Mathew Burckardt
Connector Editor

After a peaceful, silent dance around the ISIS office, the fifth season of “Archer” started with a bang. Unfortunately, I mean that literally, and not so much figuratively.

The FX animated comedy “Archer” has always had a great sense of humor built on running jokes, great comedic timing (they know how to use silence for effect), and the wonderful voice actors cast: most notably H. Jon Benjamin’s goofball voice for Sterling Archer and the cutting snide of both Jessica Walter as Malory Archer and Aisha Tyler as Lana Kane.

But a great lineup of voice actors and good writing is nothing new for “Archer.” What is new, is the change to the premise of the show. Remember when I said the show starts with a bang? It does so because the FBI has launched a raid on ISIS for conducting espionage (for four TV seasons) without authorization from the US government. The whole staff is arrested on charges of treason and taken in for interrogation.

While Archer and Lana, the agency’s top two spies, remain silent, the rest of the staff quickly takes off onto enthusiastic recounts of all the illicit activities ISIS had been involved in. The show cuts back and forth between the supporting characters as they reminisce of desecrated corpses, choke sex, collusion with the KGB, and sexual assault. It’s a comic little nostalgia trip for the past seasons of Archer that lets all the supporting cast work their angles just as always.

After Malory Archer negotiates their release, the ISIS staff are still out of luck. They are freed on the terms that they cease operating; otherwise, they face life in prison. They need new jobs. Cyril laments having to return to accounting after being a secret agent, Pam wonders if she can still handle the underground fighting ring, and Lana stresses that she’ll need health insurance for the baby she’s pregnant with. Then, another option is revealed.

They have a ton of cocaine. Literally.

If they could sell it, they could make enough for the entire staff to live comfortably. The only problem is, how? “What, do we become a cartel?” asks Malory Archer.

Sterling Archer ponders the idea, the show zooms in on his head, and then the montage begins. A country song, “Please Don’t Go,” starts up as Archer reassures Lana that they’ll be set for life after this deal.
I tried to convince myself this wasn’t seriously a tease for the rest of season five. Why would this show need to reboot the premise like this? But as the teaser montage went on for ten seconds, and then thirty seconds, and then a few minutes, I realized this is what we have to look forward to in season five. After the montage ends, Archer mutters “Archer Vice,” to confirm that yes, that’s what’s happening in season five.

The primary characters will remain the same, but the premise is being switched from espionage to vice. Was this necessary? I guess it’s reasonable for the makers of “Archer” to be concerned about the show getting stale by its fifth season, but this change-up is still a bit confusing. I guess the most concerning thing about this episode was that it took so much time to preview the rest of the season that it couldn’t have the ongoing humor of a typical episode. This season premiere made me a bit hesitant about the show’s direction this season, so the next few episodes will have to prove if the change of premise can really make the show fresher.

New episodes of “Archer” air on FX every Monday night at 10 p.m. and can also be viewed online at fxnetworks.com.