30 for 30

Why is this the direction they chose to go in? The series since season 5 has set up the fact that Archer and Lana have a child. The familial progression of ISIS spies, from Mallory to Sterling to AJ, makes the most sense. What else was the point of Archer and Lana having a child if they didn't plan to have her feature further in the story? Was AJ a plot device never intended to become a fully fleshed out character? It would have made so much sense to have AJ be a secret agent in this season, following in the footsteps of her parents. Instead we have Zara. A bland forgettable character with no personality beyond her pandering girl power bravado. In addition to the disappointing character choices is the stark lack of witty biting humor from earlier seasons which made this show so clever. Even the coma seasons, while serialized, still had a similar sort of humor. Honestly, the series would have been better off ending after Jessica Walter passed. The new episodes just don't have the heart or humor the show used to have.

This episode was great high energy fun, and really felt like a return to the early seasons. They nailed the balance between over the top action and clever gags, with a good smattering of obscure references. It excelled at one of the things Archer does best: looking at the classic spy thriller premise through the lens of an average workplace and everyday challenges we can all relate to, but in its own crazy way. It's nice to see some of the characters adapting to new roles once again, without changing who they are. The strong ensemble is a key feature of Archer and 30 for 30 uses it well.

This is shaping up to be a good series and I'm looking forward to what comes next.

This episode feels like they decided to introduce a new character that's more obnoxious than any other just to take a jab at Archer and minimize the character. It seems like a common trend among these shows and it's baffling how frequently this keeps happening. Is this studio following on Disney's footsteps, trying to find a new audience? Or did they get tired of the same jokes and are desperate for new ideas? We will never know, apparently. There are more ways to do that and make us empathize with a new character, but that's not what they are doing here.

It's shaping up to be the worst season they ever made.