Archer: Jane Doe
April 20, 2017 6:56 AM - Season 8, Episode 3 - Subscribe

Archer and Charlotte Vandertunt are caught by Figgis and Poovey. While Archer tries to escape the precinct, Figgis tries to escape from his problems with Trexler, and while her band is also in jail, Lana tries a new act.
posted by lmfsilva (25 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Crazy Cheryl continues to be the best.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:44 AM on April 20, 2017


Followed closely by Hardcore Destroyer Poovey.
posted by Etrigan at 8:59 AM on April 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


I am really loving this marijuana cigarette!!!
posted by some loser at 11:11 AM on April 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


They're really getting some mileage out of Judy Greer this season. And while Lana is still mostly left outside the plotlines, it was used to great effect this episode.
posted by lmfsilva at 11:33 AM on April 20, 2017


The shots of Poovey at home vs. Poovey at work.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:38 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


It was great to hear the voice of Wendell "The Bunk" Pierce.
posted by juiceCake at 6:44 PM on April 20, 2017 [4 favorites]


Thoughts:

(1) OMG, I didn't think they could make me love Pam more, but somehow, they've managed it. Soon, very soon, I am just going to expire from adoration, and when I do, my skin will split open and release a giant cloud of Pam-shaped spores.

(2) Holy crap, they let Aisha Tyler do stand-up! Better yet, they let her do ostentatiously awful stand-up! Mr. Palmcorder and I were white-knucking each other's hands and moaning the whole time. It was glorious.

(3) I wonder if we're going to get to see Cyril's wife, and if so, who it will be. My money's on Trinette.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 9:11 PM on April 20, 2017 [5 favorites]


Shamus?

"Out, all of you out! Not so fast, Shamus.
- racism awareness payoff from an earlier joke -
Archer, and that little chippy of yours."

Did I miss something or is this version of Archer Shamus Archer or Sterling Archer?

--

I'm really digging the racism awareness raising. This is Archer's coma dream so it's the world from his reckoning*. On the whole I'd have to say that Archer is a decent, if tremendously childish and often petty with little concern of consequences, person who does learn and grow when confronted with personal failings (that matter).

I know that Archer (the show) has a very broad demographic, politically speaking, among the dudebro crowd. I'm really appreciating the outreach - but I freely admit that I might be reading too much into it.

*Chrysostom mentioned last episode that Cecil seems a lot darker here; I agree, Archer knows for a a few multiple facts that Cecil is corrupt and weak/cowardly. Cecil did kill an escort a hooker (even though it was mostly Archer's fault, iirc). Recent Archer has a shit ton of respect for Pam; here she is presented as competent, great-big-huge-hearted kindly, one hell of a brawler, and a little too fanciful/optimistic for her own good.

--

Loved this episode's "Meep!" running gag entry. It's also Very Cecil (distillation of his propensity for "complex detailed deeply deliberated plans, but has a huge blindspot to consequences and/or failure to adapt to different results from what was in his elaborate plan").

I really hope that there is a plot/joke payoff to Pam not being able to hear Cecil's ultimatum after he discharged a pistol at close range near her.
posted by porpoise at 9:32 PM on April 20, 2017 [2 favorites]


OMG

TeamPam!
posted by porpoise at 9:32 PM on April 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


Did I miss something or is this version of Archer Shamus Archer or Sterling Archer?

"Shamus" was a common slang term for a detective, probably from the Irish name Seamus because so many cops (and therefore PIs) were Irish.
posted by Etrigan at 3:39 AM on April 21, 2017 [4 favorites]


Crazy Cheryl continues to be the best.

All I can say is that it's a damned good thing I'm married and off the dating market, because I was finding Crazy Disheveled Cheryl just, like, super hot.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:19 PM on April 21, 2017 [2 favorites]


Did I miss something or is this version of Archer Shamus Archer or Sterling Archer?

As Etrigan already mentioned, it's slang for a private detective. The word always reminds me of this video game and the movie (which I've never seen and likely never will). The word is one of those words I latched onto when very young for no discernable reason.
posted by juiceCake at 3:14 PM on April 21, 2017 [1 favorite]


%n: "*Chrysostom mentioned last episode that Cecil seems a lot darker here; I agree, Archer knows for a a few multiple facts that Cecil is corrupt and weak/cowardly. Cecil did kill an escort a hooker (even though it was mostly Archer's fault, iirc)."

Wait, I think you've confused CECIL - Cheryl's brother, whom we saw in Sea Tunt - with CYRIL - who was an ISIS accountant once upon a time, and here is a crooked cop. I was talking about Cecil being darker, although Cyril is as well.

Good ep, although I am allergic to humor based on awkward discomfort - I could hardly even watch the stand-up bits.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:09 PM on April 21, 2017 [3 favorites]


Doh!!! Yes, Chrysotom, I ment Cyril, not Cecil.

Cheryl's brother Cecil - yeah, ok, got lots of rapey/incesty vibes BUT! Cheryl also had a slightly "off" (yes, Cecil's relationship was kinda non-standard but not monsterous as she had the/her audience belive) description of 2000's Cecil's relationship/behaviour.

iirc, 2000's Cecil was mostly well meaning, just "weird and misunderstood" (and trusted the wrong employee[s]/was mostly incompetent).

Incurious Archer assumes that Cheryl's face-value opinions are valid, in both cases.

&gt followed (no space) with a ; gives you >
posted by porpoise at 6:27 PM on April 21, 2017


Also, yes, Lana's standup was awkward and very painful. Didn't tickle my funny bone at all, although I suspect/hope that there are some 1950's specific reasons why the terrible routine was terrible/not-terrible/ironic-because-some-of-those-"jokes"-were-iconic-(and now are completely cringe-worthy and un-funny).

Hopefully it was just the writers being too meta or too esoteric.

I don't see the character of Lana Kane failing at anything (other than relationships), although failing at popular humour could be a plausible rare personal failing (like, always lecturing people qv the elevator episode, which also falls dramatically into the metahole).
posted by porpoise at 6:51 PM on April 21, 2017


> The shots of Poovey at home vs. Poovey at work.

Exactly, Pam's idealism/fancifulness/pragmatism. I love the Pam character and what the showrunners are doing with her. Amber Nash - and, well, everyone - is completely onboard and operating at peak all the time.
posted by porpoise at 6:59 PM on April 21, 2017


Is there something to the fact that both Poovey (has she been referred to as Pam yet this season?) flashforwards/daydreams made her out as an old man? Commence the beanplating!

Archer doesn't respect women. He just, doesn't. (Yes, Lana; yes, mother, maybe Katya, everything else, no.) Archer has only ever had respect for men. And he has utter contempt for men who are not manly enough, but is utterly taken with men who are ultra-manly. Since the Pam daydreams are Pam daydreaming in Archer's coma dream, is this a subtle way of saying that Archer actually really respects Pam in the only way he knows how? He considers her to be manly?
posted by aureliobuendia at 12:31 AM on April 22, 2017 [5 favorites]


flashforwards/daydreams made her out as an old man?

Yeah, that was an interesting decision instead of having her morph into a "mama-san" - which would kind of imply her being complicit in continuing the sex trade?

Archer had (mindblowingly incredible!) sex with Pam - but in secret/denial because... societal pressure (in his mind) that being overweight trumps any other positive traits.

Possibly interesting commentary that he perceives her with forward-looking male attributes.

Mind now, Archer has had also been ok with romping with kathoey/ladyboys, until called on it by his mother, so it could all just be a dudebro thing.
posted by porpoise at 4:45 AM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


Is there something to the fact that both Poovey (has she been referred to as Pam yet this season?) flashforwards/daydreams made her out as an old man?

No, the character so far has no first name. That, and, the character has not been referred to as he/she as yet. Just "poovey." Depicting Poovey at home as an old, gray-haired man and at work as a young woman is fantastic. I think the producers are going to simply let the question ride and never take a stand one way or another.

..................
I suspect/hope that there are some 1950's specific reasons why the terrible routine was terrible/not-terrible/ironic-because-some-of-those-"jokes"-were-iconic-(and now are completely cringe-worthy and un-funny).

I think that's overthinking it. I think it was simply a purposely bad routine in which the writers thought "What's the most unfunny thing to build a standup act around?" and came up with syphilis.

By the way, the recent death of Al Capone (as referenced in the stand-up routine) puts this in 1947 (not sure if a definite date had ever been mentioned.)
posted by Thorzdad at 5:14 AM on April 22, 2017 [7 favorites]


Syphilis (or even, a routine all based on the same thing), poor timing and explaining jokes. The idea was to make the worst possible stand-up routine.
posted by lmfsilva at 5:16 AM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


I think the Lana standup routine joke is at least partially a refutation of the idea that anyone can do standup, or at least the idea that anyone can do standup extemporaneously.
posted by Etrigan at 7:09 AM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


She did had cue cards.

But all were about syphilis.
posted by lmfsilva at 11:34 AM on April 22, 2017


No, the character so far has no first name. That, and, the character has not been referred to as he/she as yet. Just "poovey." Depicting Poovey at home as an old, gray-haired man and at work as a young woman is fantastic. I think the producers are going to simply let the question ride and never take a stand one way or another.

They will! Here's an interview with Adam Reed re: Detective Poovey:
In the season nobody ever says, well, Pam, you’re living as a man now, or, hey, you’ve always been a man. It just — we sort of don’t talk about it, which is probably not the most enlightened thing. It doesn’t really come up. Although Pam — or Poovey — has a lot of flash forwards throughout the season that takes her into old age. And she does go bald and have a mustache. It was a thing that was like, I didn’t set out to make a statement — and hopefully whatever statement is made doesn’t offend anybody, because she’s still a total badass.
posted by mochapickle at 12:55 PM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


For me, Lana's standup routine had absolutely wonderful mechanics: A lot of the jokes start strong, with a confident voice and a clear concept, and she builds up the tension pretty well, but then at some point you just realize-- Christ, she's not actually going to land this thing, is she? And then about six agonizing seconds later, she just face-plants. And then, after a while, the face-plants just come faster and faster and faster. It's great! It reminded me a little of that early Steve Martin stuff where the true joke was that he was never going to deliver the punch line, but instead just keep ramping up the tension until the laughter just came squirting out of people, like water from an over-pressurized flange.

I think part of what you're supposed to see in Lana's stand-up is that, given a bunch more practice and a bit of mentoring, she absolutely could could be great at comedy-- but Malory/Mother sees nothing but fuck-ups everywhere she looks, so to her, Lana has done nothing but prove, once again, that she is beneath contempt.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 1:39 PM on April 22, 2017 [3 favorites]


Thorzdad: No, the character so far has no first name. That, and, the character has not been referred to as he/she as yet. Just "poovey." Depicting Poovey at home as an old, gray-haired man and at work as a young woman is fantastic. I think the producers are going to simply let the question ride and never take a stand one way or another.

In the first episode, Archer says "Poovey, I swear to Christ, I will punch you right in the [pause] genitals."

I see it in part as letting Poovey be a ball-busting cop in a time when women police were rare-to-non existent, and a lady brawler is also a non-entity at this time.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:23 AM on April 28, 2017 [2 favorites]


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