It was on December 17, 2009 that the series arrived for the first time to the general public, first American on the FX channel and then appears much later in France, on France 4 on April 5, 2014. The series took a long time to be broadcast here, but once arrived on French territory, it met with a real success. Proof of its success, Archer currently has 11 seasons on Netflix, for a total of 93 episodes in a format of about twenty minutes. The series is already in production for season 12. We would like you to discover this zany and particularly funny animated series, thanks to its main character and secondary characters, all with an endearing and complex personality.
1. A basic scenario that manages to innovate
To begin, here is a little anecdote about the creation of this series. As it happens, Archer's creator, Adam Reed, came up with the idea in a bar, simply wondering, "What's the best way to approach a pretty woman?" He automatically came up with a catchphrase for secret agents… Because it is well known, the spy is a common fantasy among many women. Let's briefly recall the story: The plot takes place within a New York spy agency: "ISIS" (ISIS which is also the Anglo-Saxon acronym for Daesh). We follow the lives of several crazy secret agents and more specifically that of Sterling Archer, a very pretentious character who illustrates it through his personality including: manipulations, humiliations, complex relationships with others and conflicts of all kinds. At the end of season 7, while the agency moves to Los Angeles while attempting a conversion, Sterling Archer is shot and finds himself in a coma of 3 years. This allowed the director to produce unique seasons, compared to parodies always inspired by offbeat universes. The strength of the Archer series draws on two big factors impacting its success. First of all, the basic story at the beginning is led by brilliant characters and dynamic episodes punctuated by hard-hitting dialogue! The humor is present from the first minutes of the series, all along and until the end without running out of steam. The only complaint is during the first season: The ten episodes of season 1 do not give a very clear idea of Archer's potential. We especially feel that the series is looking for the codes that will define it. And it is from the second season that we find and understand its clearly identifiable codes: borderline humor, its unpredictable characters, complex and deep relationships.
2. The psychological strength of the characters
The series offers us an impressive work on the quality, design and originality of the drawings. His unique graphic style creates his own and recognizable identity for all his fans. But the greatest strength of the series, is and remains its eccentric characters. Let's start with the most dangerous secret agent in the world, but especially the most unpredictable: Sterling Malory Archer, also called by his code name: Duchess. Despite his espionage skills (impressive ease in handling weapons and knocking out opponents), what he loves about the job is the lifestyle it gives him. Alcohol, drugs, cars, women, sex. Archer is a real gujat, selfish and egocentric: nothing interests him if he does not benefit from it. Finally, let's talk about the one who gave birth to him, his mother: Malory Archer, who is none other than the boss of the agency. She is a woman with experience and a lot of lived experience (and especially many men in her life) I admire her sarcastic and particularly authoritarian side with her son, which allowed to create a complex relationship with powerful scenes and punchlines! You can make up your own mind about their relationship, but you'll end up characterizing it as what the fuck. My favorite character: Lana Kane, decidedly THE best member of the agency. She is stronger than some men, beautiful, and has a very big character that she knows how to impose in her work. Her relationship with Archer (he is her ex-boyfriend) continues to evolve over the seasons, mixing sarcasm, contempt and mutual attraction. Another of my favorite characters: Cheryl, the secretary of the agency (or Carol if it's a running gag), is one of the most unpredictable characters, more than Archer, which makes her role great to watch: you never get bored! Completely crazy, masochistic and nymphomaniac – his sexual metaphors and punchlines are countless. Considered completely unmanageable by her colleagues, she begs to be suffocated during her intimate relationships and loves to sniff glue, because she finds it funny. Then we have the accountant, Cyril Figgis, who does not represent manhood at all (at least at the beginning of the series). He is awkward, worried and stressed for nothing. It can be said that he does not believe in himself at all, despite being convinced that he is the smartest of the entire agency. But he also has many demons that you will discover throughout the series such as his big addiction to sex. Pam Poovey, the HR manager with an explosive temperament, follows the other characters, and also has many psychological problems to deal with. Despite her penchant for alcohol, drugs and strange sexual practices, Pam also manages to be funny and endearing. She impresses because she is one of the only ones to be respected and not afraid of anyone and especially not Archer! This is also Ray Gilette, the homosexual analyst of ISIS. His private life and personality are a big mess like all his colleagues. Very sensitive and sarcastic at the same time, this duality brings depth to his role. For example, he had two failed marriages: to a lesbian and then to a priest. His private life is a nameless mess, as you will have begun to understand. To finish the presentation of his characters, Dr. Krieger, head of the research department is the most creepy role in my opinion. It's a mix of doctor, inventor and mad scientist always offering wacky and generally not very ethical projects. To conclude, all the characters in the series have psychological flaws, which is what makes them more touching, relevant and realistic. Note that they all have particular sexual preferences, to believe that ISIS brings together all "sex crazy", which is rather funny! We can all identify with even the most unhealthy character traits, and that's why we love this series for the diversity of personalities and taboo subjects it addresses. Ifyou've never watched the Archer series before, go for it! Small gift bonus: For those who have not seen it, at the San Diego Comic-Con (2017), a short video promoted Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle by mixing Archer with the universe of British secret agents. Don't forget to check out our selection of the best Netflix movies in 2020 !
