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Set at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), suave master spy Sterling Archer deals with global espionage; a domineering, hypersexual, late middle-aged mother/boss, Malory Archer; his ex-girlfriend, Agent Lana Kane; her ISIS accountant boyfriend (later ex) Cyril Figgis; and a less-than-masculine code name-”Duchess”.

Sterling Malory Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) is considered the world’s most dangerous secret agent. In reality, his only real interest in the job is the opportunity to enjoy a jetsetting lifestyle full of sex, alcohol, fast cars and spy toys. However, he does show proficiency in the stereotypical spy skills such as weapons, driving, and martial arts; even rival agents admit that no one is better in the field. As such, he is equally likely to kill a room full of enemy agents and accidentally cause an international disaster. He is also notorious for taking every opportunity to have sex; Cheryl, his mother’s secretary, claims that he “turns women into whores,” and he is shown regularly frequenting prostitutes and impregnating his maid. Despite his bravado, he is dominated by his mother Malory, both professionally and personally; his code name is “Duchess,” the name of his mother’s dead dog. In addition, Archer had a very sad childhood. His mother tortured him with a wooden spoon, sent him to boarding school beginning in kindergarten, and she forced him to spend Christmas alone in a train station when she neglected to inform the administrator that she had moved. Archer had no friends at boarding school, but he did become accomplished at lacrosse. Archer has a love-hate relationship with fellow agent and ex-girlfriend Lana Kane, constantly claiming that she is still in love with him, continually seeking to undermine her relationship with Cyril, and even claiming that Cyril does not deserve to be with her. A recurring joke is that Archer forgets one-liners he thinks up, swearing “I had something for this” before saying something else. He also refuses to wear anything other than turtlenecks during operations (he will take the time to change into one rather than immediately disarming a bomb), and claims he was the first to recognize the garment’s tactical potential. The one exception to this occurs in “Pipeline Fever” in which Archer dons a sleeveless vest in the Louisiana bayou, just because it was what Burt Reynolds wore in White Lightning and Gator. “Pipeline” is also where Archer admits to his biggest fears: alligators, crocodiles, and brain aneurysms. The Season 1 finale “Dial M for Mother,” reveals that Archer may have fathered a child with the hooker from the episode “Training Day.” In the episode “Blood Test” Archer, fearing it likely that he is the father of his favorite call girl Trinette’s baby, switches his blood sample with one taken from a drugged Cyril. However, the results of the test using Cyril’s sample ‘prove’ Archer is the father. Archer’s admission to the switch is not believed by ISIS or the ODIN agents. According to a computer screen readout in the show’s first episode, Archer is 36 years old, 6′2″, and weighs 184 lbs. In the episode “Stage Two”, Archer learns that he has developed stage-two breast cancer after being tested for the disease during his mother’s own brief cancer scare. Surgery turns out out to be ineffective as the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes. In the same episode, he drunkingly tells Lana he loves her, but is interrupted before he can explain to her how he feels while sober by the news of his cancer.