’s real gems, but it’s a great segue into the new premise. There are still a number of awesome moments; the agency’s interrogation, with a montage of scenes from each individual member’s questioning, is a particular standout and includes some awesome callbacks to previous seasons (“Is it murder if they were my own clones? I’m seriously asking,” Krieger asks an FBI agent).
The real star of this episode is the preview of the upcoming season; awesome moments filled with classic “Archer” humor (Carol with a rocket launcher, anyone?) had me bursting with anticipation for the hilarity to come.
While it may not be the funniest episode by its own merit, “White Elephant” is a great reintroduction to the series, and sends “Archer” into exciting and (hopefully) hilarious directions.