History Recap / AllInTheFamilyS8E7ArchieAndTheKKK

* CassandraTruth: Archie's explanation that he's really black, since the blood he received during his gall bladder explanation came from an African American. The moral here being that in situations such as Archie was in, if an outright lie is needed to get yourself out of the predicament, so be it.

By the end of "'''Archie and the KKK'''," the title protagonist will have taken a serious look at his own attitudes and just how far he's willing to allow his bigotry to go. And it left viewers with some very soul-searching questions, including (but certainly not limited to): "Is there a difference between bigotry -- namely, the type Archie was known for -- and racism?"

* ContinuityNod: To Season 7's "Archie's Operation." Never in Archie's wildest imagination did he ever think he'd be grateful to receive a blood transfusion from a nurse from the West Indies ... or be able to use that experience to proudly announce his "heritage" and, in essence, tell Mitch and Gordie where to stick it.

* MoralEventHorizon: Mike thinks Archie has crossed this when the latter's poorly explained warning about the planned cross burning leads Mike and Gloria to conclude that there's a new member of the KKK in their midst.

** Archie, in one of several [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]] tells Gordie he detests everything he and the KKK stand for. [[note]]Mike presumably finds out about Archie's confrontation with Gordie later and forgives him (Archie).[[/note]]

Which leads to Archie explaining that, when he had his gall bladder operation several years ago, his transfusion came from an African American, hence he's really black. He then says he can sic his black brothers on them. Mitch and Gordie think Archie is certifiably nuts, but before they can tell him to get out, Archie does a "feet, do your stuff" and makes a hasty retreat.

''Series/AllInTheFamily'' was legendary for its humorous treatment of bigotry and serious, reflective look at the effects of racism on American society. Usually it was light-hearted, but sometimes the episodes were deadly serious and -- rather than gentle kidding from Lionel Jefferson (as was the form in early episodes) -- this time the stakes were deadly serious, when Archie has an all-too-close, frightening encounter with the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.

* SuddenlyEthnicity: The unexpected card Archie pulls on Gordie and Mitch when they laugh at his warning that he'll expose them to the community and that he plans to call the police and have them charged with hate crimes.