Archer: The Complete Season Five

Really happy with my purchase it's always nice to see tv-shows on blu -ray, unfortunately, my copy arrived with scratched discs which is to be expected with used stuff but it skips a bit which shouldn't be a case.

I am a huge fan of Archer! It's a hilarious, adult (as in not kid safe) animated series centering on ISIS which is a US based private spy agency staffed by an exciting group of misfits, screw ups, sex addicts, and alcoholics to name just a few. If you haven't gotten into this yet, you are really missing out. This is a series that has yet to disappoint overall. Yes, a few episodes may not be as good as others, but overall I've loved every season so far.This season premier, the only episode out so far as of this writing, was a little flat in my opinion. The reason being it seemed to spend almost a third of the episode running through snippets of past seasons and another third setting up the rest of the season as ISIS shifts from spy agency to what we can only assume will be some sort of drug cartel. Don't get me wrong, I think there are great possibilities for story arcs in this new vein, I just wish the episode had been longer so that something would have actually happened. Now that the catch up and set up are behind us, hopefully we will get back to the hilarity of Archer and Lana along with the rest of the misfits raising hell and blowing #%* up like they always do.Regarding the FX ads at the beginning (and end) of the episodes... Is it a little annoying, yes. Would it keep me from enjoying the show... Not at all. We are usually streaming Amazon through our bluray after the kids are in bed. Ignoring an Always Sunny in Philidelphia or Sons of Anarchy clip is easy enough as I am pouring a drink (I find scotch or whiskey & coke go well with Archer). If I already have a drink when I launch the show commercials still aren't really that big a deal, that is why Steve Jobs gave us iPads and smart phones. Check your email, rant on Facebook, or tweet your displeasure to the masses to get you through and then enjoy the show. Rather than getting worked up about it, I liken it to previews, which I also hate, on DVD/BluRay that I buy. I always skip through when possible, but I don't let it ruin my enjoyment of the content I purchased.Here is hoping episode 2 and beyond dive straight into the mischief and misdeeds that we have come to expect from our favorite characters!***UPDATE 1/29/14***So, episode 3 is behind us and the season is still off its game. There are some chuckles to be had, but none of the laugh till you're almost crying that we enjoyed in each of the previous seasons. Of course, not every episode of the earlier shows was 22 minutes of constant hilarity, but this season (after 3 episodes) is still struggling to get off the ground from where I sit. I'm sitting here with fingers crossed hoping that it finds its legs and gets back on track... hopefully sooner rather than later.

It sucks to condemn a show when it attempts to break the mold and do something that most shows can’t do due to their premise or won’t do due to a fear of losing viewers, but the sad fact is that Archer Vice, the fifth season of Archer, didn’t have enough compelling material to fuel its break away from the format that served it so well for four seasons. If nothing else, the season stands as a fascinating experiment of who all the characters of the show could be without the day-in and day-out reinforcement of their personalities from their co-workers in the same boat. Breaking free of that shackle, Archer Vice went a little nuts and made a lot of distance from its starting point, but unfortunately the comedy paid the price more than anything, especially since the sixth season effectively restores them to their starting point with only a few things really changed (or “replaced” in the case of one character).Thanks to a certain licensing indiscretion on the part of Mallory Archer (Jessica Walters), the spy agency known as ISIS suddenly finds itself on the run from US authorities with nothing but its employees’ assets and a huge supply of cocaine seized in a previous operation to keep them afloat. From there, the story explodes into a bunch of different directions as each character does their own little thing while still staying within earshot of Cheryl (Judy Greer), who decides to become a country singer (called “Cherlene”) with Ray (Adam Reed) as her teacher and Mallory as her agent/manager. Meanwhile, Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and Lana (Aisha Tyler), pregnant with their child, do their best to get into the drug-dealing business—with disastrous results—in the hopes that they can sell some before Pam (Amber Nash) ingests it all and loses a lot of weight. The musical tour and the failing drug ring lands them in a South American country with a dictator whose political power just might get ceded to Cyril (Chris Parnell) and potential proof to the rumors about those “Boys from Brazil”, much to Krieger’s (Lucky Yates) dismay.No one can say Archer Vice lacks ambition – that’s really what this season is all about, and if it does anything, it proves that these characters are still entertaining and can retain their general characterization and zaniness even if you remove them completely from the safety of their established roles or surroundings. Sure, Ray is still the responsible spy who pays for Archer’s indiscretions or stupidity, and yes, Mallory is still her usual controlling self, but Archer Vice proves she doesn’t need the official rank of “boss” to inspire the obedience she’s so used to exploiting. None of the characters really need their traditional jobs to have the kind of adventures or do the stupid things we’ve come to expect of them. Who they are isn’t dependent on their environment or job, but rather on being part of the very strange family that Mallory Archer has assembled.It doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment until you consider just how many sitcom characters are dependent on the very narrow role assigned to them. How many sitcom dads actually have much discernible character once you strip away the stereotypical “dad” persona? Or teachers or secretaries? In so many sitcoms the characters sink into their roles and rarely do they do anything crazy if it doesn’t make sense for the character in that role to do it. Archer has always kind of bucked that trend (with HR lady Pam and secretary Cheryl constantly stowing away on missions) but with Archer Vice it absolutely eviscerated that practice to see just how long the characters could stay intact when everything but their personalities get stripped away.As great experiments as it is—considering it’s probably one that few other shows will likely endeavor to recreate—the ultimate sacrifice is the comedy. The fifth season has a lot of overarching narrative to cover and so you don’t get as many punchlines per episode like you used to when the writers didn’t have to worry where the characters will end up or how they’d get there. The long-form storytelling of the season takes precedence in the writing and it’s noticeable. It’s still very much worth watching for fans, but that shift in tone from a show that’s largely about comedy with elements of a larger spy story tied in to something with inverted priorities is felt even if you’ve only seen one or two seasons before it.So admire it for what it is—a bold one-off undertaking—and then put it out of your mind, because if the sixth season has shown us anything it’s that while the events of Archer Vice will have lasting impacts, the traditional office- and mission-based format is back to stay.Blu-ray Bonus FeaturesA music video for Cherlene Tunt’s hit song “Midnight Blues”, an interview with Cheryl in character as Cherlene, and, keeping with the musical theme of the extras, a little song-and-dance piece further reminding us of Pam’s farm-raised roots in “Old Pam Poovey Had a Farm”. They’re all amusing one-offs, though compared to the first two, Pam’s musical comes a little out of nowhere in the context of the season.[Originally posted at JustPressPlay.net]

good sale

Great

As a stand alone, this series is by and large, the worst of the collection to date, that's not to decry it, or slate it, but it featured far too much screen time devoted to the supporting cast (or caste, depending on how you perceive the rating of the characters..), Pam's cocaine addiction began to grow a bit tedious by the last episode of the first DVD, and was full blown hair pulling proportions by the second episode of the 2nd DVD.It WAS funny. Then it got old. Then it got slightly funny again...Then really really annoying.As for the characters themselves, it had been pretty much the same formula rolled out, but in different environments, drawn sublimely well compared to other series, the cameo by Kenny Loggins (DANGER ZONE, Lana!!!) was simply inspired. But it wasn't enough to redeem this series when compared to others in terms of how often the minor characters from previous series' had an input in this series...And this can't be stated enough.As said above; 'the worst', but still better than nothing, or Bob's Burgers(...Shudders...)

One of the best seasons, it came with some extras too.Midnight Blues isy Charlene's favourite song :)

LOVE Archer! Nuff said! ...and for those who might have been confused by others feedback (as I was) regarding Fox advertisements, there are only the usual 2/3 trailers at the beginning that you normally get on practically every DVD ever released! So not sure what they're complaining about?!