Archer (season 8)
The eighth season of the animated television series Archer, subtitled Dreamland,[1] began airing on April 5, 2017, and consisted of eight episodes. This season is also the first to air on FXX since the series was moved from FX.
| Archer | |
|---|---|
| Season 8 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | FXX |
| Original release | April 5 – May 24, 2017 |
| Season chronology | |
Production
FX renewed Archer for three more seasons with each season consisting of a total of eight episodes.[2] On January 12, 2017, it was announced that the series would relocate to FX's sister channel FXX, beginning with Season 8 onwards.[1]
This season resolves the cliffhanger from the previous season, which ended with Archer floating lifeless in a swimming pool after being shot several times. It is revealed that Archer survived but has been in a coma for three years, trapped in a 1947 noir-esque Los Angeles setting called Dreamland.[3] It also reveals the fate of Woodhouse (whose original voice actor George Coe died in 2015), the heroin-addicted valet of Archer dying shortly before the season premiere.
This season is notable for portraying Sterling Archer in a more sympathetic light than all previous seasons, i.e. far less narcissistic and irritable.
After the success of the hidden scavenger hunts in Seasons 6 and 7, animator Mark Paterson devised an augmented reality mobile phone app called Archer, PI to run side-by-side with the show. It featured 8 interactive cases, one for each episode, that could only be accessed by viewing the episode through the phone's camera, "something that had never been attempted in the history of television" according to the creator. The app won two Clio Awards in 2017 and was a finalist for a number of awards in 2018.[4][5]
The episode "Auflösung" is dedicated to George Coe, who was the voice of Woodhouse in the first four seasons of the show and died on July 18, 2015, before the episode aired.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 1 | "No Good Deed" | Adam Reed | April 5, 2017 | XAR08001 | 0.74[6] |
|
Archer is in a coma due to the gunshot wounds he sustained from Veronica Deane. While in the coma, he dreams he is a private eye set on finding justice for his murdered partner Woodhouse, following his comatose self unconsciously hearing from Malory Archer of Woodhouse's death. Archer butts heads with detectives Figgis and Poovey (a man in Archer's dream, though he still retains Poovey's female face, makeup, and voice). Archer interrogates Woodhouse’s dealer Krieger, a bartender at a club owned by the crime boss known as Mother. Impressed with his experience in the war, Mother agrees to help Archer find Woodhouse’s killer, but, in exchange, he must get information on Len Trexler, the biggest mob boss in town. While spying on Trexler’s second in command, Dutch Dylan, Archer runs into Poovey, and together they clumsily stop Trexler’s sex trade scheme. Poovey is sent to help find jobs for all the abducted women, while Archer returns to his office only to find that it has been ransacked and Woodhouse’s envelope of clues has been stolen. Charlotte VanderTunt enters and hires Archer to murder her. Guest star: Wyatt Cenac as Cliff | ||||||
| 87 | 2 | "Berenice" | Adam Reed | April 12, 2017 | XAR08002 | 0.50[7] |
|
Charlotte elaborates on her request for Archer to murder her, explaining that she actually wants him to help her fake her own death in exchange for $10,000. Charlotte has already provided a convincing body double and Archer comes up with a plan. After their plan is set, Archer and Charlotte stop at club Dreamland, where they find Figgis and Poovey are talking to Mother. Dutch hires Krieger to build him new feet. While getting ready to launch Charlotte’s car off of a cliff, Archer and Charlotte are caught red-handed with the dead body by detectives Figgis and Poovey. Guest star: Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
| 88 | 3 | "Jane Doe" | Adam Reed | April 19, 2017 | XAR08003 | 0.47[8] |
|
Archer and Charlotte are arrested for the murder of "Bernice". While in holding, Archer recruits the help of the Dreamland band, in for drug offences. Archer and the band rescue Charlotte and the whole gang fights Poovey, who is captured and handcuffed to a pipe. They escape and find out just how crazy Charlotte really is. Guest stars: Wyatt Cenac as Cliff, Keegan-Michael Key as Floyd, Wendell Pierce as Verl, and Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
| 89 | 4 | "Ladyfingers" | Adam Reed | April 26, 2017 | XAR08004 | 0.48[9] |
|
Archer must convince the Vander Tunts that Charlotte has been kidnapped, while Krieger reveals too much about his past. Guest star: Eugene Mirman as Cecil Vandertunt | ||||||
| 90 | 5 | "Sleepers Wake" | Adam Reed | May 3, 2017 | XAR08005 | 0.44[10] |
|
Lana tries to seduce Archer for a cut of the ransom as he races Figgis and Poovey to collect the money. Guest stars: Eugene Mirman as Cecil Vandertunt and Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
| 91 | 6 | "Waxing Gibbous" | Adam Reed | May 10, 2017 | XAR08006 | 0.38[11] |
|
All roads lead to Len Trexler as Archer and the gang try to avoid unfriendly ghosts. Guest stars: Eugene Mirman as Cecil Vandertunt and Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
| 92 | 7 | "Gramercy, Halberd!" | Adam Reed | May 17, 2017 | XAR08007 | 0.31[12] |
|
Archer and Trexler try to escape a rampaging Dutch by telling the world's worst knock-knock joke. Guest stars: Eugene Mirman as Cecil Vandertunt and Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
| 93 | 8 | "Auflösung" | Adam Reed | May 24, 2017 | XAR08008 | 0.42[13] |
|
Season finale where Archer finally discovers who actually killed Woodhouse. Poovey comes back home to find that all her Chinese sex slave hostages have left, leaving nothing but a goodbye note. The episode ends with a credit scene "dedicated to George Coe," the actor who voiced Woodhouse in the earlier seasons of the series. Guest stars: Eugene Mirman as Cecil Vandertunt and Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler | ||||||
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the season has an approval rating of 86% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[14] On Metacritic the season has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
References
- Kofi Outlaw (January 12, 2017). "Archer Season 8 and The Americans Season 5 Premiere Dates Revealed". Comicbook.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- Natalie Abrams (June 21, 2016). "Archer renewed for three more seasons on FX". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- Kofi Outlaw (July 22, 2016). "'Archer' Season 8 Trailer Answers Season 7 Cliffhanger, Introduces 'Dreamland'". Indie Wire. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- Melnick, Kyle (March 30, 2017). "Archer Celebrates 8th Season With AR App". VRScout. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- Paterson, Mark. "Archer, P.I. (FX Networks)". markpaterson.tv. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- Welch, Alex (April 5, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Underground' holds steady, 'Archer' premieres well". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- Welch, Alex (April 13, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Greenleaf' holds steady, 'Archer' dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- Welch, Alex (April 20, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Fargo' returns down, 'The Magicians' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- Metcalf, Mitch (April 27, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.26.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- Metcalf, Mitch (May 4, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.3.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- Metcalf, Mitch (May 11, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.10.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- Metcalf, Mitch (May 18, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.17.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- Metcalf, Mitch (May 25, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.24.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- "Archer: Season 8 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- "Archer: Season 8 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2017.