Archer Vice: Southbound and Down.

This week, Cherlene (I'm never going to get used to typing that name) has to get down to Texas in 24 hours in order to perform on Travis County Limits. This being Archer, their trip doesn't even come close to going according to plan. Specifically, a biker gang attempts to steal the cocaine that Archer has hidden in Cherlene's bus. Just another day in the life.

There are a few obvious precursors to this week's episode. On the surface, it's probably most similar to "Midnight Ron", given their shared focus on chase scenes and biker gangs, or  "Bloody Ferlin", which is also a loose homage to a South-set bit of pop culture. However, "Southbound and Down" has far more in common with season 3's "Crossing Over". Both episodes focus on the unlikely friendship (or sex-friendship) that has developed between Archer and Pam.

Archer & Pam

A- On their way south, Archer and Pam end up in the blocker car. For the most part, their exchanges were a rehash of stuff the show has already done. However, it's still a nice reminder of how far these two characters have come. While the first season featured Archer beating Pam with a dolphin puppet until she peed herself, they've become buddies, no matter how much Archer denies it. More importantly, they debate which drug is most addictive and the definitions of irony and satire while simultaneously dodging shotgun buck and attempting to dump a load of cocaine out of their truck while Cherlene sung "East Bound and Down". That is Archer at its finest and purest.

Lana & Cyril

B As always, Cyril is incompetent (he can't figure out how to use the shortwave) and Lana has to take care of everything. It's something we've seen before and it's something we'll see again, but it's rarely ever funny. Cyril and Lana generally both fill the same straight-man role, so when they're put together, they can't match the insanity of the rest of the ISIS gang.

Mallory & Cherlene

B+ As always, everything Judy Greer said was hilarious. However, neither she nor Mallory do all that much except provide impetus for them to travel to Texas. Their funniest moment came when Cherlene decided that she wanted to be kidnapped to increase publicity and Mallory decided that she should let that happen. However, it seemed weird to me that there was no reference to "El Secuestro", in which a gang actually does try to kidnap Cheryl.

Krieger & Ray

A Somehow, the Nazi-Ray gag was even funnier than it was in the "White Elephant" montage. The added backing music and Ray's mistaken assumption that Krieger was trying to be funny took it to the next level. With a single line, Krieger once again proves how much he's like sex, less time equals more laughter.

"Archer Vice: Southbound and Down"

B+ While "Southbound and Down" a perfectly fine episode of Archer, the Pam/Archer pairing is so full of potential that I can't help but be disappointed when an episode in which they outrun a biker gang disguised as police officers as 'perfectly fine'. 

Extra Credit

• I thought it was hilarious that Mallory was sending Cherlene to Travis County Limits, an obvious analogue to Austin City Limits, as if Archer was unable to use the name of the real show, only to have Cyril use it immediately. Then again, I'm kind of a strange guy.
• The trucker brushing his teeth. That's how you make a plot point into a punchline.
• The police car turns out to be full of bikers. It's strange that two weeks apart, True Detective and Archer have used such a similar device.

Demerits

• So there was definitely some weirdness when Pam claimed to have gotten addicted to cocaine because it made her physically attractive, but as far as I could tell, she became addicted to cocaine because she absorbed so much through her skin when Krieger made a full-body cast out of it.

Did You Know?

• Aphasia is a language disorder that can include difficulty remembering words and losing the ability to speak, read, or write.
• Colonel Tom Parker was Elvis Presley's manager.
• Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at the age of nineteen. It was rumored that Sinatra's father orchestrated the kidnapping to provide publicity for his son's singing career.
• An onsen is a fancy Japanese public bath centered around a hot spring. Astute readers will recognize that as sounding nothing like a truck-stop shower.