With Archer renewed for season 13, the show needs to address its biggest character problem coming out of the coma seasons. Originally a straight-up spy comedy, Archer began to play with its formula beginning in season 5, Archer Vice, when the gang became drug smugglers and left the agency behind. In season 7, then a private detective, Archer was shot and fell into a coma that led to 3 full seasons—Archer Dreamland, Archer: Danger Island, and Archer: 1999—taking place entirely inside his head. This conceit finally ended during season 10 episode 9.
The core of Archer is the toxic relationship between Sterling (H. Jon Benjamin) and his mother Mallory (Jessica Walter). Around them floats a constellation of strange misfits including underground wrestler Pam (Amber Nash), ditzy heiress Cheryl/Carol (Judy Greer), and Archer's activist ex-girlfriend Lana (Aisha Tyler). While jokes fly aplenty during the course of each episode, it is the character beats that made fans fall in love with the show. Choices such as the flashbacks to Mallory’s horrific treatment of Archer as a child contrasted with Lana’s highly pressured upbringing elevate their relationships. When Archer and Lana finally get back together in season 6, it feels like the natural conclusion to years of development.
Unfortunately, any true growth stops when Archer falls into a coma. The show upends its context, creating an illusion of change without actually moving any of the characters forward. The first coma season, Archer: Dreamland, reinvented the nature of the show, altering every character and making the story far darker. However, because it was all happening in Sterling’s head, none of it felt real. Now that we’re back in the real world, character momentum needs to matter.
Season 11 finds Archer crippled and shocked by the changes that had taken place during the years he was unconscious. However, it didn’t take long for Sterling—and the show—to resume its state of permanent stagnation. By the start of season 12, Archer is back to being his old selfish self, only with a cane. Cyril, after briefly taking Archer’s place as the world’s greatest super-spy, is back to constantly failing, and Pam and Cheryl are up to their old hijinks. Even introducing Archer and Lana’s daughter, now of an age to be a real character, did not result in growth for either one of her parents.
After the death of Jessica Walter during the production of season 12, season 13 will have to adjust itself to deal with her absence. Given that Mallory’s importance to the story is second only to Archer’s himself, the hole her character leaves behind cannot simply be papered over. One way to fill the void is to commit to letting the show’s characters change. A Sterling finally out from under his mother’s control is a great stepping stone to a Sterling that could truly run the Agency or be a good parent. After multiple seasons of experimentation, it's time Archer actually advanced.