With Archer ending (and starting) last season floating face-down in a swimming pool, no surprise we start this in a hospital and immediately jump into a noir fantasy world with all the characters we know, but playing different roles than normal. Essentially the narrative takes us through a messy arc of Archer getting caught up in kidnapping, Nazi scientists, femme fatales, and part-robot killers (as much as I dislike him, Barry always seems to have a space). Although it wears the style and tone of noir, it doesn't do a great deal with it beyond just that, although by virtue of its setting, there is a feeling of it moving slower than normal.
There are still funny lines, snappy wordplay and the usual character traits, but they flow less naturally than they normally do, and it does affect the season. There is still plenty I enjoyed across this season, but too much of it was just 'okay', and didn't hits its marks consistently enough. It is a nice attempt to keep the show fresh and to change things up, but it loses more than it can bear in the process. You'll still find the Archer you love in this season, just not as much of it.