Arts

Archer' keeps momentum in fourth season

the fourth season of creator Adam Reed's hilarious FX show "Archer." Well, he wasn't really back until fifteen minutes into the first episode of the new season, when he snapped out of his fugue state as Bob in a highly rewarding crossover between the two animated shows - "Archer" and "Bob's Burgers" - in which H. Jon Benjamin voice-acts. "Archer" is known for its references and nods to movies and shows, and the new season is shaping up to be no exception. When Archer - or at that moment, Bob - is attacked by KGB agents, he takes all of them out, with the class and efficiency Archer is known for. He then suddenly speaks in Russian, a slight nod to "A History of Violence" (2005). What keeps Archer distinct from from shows like "Family Guy," which relies simply on pop culture references for cheap laughs, is its emphasis on characters. The characters have all developed in their own interesting ways over the course of the past three seasons. The second episode of this season is a perfect example of a storyline driven by a character's flaw, which Adam Reed somehow manages to turn into comedy. This episode, entitled "The Wind Cries Mary," addresses Archer's homophobia when he meets an old ISIS friend - Lucas Troy, voiced by Timothy Olyphant - in Vermont of all places. Through flashbacks, we come to understand the unusually bromantic relationship between these two friends; from ignored females in a m?©nage? trois, to fights in the locker room, all while Archer remained hilariously oblivious. Once in Vermont, Archer must come to terms with his denial of obvious signs that his friend isn't really just a friend. The show also shines when it makes clear that it wasn't just homophobia that blinded Archer but also his loneliness, which has been a recurring idea throughout the series. Numerous flashbacks show Archer as a child, alone at a birthday party, alone in his bedroom and also alone in the current timeline of the show. The audience never sees Archer interacting with his friends. It is this sort of character depth that keeps this show grounded in reality and, more importantly, keeps the viewer empathetic to one of the most sarcastic, conceited and egoistic protagonists on a television series. The third episode of the season also includes a callback to a previous story arc, that of Archer's deceased lover Katya, who Krieger brought back from the dead as a cyborg only for her to run off with Barry, Archer's arch nemesis cyborg. Although the show isn't very serialized and has hardly any season long arcs, it still makes an effort to insert callbacks that reward longtime viewers. This time around, in the aptly named episode "Legs," Krieger is at it again, fixing Ray's paralyzed lower body. Archer's many repressed memories of Katya resurface as he attempts to thwart the operation. Beneath all the craziness of fugue states, rogue spies in Vermont and cyborgs, "Archer" ultimately follows a man crippled by loneliness and a ridiculously over-protective mother who scared away any chance of him having a friend. His systematically repressed homophobia and the memories of a deceased, then resurrected, then escaped love, are what has driven the most recent three episodes. This show does a remarkable job of combining the emotion of "Parks and Recreation," the ridiculous antics of "Workaholics," the rewarding pop culture references of "Community" and the wit of callbacks and obscure jokes of "Arrested Development" (2003-2013). It is an amalgam of all that is great about modern sitcoms. It has proven to be one of the smartest shows on television, and the fourth season is shaping up promisingly.

Alexa Petersen | Jeminist: A Jumbo Feminist

The U.S.government has gun control on the mind. Following the devastating massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Barack Obama has launched an effort to address gun control. The initiative, spearheaded by Vice President Joe Biden, has also begun to address additional purported causes of Sandy Hook, including mental health issues and video game violence. The argument here states that video games are harmful to young people because of their promotion of indiscriminant violence. But there's another reason why video games can be really harmful to young people, bolstering an already strong argument against the games. And it shouldn't be ignored. They promote absolutely abominable images and stereotypes of women. When researching this topic, what I found disturbed me. Women wearing fewer clothes than an average bikini and trying to fight men in full armor who are three times their size. Women "warriors" who are really just tough-looking ballet dancers, only able to lightly and gracefully kick an opponent with a perfectly pointed foot and often lose to their more formidable opponents. Women who aren't even playable characters, simply there to walk around in the game and look sexually desirable. There are a couple of stereotypes that appear many times over. The first is the "damsel in distress" character: the woman who is meant to be saved by the large and ill-proportioned male hero. Princess Peach from the Mario franchise is one of these characters. She is described as soft-spoken, is often not a powerful fighter, and is generally being saved in some capacity. Princess Zelda, from the Legend of Zelda franchise, is quite similar. No descriptions of her leave out that she "almost always gets kidnapped" and "almost always needs to be saved." The second stereotype is a more physical one. Female characters with absurdly small costumes and absurdly strange body proportions that mirror no female that we've ever seen in real life. Lara Croft, of the Tomb Raider franchise, has blogs written about her breasts. Many blogs. Utterly pitiful commentators spend copious amounts of time referencing the growth of her breast size as a proportion of the growth in the popularity of the franchise. Ivy Valentine, a character from Soul Calibur, has such large breasts that each breast individually is larger than her head. Her head. This is no joke. Kaileena, a character from Prince of Persia, is a "warrior" who fights other men in no less than a piece of cloth and a large belt. The cloth leaves very little to the imagination and is simply a preposterous piece of clothing for someone who is doing any kind of physical activity. Countless female characters fall under this scantily clad category. For those that wear armor, it often does not cover or protect any vital organs, or anything else worth protecting. Armor is on their body to look sexually appealing, while the men with the real armor do the real killing - a statement that purposefully bleeds with more than a little irony. There are countless more concerning stereotypes to discuss. The bottom line is video games often (not always, but often) portray women as in need of male salvation, sexual objects that have mostly useless other skills and characters that must be in the shadow of their strong and burly male counterparts. It's not hard to see the damage this can have on the predominantly young boy viewership. If we are assuming in public discourse that images of video-game violence lead to real-life violence, it follows that images of sexual objectification cannot be too far off from instances of sexual misconduct or assault.

Quantity undercuts quality at Martsa On Elm

Though it may not be widely known, Somerville has a relatively large Tibetan population. With over 500 Tibetans calling the suburb home, it should come as no surprise that Somerville also features some of the best Tibetan food in the Boston Metro Area. With Yak and Yeti, House of Tibet Kitchen, Rangzen Tibetan Place and Martsa On Elm all within walking distance of Tufts University, there are plenty of Himalayan eateries to choose from. But, while Martsa On Elm is popular in the Somerville restaurant scene because of its proximity to the heart of Davis Square, it remains a bit of a mixed bag. On first impression, Martsa's best feature-its extensive menu-is also its worst. Even choosing an appetizer can be daunting, but simplicity is often a reliable choice, and the Spicy Potato Bread appetizer did not disappoint. Though not particularly exciting - the bread was sort of a fluffy, buttery pita pocket filled with peppered potato - the appetizer was deliciously fresh and seemed like it would pair well with a sauce-based entree. Picking an entree was also challenging and took much longer. Vegetarian and chicken specialties each get a page on Martsa's menu, with lamb and beef specialties' nearly full pages each not far behind. The Pan Fried Tofu with Peas in Coconut Curry turned out to be a tasty, but entirely unexciting dish. While Martsa deserves credit for keeping the tofu light and airy, the dish had none of the coconut-based sauciness of a typical Indian curry - which is what the entree seemed to be imitating. The coconut complemented the peas pleasantly, though the "curry" was flavorless and a tad greasy overall. Finally, the dish's absence of sauce made the spicy potato bread side dish/appetizer rather superfluous. Still, this entree stumble likely reflects a rule of thumb that seems to apply at Martsa - that, unsurprisingly, the more authentic Tibetan dishes are tastier. For example, Martsa'sDaysil, a dessert composed of sweet saffron rice, nuts and dried fruit is simple and delicious. As nice as it is to have such an expansive menu, it seems that Martsa's sheer quantity bogs down some of its quality. Perhaps Martsa's chefs spread their nets too wide in an attempt to offer customers dishes they might be a bit more familiar with - such as curries - but paring down the menu to Tibetan classics would make the restaurant more authentic while likely giving the cooks a smaller number of dishes to perfect. While it can be tempting to overlook the negative aspects of family-run eateries in the interest of giving non-corporate restaurants credit where it's due, Martsa does have a few other specific flaws that should be addressed. For one, the television. While a television makes sense in a location like a sports bar, it really has no place at a sit down restaurant. However subtly, the TV set draws the attention of all patrons facing in its direction, and it can be distracting. The muted television also clashes bizarrely with the more setting-appropriate music that the restaurant plays and the Tibetan decorations lining the walls. Secondly, and more importantly, Martsa's service is very hit or miss (as has become clear through this reviewer's three recent meals there). While the servers are universally friendly and accommodating when they interact with customers, the restaurant consistently seems to give better service to large groups. Either that, or the small kitchen is easily overwhelmed whenever a large group sits down to eat. It's perfectly acceptable to wait ten or fifteen minutes for an entree; it's really not okay to have to wait upwards of forty minutes for food just because a table of ten has taken over. It is commendable that Martsa does such an admirable job of accommodating large parties, but doing so should not come at the cost of other diners' experiences. Still, Martsa is an overall great place for students, families and couples looking for a night out in Davis, given its location and reasonably priced meals. The aforementioned appetizer, entree and dessert came to just over $18, not including tip. It's also open late - until 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. So while the food might not be top notch and service might be a bit iffy, the restaurant will likely remain a local mainstay. It speaks volumes that even on an arbitrary Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m., Martsa was more than half full.

Concert Review | Skride succeeds with Shostakovich

Theater Review | 'As Bees in Honey Drown' fails to meet plot-driven potential

Rebecca Santiago | Is So Vain

Restaurant Feature | Boston's Dining in the Dark re-stimulates food experience

'Warm Bodies' enlivens zombie genre

Who would have thought that a zombie could be the next fictional heartthrob? In that vein, who would have thought that a zombie's heart could even have a throb? "Warm Bodies", directed by Jonathan Levine who previously turned a potentially depressing cancer story into the comedic drama "50/50" (2011), is a surprisingly funny and romantic take on the zombie film.

MFA poster exhibit shows breadth

If you were to make the trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, you'd probably walk past one of its latest installations, "Art in the Street: European Posters," and not even stop to smell the roses - or gaze upon the lithographs as it were. And that's a shame because this artwork deserves a bit more attention, from visitor and curator alike.

Elizabeth Landers | The Clothes Make the Woman

In one of his many quotable moments, Mark Twain said, "Clothes make the man." But they also make the woman. As fashions wax and wane and the economy soars and plummets, clean and functional design becomes a core necessity, a respite to the insanity. And as I age, my taste in cut and clothing has followed suit, leading me to the treasure trove of pieces from my family's personal clothing collection. Collection is used accurately here, as some pieces salvaged from my great?grandmother's closet in Flossmoor, Ill. share shelf space with bright polka?dot skirt suits from my mother's working?girl days in the '80s. The most fascinating pieces, however, came from my grandmother.

Interview | Director Levine and actress Tipton discuss inspiration

Local Natives' 'Hummingbird' falls short of expectations

TV Review | Final season of '30 Rock' to end on high note

SAG Awards Review | 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards unfold predictably

'Burma in Transition' highlights cultural evolution

In May of last year, a group of Tufts students who spent the year in a seminar with the Program for Narrative and Documentary Practice (PNDP) traveled to Burma for a 10?day, on?site workshop to explore Burmese life. PNDP, which is a program under the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership (IGL), allows students from various disciplines to gain skills in narrative storytelling through multimedia. The students journeyed to Yangon, the country's largest city, and their work has culminated in a photo exhibition entitled "Burma in Transition" at the Tufts Art Gallery. The exhibition opened at the Slater Concourse Gallery on Jan. 23. and will continue through the end of February.

TV Review | 'Justified's' plotlines, characters continue to dazzle

"You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive." This, the title of a featured song by country singer?songwriter Darrell Scott, captures the gripping excellence that is "Justified."

Film Review | 'The Last Stand' contains few thrills

If you saw the trailer for "The Last Stand" in the theater alongside movies like "Django Unchained" or "Zero Dark Thirty," you wouldn't be wrong in assuming that the film would be a miss. Based off of a preview filled with random explosions, Johnny Knoxville and groan?inducing Arnold Schwarzenegger one?liners, it appeared that "The Last Stand" would be the perfect embodiment of movies released in January, historically known as a dumping ground for studios to unload some questionable product. Surprisingly enough, all of the riff raff surrounding the film is mired in misconception. "The Last Stand" is not as terrible as the previews would lead you to believe. If you check your expectations at the door and doesn't take the movie too seriously, then "The Last Stand" is a decently entertaining, albeit mindless, action flick.

A$AP Rocky lives up to hype with debut album

A$AP Rocky, a 24?year?old Harlem rapper, is just now re?emerging after his initial stardom to the delight of fans and critics alike. Lauded by many as a promising rapper to watch in coming years, Rocky has not disappointed with his most recent release, "Long.Live.A$AP." An album marked by clever beats, lyrical dominance and unique style, "Long.Live.A$AP" is the long awaited album following Rocky's mixtape "Live.Love.A$AP" that was released to rave reviews in 2011.

Concert Review | Mission of Burma still strong after 30 years

Boston locals Mission of Burma performed a solid show along with opening band Reports at The Sinclair in Cambridge last Saturday. Though opening band Reports was a tad disappointing, Mission of Burma more than made up for the concert's slow start.

Indians soars on debut album 'Somewhere Else'

"Somewhere Else," the debut album of the new group Indians, is an eclectic mix of sounds and styles. Favoring sprawling electronic jams as well as more accessible acoustic melodies, Indians' "Somewhere Else" is a uniquely familiar album that blurs the line between indie pop and contemplative electronica.