Archer’s 12th season came to a close tonight with an emotional finale, in which FXX’s animated series said goodbye to one of its main characters, Malory Archer, voiced by Jessica Walter who died on March 24 at the age of 80.
As Deadline reported in March, Walter had done the bulk of her voice work for the season before her death. Malory has a brief appearance in the finale, swooping in to save her son Sterling from his kidnappers. While she and her team win, her agency is acquired by IIA and Malory disappears, leaving behind a letter for Sterling.
In the end, despite fending off Fabian, it is revealed that IIA has been acquired their business. With that, Malory has disappeared, leaving behind a letter for Sterling.
“I thought it was time to make my own exit,” she wrote. “I’ve decided it’s time to pass the torch. Try not to burn yourself with it. And I know my decision may seem abrupt, but we don’t always get to choose the perfect moment. From wherever I am, I will be watching over you.”
“Take care of yourselves, especially you my Sterling, because wherever I am I’ll be watching over you.” #ArcherFXX pic.twitter.com/8vochHSq4f
— Archer (@archerfxx) October 7, 2021
That “wherever” is revealed to be a remote tropical beach. Malory is sitting there alongside Ron Cadillac, voiced by Walter’s husband, Ron Leibman, who passed away in 2019. “And how is my lady love?” he asks.
“Infinitely better now,” Malory replies, before the screen fades to black and a title card that reads “In Loving Memory of Jessica Walter.”
— Archer (@archerfxx) October 7, 2021
Archer executive producer Casey Willis told TVLine that the show pulled off the final beach scene, in which Malory also berates a waiter, by combing through all of Walter and Leibman’s lines from every season of Archer to pick the ones that would best fit the ending.
Archer, which earned Walter a posthumous Emmy nomination this year, was recently renewed for a 13th season.