Archer Says Goodbye to Jessica Walter in Season 12 Finale — Here’s How They Pulled Off Malory Archer’s Swan Song
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wednesday’s Archer finale.
FXX‘s silly spy comedy Archer got serious in Wednesday’s Season 12 finale, as Sterling Archer and company bid farewell to one of their own.
Most of the finale was typical Archer chaos: The team plotted to free Archer, who was being held hostage by lisping corporate shill Fabian (voiced by What We Do in the Shadows‘ Kayvan Novak) and Archer’s evil cyborg nemesis Barry. Archer’s mother Malory — voiced by the late Jessica Walter — was absent for most of the episode, with Lana revealing she was “distraught” over her son’s kidnapping, but she did pop up midway through to kick a little butt and beat up Fabian and his goons in a surprise attack. “Guess the old gal’s still got it,” she quipped afterwards. (Walter did reportedly record nearly all of her Season 12 dialogue before her death in March.)
Malory later helped the crew pummel Barry, but she disappeared before the climactic battle ended. Archer and his pals did manage to escape… only to learn that Fabian had purchased their spy agency through a shell company. In a poignant epilogue, Archer discovered a letter to him in Malory’s desk saying that “I thought it would be wise to make my own exit.” She decided that “it’s time to pass the torch,” she added. “Try not to burn yourselves with it.”
She promised that “wherever I am, I’ll be watching you,” as we saw Malory and her husband Ron Cadillac lounging on a tropical beach sipping cocktails and holding hands. (For an extra layer of poignancy, Ron Cadillac was voiced by Walter’s real-life husband Ron Leibman, who passed away in 2019.) The episode ended with a title card that read, “In Loving Memory of Jessica Walter.”
How did the producers pull off that final scene, though? By going back through the Archer archives, executive producer Casey Willis tells TVLine: “We collected Jessica and Ron’s lines from every season of Archer and combed through them, selecting those we thought would foster the feeling we were trying to evoke. Alongside [series creator] Adam Reed, we worked to create a tribute to our beloved ‘Malory.'”
Drop your thoughts on Malory’s farewell in the comments, Archer fans.
I’m going to miss Mallory. She, and Jessica Walter, were so much fun on the show.
Perfect send off. She was a legend. Rip
Kudos to how they sent off Jessica Walter and Mallory Archer. I legit cried and then cried more when I remembered that Ron Cadillac was voiced by her real life husband who had passed away as well. Wonderfully done!
Touching and emotional. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye. She will be missed and wonder how the next season will go on.
I never thought Archer would bring a tear to my eye, but it did tonight. I will miss the character and I’ll miss the brilliant Jessica Walter even more.
Jessica Walter and Ron Leibman were two acting legends with neither of their careers ever waning over the decades. I’ve seen interviews where a giddy Jessica gushed over him like a teenager experiencing her first romance. So I thought this ending was especially apropos. Will miss both of their extraordinary talents.
Seriously, tears. It was perfect.
Awesome swan song for Malory. Jessica Walter, what a talent, will be missed on the show.
I actually cried a bit watching the end scene of the season.
Brillant end to characters and real life partners. Did anyone else tear up? WELL DONE!
Rest in peace
So many great actors dying however I feel the show did an awesome job of wrapping it up. I cannot wait for the next season
There’s just no word to describe that last scene. “Beautiful” or “perfect” just aren’t enough. I am so sad right now.
May they both rest in piece.
I absolutely love the show. Ending of Season 12 got me all choked up. Life is such a precious thing. Thanks for reminding me of that Ms Walter! RIP