When Pam is kidnapped (after being mistaken for Cheryl), ISIS discovers that Cheryl is really an heir to a billion-dollar empire and is being hunted by masked gunmen. Meanwhile, Archer and Ray attempt to rescue Pam while everyone else weighs the dollar-value of her life.
This episode provides examples of:
- Accidental Murder: When we see a flashback of how Pam is able to take all the punishment she does in the episode, it shows that she accidentally beat the guy she was fighting to death, which she apologises for.Pam: (To the spectators of her fight) Sorry about killing your homie... homies.
- Action Girl: Pam is revealed to be an expert fighter, and later effortlessly snaps the neck of the last of the kidnappers.
- Borrowed Biometric Bypass: Averted. Pam points out that if the kidnappers kill her they'd have to remove her eyes and fingertips to get past ISIS security. She tells them not to be dicks and leads them through security.
- Bilingual Bonus: The episode title is Spanish for "The Kidnapping".
- Bulletproof Vest: Cheryl is given one while hiding out at ISIS. Being a vest, it doesn't protect her arms and she gets clipped in the bicep when the kidnappers storm the building.
- Character Development: The last vestiges of early, boring Pam fall off here, as she settles into the role of the skull-cracker she's mainly known for.
- Dirty Coward: Cyril refuses to own up to kidnapping Cheryl in order to be repaid 37,000 bucks.
- Everyone Has Standards: As much of a bitch as Malory is, even she wouldn't refuse to let her employees attend the funeral for their relatives, which is why she gets angry when Cheryl says she skipped her parents' funeral because Malory threatened to fire her if she was late again.
- Idiot Ball: The kidnappers did not even know what Cheryl looked like, which is what resulted in them taking Pam by mistake. ISIS also does not come off well, since they are a spy agency who apparently did not even do a thorough enough background check to know that the secretary of the head of the agency was not who she claimed to be. Plus, their wire trace technology is sub-par because Mallory spent the budget on a fancy conference room table instead.
- Archer sticks with the notion that the kidnappers are cyborgs because of the voice modifications. He ends the ransom call immediately because of this.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Pam's underground fighting experience allows her to withstand the abuse of her kidnappers throughout the episode.
- Karma Houdini: Cyril barely gets away from any consequence of kidnapping Cheryl himself by lying that he's masturbating to phone sex. In fact, everyone believed she kidnapped herself, which is considered "a step out of line", even for her.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: The episode ends with Pam about to beat the brakes off of Malory and absolutely no one wanting to stop her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After throwing Pam under the bus by telling the kidnappers she's Cheryl, Cheryl actually does feel horrible about it and refuses to sign Malory's contract for protection until they get her back.
- Rage Breaking Point: Pam, reasonably pissed off, sums up everything she has been through in the episode with this during the ending, shortly after finally being rescued:Lana: Pam, you okay?Pam: Do you people even give a shit?!(Pam snaps the neck of the last kidnapper with her bare hands)Cyril: Good God, woman!Pam: Cheryl's dumb ass gets me kidnapped and the shit kicked out of me all day and nobody even tries to rescue me?!Ray: Archer's fault.Archer: Shut up.Pam: YOU shut up, Mister "Pam's Not Worth It!" Then you stupid a-holes shoot a jillion stupid a-hole bullets at me!Malory: Not me! I wasn't shooting!Pam: Annnnd YOU! The worst of the bunch!Malory: Me?! Why me?!Pam: Five thousand measly dollars?Malory: You know, maybe I lowballed him at first but I-I I had some wiggle room!Pam: Yeah? Well let's see how much you wiggle when I'm whipping five thousand bucks worth of your ass!Malory: What?!Lana: Hey, whoa, Pam!Archer: Lana. Let her have this one.Malory: Sterling! Somebody? Anybody?!Pam (taking her bra off to reveal Lord Byron's "The Destruction of Sennacherib" tattooed on her back): Yeah, anybody wanna piece of this?Lana: ...nope.
- Railroad Baron: Cheryl's family wealth grew from one of her ancestors who built railroads across America.
- Real After All: Malory mentions Cheryl once lied about being late because "Her ocelot was sick." After finding out about Cheryl's extreme wealth, Malory also learns she does have a pet ocelot named Babou. She looks noticeably surprised when she realizes the ocelot story was true.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: Zigzagged. Pam is far from the most disliked member of ISIS, but Archer and Malory feel like she's not worth the rescue or ransom because "it's just Pam".
- Archer refuses to continue ransom negotiations because he thinks the kidnappers are cyborgs.
- Malory prioritized protecting Cheryl over permitting a "heroic rescue". Before that, she hesitantly offered a meager $5000 for Pam's release, much to Pam and the kidnappers' shock and annoyance.
- Played straight in the end. Malory is a total pain throughout the episode for thinking so little of Pam. When Lana tries to stop an angry Pam from preparing to beat up Malory, the latter's own son decides to let Pam "have this one".
- Secretly Wealthy: Cheryl is the heiress of the enormous Tunt railroad empire. Malory practically swoons upon learning just how rich she really is. Lana is more explicit:Lana: I am literally wet with jealousy!
- What the Hell, Hero?: Pam's speech at the end after snapping the neck of the last kidnapper, calling everybody out for the shit she went through, failing to provide a fast rescue, and preparing to beat Malory's ass for offering only $5000 to save her.
