Deconstructing The “Douchebag Bond”: A Look At ‘Archer’
Let’s just get right to it. The main protagonist, Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin), is essentially the American douchebag version of James Bond. There. I said it. Everything about him screams “selfish, though oddly charming, asshole.” The writers have taken tropes from every spy movie, television show, comic book or whatever piece of media you can think of and jacked it up to 11. Archer is basically the embodiment of Hollywood machismo, though slightly more refined. With an iron liver, combat and trade craft training, and an unhealthy obsession with Burt Reynolds, he is the everyman of espionage. The more American part of the show is that their agency ISIS is a completely private agency and perpetually on the verge of bankruptcy. I mean, can we get more American than that these days?
Archer is arguably the most successful show currently on FX, and in its fourth season, with a fifth confirmed. We’re really here to figure out just why it’s so popular. I mean, it was created by Adam Reed, the creator of the cult favorites Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo. Though it’s animated, in no way is it a kid’s show. It may be the single most non-PC program on television, primetime or otherwise. I can certainly see that being a part of its allure, as is the almost constant innuendo (not that I’m complaining, of course.) His self-centeredness is epic in scope, as is his nearly complete lack of compassion for others. His “skills” are a mix of James Bond and Frank Drebin (look it up, kids) and really half skill/half dumb luck. He really is awesome and ludicrous at the same time. The thing is, he’s not the only thing people keep coming back for. There are plenty of other characters and factors to draw viewers.
As I said, there’s not just Sterling Archer to pin the success of the show on, but also the supporting cast. I would say the runner-up is Archer’s ex, Lana Kane. She is ironically very sensitive to non-PC language and innuendo, especially when it comes from either Sterling or Malory Archer. The interactions between these three are one of the reasons fans love the character (voiced by Aisha Tyler), as is the history between them, known or otherwise. The two butt heads more often than Carol (or was it Cheryl?) changes her name or “Dr.” Krieger develops a mad-sciencey experiment. Then there’s Archer’s mother, Malory, who really needs her own separate article. There’s just so much wrong with that relationship and even just her. So let’s move down to Cyril. Honestly, just the fact that we’re not even sure what his and Lana’s relationship is anymore is probably a big part of why I keep watching. The froggy little accountant for ISIS somehow always manages to find money out of thin air. Speaking of frogs, the farm-raised (and it certainly shows) head of Human Resources, Pam, is easily one of the funnier ISIS employees. Aside from Lana, the openly gay Ray Gillette is the only really qualified and dependable field agent at ISIS. Like everyone else, he is incredibly non-PC, though generally asks that others be so.
With all of that considered, the best part may be just how outlandish the characters and scripts really are on a given season. It’s ridiculous to the point of being like nothing else on television, and as close to NSFW you can get in a cartoon this side of Ren and Stimpy. With all of the classic spy tropes, innuendo, crude humor and near nudity, it’s perfect for college kids and their only slightly more mature parents. All of this adds to the insane beauty of Archer, which is a strange mash up of stuff that, on paper, should not work, but somehow does with a screwed up perfection. While many of the episodes are very standalone, there are plenty that work within the larger narrative, but I feel like that’ll take a while to really get to a true finishing point. Until then, let’s all sit back, relax and enjoy the best/weirdest/funniest damn animated series since the heyday of The Simpsons.
