An ‘Archer’ Field Guide

On FX’s animated spy spoof, “Archer,” globe-trotting adventures play second fiddle to office politics. Sterling Archer and his co-workers at the International Secret Intelligence Service almost always get the job done, but getting there can be a battle. The in-fighting between employees drives the show’s humor: biting jokes delivered with laser precision by one of the best voice-acting casts on TV. Season 3, which starts Thursday at 10 p.m., will bring in guest voices Burt Reynolds and Bryan Cranston, among others. If you’re new to “Archer,” here’s a primer to get you caught up.

Where We Left Off:

Secret agent Sterling Archer, a man who couldn’t be tied down, met a Russian spy named Katya, and fell madly in love. At their engagement party, Archer was attacked by vengeful former-rival-agent-turned-angry-cyborg Barry, and Katya died trying to save him. In deep mourning, Archer disappeared to a tropical island. When his mother sent freelancer Rip Riley to find him, the pair wound up being captured by pirates. Archer took over command of the pirate crew, but the pirates turned on him, and he, Rip, and a motley crew of rescuers and hangers-on fled in a stolen helicopter, barely escaping the pirates (who were distracted by a lacrosse game).

Who to Know:

Sterling Mallory Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) shoots sharks in the face and has more mother issues than Freud Magazine (which we just made up). Archer loves scotch, prostitutes and lacrosse, and is constantly confused about his paternity (understandable, since his mother appears to have had flings with the heads of every spy agency in the world). Archer doesn’t do feelings, and he appears to be his old, carefree, jerk of a self after his escape from angry pirates when we last saw him.

Mallory Archer (Jessica Walter, who played Lucille Bluth on “Arrested Development”) is the leader of the ISIS spy agency and an amateur author of screenplays about herself and muscled younger men . She’s Sterling Archer’s mother and has managed to forever damage him. She seems to despise everyone she’s hired, including frumpy yet bloodthirsty HR manager Pam and psychotically slutty receptionist Cheryl. But when she gets drunk on absinthe, she’s happy to have minions to vent to.

When we left Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), ISIS’ accountant, he’d gotten drunk and done a number of ill-advised things. The worst was moving a bunch of ISIS’ money to a secret bank account and then forgetting the password to it (turned out, it was “guest”). Cyril comes off as mild-mannered if slightly sociopathic. He dated Lana at one point — they broke up when he cheated on her and then claimed to be a sex addict. Although, considering his exploits around the office, he may be right.

Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), ISIS’ top agent, is known for her short temper and enormous, mannish hands. She’s dated Archer on and off, and hates him. When we left her, Lana had attempted to rescue Archer from the pirates who’d turned on him, and she wound up in jail with him. As they were escaping together, with wounded colleagues in tow, he told her she was his only friend. Chance that they continue their hating-each-other-but-secretly-loving-each-other sexual tension in season three: 100 percent.