 |
| I do not own the copyright for this image |
Already in it’s fourth season on
the FX network, this animated show will make you want to watch the whole season
in one day. Created by Adam Reed (who also plays Ray Gillette, the openly gay
agent at ISIS) its bright-animated colors and clever editing makes it a show
worth talking about for a TV review. Warning it is for mature audience’s only
but I find it’s spoof on the sixties spy motif to be hilarious, even though
they use the technology of cellphones in the show. Now the show is full of sex,
racist remarks and sexist jokes but in it’s core it’s about relationships in
the workplace and it is cleverly set up to be full of wise comments and one
liner jokes that really makes even my Roman Catholic mother chuckle. Basically
it’s centered on the most deadly agent at ISIS, Sterling Archer (H. Jon
Benjamin) and his relationship with his usual partner (and past sexual partner)
Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler). Among working with the other members of the ISIS
family like, wants to be chocked for pleasure secretary Carol/Cheryl (Judy
Greer), the overly gossipy HR personal Pam (Amber Nash), the Financial Guru
Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell) and the head of ISIS Malory Archer (Jessica
Walter) and yes she is Archer’s mother.
With that heavily loaded comedic
cast plus their very unique character personalities it’s easy to fall in love
with this show. Not only does Archer and Lana go on some dangerous missions
where someone is always shot or close to dying but the way they handle each
situation and the small tidbits of information we find out each episode about the
sex lives of certain ISIS personal, including Malory Archer’s sex life and the possibility
the head of the KGB may be Archer’s father.
What I love about this show,
besides the blatant sarcastic humor that I secretly enjoy is the transition
between characters and storylines that makes it effortlessly easy to follow
each and every story without being lost. Most transitions we are left on a
verbal cliffhanger and the answer to the question is usually answered at the
next transition by a different character in a different situation. It’s the
best editing for an animated show I have ever seen. For example, Archer hangs
up on his mother saying he is being shot at by agents when he clearly isn’t and
he says to Lana something like, “Watch, she is so freaking out right now.” And
it cuts to Malory going “Oh my God!” Then it cuts to a master shot of her
painting her toenails and saying, “What shade is this? Crackwhore red?” So
obviously, it shows she doesn’t care too much while showing the nature of the
scene and what she is doing through a close up then a wide master shot.
These cinematic choices and clever
chemistry amongst actors (did I mention that they all mostly really look like
their characters in real life) are some things I really enjoy about the show
and feel it’s worth talking about. And I’m not the only one since it’s been
nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2010 for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
for J. Jon Benjamin and in 2012-2013 been nominated for seven various Annie
Awards. This show has a witty new way of looking at the spy era that we haven’t
viewed before, and using our modern humor and sarcasm to highlight the various
touchy subjects of the past, that affect our present as well like racism,
sexism and working with previous sexual partners and working in a crazy place
in general.
No comments:
Post a Comment