By this point in the series, the show has gotten so self-aware that it was really only a matter of time until Kenny Loggins (or K-Log, as he apparently wants to be known in this episode) appeared. The number of times Sterling has referenced “Danger Zone” over the previous four seasons has become a joke in itself, and season five is becoming a season where the jokes are put to rest (see the retirement of “phrasing” in “House Call”) or rekindled (see how Sterling’s inability to remember Dr. Bunsen Honeydew was figuratively killing him in “White Elephant”).
Except the appearance of Kenny Loggins (voiced by his real-life namesake) comes about in a very Sterling way. The episode kicks off with Cherlene and her backup band (consisting of Woodhouse on drums, Pam on guitar and Archer on a jug, apparently) making a racket and waking up a very pissed off Lana. We then find out that there is someone among the group who seems to be making actual money from their ton of cocaine, and it’s none other than Krieger, who is apparently selling it online and accepting payment in cryptocurrency.
When Lana re-emerges from her room angrily, and only for a brief moment, Ray, ever the voice of reason, finally suggest that the group think about throwing Lana a baby shower. Sterling jumps on the idea, and he somehow gets it into his head that he should get Kenny Loggins to play the shower, since he likes “Danger Zone” and Lana must too.
Sterling and Pam head out to find Loggins, and of course chaos ensues, but the action sequences prove that this show works just as well with the Sterling/Pam pairing as it does with the Sterling/Lana pairing. Pam and Sterling just have so much fun together, and of course seeing Pam go hulk on a huge bodyguard is always fun to watch.
When Loggins ruins Sterling’s suit, the quest to get Loggins to play the shower almost transforms into Sterling’s quest to do serious harm to Loggins. Cue a big fight sequence when Pam and Sterling find Loggins in a hotel, and an unthinkable glass swimming pool on a penthouse balcony, and you have the conclusion. The episode closes with a country-fied version of “Danger Zone,” which is really the only way the episode could have properly ended.
While as charming and screwed-up as ever, “Baby Shower” is a bit of a decline from the previous excellent episodes, though of course a decent Archer episode is still funnier than most comedies at their best. And to be fair, it’s hard to top two big character breakthroughs in a row, last episode with Pam and the episode before with Lana.
There’s still plenty of room left in the season. There’s plenty of time to see what will happen with Cherlene, now that she’s recording with a professional band, and there’s a hint that she’ll have an obsessed fan go after her, as hinted at at the end of “White Elephant.” And of course, there’s plenty of time for the crew to further fail at selling the cocaine. If they make any money from their stash it will be the surprise of the century.
