Archer Season 12 Introduces His Best Nemesis In Years
Archer season 12 introduces Fabian Kingsworth and IIA, giving Sterling Archer his greatest nemesis since the feud with Barry Dylan went stale.
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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Archer season 12, episode 1, “Identity Crisis.”
The Archer season 12 premiere introduced Fabian Kingsworth and IIA to the show — and, in the process, gave Sterling Archer his best nemesis in quite some time. Voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest secret agent” has had no shortage of enemies over the years. Chief among them has been Barry Dylan (Dave Willis). After Archer slept with Barry’s fiancée and consistently caused him to suffer grievous injuries, Barry made destroying Archer his life mission. Those ambitions were aided by Barry being infused with increasing amounts of cybernetics, making him The Terminator to Sterling Archer’s John Connor.
Over time, however, the antagonistic dynamic between Barry and Archer suffered from diminishing returns. By the time Sterling Archer went into his coma, it felt like the conflict had run its course — both comedically and regarding any potential dramatic purposes. Clearly noting that fact, the writers resolved to have Barry let go of his villainy and form an actual friendship with Archer by the ending of Archer season 11. In terms of recurring enemies, there was also Conway Stern (Coby Bell). Despite being introduced as a foil for Archer, though, it always felt like Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler) should be Conway’s principal grudge.
Archer season 11 introduced new villains for The Agency to deal with, including Simon Pegg’s Aleister and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Peregrine. Despite the entertainment value of their respective episodes – and the pedigree of the actors – neither truly filled the void left by Barry’s eventual redemption. Equally, neither were left in a position to become recurring foes. Enter IIA (International Intelligence Agency) and its arrogant yet capable leader Fabian Kingsworth, a James Bond-style villain, in Archer season 12, episode 1, “Identity Crisis.” Voiced by Kayvan Novak, who ironically voiced another sub-par (and separate) villain in Archer season 11, Fabian Kingsworth was able to make a truly impactful mark in just a handful of scenes.
From the moment he was introduced, Fabian Kingsworth bested Sterling Archer both verbally and physically, getting under his skin like very few ever have. That complete domination not only continued throughout the episode but dramatically escalated. With both The Agency and IIA seeking to capture The Professor (Eric Andre) and his prototype device, Archer and Fabian came to blows once again in the third act of Archer season 12, episode 1, “Identity Crisis.” On this occasion, not only did Fabian emerge victorious but he added insult to injury by even breaking Archer’s much-needed cane. Though he was able to make a lucky escape from a worse fate, the moment cemented Archer as an underdog character in season 12.
As arrogant as Sterling Archer has often been, it’s never actually been without merit. Though members of his own team would even loathe to admit it, Archer was an infuriatingly capable field agent. Therefore, it was immediately interesting to see the tables turned on Archer so dramatically. It essentially gave him a taste of how everybody around him – be they friend or foe – has been made to feel by his own hand at some point. Whether or not Archer will actually note that fact and experience fresh moments of growth shall remain to be seen. Regardless, it offered viewers a new angle from which to view Archer’s titular character. And, after 12 whole seasons, that was both an impressive feat and a pleasant surprise.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Archer season 12 premiere also added a cherry on top by making Fabian Kingsworth a reflection of everything Archer used to be. He was arrogant yet could back up his statements. He had a fondness for the finer things and belittling wordplay. He liked to drink, and much more besides. Furthermore, Fabian also served as a testament to everything Archer could have been. Had Archer made different choices, and/or some things had gone differently, he could easily have been running his own organization — for better or worse. As such, the introduction of Fabian was not only good on an action front but could also provoke some interesting soul searching in Archer season 12’s remaining episodes.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/archer-season-12-nemesis-iia-good-barry/