Lana Kane
Lana Anthony Kane, known simply as Lana, is a character in the American animated comedy series Archer. For the first four seasons, she is the top female special agent of the intelligence agency ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service), working at the agency's main headquarters in New York City, during the Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union. After ISIS is shut down by the FBI, Lana takes on new roles as an unlicensed P.I., and later is imagined as a nightclub singer/undercover treasury agent by Archer while he is comatose.
| Lana Kane | |
|---|---|
| Archer character | |
 Promotional image | |
| First appearance | "Mole Hunt" (2009)[1] |
| Created by | Adam Reed |
| Voiced by | Aisha Tyler |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Intelligence agent Unlicensed P.I. night club performer |
| Family | Lemuel Kane (father) Claudette Kane (mother) Ms. Kane (sister) Abbiejean Malory Kane-Archer (daughter) |
| Significant other | Sterling Archer (Child's father/love interest) Cyril Figgis (ex-boyfriend) Joshua Gray (ex-boyfriend) |
| Children | Abbiejean Malory Kane (daughter) |
Lana has aspirations for advancement as a master spy and has considered positions offered by ODIN, both at their international headquarters and as Regional Director for the Americas, although her strong views often cause friction between her and her job.
Attributes
Background
As a child, Lana was highly pressured by her parents, who were both college professors, to succeed. She was so nervous about going to science fairs that it led to her throwing up in the car. Lana got her job as an ISIS agent during a protest at a local furrier. She was about to throw red paint on Malory Archer's new fur when Malory pointed her gun at Lana's forehead. The rest of the protesters fled, including Joshua Gray, but Lana was not intimidated. Malory, impressed by her nerve, offered Lana a job. Three weeks later, she was on her first mission in Tunisia "killing a different man," referencing that she restructured her priorities from being a college protester (sticking it to "the man") to who she is now.[2][3][4]
Personality
Lana is strong-willed and tough, rarely if ever allowing herself to be pushed around or demeaned. She is, however, very short-tempered and does not hesitate to use violence to resolve conflictive situations, whether it's called for or not.[5]
Lana is a competent and deadly agent but is constantly frustrated that she is treated as the number two ISIS field agent because Archer's mother runs the agency. Like Archer, Lana is an expert in Krav Maga, in which all ISIS agents undergo training, and is usually seen carrying two Tec-9 submachine guns in shoulder holsters (her proficiency is disputed, as one example has her being able to write letters in cursive with her guns, while another episode has a former ISIS trainee mock her firing style as "spray and pray"). She drives a purple car that resembles a Living Daylights-era Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Lana also has incredibly large and strong hands, which have been (usually mockingly) likened by Archer and other characters to cricket bats, steam shovels, and the "Truckasaurus" to her ever-mounting frustration.
Her liberal leanings do occasionally show, and she tends to be the most politically correct character on the show, as well as the straight man to the antics of the rest of the staff. However, she is shown to be as capable of questionable behavior as the rest, once charging every man in the ISIS office $600 to say they slept with her as a way to get revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend Cyril, and on another occasion holding up a firefight on a space station until the other agents conceded her breasts are still perfect. She is also shown to be prone to mistakes, having once forgetting to get a receipt for a captured criminal, thus costing ISIS a massive bounty. Furthermore, in a moment of surprising insight, Cheryl accused Lana of being a hypocrite as her history as a social activist is not enough to drive her away from ISIS, which is deep down her only true love. She is also prone to extreme acts of unnecessary violence, such as giving Cyril, whom she was dating at the time, a black eye for merely implying that she might have been jealous of a rival agent.
Characteristics
Lana is one of the most recognizable characters from Archer because of her stunning good looks and body.[6] Lana has large hands for a woman. Ridiculing her for this characteristic is one of many long-running jokes on the show, with such comments as "man hands" or "shovels".
In flashbacks, she is shown sporting an afro, a hairstyle that, according to Archer, made her look "like Angela Davis had a love child with Sweet Lou Dunbar." She eventually straightened her hair and grew it long enough to wear it in a tied back flip hairstyle. In season seven, she began wearing a hair weave, which she does not like the others noticing.
Relationships
Relationship with Archer
Despite having a great disdain for Archer, Lana shares the closest connection with him of all the characters. They're frequently partnered together on missions, and despite all he has put her through, she still considers him a friend (Heart of Archness: Part III) and cares about him deeply.
During a firefight, both Archer and Lana reveal they are each other's beneficiaries should they die. Lana stated she was going to change that, but it's unknown if she did. Lana showed great concern for Archer when he was diagnosed with breast cancer (Stage Two) and spent the night with him out of pity. After Archer found out his cancer medication was fake, Lana begrudgingly accompanied him in his "rampage", serving as his cameraman and chauffeuse, and is also convinced into pity sex with Archer.[7]
Lana began contemplating having a baby in Season 4. during one episode, she becomes conflicted as to who is going to be the unaware sperm donor for her, Archer or Cyril, seemingly changing her mind many times. During a mission to stop a radical environmentalist marine biologist from blowing up Sealab, Lana discloses that she is pregnant, angering Cyril because he isn't the father and prompting Archer to sacrifice his scuba gear and drown so that they could escape.[8]
In Season 6, Lana and Archer renew their relationship as Lana realizes how much more mature and caring Archer has become, even with some of his faults continuing, but she shows more trust in him, and especially enjoys the sexual connection they now have.
Relationship with Cyril
For the beginning of Season 1, Lana has a relationship with Cyril Figgis, though she seems to question the relationship at times, considering Cyril to be "clingy" (so much so, she once commented to Malory, "Saran Wrap could take a lesson."), she still endures the relationship, until it becomes obvious that Cyril is insecure about their relationship, egged on by Pam and Carol, who suggest Lana is still sexually attracted to Archer, causing Cyril to constantly follow her on missions, finally frustrating Lana to where she declares them "on a break". Cyril tries to propose to Lana to prove his trust in her, but he's forced to sacrifice the engagement ring for a jury-rigged device to save her. Later, their relationship goes south again when Lana finds out that Cyril, out of his insecurity, slept with several women at ISIS, causing her to supposedly sleep with other men at ISIS (in reality, she just has each of them pay $600 to say they did), and officially ends their relationship.
In Season 4, Lana, wishing to have a child, resumes her relationship with Cyril, also using him as a sperm donor for her pregnancy. This continues until in one episode, she and Archer pose as newlyweds for a stake-out, and Cyril is once again made insecure by Pam and Carol about her not falling for Archer and shadows them, and though he ends up saving them, Lana finally has enough of Cyril's lack of trust and ends their relationship again, as well as his status as a possible "donor" for her.
References
- Seidman, Robert (January 27, 2010). ""Archer " Returns for Season 2, Here's a Season 1 Ratings Recap". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- Owen, Rob (2009-11-17). "Preview: 'Archer' crude but clever". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
- Gilbert, Matthew (January 14, 2010). "'Archer' is a sly, witty spy cartoon for adults". Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- Tucker, Ken (March 9, 2012). "Archer (2012)". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
- Reed, Adam (January 17, 2010). "Mole Hunt". Archer. Season 01. Episode 01. FX.
- Natalie Abrams (June 21, 2016). "Archer renewed for three more seasons on FX". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- Lawrence, Derek (September 30, 2016). "Archer creator says the FX comedy will end after season 10". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- "FX Official Site: About the Show". FX. Retrieved December 8, 2009.