NOTE: This review could be considered a general spoiler if you haven't seen the last few seasons. However, there are no spoilers for this season.
In season eleven, Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) has finally woken up from his coma and finds himself readjusting to life back at the agency. After three seasons of coma dream alternate world scenarios, I'm pleased to say that this is a pleasant return to form.
Although the coma seasons had some neat ideas, I, like many viewers, was frustrated that these didn't involve the actual characters and didn't affect the canon of the show at all. So, I was glad that Archer was finally conscious. However, especially with the showrunner leaving, I was worried that this could be a case of the writers relying on the traditional Archer formula and just going through the motions. Everyone was just magically back at the spy agency after losing their license several seasons ago, which had me worried that the show would be too reactionary and wouldn't try anything new. However, I'm happy to say that the story does go to new places (without breaking from formula), and takes into account Archer having to deal with changes while he was gone. He hasn't fully recuperated and has to rely on a cane, which leads to some fun visual gags. Even when you think the show is falling back into old habits, like Archer searching for new valets to abuse when he'd manage to survive without one for a couple seasons before the coma, the story goes to a different place. There is some actually good character work in this anarchist comedy.
However, this season did lean way too heavily on Archer picking on Cyril (SNL alumni Chris Parnell). I mean okay, we get it. For a while, it felt the like we were getting away from that but then the private detective season came, and the show felt like it needed to double down on that. At least in the earlier seasons, Cyril got to talk back a little.
The humor is also refreshingly back to peak Archer, There are just a lot of good plot setups. The finale is the only weak point as it felt like it was trying to do too much in only thirty minutes. (Should've been a two-parter and the second-to-the-last episode just felt more like the right spot to end on.)
Overall if you've been disappointed with the later years of this show, this may get you back on board.
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