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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Archer’s Season 12 episode “London Time,” which aired Sept. 1 on FXX
The new season of Archer on FXX — airing new episodes every Wednesday night at 10:00/9:00 EST — brings the Agency back into the line of duty (and fire) by forcing them into an ever-evolving world that might just be leaving them and their outdated ways behind. Series regular Lucky Yates, who plays the wild and unpredictable genius, Krieger, in the series, is speaking with CBR after each episode, to dive into the stand-0ut moments of the season while indulging in speculation about the future of Sterling Archer and the rest of his team.
This week, the team travels to London to steal back a valuable item Mallory had deposited there decades before in “London Time.” Along the way, the team comes close to starting a war between the United States and England. During an exclusive interview with CBR to discuss Archer‘s latest episode, Lucky Yates delved into his dream genre-shift for the show, shared how fun the show is still to do even after twelve seasons on the air, and speculated on what kind of person Archer could become like without Mallory in his life.
CBR: In this episode, the Agency comes close to starting an international incident with England — and even more damningly, Krieger is the only one seemingly doing his job as a professional.
Lucky Yates: Well, while tracking the guy. After he gets loose into traffic with that van, he picks up the chaos.
CBR: It was so fun seeing Krieger behind the wheel of another van! That and the “jazz feet” joke helped make it a solid episode for call-backs. How excited were you when you saw that in the script?
Loved it. Krieger’s van should have its own Hot Wheels tie-in… There’s a lot more [running jokes] coming up. It starts slowly with the van, but there’s more coming.
CBR: The Agency has, over the years and multiple times in this episode alone, alternated pretty radically from either surprise success or inevitable defeat. What do you think is the secret ingredient on missions that gives Archer and the crew their few wins?
It’s the same dumb luck that always keeps Archer alive. It just kind of always works out for them. If it goes to global conflict and there’s a nuclear Armageddon, our heroes I’m sure will be leading some cool post-apocalypse band. This is all headed down the path where we go full Mad Max.
CBR: I’d watch the hell out of Cheryl, the Queen of the Wasteland. After the coma seasons, is there any other direction/genre you’d love to see the show take on?
Once upon a time, before we actually went to space, I was hoping it would somehow become a Flash Gordon-style series. Where a Ming the Merciless came and try to adapt, I don’t know, make Earth part of his empire. And Archer had to become a Flash Gordon kind of character. Lana was his Dale, and Krieger as his Hans Zarkov. Our gang taking on an intergalactic pirate.
CBR: I’d love to see Mallory and Ming fall in love at first sight.
Oh yeah, she’d eat him alive.
CBR: Speaking of Mallory — this was such a Mallory-centric episode, with her pulling out her old spy gear, actually taking part in the field mission, and driving much of the plot. What do you think Mallory — and Jessica Walter’s — legacy with this series will be?
All of it is just so brilliant, with her in the cat-suit and everything. It’s so good.
I know it has to be Jessica’s last season and Mallory’s last season, and who knows what the nature of the show even is afterward, without her. It really is a Mallory-heavy season. It’s great. She’s the one who made Archer the man he is today. I know this is switching lanes, but I just got Eric Powell’s Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? about the serial killer in the 50’s. It’s all his mother that really made him. Once his mother died, that’s when the insane monster came out. An Archer without a Mallory around, what will that become?
CBR: Either Captain America or Michael Meyers. There is no in-between.
He’d have more style than Michael Meyers. Archer would also be the worst serial killer… Where’s that crossover with American Horror Story? Just do an animated horror series for a season.
CBR: One of the best elements of the episode is when Mallory speaks from her heart and more or less reveals her motivations. Would you agree?
It’s always been super fun going to work. Even though I’m in the booth along with my buds on the other side of the glass… The scripts are always amazing. Wherever they want to take us, we’re game for anything at this point. It’s such a blast to do. Twelve seasons in, it’s really like hanging out with old friends. Like these dumb old friends, you hang out with for a minute every week. It’s just so much fun.
That’s a big thing I like about this season, too. I feel like it’s the most fun we’ve had in a really long time, if not ever? For an entire season, it’s just balls to the wall, bonkers fun. It’s great. For the last few seasons, it’s the first real new batch of writers. And you can tell they’re just huge fans of the show. Like, they love the show to their core and it really comes out in the scripts. Just nailing what its heart is.
Archer Season 12 airs new episodes at 10 p.m. on FXX, which will be available to stream the next day via FX on Hulu.
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