Archer—Danger Island: The Complete Season Nine

If viewers recall, the seventh season of this hit FX animated series ended on a Sunset Boulevard-style cliffhanger with the image of an apparently dead Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) floating face-down in a swimming pool. The shorter eighth season found Archer bed-bound in a coma, dreaming of being a private eye in 1940s Los Angeles. And in the equally abbreviated ninth season it appears that Archer is still in la-la land—although not literally. Here, the setting is the fictional South Pacific island of Mitimotu, circa 1938, a rather dangerous locale full of vicious lizards, cannibals, quicksand, and Nazis. The pre-WWII Indiana Jones-style narrative has everyone searching for a mysterious hidden idol. As in the eighth season, all of the characters have been repurposed: Archer’s mother (Jessica Walter) now runs a small hotel/bar and an airways company; Pam (Amber Nash) is Archer’s plane-flying sidekick; Lana (Aisha Tyler) is a literal princess; Cheryl’s (Judy Greer) new husband left the island in a huff after she slept with Archer; Ray (series creator Adam Reed) is a French gendarme, Krieger (Lucky Yates) is the mouthy macaw Crackers, and Cyril (Chris Parnell) is a mysterious German named Fuchs (pronounced, of course, "Fucks"). The sad truth is that this beloved cult favorite is no longer as funny (although Archer yelling "eat a dick, cannibals" felt comically apropos) and it is scheduled to end after the next season. Presenting all eight episodes from 2018, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and an animated short with Crackers. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)