Archer Season 12 Finale Pays Loving Tribute To Jessica Walter

Archer‘s Season 12 finale paid tribute to Jessica Walter after the actress’s death earlier this year. Her time as Malory Archer was beloved by fans as the long-running sitcom completed another season of espionage hijinks. Also notable was her role as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development. Before her passing, she finished recording for Archer Season 12. It wouldn’t be a finale of this show if there weren’t some heartfelt sentiment smashed between the one-liners and explosions. Malory comes to her son’s rescue at the tail end of the final episode. She leaves Sterling a note and it’s a pensive exchange that will leave a smile on longtime viewers’ faces. If that bit of emotion wasn’t enough, the crew packed in a small cameo as well from Ron Cadillac, who people enjoyed in the earlier seasons. (Ron Leibman, who plays the man stuck in Malory’s orbit, was actually Walter’s husband in real life too! He passed away in 2019.)

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“I thought it was time to make my own exit,” she told her son in the letter. “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.”

When the crew at Archer received news of her passing, they penned a nice letter remembering her contributions. “The Archer family is heartbroken to lose Jessica Walter, our beloved colleague, and friend,” Reed shared in a statement following Walter’s passing. “Jessica was a consummate professional, an actor’s actor, and the exact opposite of Malory Archer – warm, caring, and kind, with an absolutely cracking sense of humor – and it was both a privilege and a true honor to work with her over these many years. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”

Her co-star on Arrested Development had a few nice words on Twitter when the news of her death surfaced.

“OH NO …We worked together for years on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT,” Winkler said. “It was an honor to watch her comedy explode from the very first row.” Hale, who played the role of Buster Bluth (youngest of the clan and certified Mama’s boy that still lived at home, tweeted a photo of he with Walter writing: “She was a force, and her talent and timing were unmatched. Rest In Peace Mama Bluth.”

Did you enjoy that moment honoring Walter? Let us know in the comments!