Archer and company attend a martial arts tournament to nab an arms dealer.
This episode provides examples of:
- An Arm and a Leg: Conway lost both hands in Seasons 1 and 6 by Lana (His left ripped off while cuffed to a briefcase. His right was broken off from a large window). This time he loses his left foot via giant glass shard thanks to Archer.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Subverted. While this has worked well for Archer a number of times in the past, his attempt to invoke it on the now-married Lana during a mission does more to trigger the "belligerent" part than the "sexual tension" one.
- Berserk Button: Archer seemed to press a big one when complaining about Lana's "resting bitch face" while they were captured at the time.
- The Bus Came Back: Conway Stern returns for the first time since Season 6, this time as a bodyguard. Unlike his previous appearances, he does not face Archer or Lana. Instead, he fights Pam. Archer does see him crawl away during his escape but says nothing.
- Continuity Nod: Archer references the 'Space Ears' from the previous season when he sees the new earpieces.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Although she manages to get a few good hits in, Pam's ultimately no match for Conway Stern.
- For the Evulz: Archer deliberately tries to stall Lana from proceeding with the mission as planned solely because he wants to see Cyril get beaten up in the martial arts competition. He even outright states that he is motivated by schadenfreude... All because Cyril took his parking space.
- Hypocrite: Archer becomes so enraged over losing his parking spot (to Cyril, no less!) during his coma that he damages Cyril's car out of spite. Malory points out that he can now legitimately use the handicapped spot, which is where the hypocrisy comes in because Archer used to use those spots when he was able-bodied, even though other employees like Ray and Brett needed them more at the time.
- Never My Fault: As is typical, Archer blames his lack of preparation for the mission on everybody else because they actually showed up for the mission briefing on time, rather than waiting for him to arrive when he felt like it.
- No Name Given: Is his real name "Conway Stern" or not? He doesn't seem so sure anymore as he escapes once again.Conway: ...But you haven't seen the last of Conway Stern! Which... Is it my real name? I'll never tell you!
- Overshadowed by Awesome:
- While Cyril has taken a level in badass, he is still not on the level of the trained martial artists he faces in this episode, who are all trained to go for death blows in their matches. As rude as Pam was being about Cyril being a terrible fighter compared to those he was up against, wanting to be tagged in, and eventually interrupting the series of fights by forcing herself into them, her intervention saved Cyril's life.
- Also happens to Pam. While she is probably the physically strongest member of the team, Pam is still just a flesh and blood human. Conway Stern, on the other hand, has two robot hands at this point. When he gets in the ring against her, the fight quickly becomes a Curb-Stomp Battle in his favor.
- She's Back: In Cheryl own words.Cheryl (heavily drunk and/or on drugs): Goooooood neeeewwwwssss! Old way better Cheryl is soooooooo back!
- Silent Credits: Ties with the "In memoriam" tribute to Ron Leibman.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Both Sterling and Cheryl derail Malory's meticulously crafted plan to capture the arms dealer that they are after. In Sterling's case, he deliberately bogs down Lana in bickering because he wants Cyril to get beaten up. Pam gets drunk from Archer's flask and spends more time distracting Cyril than helping him. In "New Better Cheryl's" case, she decides that she cannot drug the arms dealer because she does not do that sort of thing anymore. Malory finally ends up snatching Sterling's "tactil-cane" from him and using it to taser the arms dealer, complaining that she has to do everything herself.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: It's thanks to Archer that Pam falls back into her alcoholic tendencies, essentially becoming her old Big Fun self again. The same goes to Cheryl, who goes back to being "Old Better Cheryl," though she did so without Archer intervening.
