I need every single one of you to become the most confident versions of yourselves.
Now. We are
not currently rampaging. We will be
cold. We will be
efficient. We will
find! These! People! But when we find them, we will go
white-hot supernova blood rampage! We will make Straw Dogs look like Clifford!Archer
The Agency bands together to rescue AJ (who was sent to a Swiss boarding school during Archer's coma) when she gets kidnapped.
Episode Tropes
- Asshole Victim: Peregrine. She kidnaps AJ for ransom out of revenge against Archer and Lana, she then decides to go back on the deal when she has the money to take AJ away permanently with the intention of forcefully training her to be an assassin, then brainwashing her into one day killing her parents. She also has no problem trying to kill Lana in front of her child. She honestly got what was coming to her when Lana pumps her full of bullets.
- Back for the Dead: Following her foiled caper in the "The Orpheus Gambit", Peregrine returns for revenge against the Agency and, more specifically, Archer and Lana, by kidnapping AJ. Not only is she defeated again, but she is also literally gunned down by Lana, so she won't come back.
- Badass Crew: For the first time since the beginning of the season. The whole gang pulls together, and everyone does something badass in the pursuit of getting AJ back. With (most of) the usual bickering on-hold, they are actually extremely effective, and Peregrine and her henchmen all get taken down without AJ being harmed. This is easily the best we’ve seen the cast both as a team and individually.
- Bittersweet Ending: Everything after AJ is rescued. Archer feels more isolated from his peers than ever and has to cope with the fact that AJ sees Robert as her paternal figure, which may not last long if the simmering issues between Lana and Robert are any indicator. Lana, meanwhile, has to face some uncomfortable truths about herself, and starts questioning how honest she's been with herself about choices. On the upside, Archer isn't a complete stranger to AJ and may get the chance to be part of her life, and Lana starts finding some measure of peace with her marriage to Robert.
- Blatant Lies: Ray did not have sex with his rival in the stables.
- Call-Back:
- Archer mentions that Lana tends to shoot him in the foot when she's irate. This happened to him twice in the first season.
- Ray and Archer discuss the former's Olympic Slalom Race, which earned him a bronze medal, though Ray had to specify since Archer still didn't care about it.
- Malory frequently complains about AJ being "overfed", despite naturally having baby fat. She still believes the girl is having dietary issues.
- Peregrine's idea of raising AJ as an assassin to brainwash her to killing her parents sounds oddly too familiar to the idea Cheryl pegged when the drones were sick of seeing Archer and Lana being Sickeningly Sweethearts.
- AJ copies her dad's "hang on" gesture as she drinks her juice. (She also did it drinking her baby bottle in her first appearance.)
- Crazy-Prepared: Robert took the liberty of rallying everyone in the agency (save for Malory and Lana, who find out later) in rescuing AJ. He also called in an arms dealer to stock up on weapons and gear, used a music studio to help track the origin of the hostage call, had a bag of money in case the exchange was necessary, and even wore bulletproof shoes in case a pissed-off Lana ever decided to shoot his feet.
- Death Glare: Upon her arrival, Lana is staring down her husband for not telling her about AJ’s abduction.
- Did Not Think This Through: Peregrine probably should have realized that kidnapping the child of who she very well knew to be the world's two most dangerous spies was not a good idea. It not only got the Agency to put aside their differences without question to work more cohesively than ever before, but it pulled out, in Archer's words, "the most competent versions" of them as well.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Peregrine kidnaps AJ so she can extort a fortune out of Robert, and after getting the money decides to just keep AJ hostage and raise her to be an assassin to kill Archer and Lana. While it makes sense that she's angry over her heist being foiled, it only took her two weeks to break out of jail with little trouble and everything after getting the money was just pure pettiness on her part.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Archer and Lana get directed to the warehouse where AJ is being held by a fixer, who Lana was choking, who wants no part in a kidnapping. She also gives Lana some sincere encouragement about her womanhood.
- Unlike Robert, everyone on the rescue team, including Archer, thought it was for the best that Lana knew about her daughter’s abduction.
- Everyone Knew Already: The gang, and more specifically Archer, knew that Lana would threaten to kill Robert as he decided not to inform her of her child's abduction.
Lana: Where are they? Because I'm going to kill everyone between here and there. And then kill them. And then kill you.
Everyone Else: Called it!
- Freudian Threat: Lana threatens a loan shark with this by gunpoint to get information. He immediately spills the beans.
Tibor: You haven't asked me anything.
Lana: Heeey, (points gun to Tibor's crotch) can I ask you something?
(On their way out)
Archer: Wow. It turns out we could ask him something.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: Peregrine escaped from prison after a mere two weeks and the gang was apparently unaware of it. She could have easily returned to her life of high-end thievery. But her psychological need to prove her superiority (as mentioned by Cyril at the beginning of the season) causes her to initiate a revenge child kidnapping plot against Archer and Lana that results in a very messy death for her.
- Hypocrite: Archer frequently ignores the agency's new "non-lethal force" rule since he woke from his coma, yet he reminds Lana about it. As far as her daughter's safety is concerned, she couldn't care less what she does with the kidnappers.
- Idiot Ball: For once, Archer subverts this. The first thing he does upon waking up and realizing what's happening is to immediately call Lana and tell her their daughter has been kidnapped as Archer knows trying to keep her out of this is going to blow up in everyone's faces.
- It's Personal:
- For Lana and Peregrine. Obviously, Lana does not treat having AJ kidnapped as a matter to be handled with calm professionalism like she would a mission. Likewise, Peregrine is doing this entirely out of spite over having her previous caper foiled and spending two weeks in jail. She even imagines becoming a full-time Arch-Enemy for Lana and Archer — not realizing that Lana has no intention of even trying to send her back to prison.
- Between Ray and the rival who won the silver medal at the Olympics they both competed in, said rival having gained advantage by sabotaging Ray's ski bindings. Since the guy now works for Peregrine, Ray has the opportunity for some satisfying payback.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: While being escorted onto his plane, Archer asks Robert if "this is a secretly evil thing", and that no one would be surprised. This is seemingly an acknowledgment that much of the audience would be expecting Robert to end up an antagonist.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Robert does this to Lana while helping Archer and the others rescue AJ. It doesn't take long for Lana to find them since Archer called her immediately. And as he warned Robert, Lana is absolutely not happy about being unaware of her daughter's predicament.
- Mama Bear/Papa Wolf:
- Naturally, being AJ's parents, Lana and Archer play this straight. Unlike his previous rampages, however, Archer decides to take things easy for her safety. Lana, however, has no problem mowing down an entire group to get her back.
- Malory is drunk with worry about AJ's safety. She's also concerned about her diet in the end.
- Pam is in such a rage-filled fervor that the other agents have to hit her with tranquilizer darts just to get her to calm down. Ones that can knock out a rhino with one shot.
- Noodle Incident: Cheryl mentions spiking a punch bowl with acid during a European fundraiser. It was enough to warn future parties of her, as a waiter in this episode refused to offer her drinks.
- Not Me This Time:
Lana: AND YOU—!
Archer: I haven't done anything wrong yet! Which actually is kind of amazing.
Lana: You are rubbing off on [Robert]!
Archer: Then why does he still dress like that?
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Just how seriously Archer takes this whole situation is highlighted by the fact that, for once, he is laser-focused on getting AJ back and not screwing around like it's all a big game.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Archer cools down so he can defy this. Lana, on the other hand, invokes this herself the moment Archer calls her about AJ's abduction. He decides to help her through this as a "Revenge Sherpa".
- Secretly Selfish: Lana starts thinking this of herself, questioning if she really sent AJ to boarding school for the right reasons or so she could focus on her career without worry.
- Shout-Out: Archer, on the phone with the kidnappers, says "I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want, but I have a... pretty general set of skills"
- The Bus Came Back:
- A.J. returns in person, and we see now that she is now old enough to walk and talk full sentences.
- Peregrine returns for the first time since "The Orpheus Gambit".
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Lana finishes off Peregrine with two magazines worth of SMG bullets and borrows and empties Archer's pistol for good measure. And yet:
Archer: Well, I'm glad finally I got a literal demonstration of "overkill".
Lana: She is exactly the right amount of "killed". Unless... Got a spare vat of battery acid?
Archer: I'll call Brigitte.
- Thou Shall Not Kill: Lana ditches this during her rampage.
Lana: Yeah. My position on that has... evolved.
- Tranquil Fury:
- Archer cools himself down from his rampage but makes it clear that he's simply holding on to his rage so he can unleash it for maximum effect on the kidnappers.
- When Lana arrives, she coldly demands to know where the kidnappers are before stating that she will go on a killing spree to get her daughter back.
- Unconventional Vehicle Chase: A high-speed chase in horse-drawn sleighs, plus Pam on a snowmobile.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: AJ acts surprisingly mature considering that in-universe she shouldn't be more than six years old. She does not cry despite being in a horrific situation, and even has the presence of mind to stomp on Peregrine's foot to prevent her from shooting Lana while they are on a fast-moving sleigh.
