March 28, 2024

ARCHER -- "Season 9, Episode 2 -- "Disheartening Situation" Pictured Sterling Archer (voice of H. Jon Benjamin). CR: FXX

Connor Bynum // Film Critic

ARCHER: DANGER ISLAND – “DISHEARTENING SITUATION”

Season 9, Ep. 2
aired on FXX on May 2

Writer: Adam Reed
Voice cast: H. Jon BenjaminEugene CorderoJudy GreerAmber NashChris ParnellAdam ReedAisha Tyler and Jessica Walter

After last week’s somewhat bumpy takeoff, the second episode of DANGER ISLAND is a much-appreciated return to form for the show. Picking up directly after the events of Episode 1, Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) miraculously gets his plane, Lucy Goosey, to run mere seconds before crashing in the ocean. While pleasing for Archer who lets out a classic, “Wooo!,” Pam (Amber Nash), Lana (Aisha Tyler) and Fuchs (Chris Parnell) are less than thrilled as they just jumped out of the plane and parachute towards Danger Island.

Pam is clearly the star of this episode, as she begrudgingly escorts Lana and Fuchs back to civilization. Her banter with Krieger (who we will just refer to as Bird from now on) is somewhat hit and miss, but there’s an adorable animation on Bird’s face as Pam elaborately threatens to eat him for dinner if he doesn’t help out the with rest of the group.

Archer has an entertaining scene onboard Lucy Goosey where he goes through an impressively intricate tangent on flight calculations only to determine he cannot land anywhere close to the nearest airstrip. He naturally resorts to getting blackout drunk while his improvised autopilot system involving a bra keeps the plane on course.

ARCHER — “Season 9, Episode 2 — “Disheartening Situation” Pictured Siegbert Fuchs (voice of Chris Parnell). CR: FXX

Malory once again is given practically nothing to do this episode and the same can be said for Ray and Charlotte. After being imprisoned last week for being unable to pay for her hotel stay, she has already gone completely insane. (To be fair, her character has always been completely insane, so it isn’t that hard to accept.) There’s a clever gag with her introduction involving what looks like a spiral painting with her own excrement on the wall of her cell, but in reality is only Ray’s expensive box of assorted chocolates. Being absurdly French, Ray pouts about it for the rest of the episode.

Malory essentially tells Charlotte that she needs to be a fancy prostitute for the hotel if she wants to pay off her debt. It’s a funny exchange between the two, but honestly it’s a little dark even by the show’s standards. But before she has the chance to accept or decline, Archer crashes his plan on the street outside the hotel in a shockingly realistic sequence where poor Lucy Goosey is utterly destroyed by everything in her path. After finding out he’s alone, Malory sends Archer and Ray out into the jungle to find Pam, Lana, and Fuchs.

The marooned bunch are given two hilarious set pieces this episode. One involves Fuchs nearly getting devoured by a giant snake before plummeting down an obnoxiously tall tree, hitting every branch on the way down. The second is a brutally gory standoff between the three of them and a hoard of Komodo dragons. Bird also takes a poop on Pam’s shoulder and it’s awkward for everyone. When all hope seems lost, Archer and Ray arrive in their car to save the day bringing the whole gang back to the hotel to finally start the plot of the season.

Synopsis of the episode aside, it would all be pointless if there weren’t a few good laughs along the way. Thankfully, the change of setting hasn’t detracted from the characters still being the people we’ve loved to watch for the last nine years.

Grade: B+

A preview for next week’s episode:

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