‘Archer’ Said Goodbye To Jessica Walter With A Lovely Tribute, And It’s Making People Emotional

The Archer season 12 finale paid tribute to the great Jessica Walter, who died in March at 80 years old. The episode, titled “Mission: Difficult,” concludes with Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) reading a letter written to him by his mother, Malory (Walter).

“My dearest Sterling,” the note reads, “do you remember what I told you on your first day of training? You probably don’t, but it was, ‘Always know where the exits are.’ And with all the chaos and confusion of late, I thought it would be wise to make my own exit, in my own time, on my own terms, and in a way that I can never be found by my enemies, or all my lovesick paramours, who are literally countless.” It continues:

“And so I’ve decided that it’s time to pass the torch. Try not to burn yourselves with it. And I know my decision may seem abrupt, but we don’t always get to choose the perfect moment. Take care of yourselves, especially you my Sterling, because from wherever I am, I’ll be watching over you. Love, mother.”

In the final shot of the episode, Malory is relaxing on a beach with a drink in one hand. In the other? The hand of Ron Cadillac, voiced by Walter’s real-life husband, Ron Leibman, who passed away in 2019. It was a lovely homage to an incredible career.