- "Archer" redirects here. For the TV series, see Archer (TV series).
- "I am the perfect gentleman."
- —{{{2}}}
Sterling Malory Archer, better known simply as Archer, is the world's deadliest spy and the main character of the show of which he is named under.
Background
Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) was born in a bar in Tangiers, located in northern Morocco, Africa. According to the episode, Once Bitten, Archer celebrated his sixth birthday while his mother assisted in overthrowing the government of Guatemala (in reality the CIA overthrew Guatemala's government in 1954, making his birth year around 1948). While growing up, Archer lost his virginity at age 12 to his female Brazillian au pair, who was seemingly unaware of the American age of consent.
He spent up to fifteen years at boarding school, despite American schooling taking thirteen years. His hobby was lacrosse, although flashbacks have indicated he had few friends. At age 18, he was regarded as the most recruited lacrosse player in America, although an incident with a crazed stalker gutshooting him cost him both his lacrosse career and a possible scholarship to Johns Hopkins University (although it is implied this would not have happened regardless given his poor SAT scores). A picture of Archer in Placebo Effect shows Archer graduating from Georgetown University, implying he is at least smart enough to receive a bachelors degree in an unknown major. (Although according to his mother, he in fact flunked out of college.)
His relationship with his mother Malory—who is also his boss at ISIS—is often strained, never sympathetic, and sometimes bluntly abusive. It is implied that Archer was exposed to "negative reinforcement" when he was growing up by Malory in The Double Deuce, making Archer over-dependent on his mother. Malory was absent for lengthy periods of Archer's life, leaving him to be raised by Woodhouse, who had been with his family since helping Malory give birth to him. Archer believed for most of his life that his father was a deceased, decorated Navy pilot, John Fitzgerald Archer. It was revealed in Dial M for Mother that his father may be KGB head Major Nikolai Jakov, ODIN director Len Trexler, or jazz drummer Buddy Rich. Later added to the list of possible fathers was an unnamed young Italian man who was gunned down in the streets of Italy and had "blue eyes, full lips and thick wavy hair".[1]
Archer's Perfect Day
Upon growing up, Archer began work as a spy at his mother's agency, quickly climbing the ranks as their top spy thanks to both his genuine skill and his mother's preferential treatment. Archer has the less than masculine codename of "Duchess " (taken from his mother's beloved Afghan wolfhound, though Malory Archer denies this) and used to have an on-again, off-again relationship with fellow agent Lana Kane, which makes their working environment tenuous and difficult. When not on missions, Archer presides in an ISIS-owned Penthouse in New York City, waited on by the elderly yet capable Woodhouse.
Personality
Archer and his bride Katya Kasanova
Archer is very self-centered, almost entirely focused on himself, his needs and desires. If he aids another person, it is always ultimately for his own benefit. He does, however, insist upon compensating anyone from whom he commandeers equipment or goods, although he does not always trade to them items they want or need.
Although he has numerous personality flaws, such as insensitivity, egotism, and a non-chalance when murdering innocents, he is also undeniably an intuitively good operative with a fairly high degree of personal bravery, as shown during his escape from Moscow when he consistently outwitted and outfought the numerous soldiers dispatched to recapture him despite never having a functional firearm and "three pounds of glass" in his feet. When he was finally cornered in an elevator, he blindfolded himself and fully intended his last words to be "F*** you, you douchebags."
Archer is not completely devoid of a sensitive side however, as seen in Stage Two, when he believes that he may die from breast cancer, he demonstrates considerable regret at his treatment of his co-workers at ISIS, buying Pam and Cheryl bunches of roses and later stating to Lana Kane that he still loves her (also in the season 4 finale he gives Lana the last set of scuba gear and tells her he loves her before drowning to be resuscitated). Archer also bonds with the wee baby Seamus over the course of the episode as he considers him the closest that he will ever get to having a child, going so far as to have "Seamus" tattooed on his back in recognition of that affection. Additionally, he establishes a friendship with a fellow cancer patient, Ruth. Another example of this is in Honeypot when Archer finds himself in a bar that hosts chicken-fighting matches. A big, weeping Dominican man is sitting next to him, crying over the death of his slain rooster. The next time we see Archer, he is covered in dirt and carrying a shovel, and mentions that he spent all night helping a giant Dominican guy bury his rooster in the everglades, This becomes even more heart warming in hindsight after the second season reveal that alligators are one of Archer's three biggest fears. In Heart of Archness: Part 1, he saved Rip Riley from being attacked by a shark by pulling him out his destroyed seaplane, bandaging his head and giving him CPR. It is revealed in Fugue and Riffs that for a short period of time, he assumed the identity of Bob Belcher from the show Bob's Burgers. The reason for this sudden life-change is that he entered a fugue state (stress-induced amnesia) following Malory's wedding to Ron Cadillac.
When Lana became pregnant, Archer's more selfless and compassionate side began to emerge, with him extensively researching and studying human pregnancy and many of the possible complications, as well as getting certified as a dula. He also began to display a desire to help Lana raise her child, knowing personally what not having a father figure in one's life can potentially do to a child's development, even though he believed at the time that the child was someone else's. This display of intense personal loyalty is what slowly began to mend the rifts between him and Lana. He also expressed hope that Lana would be a better mother to her child than Mallory had been to him in hopes that the baby would turn out to be less dysfunctional. He also displayed great care and concern by helping to get Lana settled while she gave birth, and even tried to handle observation of the baby's crowning when left alone through use of a mirror. Lana later revealed that the baby a girl named Abijean that soon began mimicking archer's methods was Sterling's due to lana grabbing his frozen semen at the sperm bank.
Relationships
As with all of the character's in the show, Archer clashes frequently with his co-workers, yet has his moments with each.
Lana Kane
Lana has a vulnerable moment and hugs Archer for comfort in House Call.
Despite having a great disdain for him, Archer and Lana have the closest connection out of all the characters. They're frequently partnered together on missions, and out of all the stuff he put her through, she still considers him a friend (Heart of Archness: Part III)
Lana showed great concern for Archer when he was diagnosed with breast cancer (Stage Two), and spent the night with him out of pity (he originally believed they had sex, they did not). After Archer found out his cancer medication were fake, Lana, albeit begrudgingly, accompanied him in his "rampage", serving as his cameraman and chauffeur (Placebo Effect).
Lana began contemplating having a baby in Season 4, and after Archer saves her from falling to her death when she slipped off a building, she originally decided to ask him to be the surrogate. But she disregarded the thought once he began acting like his typical self (The Honeymooners). During a mission to stop a radical environmentalist marine biologist from blowing up Sealab, Lana disclosed she was pregnant, angering Cyril as he wasnt the father, and prompting Archer to sacrifice his scuba suit and drown so they could escape. He tells her he loved her before he passed out, her replying with "I know". She rushed to get him to the surface, and was ecstatic when he started breathing again (Sea Tunt: Part II).
When ISIS was disavowed and the group turned to selling cocaine, Lana was still pregnant. Archer read extensively on the side effects of pregnancy, showing he was concerned for her. As Agent Holly was sweeping the mansion for illegal activity, Lana contemplated going into Witness Protection, but Archer revealed that once the baby was born, it would be taken away, causing her to start crying. He tells her to run, but she tells him she can't leave him, hugging him (House Call). Archer went to great lengths to get Kenny Loggins to perform at Lana's baby shower, but in the end she reveals she isn't really familiar with him. Woodhouse then covers for Archer and presents her with Archer's old crib, making it look as if it were his idea. Lana started crying and stated it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her (Baby Shower).
Lana's water broke after she, Archer and Cheryl were captured by rebel forces fighting Gustavo Calderon (the rebels are revealed to be Agent Holly and the CIA). She's initially enraged with Archer when Holly said he knew all about the scheme. Archer denied knowing and attempted to act as a dula before Mallory arrived and ejected him from the room. Lana gave birth to a daughter named Abijean. Sharing a heart to heart conversation, Lana reveals she still loved him and revealed she used his sperm, revealing Archer as the father (Arrival/Departure).
Malory Archer
The relationship between mother and son is quite strained,,with both constantly bickering and blaming one another for their problems. Due to growing up without a dad, Sterling holds a rather disturbing obsession with his mother. When Krenshaw revealed himself to be a KGB mile, he takes Mallory hostage. When he describes how he's going to kill her, Archer becomes sexually aroused (Mole Hunt)
Malory tends to alternate from being deeply concerned for his safety to being uncaring, allowing him to struggle for himself (Midnight Ron)
Cyril Figgis
Archer tends to find Cyril to be a joke, annoyed with the fact he dated Lana throughout Season 1, even attempting to make him look bad as a field agent to get Lana to dump him (Training Day).
Autism
Numerous hints throughout the series suggest that Sterling has Asperger syndrome: he is often the only character to count bullets during gun fights, including multiple automatic weapons this coupled with his ability to identify the make and model of firearms allows him to ascertain when enemies are reloading. He is able to identify the make and model of a blender in Fugue and Riffs just by hearing the sound it makes through the phone, and he has an unusual affinity for animals and is able to 'converse' with Babou and Kazak. Sterling also shows an inability to pick up on social clues and a lack of empathy on the cognitive level, rather than being void of it entirely, and seems to be unable to dress himself without help from Woodhouse. Another characteristic is his voice which stays very monotone and changes only in response to strong emotions, particularly rage. The possibility of Sterling being on the autism spectrum is directly addressed in the episode Coyote Lovely; when asked if he is autistic, Sterling seriously considers the possibility.
Enemies
When Sterling and Cyril are being chased and shot at by Lana in his car in Training Day, he lists some of his enemies. They include but are not limited to:
- The KGB
- The Stasi
- Shining Path
- Popeye
- Barry Dylan
- El Frente Rojo
- The Camorra
Bucket List
- Going to an event where they make a huge food item, eating a piece, and then laughing because he murdered Cyril
- Murder Cyril
- Taking a dump on Turkmenistan
Biggest Fears
Sterling's fear of alligators may stem from an event revealed in Once Bitten.
- Alligators[2]
- Crocodiles[3]
- Brain Aneurysms[4]
- The Bermuda Triangle[5]
- ...
- Cyborgs[citation needed]
- Predator[citation needed]
Trivia
- Jason Fitzgerald served as the model for Sterling.
- Archer slightly resembles the actor John Travolta.
- Coincidentally, John Travolta played a FBI agent in Face/Off, where his last name is "Archer"
- Frequently uses a red ping pong paddle during intercourse. His mother used to spank his bare bottom with a similar paddle. Some famous sadists, such as the Marquis de Sade and Aleister Crowley were also severely beaten on their bare buttocks in their formative years, which some (including themselves) theorized as being influential in their later fetish for this behaviour.
- Though highly proficient with multiple types of guns, Archer's preferred Firearm is the Walther PPK, which he has needlepoint accuracy with. He has an odd habit of carrying it everywhere he goes, even into a bath.
- As of Archer Vice: The Rules of Extraction, Archer has been shot 27 times, although technically 28 including being shot with a bean bag round.
- His ringtone is usually "Mulatto Butts", but in The Wind Cries Mary he has personalized calls from Lana Kane to play "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, a reference to his recurring joke on her that she is in the "Danger Zone" because of her obsession with him, as well as being one of his favorite songs.
- Is fond of creating elaborate voicemail pranks, in which the recording is designed to trick people into believing he has answered his phone.
- He is abusive to anyone of lower social status or rank than him (such as Woodhouse). This is probably taught by his mother, who is even more derisive than he is toward such people (except to Woodhouse, to whom she does show respect based on their prior history).
- Archer was shipped off to boarding school by Malory as early as Kindergarten, and remained for as long as fifteen years (three years longer than grades would allow). This apparent abandonment by his mother is often a sensitive topic for him, which he often colors as a more positive experience than flashbacks and recollections tend to portray.
- He was shown to have spent a very short time in the Army.
- In his adult life he continues to have very few friends. In Heart of Archness: Part III, he tells Lana she is his only friend. The only other close relationship shown is with Lucas Troy, whom Archer did not know had raped him while harboring a homosexual attraction to him.
- Archer favors the use of Nightvision goggles during missions, despite being repeatedly blinded by them due to exposure to bright light.
- He is known to faint. Malory has remarked "You would think he was half fainting goat". His condition could possibly be due to Vasovagal Response, which is known to cause fainting episodes in stressful situations; as seen in the episodes Dial M for Mother, Stage Two, The Man from Jupiter, and Skin Game.
- Archer frequently uses the name "Randy" for his assumed personas in the field, only changing to "Rando" when the frequency of his usual choice was called into question.
- The acronym AJTTOTD he uses on his Twitter account is "Archer's just the tip of the day," which was a recurring joke in Mole Hunt.
- He has $480,810 in his ISIS 401(k), though he was unaware of it.[6]
- In the first episode, Mole Hunt, he had multiple scars on his chest and body. These have since disappeared, with the exception of the bullet wound through his foot.
- Archer is rarely shown drinking nonalcoholic. He has an incredibly strong tolerance to alcoholic intoxication rivalling that of Pam Poovey, managing to for the most part avoid hangovers altogether. This builds his liver to such a point that some drugs, such as tranquilisers, barely affect him, although not to the extent of his mother's ability. [7] This does not mean he is incapable of intoxication however, as he has appeared deeply intoxicated and hung over on few occasions.
- The freelance spies and spies from other agencies consider him the "World's Most Dangerous Spy."[8][9][10]
- Archer is an excellent Lacrosse player, having played it extensively in his boarding school days.
- Archer had breast cancer that is currently in remission - Stage Two, Placebo Effect, due to his careless behavior around radioactivity. He was also told that family history and a history of alcoholism were potential risk factors. Malory had been diagnosed with breast cancer as well (although this was later shown to be a false positive), and both of them show symptoms of alcoholism.
- Archer has two tattoos one on his right shoulder blade reading "Seamus" and one on his left shoulder blade reading "Dicky"
- Archer has developed minor tinnitus due to his fellow agents firing guns near his ear. As the show progresses, he continues to have guns fired next to the same ear and is exposed to multiple explosions which cause further damage to his eardrums and worsening his tinnitus.
- He has written How to Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written.
- His hero since he was a small boy is Burt Reynolds. Archer makes a strong effort to imitate Reynolds' various movie and television personas in his daily life. In particular, Archer favors Reynolds' performances in White Lightning and Gator, and constantly expresses his wish to see a third movie to the series.
- He has a surprising fondness for cats, such as Babou the Ocelot and a captive tiger in El Contador. He also claims to love dogs (with the exception of his mother's dog).
- Always refers to Malory as "Mother", never "Malory" or "Mom".
- Archer is an avid reader of novels, movies and political fiction, and constantly references them in conversation. He seems to have an extensive knowledge of trivia, particularly film, television, and literature.
- He is known to have had sex with many of his female co-workers, including Lana, Cheryl and Pam, the last of which he had a brief friends-with-benefits agreement with.
- He knows a lot about mixing drinks, and is somewhat of a snob about them, constantly criticising bartenders. He is pretty good at mixing them himself and improvising drinks in odd situations, although at home he generally has Woodhouse make drinks for him. He usually has bloody marys for breakfast.
- Archer is highly skilled in hand to hand combat, as well as fighting with improvised weaponry.[10][11][12] He is also an expert escape artist. In particular he can fight in handcuffs[7] or get out of them.[12]
- He often wears black turtleneck sweaters on missions, a style which he claims he invented, and becomes extremely annoyed when he sees other spies, especially ODIN goons, trying to wear them.
- Archer was for a short time married to Linda Belcher during his amnesia-induced time as Bob Belcher. He proposed twice to former KGB agent Katia, though both times ended without them being married. He proposed to a pregnant Lana In White Elephant, though she blew him off.
- In Arrivals/Departures, Lana gave birth to their daughter, Abijean Archer.
Quotes
- "I swear, I had something for this." - Most Episodes
- "That is so classic her." -Most Episodes (referencing Malory's overtly selfish/sexual behaviour)
- "Do you not?"
- "BOOYAKASHA!"
- "WOOOO!!!"
- "Lana. Lana! LANAAA!!!"
- "...danger zone!" (often whispered)
- "F*** you, Space!"
- "Phrasing!"
- "Just the tip!"
- "Duh, and/or hello!"
- "Can't, or won't?"
- "Well, obviously!"
- "Obviously, the core concept."
- Katya: Does she hate what I am?
- Archer: What you are meaning the one woman who can free her child from the psychological prison she spent a lifetime erecting?! - Skin Game
- "A little of Column 'A', a little of Column 'B'."
- "READ A BOOK!" - When Archer is knowledgable of something, and others do not show the same knowledge.
References
Gallery of Images
There are 467 images of Sterling Archer on this Wiki, visit the Sterling Archer gallery to view all the images and screenshots.
Here is a sample of four images from the gallery:
Videos
External links
- Maxim interview
@codenameduchess on Twitter
References
- ↑ "Lo Scandalo". wikia.archer.com. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
- ↑ Pipeline Fever
- ↑ Pipeline Fever
- ↑ Pipeline Fever
- ↑ Sea Tunt: Part I
- ↑ Jeu Monégasque
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Wind Cries Mary
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMole Hunt - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedKilling Utne - ↑ 10.0 10.1 White Nights
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFugue and Riffs - ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Honeymooners