snark. The character is described as "rude, sexist, and a terrible boss" without a moment's regret. He frequently harasses his peers with caustic jokes, one-liners and over-the-top, elaborate voicemail pranks. Archer is a full-blown alcoholic who uses his position to entice women into sex. Reed envisioned Archer as "dickish as possible", albeit somewhat sympathetic character à la James Bond. Archer becomes an even more sympathetic personality as the series evolves in later seasons, when revelations about his troubled past, fears, affection for animals, and a deep admiration of Burt Reynolds, among others, come to light. During the 6th and 7th season severe trauma and important events, in the form of cancer, the death of his ex-fiancée Katya Kazanova, the death of his possible father Nikolai Jakov, the birth of his daughter, and his relationship with his mother, heavily influence his moral compass and his sense of personal responsibility. Archer has complex relationships with many of his coworkers. The turbulence between him and Malory stems from years of childhood neglect, resulting in interactions that are often "fraught, laden with [...] memories of unforgiven slights, and the needy fears that accompany codependence". These feelings are sometimes manifested by sexual tension, evidenced when Archer at one point shouts his mother's name while having sex with longtime love interest Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), and gets an erection after thinking about her death. Archer’s relationship with Lana is likewise tumultuous because of his infidelity and immature behavior. Yet she has a new found compassion for him when he becomes ill with cancer, and by the time their daughter is born, their relationship is such that Archer is "willing to put his money [...] where other people's mouths are in order to protect his family." Storylines Archer is introduced in the pilot episode "Mole Hunt", as a special agent for the intelligence agency International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). He attempts to make amends with a resistant ex-girlfriend, Lana Kane, who ended their relationship six months prior because of an affair. The situation is further exacerbated by Cyril Figgis, who is Lana's companion at the time. Concurrently, he had a brief relationship with secretary Cheryl Tunt. Lana's drive to get revenge on Archer for cheating on her is fairly evident throughout the initial half of the first season, even going as far as to shoot him on multiple occasions. Unbeknownst to Archer, Malory has been keeping in