Archer and the gang team up with Barry to stop an army of Barrys from turning the world into Barrys. Meanwhile, the hunt for the perfect valet for Archer continues.
Episode Tropes:
- Ax-Crazy: Cheryl's horse groomer during her childhood eventually went down this road due to her relentless physical abuse (throwing darts into his back) and burned down the Tunt summer mansion, while literally axing anyone who tried to escape. Cheryl's cousins were the victims while she escaped by horse.
- Backstab: Archer has discussed that Barry would pull an inevitable double-cross. To his surprise, Barry completely averts this, despite Archer's numerous attempts to kill him first throughout their mission.
- Bait-and-Switch: Barry sacrifices himself to save the others. However, since the robots are made with his likeness, Barry was able to upload himself into one.
- Bus Crash: Reggie the Lemur makes his first appearance since the first season. He is thought to have been dead, but turns out to be alive, subverting this trope, as he attacks Archer's latest valet. It didn't stop him from firing the valet for neglecting to feed him, even though it was the valet's first day and he ''just'' discovered the lemur.
- Butt-Monkey: Cyril is put through the wringer by Archer's insults and Barry's lack of faith in him, eventually leading to Cyril going nuts and killing the one guard he was unable to tie down properly. Instead of being commended for it, Cyril is criticized for killing a (badly) tied-up defenseless guard who was a grocer with four daughters after Cyril himself pointed out that the guards were just simple people looking for any job in Russia. This causes Cyril to gorge himself on vending machine chocolate to cope with the murder.
- Call-Back: Archer and Barry talked about Katya when they met again. Archer remembered Barry killing her when, in reality, she sacrificed herself before she became a cyborg. Barry hasn't spoken to her for sometime after she dumped him, but it is still implied she's still alive, if not still head of the KGB since Season 4. He also gives a few mentions of "Other Barry", whom he haven't spoken to in years.
- Chekhov's Gun: When Archer tries to taser Barry with his "tactil-cane" in Malory's office, Barry comments that his circuits are shielded, and it would take an EMP to actually harm him. During the mission, Lana's intention to use an EMP grenade to fry all the Barrys becomes an issue.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Cyril rapidly loses authority as team leader throughout the episode. Technically, he is the least experienced field agent out of all of them.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Cyril discussed that the KGB guards are more than likely to work for a living. If the conditions in some Russian areas like in the episodes of Season 2 remain any indication, this possibility is not far off. The one he ends up killing in the end, after continuously failing to keep him restrained, was a grocer with four daughters. The evil in KGB tends to vary throughout the series.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Archer and Barry goaded Cyril to kill the guards, but not after they had been tied up, which is what Cyril did to one.
- When Lana was about to set off an EMP grenade, Archer is against it because it became clear to him that Barry was truly on their side and would never double-cross him.
- Foreshadowing: This episode and some info revealed in previous episodes indicates Lana might not be as happy as she claims.
- Hand Wave: It's never explained why the KGB wanted the robots in Barry's image.
- Heel–Face Turn: Barry made one between his reunion with his mother after season 7 and Archer's three-year coma period, much to Archer's confused rage, leading to him joining the Agency. And it sticks throughout the episode. Barry even shows legitimate concern for Archer's recovery after waking from his coma. However, Archer indicates Barry hates Lana now after she considered pulling a You Have Outlived Your Usefulness maneuver on Barry which Archer was against.
- Idiot Ball: Cyril should have considered knocking the guard unconscious after he kept trying to escape. Likewise, the guard should have considered not trying to piss off the people who repeatedly recapture him until Cyril ends up killing him.
- Kids Are Cruel: Two flashbacks show how horrible Cheryl was to her servants as a child, both involving throwing darts in their backs. It was enough for them to snap "for no reason".
- Running Gag:
- Archer continuously gives candy bars to Cyril in hopes of sabotaging his diet. It works, partly due to Lana further diminishing his self-esteem.
- Cyril’s inability to properly subdue one guard.
- Sanity Slippage: After Cyril loses all sense of professionalism and confidence because of constant mistreatment, he becomes a hopeless and emotional wreck.
- Taking You with Me: Subverted. Barry self-destructs while clinging to the mecha. But it turns out that he was able to transfer his mind to one of the Barry Bots.
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: Tired of Archer constantly firing valets, Malory decides to hold interviews for the perfect candidate. The candidates actually would be pretty good valets — for anybody who isn't Malory, Sterling or Cheryl. They managed to finally find what they want in the form of Aleister, who becomes Archer's newest valet the next episode.
- Villain Decay: The Barry Bots are oddly easy to destroy as compared to Barry himself in previous seasons. Even before Lana uploads a virus to fry their programming, they were mostly a threat due to sheer numbers. Also, Barry himself, as Archer is able to chop off one of his hands with a fire axe.
- With Friends Like These...: Archer is openly hostile towards Barry (understandably) but they do end up bonding on the mission. Lana, on the other hand, is prepared to destroy Barry when her own life is at stake despite acting like they were friends earlier in the episode. Of course, everyone treats Cyril badly.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: A rare heroic example. While leaving Barry to fight off a giant mecha, Lana plans to use an EMP grenade to short out everything in the factory. Including Barry. However, Archer is against the idea once it finally becomes clear that Barry never has any intention of betraying anyone.
