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Archer and the rest of the team—now working for the CIA—can be oblivious to their surroundings, which is why we like them. In fact, that’s why the show is funny. But it also means that they rarely invest the time to think about the world around them, or figure out why anything in the crazy world of the show is the way it is. So it’s highly unlikely that Archer will ever put in the work to solve any of these mysteries.
Who’s Archer’s daddy?
This is probably the show’s biggest overarching mystery—first we thought Archer’s father was Nicolai Jakov, head of the KGB, then there were a few other possibilities (Buddy Rich!). Now it seems likely that Archer’s real father was killed in Italy and Malory avenged his death through an elaborate plot to murder the Italian prime minister (they don’t use a king). It’s not like the show ever really needs to solve this mystery, but we wouldn’t complain if the series finale was an Archer rendition of Mamma Mia.
Why did Lana ditch her Afro?
Possibly the best gem from Archer’s flashbacks comes in “Pipeline Fever,” which looks back at Lana’s past as an environmental activist. Back then (when?) Lana had a large, rocking hairdo. Archer recalls that Lana “looked like the love child of Angela Davis and Sweet Lou Dunbar.” Why would she ever have gotten rid of it?
Just who is the old gypsy woman?
Practically every time something crazy happens to Cheryl, she cries out “Just like the old gypsy woman said!” Is there really a gypsy woman Cheryl keeps going to for predictions? That’s not so hard to believe, but if she also manages to successfully predict everything that happens on the show, it might be fun to finally see this seer.
Wait, what year is it again?
It’s not like Archer is ever going to actually answer this one—part of the fun of the show is the way it blurs together the Internet, retro spy aesthetics, ’80s technology, and pop culture references from the last 50 years (and beyond). Archer himself has even openly wondered what year it’s supposed to be. As long as the jokes keep coming, it doesn’t matter.
What happened to Rona Thorne?
In the second season's “Movie Star” episode, the Academy Award-winning actress Rona Thorne reveals herself to be a KGB sleeper agent, assassinating the Soviet premier in an effort to derail strategic arms limitations. Before she abandons America for Soviet cinema (where they promised her that she could direct), Rona gives Lana a bunch of ditzy-sounding life advice, and she’s still out there. Have Katya and Barry forgotten about their sleeper agent? Is she busy making art films about journaling?
Is Krieger still Krieger?
Krieger encounters several identical clones of himself in San Marcos toward the end of Archer Vice, but it’s unclear whether the Krieger who returns to America is the one we know and love, or one of the other clones. Could it be that there’s an all-new Krieger, maybe even one who can actually play “YYZ” and meet the challenge of Neal Peart? Though there might be some plot about this next season, it’s also possible that Archer just doesn’t care.
Did Charles and Rudy ever replace Ramon’s blue fork?
In the first mission of Archer Vice, Charles and Rudy, the hitmen from way back in the first season, turn out to be “basically BFFs” with Ramon, the former Cuban spy. Though the three successfully make up with a decent amount of cocaine, money, and a kiss from Archer, they never resolve an argument over a missing fork from Ramon’s fondue set. Will they settle their grievances? Hopefully not.
How did Archer get out of the Columbia House Record Club?
After Archer’s brief, tumultuous reign as pirate king, Lana mocks him for being unable to get out of jams without his mother’s help. But Archer has one example of something that he did all by himself. Is it Colombia? No. Columbia House? No, it’s not a college thing. It turns out that Archer joined Columbia House Record Club, which notoriously tricked members into paying large sums for records. How did young Archer extricate himself from the contract? The world may never know.
Who recorded “Mulatto Butts”?
For a while, Archer’s ringtone was the epically ridiculous “Mulatto Butts,” a song that has apparently achieved some popularity in the Archer universe (one of the ODIN agents has it as his ringtone). But no one has ever asked: Who is interested in mulatto butts? Who recorded the ode to “black ass momma, white ass daddy?”
Why is Cheryl aware of the show?
During the fourth season finale, Cheryl starts to be able to hear the show’s background music. Archer is often pretty self-aware, but this was a new level for them and for Cheryl, whose insanity has flowered over the course of the series. Is it because she’s crazy? Is it just because Adam Reed thought it would be funny? Who knows!