Ray Takes A Wife And I Take A Nap

Archer, S03E06

I was happy this week to see that Ray was no longer confined to his wheelchair, and it was going to be an episode centered around him.  I was disappointed that I did not enjoy the story as much as I thought I would.  Not only was the story set in Ray's hometown in Virgina, but his brother Randy was voiced by 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer.  Somehow the focus became Randy and his wife wanting to sleep around with Carol (Ray's fake wife) and Archer, respectively, and less about the sheriff of the town out to get Ray's drug "farming" brother.  I was hoping for more about Ray's background or him getting harassed further by the sheriff.  However, the sheriff had a small role, and Ray and Randy's squabble didn't get that intense.  Dang.  What was the point of showing his brother in the first place?

When things start to pick up action-wise after everyone is so distracted trying to have sex, the shoot-off with the sheriff is cut short after Randy admits that he lied about the reasons why the sheriff was after him.  Dunno how I feel about that "twist."  The only thing that I really liked about this scene was that Archer pointed out a potentially dirty joke that I wouldn't have noticed without him:

[Ray] Easy, don't shoot!  I'm coming out!

[Archer] Haha.  Phrasing.

 That must have been the only time I laughed, except I might have when Ray admitted to having a Miss Piggy diary that would have revealed his homosexuality.  His brother had been spared reading it, thanks to their father burning it.

Archer and Carol were free from police persecution by pretending to be hostages, but it was unclear to me at first why Ray, who had clearly been shooting at them, wasn't handcuffed like his brother.  When the sheriff comes on to Ray in a not so subtle, but surprising manner, it was no longer a question.  That twist might have been funnier if the sheriff had more screen time.  All we had to go upon, really, was Ray's word that he had been an asshole as a kid.  Meh.

I'm not sure what is going this season that I'm not enjoying it as much as I have previous ones.  I think perhaps it's because they don't have any significant adventures.  I'm not sure.  But if things keep going in this direction, I don't think that I need to keep this show in my primary section for much longer.