The ever-mutable FX comedy Archer is packed with zany characters. Its titular lead spy Sterling Archer is a manic, alcoholic narcissist. His mother and boss Malory is domineering and even more self-involved. Krieger, the mad scientist in the bunch, was literally raised by Nazis. But through the show’s run it’s had one mostly level-headed, hilarious “gay voice of reason”—per FX’s own promotional materials—and that is Raymond Q. Gillette.
Ray is many things: a crack shot, a capable bomb specialist, a bronze-medalist in Olympic skiing, a dutiful field agent, and very close to being a cyborg. He’s also a notably positive gay character who stands toe to toe with his fellow spies in practically every capacity. Ray’s typically the fastest to point out the absurdity of the group’s adventures, the one most likely (apart from Lana, maybe) to call out Sterling for his shenanigans—usually with a glorious, practiced deadpan, courtesy of voice actor (and showrunner) Adam Reed. Ray’s quips are among the funniest in the show, and while his identity as a gay man is obviously important and plays into the show’s humor, it never comes off as mean-spirited or cheap. Ray’s a fully developed character, and as both a member of Archer’s somehow-very-competent spy team and a core part of its insane chosen family, he shines.
To be clear, as a cis hetero male, I don’t feel especially qualified to dive deeply into the complex feelings those in the LGBTQ community may have for Ray’s role in the show. But it’s the end of Pride Month, and while we’ve published several stories at The Dot and Line written by talented queer writers about the awesome LGBTQ characters and creators out there (and we can always use more, Hollywood—always), we’ve never written anything about Ray or the specific inscrutable joys he brings to Archer. In recent seasons (Archer: Dreamland and Archer: Danger Island), the versions of him that we watch are largely played out in Sterling Archer’s mind as that character lies in a coma, but I want more of the IRL Ray. All I know is that he’s a terrific, funny character, and that when FX finally sees fit to call it quits on the wise-cracking spy team, I’ll be bummed to see him take his bow.
If you want to read a great little piece of journalism starring Ray Gillette, I highly recommend OUT magazine’s brief, hysterical “interview” with the character from 2014. It’s a beauty.
10 Qs: With Archer’s Ray Gillette on Sochi, Beyonce & Rent Boys
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