The seventh season of this hit FX animated series ended on a Sunset Boulevard-style cliffhanger with the image of an apparently dead Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) floating face-down in a swimming pool. This abbreviated eighth season—featuring only eight episodes—finds Archer bed-bound in a coma, dreaming of being a private eye in 1940s Los Angeles. The murder of Archer’s partner—former manservant Woodhouse—sends the gumshoe on a wild goose chase that involves competing mob families, Chinese sex slave hostages, dirty cops, a kidnapped heiress, murder, and—of course—a superpowered bad Barry (Dave Willis). All of the characters are repurposed here: Archer’s mother (Jessica Walter) is now a crime boss nicknamed “Mother”; Figgis (Chris Parnell) and Poovey (Amber Nash) are LAPD (although not their finest); Lana (Aisha Tyler) is a lounge torch singer; Cheryl (Judy Greer) morphs (not far) into S&M-loving rich girl Charlotte Vandertunt; and Krieger (Lucky Yates) is basically still a mad scientist. While there are some characteristic laugh-out-loud moments, this beloved cult favorite is also starting to really show its age with too-familiar gags and puns (the series is scheduled to end after two more seasons). Presenting all eight episodes from 2017, extras include episode commentaries. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)
Archer: Dreamland—The Complete Season Eight
Fox, 2 discs, 173 min., not rated, DVD: $29.99
Archer: Dreamland—The Complete Season Eight
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