FX's Archer season 12 has featured a range of references to past seasons, with one joke even echoing Judy Greer's forgotten second character. Picking up in the wake of Archer season 11, H. Jon Benjamin's titular spy and his colleagues have spent Archer season 12 solving The Agency's name problem and clashing with new foes IIA. All the while, they adventured - or generally just frolicked - with their unique brand of indecent and referential humor.
In Archer season 12, episode 1, "Identity Crisis," much of that humor was derived from Pam (Amber Nash) and Cheryl (Judy Greer) trying to rebrand The Agency. As suggested by the marketing team of Kaya (Natasha Rothwell) and Alton (Harvey Guillén), the names they came up with combined something they already loved with a spy angle. The results were predictably mixed and various degrees of amusing. Arguably, however, Cheryl's risque first suggestion was the funniest and somewhat tied into Archer season 12 recalling its missing villains at ODIN.
The idea in question came in the episode's cold open when she proudly suggested "Anal Bullets" as The Agency's new potential name. On the surface, it served as yet another example of Cheryl Tunt's own debauched proclivities. The simple joke, however, has a much deeper level — one that called back to Judy Greer's second Archer character. Though primarily known for voicing Cheryl, the twisted personal assistant of Malory Archer (Jessica Walter), Judy Greer also voiced Framboise. A French member of ODIN's Human Resources department, Framboise appeared all the way back in Archer season 1, episode 9, "Job Offer."
What tied the character to Cheryl's aforementioned suggestion was that Framboise was all but exclusively defined by her own fondness for anal sex. Despite being engaged to Barry Dylan, Archer's nemesis prior to IIA, she engaged in that particular activity with Sterling Archer when he briefly defected to ODIN. Later in the same episode, she also met and indulged her kink again with Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell). Though she never returned to Archer, Framboise and her certain passion were frequently referenced, with Archer referring to her as the "Pelé of Anal" and fueling his feud with Barry. Furthermore, the character was based on porn star Chloë des Lysses, who famously shared the same sexual preferences. Even Framboise's name, which translated to Raspberry, had certain attached connotations.
Whether or not the parallel was intentional shall remain unknown. Given the attention to detail exhibited by the writers of Archer regarding continuity, however, it would seem they knew exactly what they were doing. After all, as well as adding a new candidate in the mystery of Sterling Archer's father, Archer season 12 even referenced Adam Reed's original voice role. Even if it was accidental, however, it's nonetheless an amusing connection that would serve to add a new level to the already brilliantly delivered joke. Equally, it brought both of Judy Greer's characters closer together in terms of personality and preference, as well as adding an element of Archer season 12 honoring the past even while refreshing itself.