Well. If that was shocking to you, so be it.

I had expressed an inkling that one of the characters' fates was in danger in Archer Season 6 Episode 13, and now I wish I wasn't right. RIP Ray Gillette. (UPDATE: Maybe not. See end of review)

Ray was the most sane member of the team (no, it's not Lana), and his particular brand of exasperation with Archer was the most amusing to me. I'm going to miss him terribly.

Watch Archer Season 6 Episode 13 Online

Ray's death was sadly unceremonious. He died as the butt of a running joke, and because he didn't think of himself while worrying about hurting Lana's feelings. It's interesting that Ray was the one who first called Archer out in Archer Season 5 on his flippant disregard for his mortality, but Ray was the one to die first.

It was a little surprising how we went from Archer worrying about Ray possibly committing suicide, to the whole team not noticing that he was already dead in the wheelbarrow. It also makes sense in the Archer-verse that his death was practically overlooked by the dysfunctional and narcissistic group.

However, I found it hard to be amused by that, and I hope that was the point. I hope we're supposed to think his death was sad, because I can't help feeling that this character deserved a bit more than what he got. That said, his death wasn't pointless.

The genius in this episode lies in the juxtaposition of the Ray's unceremonious death with Archer's declaration of embracing who they are. Ray had his nutty moments like the rest of them, but he probably wasn't as much of an underdog given his relative sanity and his achievements outside of this group. Ray always knew who he was.

Why would you want to work for these Ivy-League white-shoe DC pricks? That's not who we are! We're the outsiders, the scrappy underdogs! We're Delta House, the Dirty Dozen, the Rebel Alliance, the Commitments! We're the Bad News Freakin' Bears, and our Lupus is an openly gay cyborg dying of sepsis in a wheelbarrow!
Archer

Permalink: We're the outsiders, the scrappy underdogs!

So it's actually quite brilliant that the most self-secure member of the group died at the moment they all embraced being outsiders. Though I still wish he wasn't dead. Ray's high-pitched "Goddammit Archer!!" was the best. I'm heartbroken.

Well, Ray is dead, and the Archer game is changed once again as they get fired from the CIA. I agreed with Lana that they were set up to fail, and I understood Malory's despair as she lost her livelihood. However, I can't wait to find out what "thoughts" Archer has about their livelihood going forward. The possibilities are endless!

The entire mission was eclipsed by the last two minutes of the show, and it wasn't as funny as Archer Season 6 Episode 12. However, there were fun moments. Slater's clap/applause zinger actually made me applaud, and I laughed a little bit more than I should have when the Nereus expanded and blood was everywhere.

TV's Michael Gray made another appearance, which really existed only to perpetuate the running joke of them saying "TV's Michael Gray." I was surprised we didn't get more of Krieger – though his single appearance made up for his absence.

I loved the science of this episode, and one of my favorite scenes was Archer and Pam fighting off the macrophages. In the movie "Fantastic Voyage", the crew had a lot more trouble going through the heart. That said, the crew of the Proteus didn't kill their host!

In terms of Archer season finales, I don't think it quite reached the heights of Archer Season 3's Space Race or Archer Season 4's Sea Tunt, but it left us with a lot to talk about and a lot to look forward to.

OTHER NOTES:

I'm just going to make it known that Cheryl killed Ray with her tungsten needles. He probably wouldn't have had died of sepsis if he didn't have a gaping open wound.
The CIA just let Ray die after he came off a mission? I mean, sure it was unsuccessful, but that's harsh!
Also, someone keep Malory away from AJ.
I sincerely hope we see more of Cyril's dark place next season. He's starting to talk to himself like Barry and Other Barry.

REFERENCES:

Jackson Bostwick: The actor who played Captain Marvel (for two episodes before he got fired) to Michael Grey's Billy Batson in the Shazam! TV Show.
Bill Nye: I assume he needs no explanation.

So, what did you all think? Are you okay with Ray's demise? What do you think may be next for the Archer crew? How did this compare to other Archer season finales?

Remember you can always review the episode by watching Archer online.

UPDATE:

So, it appears I need hearing aids, or captioning, or something. What I heard Krieger say was "he's actually died", but apparently, the line was "he's actually dying". So while Ray may potentially be dead, he was not definitively declared so at that moment.

I am always willing to admit when I'm wrong, and I have to thank the commenters below for pointing that out to me so nicely. I'm also quite happy to be wrong; I didn't want Ray to be dead in the first place!

That doesn't change much of the review. While Ray's not dead, the scene where he's "dying" is still brilliant given that fact in context with Archer's speech. Also, Cheryl should never have sharp objects.