S07.E09: Deadly Velvet: Part I

[OnceSane]

Part 1 of 2.  A film director hires Archer and the gang to investigate activity on the set of his new movie.

[Galileo908]

Ooh, an "everyone goes undercover" episode. At least everyone knows that everyone else is undercover this time. Man, the plot took about 20 minutes to kick in, didn't it? No wonder this is a two-parter. It's getting pretty obvious that Veronica is behind all of it. Hell, she has a solid alibi with Archer (phrasing)

John O'Hurley is back! Or was.

How many episodes are left? Is next week the season finale?

[Lantern7]

Interesting. What are the odds Veronica Deane is the killer? I mean, it's too obvious, but there are no other suspects. Except maybe Krieger, who fucked things up royally in last season's finale, and whom was unaccounted for during most of the episode.

Archer's dick  . . it's made of Teflon, yes? Just like the rest of him. I don't think getting drowned would set him back for too long. Nothing bad ever sticks to him, and he usually manages to come out on top. Phrasing.

[DasFlavorPup]

It seems a little too easy, but I'm guessing Veronica Deane has a twin - it would explain the two Veronica Deanes from the first episode of the season and why Veronica didn't recognize him in this episode (and also why she's suddenly kind of a bitch).

Mallory and Cyril working together is a surprisingly delightful combination - especially since at this point they're clearly the only two reasonably competent people left now that Lana has devolved into a screeching harridan.

[Chaos Theory]

Lana's always been like that though.  She is completely reasonable except when it comes to Archer.  Actually she reacts vindictively when she gets hurt see her reaction to Cyril a man she didn't love cheating on her.  What do you think her reaction will be to a man who she has feelings for telling her he has feelings for another woman?  Her reaction is completely justified considering their relationship and who Archer is.

[gwhh]

The inside jokes and banter back and forth on this one was a classic!

The grape that ms. archer ate was so funny! 

 

Here a questions.  What happened to all the support staff of ISIS after the closed a couple of season ago.  We have not seen any trace of them since then!!

How did Cheryl get hired at the agency??  We need to see that back story??

Edited May 29, 2016 by gwhh

[TVSpectator]

I am going to predict that Veronica Deane killed that John O'Hurley character (I can't remember his name) and that she probably slept with Archer to create a perfect alibi for herself. 

26 minutes ago, DasFlavorPup said:

It seems a little too easy, but I'm guessing Veronica Deane has a twin - it would explain the two Veronica Deanes from the first episode of the season and why Veronica didn't recognize him in this episode (and also why she's suddenly kind of a bitch).

Mallory and Cyril working together is a surprisingly delightful combination - especially since at this point they're clearly the only two reasonably competent people left now that Lana has devolved into a screeching harridan.

 

If there is a Veronica Deane imposter, that was the real murder, then I would guess that Katya is back in town and/or pulling the strings. 

Yeah, I actually enjoyed seeing Mallory and Cyril working together and it was nice (although, too bad we didn't get a lot of Krieger. Instead we only got him sneaking around dress as a cop/secretary guard around the sets). Although, I thought that the funniest part of the episode was seeing Cheryl fighting the director- just so she can keep on seeing the fire (because she loves fire!) and seeing Ray (dress as a stagehand) combing a wig. Why didn't Mallory just have him be one of the  makeup artists? IMO, he would've loved  job. 

3 minutes ago, gwhh said:

 

Here a questions.  What happened to all the support staff of ISIS after the closed a couple of season ago.  We have not seen any trace of them since then!!

How did Cheryl get hired at the agency??  We need to see that back story??

1

One got killed and I think that the others just left and/or got arrested by the FBI. 

If I remember correctly, Mallory mentioned that she only hired Cheryl (and also why she keeps her around) was because, she knew about Cheryl's family money and was hoping that she could get hold of that money, somehow. 

[OnceSane]

42 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Is next week the season finale?

Yes.

3 minutes ago, TVSpectator said:

If I remember correctly, Mallory mentioned that she only hired Cheryl (and also why she keeps her around) was because, she knew about Cheryl's family money and was hoping that she could get hold of that money, somehow. 

Mallory didn't know about Cheryl's wealth (or true last name) until the episode where Pam is mistaken for Cheryl & kidnapped in season 2, IIRC.

[BloggerAloud]

I thought it was hilarious that they let Cheryl make the Planet of the Apes reference this time. I think Krieger has done it at least twice before.

[Lantern7]

Here's my take on Lana: She hates how nothing bad ever happens to Archer. Cancer? Goes into remission, and he becomes a dick again. Breakup? He just sleeps around some more. Drowned? Revived. Sure, he gets banged up, but he always survives. With ISIS, his mother favored him constantly. The Figgis Agency is Cyril's in name only, so it's more of the same. And now Archer bangs his longtime crush, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Yes, Lana used Archer's goop to get herself pregnant. Sure, she's the Michael Bluth of the group, in the sense that she's neurotic as the rest of the cast, if not more so. Watching Archer glide through life sets her off on so many levels, and I can't say that I blame her. She could shoot him point-blank in the head and heart, and he'd probably wind up healthy and in a threesome with two "eights" or higher one week later.

So the events in "Swiss Miss" were canon, and Pam did bang Malory. Ew. Honestly, I think the show is saving Sterling/Malory for the series finale. You know it's gonna happen.

[Chaos Theory]

My favorite moment was Cheryl losing her shit when someone dared to put out the beautiful fire.  That moment was hilariously funny. 

I did also like that the show paired off Mallory and Cyril those two are usually fun together.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[bmoore4026]

I am so fucking done with Lana.  I really am.  I am so mad right now after the shit she's done.  I want her to be rolled flat as a pancake by steamroller like the Looney Tunes cartoons.  I am just done with her petty, shrewish behavior.  Yeah, Archer doesn't get a comeuppance ever, but that could change next episode given what we saw in the first episode this season.  However, Lana was more pissed that Archer and Veronica Dean had sex, wasn't she?  It's as if Archer finding happiness with another woman invalidates some part of Lana.  Like without the Moonlighting-esque strife, Lana is nothing more than a one-dimensional angry black woman with little relevance.  Maybe I'm seeing things wrong; I don't know?

Also, why is Cyril still hanging around with these people?  They don't appreciate the work he does plus it's, technically, his detective agency - he can fire any of them for insubordination.  You're not tethered by ISIS anymore, Mr. Figgis.  Grow a pair and kick them to the curb.  Or is it a psychological need to be belittled that keeps him with these horrible people?

Cheryl's reaction to the fire being put out was award worthy on Judy Greer's part.  Kudos to her.

And, yeah, Veronica Dean totally killed her ex-husband.  Her emphasizing her alibi is practically a dead giveaway.  And I think Archer realizes this, too.  Unless, it was Katya, which I hope we get some explanation why she needed that disk from the first episode.

[Lantern7]

Theory: the Veronica we saw with Archer is a Kreiger bot. I know, wouldn't make sense, but then we'd have a situation where Archer had sex with a robot. To me, this is funnier than if he did it with a gator.

ETA: if Lana gets steamrolled, what happens to the Wee Baby AJ? Plans A and B would be her maternal grandparents and aunt. After that, AJ would be better off with Trinette and the Wee Toddler Seamus, both of whom are residents in the cornfield.

[Kel Varnsen]

Was that the Maltese Falcon that Lana was going to bludgeon Archer with?

 

Man Pam is so my favourite character. Her whole bit about how she got to drive the to truck was ridiculous. And her "which hole" joke was great.

Also liked how in one of the hallways there was a poster for Disavowed starring Rona Thorne. That was the actress who worked with ISIS back in season 2 as research for that movie and was actually a Russian sleeper agent. Interesting that her movie actually got released especially after she killed the Soviet Premier.

[wayne67]

It's getting to the point where Lana and her immaturity and temper tantrums are making her unlikeable to me. It's one thing to be jealous but she doesn't seem to think anything through.

What did she expect would happen when she essentially broke up with Archer? That he'd stay single and pine for her? 

It's ridiculous. She should know better. When Katya 'died' he grief banged his way through honeymooners for like 6 months. 

Being on a break is essentially giving him a free pass to bang anyone he wants.

Then trying to bash his brains in because of it just makes her petty and violent. I'm now hoping they break up for good and Archer finds himself a new robo girlfriend instead of the whole on again off again Lana Archer relationship.

[ganesh]

23 hours ago, DasFlavorPup said:

Mallory and Cyril working together is a surprisingly delightful combination - especially since at this point they're clearly the only two reasonably competent people left now that Lana has devolved into a screeching harridan.

Props to Cyril for kind of cracking the case. That was a nice surprise. I'd rather see the team being good at their jobs.

I'm over Lana's deal though. I like her, but she consistently resorts to *shooting* or beating Archer when she gets pissed at him. It's funny to a point, but it's toeing the line of abuse now. I know the show is sending it up, but I'm not one for the "gf gets mad when she breaks up with bf and he goes and sexes someone." You didn't want to talk about it and you broke it off. 

I like that the cops were there again. 

Oh, duh. She keeps saying "the stroke of three." She's obviously in on it. 

6 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

You're not tethered by ISIS anymore, Mr. Figgis.  Grow a pair and kick them to the curb. 

To be fair though, when Archer and Lana are on their game, they're basically unbeatable. 

 

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Man Pam is so my favourite character. Her whole bit about how she got to drive the to truck was ridiculous. And her "which hole" joke was great.

Which hole, and then "they're not bisexual." Who cares?! 

I am probably the rare person that liked the Archer Vice season, but I have to say I think they improved on it this season. 

[Kel Varnsen]

2 hours ago, wayne67 said:

It's getting to the point where Lana and her immaturity and temper tantrums are making her unlikeable to me. It's one thing to be jealous but she doesn't seem to think anything through.

Of course she is unlikeable. It seems to me that the basic concept of this show is that they are all horrible people. If it was one honest, good person surrounded by total assholes it wouldn't work for me.

[wayne67]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Of course she is unlikeable. It seems to me that the basic concept of this show is that they are all horrible people. If it was one honest, good person surrounded by total assholes it wouldn't work for me.

There's a fine line between her being a horrible person eg not even knowing Cyril's birthday after being with him for 3 years and being completely unwatchable eg the last few episodes where she's throwing temper tantrums for the umpteenth time and becoming stale and tedious.

I don't want her to be a perfectly well adjusted person but she could tone down the crazy jealous girlfriend routine a few notches and still be a horrible but entertaining character.

For instance Kreiger is an objective horrific person that dispenses mind altering substances and plays God with robotic parts and he straddles the fine line between horrifying and hilarious adeptly.

Lana on the other hand has become tiresome and one note. 

[Morrigan2575]

I like Lana, I sometimes like Archer but, I hate Archer/Lana, I think the pairing diminishes Lana (especially this season).

[kokapetl]

I'm gonna guess it's Alan Shapiro somehow. He's always talking about Veronica being broke. 

[PinkRibbons]

That gun on the roof belongs to Chekov.

Also, HOW CAN THERE ONLY BE ONE EPISODE LEFT?!! This has been a great season, aren't we supposed to get three more episodes?

[tennisgurl]

How is this season almost over? It just started! 

I am totally calling Veronica Dean as the true mastermind. The Veronica Dean importer is still out there, and you know that is coming back. 

Seriously, one more episode?!?!

[OnceSane]

I think the shortened season is due, in part, to:

Spoiler

the real life death of the Woodhouse voice actor.

I put it under a spoiler tag for those who haven't heard, just in case it plays into the season finale.

Edited May 28, 2016 by OnceSane
Forgot words and how to spell

[thuganomics85]

I didn't realize that next week is going to be the finale already.  Only a ten episode season, this time?

Totally knew Archer was going to sleep with Veronica Dean now that he is "on a break."  It will probably end up biting him on the ass, but Lana really should have seen that coming, and really came off petty the way she went after him.  Lana either just needs to be done with him for good, or accept that he is never going to change, because this isn't healthy for either one of them.  Then again, pretty much everyone on this show is messed up.

Malory and Cyril were hilarious together.  At least Cyril ended up being the one to crack the case, even if Malory will never give him credit for it.

I didn't see much of Krieger in the background.  I wonder what he was up too...

Cheryl freaking out over the fire getting put out was brilliant.

Veronica Deane seems to be the obvious choice as the killer, but I wonder if there will be a swerve.  Shapiro?  The fake Veronica Deane from the premiere?

[gwhh]

On May 26, 2016 at 11:10 PM, TVSpectator said:

I am going to predict that Veronica Deane killed that John O'Hurley character (I can't remember his name) and that she probably slept with Archer to create a perfect alibi for herself. 

If there is a Veronica Deane imposter, that was the real murder, then I would guess that Katya is back in town and/or pulling the strings. 

Yeah, I actually enjoyed seeing Mallory and Cyril working together and it was nice (although, too bad we didn't get a lot of Krieger. Instead we only got him sneaking around dress as a cop/secretary guard around the sets). Although, I thought that the funniest part of the episode was seeing Cheryl fighting the director- just so she can keep on seeing the fire (because she loves fire!) and seeing Ray (dress as a stagehand) combing a wig. Why didn't Mallory just have him be one of the  makeup artists? IMO, he would've loved  job. 

One got killed and I think that the others just left and/or got arrested by the FBI. 

If I remember correctly, Mallory mentioned that she only hired Cheryl (and also why she keeps her around) was because, she knew about Cheryl's family money and was hoping that she could get hold of that money, somehow. 

There going to be some clone or robot double action for sure.  But seeing Katya back in action, would be so cool!

I think everyone being to hard on Lana.  Which is funny because she the most balanced character on this show.  Her parents are normal (except for being a bunch of flaming liberals / faculty lounge type).

What Lana sees in Archer I have no clue.  Why she dated Cyril (other than to make archer angry and to use his HUGE man tool) escapes me!  she not much better in the dating department.  She did NOT know his b-day after 3 years of dating! 

I think Lana has been corrupted by being around the ISIS stuff to the point that now she jut as bad as the rest of them.  She may be the best of them, but she just as bad as them now.

Would Lana from when she first meet Malory Archer or even Lana from the start of the show.  Would had agreed to steal Archer man juice and knock her self up because Malory suggested it!  No way!  You notice she become just as violent to Archer and to the rest of the ISIS staff as everyone else over the years!

She also making a LOT more jokes about Arches physical ability this season!  That new! Plus she so mad about him banging the old lady actor.  Another indication of her Oedipus complex that she thinks archer has!  

Is it just me or does not Veronica Dean look a LOT like Malory Arches when she was younger??

Why are we ONLY getting 10 episode of Archer and NOT 13??  Is this the first sign this great nation is turning into Russia-a failed nation!!! 

 

http://best-of-archer.tumblr.com

Edited June 3, 2016 by gwhh

[wayne67]

6 hours ago, gwhh said:

I think everyone being to hard on Lana.  Which is funny because she the most balanced character on this show.  Her parents are normal (except for being a bunch of flaming liberals / faculty lounge type).

What Lana sees in Archer I have no clue.  Why she dated Cyril (other than to make archer angry and to use his HUGE man tool) escapes me!  But than again she may not be much better in the dating department.  She did NOT know his b-day after 3 years of dating! 

I think Lana has been corrupted by being around the ISIS stuff to the point that now she jut as bad as the rest of them.  She may be the best of them, but she just as bad as them now.

Lana shoots Archers or physically attacks him whenever he says something that annoys her. That does not make her the most balanced character at all. If she was a man, she'd already be in jail for abusing her partner but since she's female... well she gets a free pass for trying to bludgeon her partner with a statuette. 

Lana is acting like a stereotypical 13 year old teenage girl instead of the 30 something mother that she is by calling for a break because Archer had the audacity to find someone else appealing. I don't see anything particularly entertaining about her lately. At least with the other reprobates in the office, they're either fully aware of their various flaws or are ashamed of it (Cyril's sex addiction). Lana is completely oblivious to her own insanity, passing them off as other people's fault. She's a classic DARVO. 

[ganesh]

7 hours ago, gwhh said:

Which is funny because she the most balanced character on this show.

Is she? That's a relative interpretation. Pam is probably more at this point. 

 

1 hour ago, wayne67 said:

Lana shoots Archers or physically attacks him whenever he says something that annoys her. That does not make her the most balanced character at all. If she was a man, she'd already be in jail for abusing her partner but since she's female... well she gets a free pass for trying to bludgeon her partner with a statuette.

They're getting away with this plot line because if it was flipped and Archer started literally beating Lana for having sex with someone else the show would be canceled in half a second. I mean, Lana is consistent, so beating up on Archer this episode isn't OOC, but it's fair to call her on this behavior. 

I don't have a problem with the storyline because of this. I'm assuming there is a purpose and narrative direction behind it. 

Not that Lana should be a doormat either. Stand up for yourself for sure. She and Archer have feelings for one another, and continually addressing them with literally shooting him is problematic. 

[wayne67]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

They're getting away with this plot line because if it was flipped and Archer started literally beating Lana for having sex with someone else the show would be canceled in half a second. I mean, Lana is consistent, so beating up on Archer this episode isn't OOC, but it's fair to call her on this behavior. 

I don't have a problem with the storyline because of this. I'm assuming there is a purpose and narrative direction behind it. 

Not that Lana should be a doormat either. Stand up for yourself for sure. She and Archer have feelings for one another, and continually addressing them with literally shooting him is problematic. 

My problem isn't that Lana is inconsistent it's that Intimate Partner Violence isn't funny to me... at all.

Also being in a relationship with Archer brings out the worst in Lana. Hell just being in the same vicinity as Archer for more than 5 minutes brings out her worst attributes. Short temper and violence. Remember that stunt she pulled with that kidnapping scheme in order to prove that Archer was an incompetent babysitter... Instead of the usual nanny cam in the teddy bear. Ugh.

Lana makes unilateral and arbitrary decisions about their relationship and it's so repetitive and stale. 

At least Cheryl's pyromania had a Planet of Apes homage. This is just some obscure reference to the Maltese Falcon.

Having sex with someone while on a break is the least dickish thing Archer has done in seasons. I don't think he's hooked up with anyone but Lana for a couple of seasons. 

[gwhh]

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 11:28 PM, Lantern7 said:

Having sex with someone while on a break is the least dickish thing Archer has done in seasons. I don't think he's hooked up with anyone but Lana for a couple of seasons. 

 

You are correct Archer been on the Lana wagon only for a couple of season.  I wonder if Lana been on the Archer only wagon also?

 

Yes, Pam have gotten more balanced over the past few seasons.  But you throw few bottles of adult beverages into her or a few kilos of south America marching powder into her.  And than she more crazy than the entire stuff put together!!!

Edited May 31, 2016 by gwhh

[kokapetl]

Considering Lana took Archer's semen from cryostorage without his consent, and that she knows very well what a relationship with Archer entails, how could she have not foreseen something like this happening?

[TVSpectator]

2 hours ago, gwhh said:

Yes, Pam have gotten more balanced over the past few seasons.  But you throw few bottles of adult beverages into her or a few kilos south America marching powder.  And than she more crazy than the entire stuff put together!!!

2

IMO, that is why Pam is amazing. She is  something like an amoral superhero in that she can consume an inhuman amount of alcohol, fight like a boss, is an active member for reckless sports (e.g. racing in Yakuza sponsor races), etc...

Actually, all of these characters have been basically the same since Season 1 but I would agree that Archer did do a little bit of growth while everyone else (including Lana) has remained the same. 

[Kel Varnsen]

Pam is also very self aware and completely unapologetic about the fact that she is kind of a terrible person. Lana is also kind of terrible, but is the type of person who thinks she is some how above the rest of the Figgis Agency crew. 

Speaking of the agency i hope their dumb flyer with the dog makes one final appearance before the season is over.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Kel Varnsen

[gwhh]

On May 31, 2016 at 7:07 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Pam is also very self aware and completely unapologetic about the fact that she is kind of a terrible person. Lana is also kind of terrible, but is the type of person who thinks she is some how above the rest of the Figgis Agency crew. 

Speaking of the agency i hope their dumb flyer with the dog makes one final appearance before the season is over.

Both Lana and Archer BOTH have a big time superior complex / ego thing going on.   By far they have the biggest egos on the show.   

[wayne67]

5 hours ago, gwhh said:

Both Lana and Archer BOTH have a big time superior complex / ego thing going on.   By far they have the biggest egos on the show.   

Yeah that's true... However Archer think he's physically superior and intellectually superior to the others... and to a certain degree he is. He can ninja like nobody's business and he's capable of keeping track of bullets fired and technical details in the heat of battle. 

Lana on the other hand think she's intellectually and morally superior to everyone and... there's not really much evidence that she's morally superior to anyone but Krieger and that's not much of an achievement. She's petty and self centered and self righteous.

Archer has gone through some humbling and terrible events, cancer, Katya's 'death' and multiple life threatening situations. Lana hasn't learned anything about anything since season one. If anything I think she's getting worse. The AJ sting springs to mind. Whereas Archer has matured a bit. Not a lot admittedly but still he's had marked progress. He's been in a semi stable monogamous relationship for 2 seasons, he's a semi decent father and he's been relatively decent to everyone (minus Figgis) for a while now. 

[gwhh]

2 hours ago, wayne67 said:

Yeah that's true... However Archer think he's physically superior and intellectually superior to the others... and to a certain degree he is. He can ninja like nobody's business and he's capable of keeping track of bullets fired and technical details in the heat of battle. 

Lana on the other hand think she's intellectually and morally superior to everyone and... there's not really much evidence that she's morally superior to anyone but Krieger and that's not much of an achievement. She's petty and self centered and self righteous.

Archer has gone through some humbling and terrible events, cancer, Katya's 'death' and multiple life threatening situations. Lana hasn't learned anything about anything since season one. If anything I think she's getting worse. The AJ sting springs to mind. Whereas Archer has matured a bit. Not a lot admittedly but still he's had marked progress. He's been in a semi stable monogamous relationship for 2 seasons, he's a semi decent father and he's been relatively decent to everyone (minus Figgis) for a while now. 

Lana also the most sober and drug free member of the cast!  

[Kel Varnsen]

16 minutes ago, gwhh said:

Lana also the most sober and drug free member of the cast!  

What about Ray?

[Christina]

I somehow missed this on previous viewings. Cheryl asks Pam what CDL means, and Pam responds Commercial Driver's License and also longbeep. I have to know what she said! Racking my brain but since I'm not even 1/8th of the woman Pam is, I'm coming up blank. 

The episode where Cheryl laid out Lana's opinion of herself, with the fact that she was waiting for Mallory to ask her to take over ISIS because she is the smartest person there, and Pam and Lana stared at her mouth agape until she said, "Did I say that out loud?" really summed up her persona to me. She really thinks she is the most competent, yet the fact that Archer succeeds without putting for any effort drives her crazy. He is the world's greatest spy, and it all comes effortlessly. This season, we see where he gets it, with Mallory showing what a bad-ass she still is. 

[Lantern7]

Kel Varnsen . . . what about him? Oh, the drug stuff. Didn't Ray inhale a joint when Malory beat the snot out of Krieger?

[gwhh]

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Kel Varnsen . . . what about him? Oh, the drug stuff. Didn't Ray inhale a joint when Malory beat the snot out of Krieger?

Ray doesn't really hit the drugs at all.  Maybe once in a while.  But if you notice in almost all the scenes with him in the office, with several people and they are having a real meeting.  He almost always has a glass of adult beverages in his hands.  Much more than Lana has! 

I cant remember Archer ever doing any drugs of his own free will.  Just booze!   Anyone else remember him doing drugs, just for fun?

[ganesh]

Quote

 He is the world's greatest spy, and it all comes effortlessly.

Archer has a lot of transferable skills. 

[Kel Varnsen]

If i remember the pilot correctly, Sterling Archer's not the world's greatest spy, but the world's most dangerous spy. Which is a perfect description of him because he has the skills that make him super dangerous. Which is also what makes the charactet great, he's not a bumbling idiot, but someone who is super skilled and really smart (love his crazy history/literature references) but just a total selfish asshole.