A murder mystery in Antarctica requires Archer and Co. to investigate. But there's more than just murder going on.
Tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Question: Archer responds to Lana's admonishment of his stupidly risky maneuver and attempt to blame him for the team's regression to their former habits at the climax by throwing out this question:Archer: Did you people ever consider that you need me around, because you want the excuse to be your worst selves?!
Lana: Oh… shit… - Bestiality Is Depraved: One of the scientists is accused of being interested in mating with penguins. No one’s amused.
- Brick Joke: In the Cold Open, Trip lands his helicopter on the Agency's roof because he thinks "everything can be a helipad". At the end, when he's making his escape, he has his helicopter land on the ice next to him...which causes it to break, plunging him into the Antarctic Sea.
- Call-Back: Archer has brief hallucinations from his Adventures in Comaland during the final part of the episode.
- The team as their MV Seamus selves from Archer 1999.
- One of the gunmen as Dutch Dylan from Archer Dreamland.
- Baby Lamont as Parrot Krieger (aka Crackers) from Archer Danger Island.
- The Con: The plot ends up being a real estate scam, blowing up half the Antarctic shelf to raise sea levels nearly a hundred feet, all so Trip can get rich off his planned floating cities.
- Disney Death: Trip falls into the water with his helicopter's blades still running as it falls on top of where he was. He's implied to have died, although no blood or gore is seen.
- Everyone Has Standards: While conducting a "Reason You Suck" Speech, Archer points out Lana has been acting like a bitch to Sandra for no reason.
- Exact Words: Ray claims that no one "sees him" regressing back to his old self now that Archer's around. He's technically correct because he's been doing all his binge-eating in secret, where no one can see him.
- Gilligan Cut: Archer says it will be a "long, slow, convoluted conversation" to figure out what's happening. After one shot of Trip on a snowmobile, we cut back to Archer summarizing the guy's entire plan and "that didn't take long at all".
- Groin Attack:
- Lana gives a double whammy to Sandra and Archer for possession of a journal she's trying to read for clues.
- Cyril gets one from a scientist he's attempting to keep in holding while they investigate.
- Heel Realization: Lana, after Archer's "The Reason You Suck" Speech makes her realize (or at least acknowledge) that she and the rest of the agency are likely just using Archer as an excuse to justify their Jerkass behavior.
- Hypocrite: Ray outright lies and says Archer brings out the worst in everyone else except him. Flashback to him ignoring Maddox, the second murder victim, asking him for company because she feels unsafe because he's too busy binging an entire tub of ice cream.
- I Need A Drink: Malory spends most of the episode on the sidelines, finding a "proper drink" while being told to wait in the sub, and Cheryl tags along with her. It actually allows them to discover hints of Trip's true intentions.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Archer. At the end of the episode, when Lana is yelling at him on behalf of the rest of the Agency for his abrasive attitude causing them all to regress to their pre-Season 11 selves, Archer accuses them of using him as an excuse to be their "worst selves." Going so far as to accuse them of keeping him around for that exact reason. Lana's reaction proves that might very well be the case.
- Earlier in the argument, Lana tries to admonish Archer for his stupidly risky plan to stop Trip escaping on his Submarine (involving diving into lethally freezing water to disable its rudder). Archer simply points out that his plan worked, which means he's saved the world, which is not something that she or the rest of the team can say they pulled off while Archer was in his coma.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Lana has been, as Archer put it, a bitch to Sandra for no reason, despite Sandra pointing out that they had a history together when Lana was apparently no better.
- Lack of Empathy: Even though they all find Archer grating and disruptive everyone still piles on Cyril for crumpling under the worse of his abuse.
- Mad Scientist: The staff of the Antarctic base is...eccentric, to put it mildly.
- Mythology Gag: The baby penguin at the outpost, Baby Lamont.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: A textbook example as Archer talks about Trip.Archer: I've dealt with this type of person before. Selfish. Only thinking of themself at all times. Screw everyone else attitude. I just can't imagine being like that.(The entire gang just stares in utter disbelief)Lana: Ugh, so close...and yet so stupid.
- Robosexual: Dr. Gertrude Rilsa, one of the scientists at the base who is studying how isolation can lead to people being willing to commit deviant sexual acts — with robots — on drugs!Lana: Do we introduce her to Krieger, or would that...
Archer:...bring about the death of humanity in a cybersexual apocalypse? Hard yes. - Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Trip believes that "everything can be as a helipad" with the right vision. While the agency's roof held [mostly] when the helicopter landed on top of it, his attempted getaway in the episode's climax in Antarctica fails because the icy floors were not thick enough to serve this purpose, resulting in his death.
- Team Pet: Lamont the baby penguin fills the role for this episode- and is just as much of an adorable dick as Babou is!
- Took a Level in Badass: Archer, of all people. He’s easily the most competent (to a degree) of the team: he takes the murder mystery much more seriously than the rest, takes charge to evaluate clues and interview suspects, takes down mooks easily (hallucinations and disabilities and all), and pulls off an insane stunt in the freezing underwater of the Antarctic.
- Toxic Friend Influence: Deconstructed Character Archetype. Even if Archer's presence propelled the rest of the group to fall back into their old habits to at least some degree, those old habits always existed in them, and having a scapegoat they can blame for their behavior so that they don't have to take responsibility for it certainly helps them be more at ease with that behavior. When Archer points this out, Lana is genuinely stunned by the notion.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Both Cheryl and Mallory getting the idea to take over this submarine.
- Unknown Rival: The Client of the Week is an environmental scientist working in the Antarctic named Sandra, who apparently knew Lana back in college and resents her for taking up all the grants. Lana claims not to remember her but acts antagonistic towards her the entire episode.
- What the Hell, Hero? At one point, Archer calls out the entire team for blaming him for their regressing to their vices and flaws; alternately, that his presence isn't the reason that they're acting like jerks. They’re just using him as an excuse. Lana seems especially aware of this and has no rebuttal.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Archer is excited by the whodunnit setup of the episode but apparently thinks it's going to involve more gut instinct and chafes at Lana vocally attempting to perform investigative work and solve the case.
