a. You killed the crew! * b. No, I didn't do that finally.
I call a misdirect bordering on click-bait. (less the clicks) Was sure this was going to be a riff on the crew checking the distress signal on the planet futurely called LV-426, but then they morphed into Jurassic Park and Predator with a dollop of Clone Wars tossed i for good measure. But, at least the rescue sort of gave a hat tip to the end(s) of the Alien / Aliens movies, so, I guess you can disregard the previous parts of this rambling commentary.
Sterling certainly does seem to have a hook up with the Gods of dumb luck, so, he may just have a point.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-09-12T22:16:35Z
[7.3/10] I like the high concept part of this one, which is kind of a mash-up of a Star Trek Mirror Universe episode and Jurassic Park. This season has been something of one big long reflection on who Archer is, and so giving him a doppelganger (with a Trek-appropriate difference in hair) who cuts a contrast is a nice link in that chain. The fact that the alternate Archer is sensitive, caring, and altruistic, in contrast to our usual dick-ish, self-absorbed Archer, and the crew’s reaction to that, is another step toward Archer having a bit of self-awareness here, which I appreciate.
There’s also some solid humor in the episode. While the reflections on Lana being angry and negative aren’t as potent, the ensuing bit about everyone ranking their happiness numerically is a fun running gag. Archer’s constant search for a whiskey sour and the relevant ingredients gets a laughs out of me. By the same token, the runner about Cyril marking all the details down for insurance purposes had a lot of laughs. And visually, the dinosaur attacks offer some creative staging and pieces of animation.
I do like that, in the end, Archer once again grows a little, risking himself and his escape to rescue his friends. It shows that bald Archer got to him, just a little, which is a canny choice. The reveal that the other crew were clones rather than a product of “multiverse theory” is a bit of a letdown, but still, doesn't detract from the fun of the core concept.
Overall, this is a solid episode that crafts a fun situational mash-up.