Mole Hunt
"Mole Hunt" | |
---|---|
training exercise. | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Mack Williams |
Written by | Adam Reed |
Production code | AR01001 |
Original air date | September 17, 2009 |
"Mole Hunt" is the first episode of the
In the episode, suave yet rude and belligerent spy Sterling Archer, prompted by questions regarding his expense account, breaks into the mainframe computer of his organization ISIS and inadvertently discovers a mole in the organization. The episode was written by Archer creator and co-executive producer, Adam Reed, and directed by Mack Williams. It was produced at Floyd County Productions and animated at Radical Axis Studio in Atlanta, over the course of approximately one month.
The
"Mole Hunt" attracted 1.4 million viewers, with 950,000 between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode received generally favorable reviews from television critics, who noted that despite its raunchiness, it contained sharp dialogue and quick wit.
Plot
Sterling Archer, a suave agent from the spy organization ISIS, partakes in a
Without any outside options, Archer is forced to manually break into ISIS's mainframe. Though he initially thinks that this will be an extremely difficult task, he discovers that actual security is appallingly terrible and he easily figures out the password to hack his account after the first try. While trying to transfer all of his excess expenses from his account to Krenshaw, the agent enters the room and holds a gun up to Archer's head. He reveals that he is actually a Russian spy named Kremenski and fears the agency has started to realize that he is a
They pursue him outside, where Cyril and Malory have already arrived. Kremenski grabs Malory and threatens to kill her if they do not let him leave; Archer tries to turn the tables on him by grabbing Lana and threatening to do the same, but Kremenski does not care about her well being. When Lana proclaims that Archer is getting an erection (caused by picturing Malory being dead), Kremenski lets go of Malory in disgust, allowing Archer room to shoot him several times in his chest and once in the head, killing him.
Despite his previous actions of breaking into ISIS and hacking the mainframe, Archer is excused from his expenses after Cyril comes to the assumption that Kremenski had been stealing from Archer's account the whole time. Malory notes that she would have known if there was a mole at ISIS, her earlier phone call interrupted by Archer, was shown to have been with Nikolai Jakov, head of the KGB. She changes the subject when questioned, and rather complains that someone left donuts on the floor attracting ants.
Production
"Mole Hunt" was written by
The pilot episode was produced at Reed's Floyd County Productions studio in
FX originally planned on pairing the premiere of Archer with the fifth season of the network's
Reception
"However, most importantly, the dialogue is funny. I found myself closing my eyes a few times during the show, in an attempt to ignore the animation, and just listen. It worked."
Jonathan Toomey,
In its official broadcast on FX on January 14, 2010, "Mole Hunt", which aired as the second episode, attracted 1.4 million viewers, with 950,000 of them being within the key 18–49 demographics. This was a slight drop from the airing of the second episode "
"Mole Hunt" received generally favorable reviews from television critics and media outlets.
Writing for
Other reviewers, however, have commented negatively towards "Mole Hunt." Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter did not enjoy the episode, saying it "looks great but could be much funnier" and "rife with words that would be bleeped on broadcast channels and even most other basic-cable outlets."[29] Rick Bentley of McClatchy Newspapers wrote, "Most of the comedy is milked from the personal relationships in the office, which start off tedious and only grow more annoying. The adult material – from nudity to words you haven't heard on basic cable – comes across as merely an attempt to be shocking. It's hard to be shocked when you are bored."[30]
On the season one DVD boxset, there is a bonus feature where the episode plays out as normal with the character of Sterling Archer being replaced by a velociraptor making dinosaur noises for Archer's dialogue.
References
- Yahoo! TV. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ FX Network. p. 4. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ FX Network. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Porter, Rick (July 13, 2009). "FX gets animated with 'Frisky Dingo' creator". Zap2it. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c Goldman, Eric (November 16, 2009). "Get a Sneak Peek at FX's New Animated Archer". IGN. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Zahed, Ramin (August 18, 2009). "FX Orders 6 Episodes of Archer Toon". Animation Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ TV Squad. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Ho, Rodney (January 5, 2010). "Local Animators Ready for Cable Debut with 'Archer'". FOX4 News. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- FX Network. Archived from the originalon February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- TV Squad. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Eng, Joyce (December 1, 2009). "FX Sets Midseason Schedule". TV Guide. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Goodman, Tim (October 8, 2009). "Not dead yet: Sitcoms make a comeback". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ TV Squad. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Weprin, Alex (January 15, 2010). "'Archer' Premiere A Ratings Bullseye For FX: FX's first animated comedy series starts strong with 1.8 million viewers". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ "62nd Primetime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 8, 2010. p. 2. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ O'Neil, Ted (July 21, 2010). "Emmys Creative Arts: Winners list". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ "Archer reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (October 28, 2009). "Lovable losers in their own 'League'". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ Hinckley, David (August 13, 2009). "FX Sets Midseason Schedule". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Hinckley, David (January 14, 2010). "FX spy satire 'Archer' a bull's-eye". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Roush, Matt (November 17, 2009). "Thursday's Laughs and Thrills". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (November 17, 2009). "Archer Review". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Matheson, Whiteny (January 14, 2010). "DVR alert: FX unveils animated 'Archer'". USA Today. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (January 13, 2010). "Promising comedy 'Archer' goofs on spy-world cliches". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Perigard, Mark A. (January 14, 2010). "FX's 'Archer' fulfills mission as smart spy comedy". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (January 13, 2010). "TV review: 'Archer' is well-crafted comedy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Owen, Rob (November 17, 2009). "Preview: 'Archer' crude but clever". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- McClatchy News Service.
- ^ Garron, Barry (January 12, 2010). "Archer -- TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Bentley, Rick (January 14, 2010). "Animated 'Archer' on FX: not so smart". McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
External links
- "Mole Hunt" at IMDb
- "Mole Hunt script"