The ‘Archer’ Finale Flirts with Immortality, One Last Time
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[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Archer: Into the Cold,” the “Archer” finale.]
Much like “Wonka” held back its ace in the hole for a majority of the movie (I don’t know when Hugh Grant’s Oompa-Loompa finally graces us with his gleeful snobbery, but it’s long enough into Paul King’s holiday treat that I nearly forgot our little orange friend was in it at all), “Archer: Into the Cold” — the long-awaited series finale of Adam Reed’s long-running satiric espionage sitcom — saves one of its best-ever creations for last.
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Actually, I’m a little mad about it. How dare we get only a precious few minutes with Tiny Barry™, the ideal form of so many forms taken by Archer’s one-time rival agent, turned villainous cyborg, turned computerized consciousness who was living inside the office refrigerator to start the series finale? How dare he not get a full season to stretch out those tiny little legs, with a special episode told from Tiny Barry’s doll-sized point of view? How dare Krieger (Lucky Yates) keep a “sentient robot in defiance of god” under wraps all these years, when it’s this teensy and this adorable and has a squeaky little voice like a cartoon mouse?
But we are not here to mourn the loss of Tiny Barry. Nor are we even here to mourn the ending of “Archer,” one of TV’s great comedies. We are here to celebrate, for after so many years of reckless, often patently irresponsible pursuit, Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) has reached his unlikely yet inevitable goal: immortality. No, “Archer: Into the Cold” doesn’t reveal the world’s greatest spy to be literally unkillable; he’s not a covert god walking amongst men (he’s never been “covert” about anything), nor is it revealed that Sterling got knocked off years ago, and the subsequent seasons have all been a dream. (“Archer” already did that, resulting in some of the series’ best seasons.)
The “Archer” finale seizes immortality in a few ways. First, by letting its titular star get away with it. Archer walks off into the sunset, determined to keep living the life he’s always cherished. The only changes? He’s a rogue agent (not that much of a change, really), and he’ll have his best friend by his side. (Pam Poovey is no one’s sidekick, so having her join Archer on his Moroccan escapades is a sign of respect for her irrepressible spirit, as well as a nice nod to the friendship they forged in later seasons.)
Perhaps more importantly, by sending Archer off to continue his missions, “Archer” can live forever. Like so many live-action characters, he doesn’t have to get old and slow down, and like the spies who inspired his formation in the first place, he can keep up the boozing, bedding, and bedlam that he clearly loves. (Daniel Craig’s James Bond may have died in the last movie, but James Bond is by no means dead.) A similarly definitive ending — one where Archer retires or even dies — would’ve felt outside the spirit of a show rooted in perpetual motion. Sitcoms don’t have a stop. Neither do spies. So why not let audiences live in this world forevermore?
And what a world it is, through to the end. “Into the Cold” earns its special status as an hourlong “finale event,” not by stepping outside the show’s comfort zone but by cherishing the building blocks that sustained the series for 14 seasons. There’s a mission they have to complete, sending agents jet-setting around the globe. There’s administrative duties to attend to back at the office, that eventually bleed into the assignment out in the field. There’s camaraderie and cameos, callbacks and fresh quips, combustion both internal and external.
Picking up where the Season 14 finale left off, Lana (Aisha Tyler) is a bit concerned about the United Nations’ call to outlaw private spy organizations. As staff gets furloughed and the remaining employees make inquiries about open positions elsewhere, there’s still a mission that needs handling. A weapon is going to be stolen (by our first returning star, Slater, voiced by Christian Slater) and used to frame the United States for an attack on Chinese and Russian troops, thus ushering in the second Cold War. Why? Well, Slater has a god complex and spies need work, basically. The latter point certainly appeals to Archer, who’s recruited to join the warmongers by his ex-fiancée, Katya (Ona Grauer), who’s also a cyborg.
What better as one last temptation for our horny, narcissistic hero than a hot former lover offering “purpose” and “meaning”? (One of the better lines in writer Mark Ganek’s well-polished finale is, “I feel like someone should sit you down and explain hubris.” “Like I would listen!”) Katya argues there’s no role for Archer in a “frictionless” universe, where private spy agencies are wiped out and countries live in blissful harmony. Far better, then, to create tensions and give their lives meaning in the process — not unlike many real American warmongers, who hold onto power by perpetuating fear.
Archer, while tempted — “Of course I’m considering it, Lana! I just heard it! That’s what brains do when you hear something!” — is no North American dictator. He’s not about to commit crimes against humanity just to stroke his already swollen ego. (Boom, phrasing.) So he rejects “the lame-ass world,” as Lana puts it, and sides with his team, helping them escape and take down Slater. Amid plenty of highlights in the final half-hour — very much including Tiny Barry — Lana gives a rallying speech, Cheryl (Judy Greer) drives a motorcycle into a helicopter, and Cyril (Chris Parnell) embraces his inner nerd to help preserve the life savings of everyone in “Shantytown.” Slater falls to his death (though, without visual confirmation, I’m doubtful he’s really gone), Katya and Tiny Barry merge into one, split-conscious being (that Archer obviously sleeps with), and Lana toasts the team, with a poignant reference to the late Mallory Archer (Jessica Walter.)
All that’s left for the coda are the goodbyes — one goodbye, really. It’s three months post-mission, and after cleaning out the office (the UN resolution to ban private spy agencies does go through), Lana meets a man representing a “joint CIA/MI6 coordinating group” who wants to put a stop to the “freelancing” espionage business Archer’s been running solo. He’s getting in the way of the private spy agencies who are still operating (under a different designation, of course), and his chaotic behavior can’t be trusted. “Just bring in Sterling Archer,” he asks, promising a sizable bonus upon completion but no time limit to bring him in either. Lana says she’ll think about it, but doesn’t know where to find Archer…
…except of course she does. He’s in the other room, playing with their daughter, AJ. The two agree to what’s likely to be a never-ending cat-and-mouse game; Lana will hunt for Archer, and Archer will do, well, whatever he wants. “Hey Lana, about us,” Archer says, before walking out the door. “I’m really gonna miss what you think about stuff.” “Couldn’t have said that 10 years ago?” Lana says after he’s left the room. Standing in the middle of the boxed-up office, Archer takes one last look, before the elevator opens and Pam stops him. “I’ve been out there on my own, and it’s not sustainable,” he says. “No one to watch my back. … You want in? A lot of danger, not a lot of money.” She does, of course, and that’s when the elevator doors close for good.
One interpretation of the ending is a non-ending; that by sending Archer out into the world again, the producers and FX are leaving the door open for a sequel season, a spinoff, or a movie. That may be the case — no successful series is ever truly dead in our ongoing age of I.P. — but maintaining a version of the status quo while providing closure for the agency itself makes for a fitting goodbye, not just because it’s tonally and thematically satisfying, but because “Archer,” at its core, is an old-school TV sitcom. Sure, it’s adult animation (which was still seen as somewhat edgy in 2009, when the series launched), and there’s a maturity in its storytelling, from the visually lush design work to the existential crises that sparked late-season ingenuity. But it’s still a situational comedy, and situational comedies don’t have to end. You should be able to start over from the beginning, or pick a point at random and enjoy the jokes, the characters, the vibes just the same. With 143 episodes to choose from, fans will be able to enjoy “Archer” forevermore — even if we only have a few precious minutes with Tiny Barry.
Grade: B+
“Archer: Into the Cold,” as well as Seasons 1-14, are now available to stream via Hulu. Soon, the series will also be available on Netflix.
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