Archer Review: Return of the Yakuza

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Archer: Vice continued this week with an episode full of callbacks, but not much progress. 

Sorry, Archer fans: as far as the series goes, this wasn't one of the strongest installments we've seen. Archer Season 5 Episode 3 likely will serve to set up a lot of what will happen during the rest of the season, but as a stand-alone...it was fun, as Archer always is, but it wasn't an all-timer.

The episode picks up where the series left off last Monday: with the gang having to figure out what to do with a ton of counterfeit money.  

All before the opening credits, they just kept racking up the felonies, adding counterfeit money laundering and potential arms trade to drug possession. They need weaponry and ammunition to have an advantage during their drug deals, and they need to make use of their counterfeit cash.

I'm not exactly sure what was going through Pam's head when she took the counterfeit cash to buy the amphetamines from the Yakuza. I'm assuming it was a decision made by her coke-addled brain...but still, what?! Was she thinking that they could deal the amphetamines as well as the cocaine? I don't know.

Even Archer usually has better thought processes behind his crazy schemes. This was out of left-field, even for this show. 

Anyway, the Yakuza wanted Pam's head to pay for tricking them with the fake cash - it's a debt of honor that she had to fork over. In the ruckus trying to figure out how to deal with them, Ron got shot. Thankfully, Carol's crazy patriarchs had underground tunnels, which helped them get Ron out AND helped Sterling get them out of the trouble they were in.

I love when Archer has a plan that works. A plan he made drunk and high on amphetamines. He's so often the butt-monkey of the group (and rightly so), but sometimes he pretends to be dumber than he is. So I love when the others are surprised that he succeeds at something. Especially when that person is Lana.

In my review of Archer Season 5 Episode 2, I noted that Cyril's gotten more confident. Now this may be a stretch, but I think Archer's changing as well. 

He had his arm around Pam, comforting her as she cried about the impending non-metaphorical loss of her head. He also had a few insights of varying levels of wisdom this episode; the aforementioned plan, realizing the money could be laundered, his musings about lead-poisoning. Not to mention he almost called Ron his stepfather. All in ONE episode. Is Archer...maturing?

Also, I can't even express how much I love the new look he had going on, with the slightly-darker-black black suit and the slicked back hair.  Although...does that suit mean the end of the tactleneck?

So the gang ends on a low note, having lost the counterfeit money, Ron being shot, no amphetamines, and having to give up another stash of cocaine to keep the Yakuza happy. Ray's on a constant bender and Woodhouse is dying in the gym. So far, they're not doing well as criminals!

The callbacks in this episode were fun (see below), and the Archer quotes were sharp though scant. However, the story left a little to be desired.  I'm hoping that this episode will be one that will be great in hind-sight as future episodes refer to it.  We'll see what next week has to bring.

P.S. As a huge fan of Ducktales, I greatly appreciated the reference to the Scrooge McDuckian vault.

RUNNING JOKES:
- The tinnitus thing will never get old. Never.
- The "Price is Right" soundbyte - hilarious.
- Uhhh...Danger Zone?

CALLBACKS:
- Mentions of Skorpio and Conway Stern from Archer Season 1.
- Babou is around somewhere!

BLINKED AND YOU MISSED IT:
- Ron walking into the room carrying the swan-shaped Chinese take-out container.  That's how you get ants, Ron!

Archer Vice: A Debt of Honor Review

Editor Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
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Archer Season 5 Episode 3 Quotes

Malory: Ron, take me to lunch,
Ron: It's 8:30 in the morning!
Malory: A bar then, whatever!

Cyril, go lock up the product before Cokey Monster here gobbles it all up.

Malory