Sterling Archer (Dreamland)

Sterling Archer (Dreamland)
First appearance	"Archer Dreamland: No Good Deed"
Voiced by	H. Jon Benjamin
Information
Status	Alive
Age	At least 38
Height	6 ft 2 (187 cm)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg)
Eyes	Blue
Hair	Black
Aliases	Archer
Languages	English (native) German (enough to get by)
Affiliations
Nationality	American
Occupation	Private Detective; Decorated War Hero
Skills	General Infantry; Private Investigation
Personal Life
Family	Unknown
Unknown

Sterling Archer (Dreamland), or Archer P.I., is the dream persona of Sterling Archer in Season 8: Dreamland.

Backstory

Archer's dream persona is a former WW2 G.I (General Infantryman) and decorated war hero turned private investigator (private eye). According to Mother, he fought in "Normandy, Omaha Beach, by way of North Africa and Sicily," , and "after Normandy, through France and Belgium all the way to Berlin". He was awarded a "Bronze Star with two oak leaves and "V" device, Legion of Merit, Croix de Guerre with Palm, Silver Star with two oak leaves, distinguished service cross with one oak leaf and "V" device, three Purple Hearts..." turned down a "battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant" and "left the army the same rank he went in - "Buck Private".

Appearance

• Begins the season dapper, and gets progressively more disheveled
• Wears a trilby, waistcoat, tie and long overcoat
• Progressively gets physically and psychologically broken down

Character Traits

• Doesn't like authority/taking orders.
• A little crazy.
• Has regular flashbacks to the war.
• Hopeless romantic.
• Fiercely loyal (to Woodhouse).
• Valiant, noble.
• Despises misogyny/preying on weak.
• Drinker - and a drink driver.
• Non-smoker.

Plot Involvement

The whole plot unfolds as a consequence of him trying to figure out who killed Woodhouse and "avenge his death".

Continuity

• Following the events at the end of season 7, real-world Archer is shown as having been in a coma for 3 months.
• Archer is now depicted as a dream persona with the same physical attributes as his real-life counterpart.
• Woodhouse is still a close associate, only rather than being his servant, he is his partner at their private detective firm, "Woodhouse and Archer."
• Archer is still a heavy drinker, only fewer cocktails and more "Bourbon on the Rocks".
  • Old Buncombe is his preferred brand, just like in the real world.
• Archer uses the line "one of two things is going to happen here", which was originally from Sea Tunt Part 2.
• Just as Archer never reads his briefings in real life, he doesn't bother to read the file labeled "Archer: open in the event of my murder! Cordially, Woodhouse".

Cultural References

Military

• "Buck Private": the lowest rank in the United States Armed Forces.
• 2nd Armored Division: according to Mother's recital of Archer's service record, Archer could only have been a soldier in the 2nd Armored Division since that is the only US Army division to follow that path and enter Berlin.
• Decorations:
  • Bronze Star: awarded for "heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone."
  • Oak leaves: a "ribbon device for a specific set of decorations and awards of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and Department of the Air Force to denote subsequent decorations and awards".
  • "V" device: "when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement."
  • Legion of Merit: given for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements".
  • Croix de Guerre: "military decoration of France... Croix de Guerre with palm was issued to military units whose members performed heroic deeds in combat and were subsequently recognized by headquarters".
  • Silver Star: "the United States Armed Forces' third-highest personal decoration for valor in combat...awarded primarily to members of the USAF for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States."
  • Distinguished service cross - a "military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility. The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service that is clearly exceptional. Exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration."
  • Purple Heart -  a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military."

Cinema

• Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933): Archer mentions this film in relation to Lana's extravagant taste for Pierre Beauvais Rouge, which she doesn't drink and extinguishes her cigarette in the bottle.
• Buck Privates (1941): a possible reference is to this musical military comedy.
• Terminator 2: judgement day (1991) evil Barry grabs onto the back of a car simulating the scene where the evil terminator grabs onto the back of the car, also when he asks for the gay bikers clothes you see these cultural References

Trivia

• His wages are $25 a day, plus expenses.
• He is against slavery in all its forms.
• He is the only Dream Persona of Sterling Archer's that survives.
  • The Danger Island persona fell into a pit of lava with Siegbert Fuchs (Cyril Figgis's Danger Island persona).
  • The 1999 persona died in a spaceship explosion with Barry 6 (Barry Dylan's 1999 Dream Persona).

Quotes

Figgis: Oh hey, and Archer - come to think of it - where were you last night?

Archer: Ask your wife.

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Archer: [Narrating] I wanted to get mixed up with mobsters like Mother and Len Trexler about as much as I wanted a new hole in my head, but I meant it when I said I would do anything to find Woodhouse's killer. Although truth be told, I'd also do anything to see Lana Kane again. So here I am, headed straight into the belly of the beast, nothing between me and death but my wits and the cold, blue steel of my .45. Ha! I've no idea why I'm telling you all this [turns to dog] - or why I picked you up. I don't even know where you're going. Hopefully Longbeach.

Dog: Bark!

Archer: Well too bad!