This week's Archer saw Sterling Archer babysitting his daughter, AJ for the first time alone. What started out as simple father/daughter bonding turned violent when an agent named Farooq took AJ hostage and held Archer at gunpoint.
At the same time, the rest of the gang were at the office doing their Friday night poker game. They were suspicious when Archer showed up with Farooq and went to investigate.
Archer quickly turned the tables and got AJ to safety with help from Pam. He immediately forgot Farooq still had a gun on him and began shooting up the office. After Archer was hit for the second time (the first being in the shoulder at his penthouse), Lana and Mallory emerged from the elevator, revealing the whole situation was a set-up.
As Archer went to seek medical help, Farooq took an opportunity to market his improv show as he was really an actor pretending to cause harm to Archer and AJ.
This was another good episode full of quirky one-liners and moments. Let's take a look at some of the best from last night's show.
Image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com
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"Say Hi to Your Spirit Animal"
Lana decided to go away for an overnight stay at a zen center. While she was helping Archer get acquainted with everything he would need for AJ, she found he wouldn't be able to handle it. Archer reassured her he would be fine, and he wouldn't need to call Lana for help. As he was shoving her out the door, he wished her well by stating, "Say hi to your spirit animal."
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The Black Mexican
Archer promised Lana he wouldn't drink while caring for their daughter. However, he used it as an opportunity to bond with her by educating her on the different types of liquor he had stashed in his bar. By mixing coffee liqueur and tequila, he created a drink called "The Black Mexican," which he assured wasn't racist.
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Farooq and Slater
While Archer was enjoying his drink, a Pakistani agent named Farooq barged into his penthouse with a bleeding Slater. The two informed Archer of a CIA leak that needed to be investigated. Slater asked Archer to watch Farooq, while he got a safe house ready for Farooq as he wanted to switch sides. Archer wasn't happy to babysit another human-being, until Slater promised him a large sum of money in return.
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Farooq Is the Leak
As soon as Slater left to find out who the leak in the CIA was, Farooq revealed his true intentions. He tricked Archer into handing AJ over to him and held him at gunpoint. He needed Archer to go to the office to hack into the CIA's mainframe. Hilarity ensued when Farooq shot Archer in the shoulder to show him he meant business.
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Baby On Board
Archer and Farooq were in Archer's spy car arguing about going to the CIA offices. He had no problem taking Farooq there as long as he put a "Baby On Board" sign up on the passenger window. It's nice to see Archer take his role as a father seriously, even in times of danger.
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Friday Night Poker
Archer and Farooq arrived at the office to discover Cyril, Ray, Krieger, Pam, and Cheryl immersed in an intense game of poker. Cheryl was being her usual crazy self as we received back story on why guns were no longer allowed at poker night. The previous month's game entailed Cheryl about to do something violent to Pam. As a result, Ray kept his gun locked up in a vault near the playing area.
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Pam Poovey as King Kong
While Archer was trying to hack into the mainframe, the poker players went to investigate why he looked so scared near the 'Male Nanny' he hired to help him with AJ. Pam witnessed Farooq holding a gun on Archer, giving him the opportunity to get the upper-hand. While they were caught in a struggle, Archer cried for Pam to take AJ to safety. Pam went into 'King Kong' mode as she jumped from desk to desk to get the baby away from Farooq. That act right there should guarantee Pam being AJ's godmother.
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Cheryl's Playing Ouija
It wouldn't be an episode of Archer if Cheryl wasn't caught up in her own world. She thought the gang was playing Ouija, while they were really playing poker. After they investigated Farooq, Cheryl strayed from the group to finish her Ouija game before gunshots were fired. Classic Cheryl.
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Archer Puts AJ First
Archer managed to get away from Farooq for a moment to escape behind an office desk. He told Cyril, Krieger, and Ray to get Pam and AJ to safety as his daughter was his number one priority. We also got a refresher of Archer counting the number of rounds his opponent has fired before reloading his gun. When he went out to protect AJ, Farooq shot him for the second time, but that didn't stop him from going to his daughter.
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Lana's Set-up
While crawling to safety, Archer was met by Mallory, Lana, and Pam at the elevator with a safe and secure AJ. Lana revealed the situation was a test to see if he could handle babysitting AJ by himself. In true Archer fashion, he lashed out at everyone including his mother, who shamed him for a drinking "Black Mexicans" in front of his child. Archer was astonished that Lana didn't trust him, while she was busy deceiving him. The episode ended with Archer going to seek medical help, while Farooq, who was really an actor, promoted his upcoming improv show.
Archer airs Thursdays at 10/9c on FX.