When Archer first premiered, it initially pitched itself to audiences as The Office but with spies which is both a formula for disaster and absolute hilarity. With the comic genius of Adam Reed at the helm, the series brought witting dialogue that was much sharper than any knife or bullet that came at the cast's heads. However, few series nowadays get to last as long as Archer has without going through some evolutions, and Archer has gone through quite a few.
This was evident when they abandoned the whole spy premise to try their hands as drug dealers and private investigators. Even then, those escapades pale in conceptual comparison to the series' "Coma Years," seasons dedicated to exploring different genres during the time that Sterling Archer was in his coma. With him thankfully having woken up, there are a few episodes that fans may want to look back to if they want more variety from the spy schtick.
Danger Island, A Discovery
Archer: Danger Island was the series' action/adventure elements set to their absolute maximum. Transitioning from the cool, quiet realm of Dreamland, Danger Island brought constant tension and dynamics when it had Archer and Pam crash land on a mysterious island in the Pacific. "A Discovery" was the climax to an entire, tropical adventure that brought the gang on a classic treasure hunt akin to '80s action/thrillers and tried to solidify the close friendship between Archer and Pam.
With the group still bickering as they're being held at gunpoint within a hot jungle and Cyril still managing to act nasally and trying as a Nazi in a robot suit, "A Discovery" was classic Archer at its best, a send-off to a unique season, and a wonderful transition to its interstellar next.
Dreamland, Berenice
Archer: Dreamland was a huge risk for the cast and crew. While Adam Reed's writing and the cast's eclectic performances are strong within their own right, they gambled with their audience's expectations and loyalty by changing the aesthetic and premise of the entire series...even more so than they already had.
"Berenice" helped assuage fears as it excellently picked up from the first episode by having Archer and Charlotte Vandertunt (this world's version of Cheryl) squabble, bicker, and make love over the rotting corpse of one of a dead woman. This is the start of Archer's misadventures to protect Charlotte and help her fake her own death while the various plots of the mob heat up in the background.
1999, Space Pirates
Archer: 1999 was the apex of all the high-concept absurdity that the Coma Years were going for, as it just put the main cast in space and let them do space stuff. "Space Pirates" is a great example of the series really having fun with how far it was from its original premise by pitting the crew against a group of space pirates in an epic and suspenseful battle.
Besides the clear allusion to Archer's obsession with space pirates, this episode also acts as a very fan-service filled homage to Star Wars and its attributions to the action/adventure genre.
Dreamland, No Good Deed
Starting things off on the right foot, "No Good Deed" was the suave yet still quick-witted introduction to Sterling Archer's neo-noir adventure and his new adventures in the dream world. Acting as both a pilot for a new series and a tasteful sendoff to a lost cast member, Dreamland starts in the real world as the cast mourns the death of Archer's hated/beloved butler, Woodhouse whose real-life actor, George Coe, had died long ago.
This brings the story into Dreamland as it introduces a new, detective version of Archer who now needs to solve his old partner's murder. This unwittingly gets him involved in the faction wars between two gangs but a little closer to the mysterious, lounge singer, Lana Kane.
Dreamland, Waxing Gibbous
Archer: Dreamland had brought the fans to new, unfamiliar territory in more ways than one. Besides just changing the theme of the series overall, it also dared to separate the once close cast into different and opposing parties.
"Waxing Gibbous," however, finally brings all the pieces together as the different journeys between mobsters, cops, and detectives bring everyone to Len Trexler's mansion, only to stumble upon a horrific sight. "Dutch" Dylan finally threads this character with Barry's by not only becoming insane but also a murderous robot on a rampage across the secluded mansion. With few other options, the now reunited cast does the only thing they can and argues.
Danger Island, Comparative Wickedness Of Civilized And Unenlightened Peoples
"Comparative Wickedness of Civilized and Unenlightened Peoples" is both a mouthful of an episode title and Archer: Danger Island at its absolute peak. If the creators wanted to capture a sense of adventure in a way that only Archer can, then they accomplished it here.
Siegbert Fuchs, aka Nazi Cyril, shows just how villainous he can be as he sends stormtroopers to the island to take down its people. The episode is full of classic action, stunts, and plenty of the series' heat-of-the-moment dialogue that serves to elevate the scenes with its comedy instead of cutting it.
1999, Cubert
"Cubert" is both a surreal journey on an already fantastical setting for the series as well as the biggest shock to date in the Coma Years that Archer is getting closer to waking up. While the episode tries to hone in on the clear MacGuffin of the cube, it sparks new questions as Archer's insanity in this world transmits to slight peaks in the real world.
It manifests as violent outbursts in this episode, putting Archer even at greater odds against his own crew than he already is. It's both a masterful way of teasing the end of the Coma Years as well as a heated transition to the season's nearing conclusion.
1999, Mr. Deadly Goes To Town
"Mr. Deadly Goes To Town" was a standout episode even considering the entire canon of Archer. While Archer: 1999 typically tries to put its cast into epic, space adventures, there's much more intimate and even more engrossing humor as the story is relegated to just pure character interactions.
Here, the crew picks up a seemingly gentle and polite robot who, in actuality, is a bomb that's just trying to get the crew's command to detonate himself. Not wanting to die, Archer and Lana do their best to convince the robot to live for himself whereas the rest of the crew try to exploit him for their own purposes.
Dreamland, Gramercy, Halberd!
"Gramercy, Halberd!" was the climax of the strange and increasingly tense adventures of Archer: Dreamland. In classic neo-noir fashion, Archer has been taken further and further away from his initial goal of solving Woodhouse's murder and now finds himself in the crosshairs of some gang warfare and the murderous rampage of a cyborg.
This results in an extended chase sequence where Archer tries to keep Dutch from killing Len Trexler, all while Lana reveals her status as an agent of the IRS and, a little foolishly, tries to arrest everybody. However, even that's not the main surprise here as Archer, even through all the chaos, finally discovers in the end who killed Woodhouse.
1999, Robert De Niro
Archer: 1999 and the Coma Years as a whole see their conclusion when Archer must now be put on trial against his space crew. While remnants of the real world had been popping up every now and then, they've only translated to violent outbursts from Archer in the dream world, and they don't do him any favors during his trial.
Things have to end shortly, however, when Barry-6 and his space pirates invade the ship, leading to a climactic battle. In the end, Archer sacrifices himself to save his crew; and in the midst of the explosion, he jumps straight back to conscientiousness in the real world. It's a sobering and refreshing sight, an end to a strange era for the series, and a much-welcomed return to form.