Training Day (Archer)
"Training Day" | |
---|---|
Archer episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 2 |
Directed by | Mack Williams |
Written by | Adam Reed |
Production code | XAR01002 |
Original air date | January 14, 2010 |
"Training Day" is the second episode of the
"Training Day" was produced at Floyd County Productions and animated at
. In its original broadcast, the episode was met with 1.8 million viewers and positive reviews.Plot
After Archer recklessly foils an Irish terrorist's attempt to assassinate a British nobleman, Malory begins to suspect that Lana's feelings for her son are resurfacing. Hoping to readjust Lana's desires so they are steered towards her current boyfriend, Cyril, she asks Archer to train him to be a field agent. Archer is wise to their scheme though, and tries to set Cyril up to fail to sabotage his relationship with Lana, Archer's ex. At one point, Cyril inquiries about Archer’s lack of ethics, and ease of deception. To which Archer’s replies “lying is, like, 95% of what I do.” One of his sessions involves trying to kill an assassin (portrayed by Archer's butler, Woodhouse) and using a dance partner (played by a
The pair put the prostitute in Archer's trunk and drive off, hoping to dispose of the body in an undisclosed location. On the way, however, Archer reveals he is aware of Malory's plan and has been attempting to discourage Cyril from becoming a field agent, presumably due to his own feelings for Lana, and had orchestrated the whole fiasco to this end (revealing the prostitute was merely tranquilized). At this point, the car is rammed by a pursuing vehicle. Cyril believes this is part of Archer's hoax, until their pursuer opens fire on them. In a true show of his character, Archer threatens to eject from the car and leave the hysterical Cyril behind. Their mystery attacker then ceases fire and reveals herself to be Lana, who has discovered Archer's assignment and decided to put a stop to it. Despite Cyril's concern about being caught with a dead hooker, Lana reveals she is only upset he felt the need to keep secrets from her, so she punishes Cyril by forcing him to buy
Meanwhile, Malory becomes temporally blinded after having an allergic reaction to zucchini. Seeing this as an opportunity to help themselves, secretary Cheryl and human resources representative Pam hack into the ISIS computer mainframe from Malory's office and alter their files, allowing them better health care and other perks they can not afford themselves. The whole time, Malory rants about how disgruntled she is about her own and others' life choices.
Production
"Training Day" was written by
FX originally planned on pairing Archer with the fifth season of the network's
Cultural references
The episode featured multiple cultural references. Cyril asks Archer if he'll get to learn karate. Archer replies that karate is the Dane Cook of martial arts.[10][11] Archer explains that ISIS agents get trained by a former member of Mossad to use Krav Maga,[10] an eclectic hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel.[12]
After Trinette is accidentally poisoned by Cyril, Archer argues his point of reasoning by introducing "Chekhov's Gun." It is believed that Chekhov once stated that if a gun is introduced in the first act, then we should expect it to go off in the last act.[13] Thus, inviting Woodhouse to comment that Archer's reference was woefully esoteric.
While Archer and Cyril are being shot at by an unknown vehicle behind them, Archer refers to Cyril as "
Reception
"'Training Day' was a prime example of how ridiculously rapid-fire the conversations can get. Archer's oddly specific "hypothetical" situation to explain his underwear gun was particularly great."
Annie Wu,
In its original broadcast on FX, "Training Day" was watched by 1.8 million viewers, according to
"Training Day" received generally positive reviews from television critics. Annie Wu applauded the episode in her review for
Brian Zoromski of IGN rewarded the episode a 9.0 out of 10, signifying it as "Outstanding." Zoromski called the voice cast "absolutely excellent," writing that H. Jon Benjamin's delivery as Archer was "brilliantly over-the-top, from his drunken outburst and almost-accidental stopping of a terrorist, to his education of all things spy-related," and noted that both the series satirical themes and character development were "alternately obvious and subtle" and "Archer's biggest strength."[9] Salon.com's Heather Havrilesky called the exchange between Archer and Cyril concerning the latter's martial arts training a "[zinger that flies] by pretty quickly."[10]
References
- Yahoo! TV. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (August 18, 2009). "FX Orders 6 Episodes of Archer Toon". Animation Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ TV Squad. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- FX Network. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Ho, Rodney (January 18, 2010). "Local Animators Ready for Cable Debut with 'Archer'". FOX4 News. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- TV Squad. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Goldman, Eric (November 16, 2009). "Get a Sneak Peek at FX's New Animated Archer". IGN. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (October 8, 2009). "Not dead yet: Sitcoms make a comeback". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ a b Zoromski, Brian (January 15, 2010). "Archer: "Training Day" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Havrilesky, Heather (January 13, 2010). ""Archer": The spy who shoved me". Salon.com. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- The Star Ledger. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ "Chekhov's Gun: What It is and How to Use It". January 28, 2014.
- ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the originalon January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ Gilbert, Matthew (January 14, 2010). "'Archer' is a sly, witty spy cartoon for adults". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ Swindle, Anna (January 14, 2010). "Animated Spy Series Archer Premieres Tonight on FX". Paste. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ TV Squad. Retrieved February 15, 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.
External links
- "Training Day" at IMDb
- "Training Day" script at www.archerscripts.com