Archer: The Complete Season Two [Blu-ray]

He's intrepid. He's absurdly egotistical. He's obsessed with sex (although perhaps not as much as his mother, not to mention several other characters in the show). He is, in fact, described by his own mom as "a vain, selfish, lying, and quite possibly alcoholic man-whore." This is Sterling Archer, self-described world's greatest spy and the hero of these 13 second-season episodes of Archer, the irreverent, often laugh-out-loud funny cartoon series from the FX network. This season's themes are no less adult than the last one's, including the suggestion of sex with a minor, a paternity suit, irresponsible gambling, and breast cancer--make that male breast cancer, specifically Archer's. Sterling (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and his cohorts at ISIS, the agency run by mother Malory (Jessica Walter), gallivant around the globe, from the bayous of Louisiana (where they try to thwart an eco-terrorist) to the grand hotels of Monaco (where they somehow end up in the middle of the famous Grand Prix auto race) and a dark prison cell in Russia (where Archer has gone in an attempt to locate the man he believes to be his father). The jokes and puns come at us fast and furious. Some are obvious and sophomoric, if still amusing (Archer's supposed father is named Nikolai Jakov); others are cleverer (the topless young Swiss cutie who comes on to our hero claims that "he tried to touch me with his� Wilhelm"), and still others are downright smart and funny (not many TV shows, especially animated ones, touch on the difference between perquisite and prerequisite, or bailiwick and legerdemain). The character animation is limited, to say the least--those who recall the Clutch Cargo series from the late 1950s and early '60s should feel right at home--but the backgrounds are often quite beautiful. And if there's any doubt that Archer is not for kids, the ample profanity (no F-bombs, but pretty much everything else) should convince parents to keep their young ones out of earshot. Meanwhile, those wondering what the folks behind the voices look like will want to check out the bonus feature covering several cast members' appearance at Comic-Con. --Sam Graham