ARCHER Bitten By the Comedy Snake

Article first published as ARCHER Bitten By the Comedy Snake on TheTVKing.

Grade: 89%

In tonight's episode of FX's ARCHER, "Once Bitten," Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) is bitten by a deadly snake in the middle of the desert. His jeep is stuck in the sand, and Ray (Adam Reed) and Cyril (Chris Parnell) can't get it out. Can they find help for Archer before he dies?

Yes, yes they can.

Sure, killing off the title character is certainly not going to happen, so their eventual solving of the problem is a given. That doesn't make the journey any less fun, as Cyril, Ray, and Archer bicker. It's like a boys night out in the middle of nowhere, and with one of them dying.

We actually get a lot of character development for Archer in "Once Bitten." We not only learn that his bucket list includes eating one of the biggest foods, but also murdering Cyril. OK, so he is most likely joking about the second thing. But that's just his relationship with Cyril, and while he is slamming Cyril, we know Archer is OK.

More importantly, Archer revisits his past in the company of deceased actor James Mason. Why? Who knows? The point is, we get to see pieces of Archer's childhood, why he is who he is, what he used to be, and even a glimpse of his real father. Who Archer's father is is a big mystery on ARCHER, and "Once Bitten" stops short of solving it. Yet, it does seem like the bit of him that we do see also has influenced Archer to this day, so it's important.

Surprisingly, we also get some small, but deep, insight into Lana (Aisha Tyler) when Cheryl (Judy Greer) zings her good, perhaps sparked as a metaphor for the meat being grounded up in front of them. Cheryl often says things without thinking, but seldom do her words ever cut as deeply as they do here. It obviously affects Lana, and while her subplot in the episode is small, it's a side of her we have not seen before.

Malory (Jessica Walter) is, unsurprisingly, the cause of many of the problems that arise. Her selfish use of ISIS for her own personal gain, and her uncaring attitude towards others and the world, continues. Will she ever learn her lesson? Would ARCHER be as funny if she did? The answer to both questions is probably no, as she is the catalyst for many of the stories, and her character is a favorite of mine, despite how unlikeable she is.

Ray cannot stop himself from getting injured, can he? Once more, he hurts himself in this episode and removes himself from being a contributing member of the team. I feel like ARCHER misses having him in a wheel chair, and the writers will not stop until they put him back in one.

I have occasionally wondered why Krieger (Lucky Yates) isn't a more central part of the cast. But, in "Once Bitten," as Malory tries to make him run some control panels and help out, he keeps secretly putting together a rat wedding. Seeing this, I finally realize he is just too bizarre and different to be a member of the core group, nor does his character have any interest in being included. Which is fine. He's still good for a periodic gag.

An element ARCHER often makes use of is switching scenes mid-line, so that a different character in a different place finishes another character's sentence. "Once Bitten" has numerous examples of this. It seems like such a simple thing, and ARCHER isn't the only story that does this. However, it has kind of become a trademark, being owned by the show, and every single time, I still enjoy it.

"Once Bitten" is a fine installment, with plenty of amusing bits, such as Ray forgetting that he has bionic legs, much discussion about venom and taints, a goofy hat, a fish fight, and a camel wreck. ARCHER never goes too deep into the players in the series, but this episode tries to a bit, and still manages to be funny at the same time.

Watch ARCHER Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.