Just like last year, the Archer panel began with a special clip made specifically for the Con and it was hilarious. Pam's helping Sterling shoot a video for the attendees (all unattractive asthmatics according to him) which details his new plan on how to get laid in a room full of geek girls. Instead of intimidating the ladies with his Sterling Archerness, he's going as Tony Stark (mostly) nude! Guess where the core is located?
Then FX's John Salberg introduced the star studded panel that included H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash and Lucky Yates, plus series creator Adam Reed and executive producer Matt Thompson. Oh, and the moderator Eugene Mirman! Gene Belcher! To kick the panel proper off, Eugene suggests reading a scene because it's exciting to people. Especially, if they switch characters. Yates is Archer. Nash is Lana. Parnell is... Cyril. Tyler is Ray and H. Jon is playing Captain Murphy. Action on the Sealab scene.
Wait. Parnell doesn't want to be Cyril. Or Archer. But no tradesies. Yates' interpretation is a little different than we're used to but does still deliver the laughs. Jon Benjamin looks tortured watching. Finally, Reed chimes in, 'what are you Huckleberry Hound? When Captain Murphy comes in, Benjamin starts the same weird voice and the two go off book. Soon enough, Benjamin's had enough, exclaiming 'fuck this, I'm done.' Nash was pretty great as Lana.
Time for some never before seen footage, modelled in the style of training videos. First up is Pam talking conflict resolution with the aid of a hand puppet. Too bad the puppet takes it too far and it ends with Pam in tears. Mini-dophin. Mirman then starts with the Q and A, asking what they have learned from each other from the Archer live tour. Tyler learned that Benjamin likes to fellate things. And they all like to drink. One of the audience members who was brought up to join in the fun asked Yates if it's always that fucked up. Apparently, that was a good show. Mostly, it's just T-Shirt guns.
A favorite joke that didn't work? Someone wrote the Qs for Mirman (it might have been executive producer Matt Thompson) and he's not happy with the questions or the jokes. He's a little terrified so he asks everyone's dream date. How about Tyler's new book, anything about Archer? Nope, just nervous drinking and throwing up on dates. And Mirman, on cue, produces a little bottle of liquor and Tyler gladly takes it from him. How about some more tour stories?
On the tour, they would bring out Archer lookalikes with Benjamin saying the lines backstage but they were so bad that the hammered drunk one turned out to be the best one. Most just stood up there terrified. Tyler and Benjamin are kind enough to act it out for us. One piece of info about the upcoming season? Usually premiere an ep here but the show has changed a lot that they don't want to spoil anything. The change is not dissimilar to the second of Growing Pains. Sounds big. And now Lucky is Archer. One thing they can say is that Mirman's Cecil Tunt will be back.
Time to turn it over to the audience but not before bringing the signer into the routine. Anal. Anal. Anal. Anal... Not anal. Not anal. Not anal... I've seen the signing joke many times, it's still funny. Okay, the crowd. Recorded together or separately? Always separate and kudos to the editor for making it seem like the banter is really happening. Benjamin sometimes records with Jessica Walter. And she stinks. Also Parnell hates the rest of them. It kind of looks true. How did Benjamin develop Archer's dickiness? Well, he spent a year with a dick, studying from him and soaking it all up.
When talking about Cyril's split personality, half super nice and half poon hound, Parnell admits that he's kind of a real life misogynist. A question for Matt Thompson. What? Really, says Benjamin. Oops. She was a plant to role the earlier video and now it just seems like there's legitimately an HR issue at the Archer studios. Back to real audience members, are we going to see some Pam puppet action? She's actually getting her vagina replaced by the dolphin. A lot of questioners think they're comedians. They're not.
The next one has the giggles and the panel doesn't let it go. After prolonging the giggles, Benjamin demands she be removed from the line for taking too long. But she has a good question! How about a day in the life of Pam? Yes, the Poovey Files spinoff. Its a joke but everyone would watch. Nash adds that she recently took over the Pam twitter feed and you can follow her nasty life. One of her jobs is a bouncer at Crammers. Yates also runs Krieger's account. He also wants to warn he audience that the van running around town is not affiliated with the show. Do not get in! Even Parnell manages a smile.
Watch the fifth season of Archer when it returns to FX this fall. And everything about it is a secret which, again, is why there's no episode. But they do have a clip of a new show on FXX called Chozen. It was brief and not that funny. Oh well, can't all be winners.
