Archer season 10 episode 9 finally saw the title spy awaken from his long coma, but how did the episode itself play out? Archer has been running since 2009, and details the misadventures of the main character, a womanizing, alcoholic spy in the 1970s James Bond mould. He's also riddled with various personality defects, with the bulk of the animated sitcom's humor being mined from his interactions with co-workers and complex relationship with mother/boss Mallory Archer.
Archer is voiced by the unmistakable H. Jon Benjamin and is supported by Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, Jessica Walters and many more. The series has run for eleven seasons and counting, with part of its longevity likely due to later seasons changing up the dynamics. Season 5 broke from formula with a series inspired by Miami Vice, while season's 8 to 10 took place inside of Archer's head while he's in a coma.
Season 8's Archer: Dreamland was a 1940's noir thriller, while season 10's Archer 1999's "Bort The Garj" introduced a new 1970's sci-fi aesthetic. While the coma trilogy gave the show's creator Adam Reed a chance to really mix up the settings and character dynamics, viewers became increasingly frustrated and wondered when Archer would actually wake up. That finally came with Archer 1999's "Robert De Niro," where reality starts bleeding into his fantasy life.
Archer season 10 episode 9 finds Archer on trial for his attempted murder of Lana in the previous episode "Cubert," and in addition to the usual banter and hijinks between the characters, Archer starts to imagine them as they are in reality. Life gets more complicated when space pirate Barry-6 boards the ship with a horde of murderous aliens, and the crew release Archer to help them fight back. This includes a meta-homage to James Cameron's director's cut of Aliens, where Krieger unleashes turrets on the invaders, but as the team watches the ammo counters go down, they soon realize the guns aren't actually shooting at anything.
Archer season 10 episode 9 ends with Archer sacrificing himself by fighting Barry-6 while letting the others escape, and as the M/V Seamus ship explodes, there's a montage of scenes from past seasons before Archer finally wakes up. While the series is rarely emotional, seeing Mallory's relief at her son waking up after three years in a coma - and Archer learning his mother essentially lived in his hospital room the whole time - is surprisingly touching. "Robert De Niro" was a fitting end to the coma trilogy, but season 11 proved it was good to have Archer back in the real world too.