Ep 6. Tragical History

In season 2 episode 6 of the hit animated show Archer, entitled "Tragical History," the story revolves around the STASI, the East German secret police. Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is shocked to discover that his mother, Malory (voiced by Jessica Walter), had a previous lover, Nikolai Jakov (voiced by Peter Newman), who used to work with the STASI. Nikolai claims that there's a list he has in his possession, one that supposedly reveals the identities of all the STASI agents who were positioned in the United States.

Malory, Archer, and Lana (voiced by Aisha Tyler) discuss this new information and decide that they need to retrieve this list before it falls into the wrong hands. Nikolai offers to sell the list to them for $10 million, but Malory is unwilling to pay such a large sum of money. With no other options, the team devises a plan to break into the STASI headquarters in East Berlin and steal the list themselves.

To prepare for the break-in, Archer and Lana take a few days off to go to a training camp in Liechtenstein, where they learn how to be better spies. During their training, we get to see a lot of physical comedy as they struggle with various tasks, like scaling a wall or cracking a safe, and Archer's usual incompetence is on full display.

Once their training is completed, they head to East Berlin. The team successfully infiltrate the STASI headquarters, but they quickly learn that Nikolai has double-crossed them. He had no intention of giving them the list at all. Instead, he has come to retrieve a valuable painting that he hid on the premises before he fled to America years ago.

The team must now fight their way out of the building while being pursued by STASI agents. The action is fast-paced and intense, with plenty of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. The team manages to escape with their lives and the painting, but they still need to find a way to get the list.

Malory comes up with a new plan: they will have to kidnap Nikolai and force him to reveal the location of the list. With Lana's help, Archer kidnaps Nikolai and brings him back to their hotel room. While they are interrogating him, they find out that the list is actually a fake. Nikolai had been lying to them the entire time, and there was never any list in the first place. The painting, on the other hand, is very valuable, and they decide to keep it for themselves.

The episode ends with the team back at their headquarters in New York City. Cyril (voiced by Chris Parnell) is angry that they risked their lives for nothing, and Archer and Malory are discussing what to do with the painting. Mallory suggests that they sell it and use the proceeds to pay Nikolai back for the wasted trip. Archer objects, though, saying that he wants to hang it in his apartment. The episode ends with Archer and Mallory bickering over the painting, with Cyril looking on in frustration.

"Tragical History" is a great episode of Archer that shows the team in a new, more serious light. The action sequences are fun and exciting, and the humor is top-notch as always. Plus, the plot twist at the end is unexpected and satisfying.