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DVD Review


DVD cover

Archer
The Complete Season Two

 

Starring (voice): H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Chris Parnell and Aisha Tyler
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
RRP: £19.99
5245301000
Certificate: 15
Available 26 March 2012


Archer is an animated comedy set at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), a spy agency where global crises are merely opportunities for its highly trained employees to confuse, undermine, betray and manipulate each other. Sterling Archer, deemed the ‘world’s most deadly secret agent’, does his job purely for the accompanying jetset lifestyle of women, parties and fast cars...

Archer is the sort of adult animated comedy that has become synonymous with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim output, so it may come as a surprise to discover that this second season was originally broadcast on Fox's FX Network between 27 January and 21 April 2011. So far three seasons have been produced and on the 23 February 2012 a fourth season was commissioned.

The show takes its inspiration from '60s spy shows - with obvious fashions and technology of the time being implemented. This two-disc collection includes all 13, 20 min, episodes from the show's second season - all in their original broadcast order.

Highlights in this collection include:

Swiss Miss: Archer is given the task of protecting the pretty and flirtatious 16-year old daughter of a wealthy German dignitary. But time after time, Archer is found in compromising situations with the girl - even though he's innocent of lusting after her...

The Double Deuce: Archer's butler, Woodhouse, is concerned when members of his WWI Royal Flying Corps squadron appear to be being killed off in mysterious circumstances. Woodhouse reveals to Archer that they were all members of a tontine - of which only three members are left and the capital is around $1M.

Movie Star: A famous, but vacuous, actress is at ISIS in order to prepare for a new film role in which she is set to play a spy. While at ISIS she must shadow the spies in order to get into her part.

El Secuestro: In a case of mistaken identity Pam is kidnapped. Cheryl reveals that it was her that the kidnappers were after as she is the daughter of a wealthy family - a fact she has kept from everyone for years.

Extras include Archersaurus - Self Extinction (3 min, 08 sec look at Archersaurus - a spoof take on Archer where Archer is replaced by a dinosaur); Ask Archer (4 min, 56 sec Q&A); Semper Fi (1 min, 43 sec shout out to a viewer and his army mates); L'espoin Mal Fait (5 min, 16 sec sketch in which Archer is disfigured in an accident... the horrible result is that he looks like... H. Jon Benjamin (who voices Archer)); ISIS Infiltrates Comic-Com (13 min, 35 sec Comic-Con Q&A).

The writing is a huge improvement over the show's first season and it's worth giving this show a chance. You'll either warm to it, or not get it at all.

7

Nick Smithson

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