DVD Corner

Archer Season 4 Blu-ray Review

The fourth season of “Archer” is a step down from season 3.

In the 13 episode season 4, Sterling Archer and the ISIS staff are back for more oddball hijinks. In this season, viewers can expect to see plots about Archer having amnesia, Lucas Troy (a friend of Archer’s), Ray getting bionic legs, Ron’s past, Katya (Archer’s former fiancé), Archer getting a snake bite, security detail at a diplomatic dinner, various missions (some of which go wrong), Archer and Lana teaming up on two missions, the Pope, the Bermuda Triangle, and bombs and missiles.

After an amusing season premiere which features a clever “Bob’s Burgers” crossover, it appeared that season 4 was off to an inspired start. Sadly, aside from a few humorous moments such as the “Bastard Chef” reality show plotline in “Live and Let Dine,” the fourth season is largely a disappointment. Most of my disappointment derives from the colossal failures that are episodes 12 and 13. As you may or may not have heard, these two episodes were supposed to have a “Sealab 2021” with Jon Hamm voicing Captain Murphy. Considering that is one of the best animated series of all time, I was naturally thrilled to watch these episodes. Unfortunately, all of those hopes and dreams that us ‘Sealab’ fans had were washed away since the end product offered very little in the way of references. Captain Murphy was NOT the Captain Murphy we all know and love and most of the “references” were lost amidst endless scenes of Archer and company bickering. If you’re going to go out of your way to promote a ‘Sealab’ crossover, at least give the fans something.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? Hi-def is very kind to “Archer” as the animation looks infinitely better in 1080p than it does on TV and DVD.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The voice acting, sound f/x, and music sound top notch here.

Extras:
* Fox and FX series trailers.
* “Fisherman’s Daughter”- A weird anime inspired short involving the character of Krieger.
* “Archer Live!”- 20 minutes of footage from a live event in NY featuring cast and crew interviews.

Overall Thoughts: Much like episodes 12 and 13, the fourth season of “Archer” was nothing more than a lot of wasted potential. Hopefully, season 5 (which just began airing) is a return to form.

January 21, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Archer Season 4 Blu-ray Review, Archer Season 5, Sealab 2021