Archer babysits AJ for a weekend before a Pakistani intelligence agent takes them both hostage. Back at the office, the group attend poker night.
This episode provides examples of:
- Arms Dealer: Apparently Rodney from season 4 set himself up as one of these after ISIS was disbanded in season 5.
- Attack the Mouth: In a flashback, Cheryl puts a gun in Pam's mouth due to losing at poker.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Slater asks why Archer has a baby in the apartment, Archer launches into a Birds-and-the-Bees talk about how he got a baby.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Archer initially believes Farooq to be an actor hired by Lana to test how well he can babysit AJ. Turns out he was right.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Slater slaps Farooq to shut him up.
- Honorary Aunt: Archer refers to Pam this way after he has her carry AJ to safety.
- Jerkass Ball: Lana conspired with Malory to implement this little test of Archer's babysitting trustworthiness. However, Malory shares virtually all of Archer's bad habits (especially drinking while watching the baby) and yet Lana apparently doesn't see any need to do something similar to Malory to prove her trustworthiness, even though Lana leaves AJ in her care more than once. Combined with the real danger that AJ was in, it is pretty clear that this was just a stab at Archer, and that Lana doesn't worry much about AJ's well-being when Archer is not involved.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Even so, she warned Archer not to drink while caring for AJ, and he did anyway the moment she left. Not to mention driving under the influence with AJ inside, even though they were both threatened.
- Just Between You and Me: Farooq brags to Archer about his entire plan despite Archer explicitly telling him that he doesn't care. Archer immediately asks why Farooq would tell him this, as Archer would just tell the CIA.
- Mama Bear:
- When Pam realizes that Farooq is dangerous, Archer orders her to get AJ to safety. Pam does so, while also tearing through the office in a violent manner.
- Lana, in her own twisted way. She hired an actor to pretend to be dangerous and threaten both Archer and AJ so that she would know if Archer could be trusted to watch AJ.
- "No More Holding Back" Speech: While he hardly changes his behaviour since AJ was born, Archer knows how much of a priority she is. So when Farooq threatens her, he delivers this:Archer: Whatever badass shit that you heard I did, you really need some context because pretty much my whole life, pretty much right up until this minute, my default setting has been "half-ass." [cracks neck] But that was before I had a child. A child you threatened to harm. [...] So imagine, as I literally beat you to death, hang on, yeah, literally, that a giant hand has turned my dial from "half-ass" to '"quadruple-ass."
- Noodle Incident: A night Archer had in a Karachi whorehouse that suddenly went from "bad to much, much worse." All we know is it involved him saying "I'm sorry," and actually saying "no shit, you goat-raping pig-devil."
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Krieger, Pam, Cheryl and Cyril notice something is up because Archer didn't insult them when he and Farooq bumped into them at the ISIS headquarters.
- Papa Wolf: Farooq threatening AJ causes Archer to snap into Papa Wolf mode, promising to beat him to death barehanded.
- Secret Test of Character: Lana's plan from the start was to test how much she can trust Archer with their daughter.
- Sore Loser: Cheryl is shown to be one, as a flashback reveals that she held Pam with a gun in her mouth for beating her at poker.
- The Reveal: Farooq is an improv actor hired by Lana to see if Archer could handle taking care of AJ by himself.
- What the Hell, Hero?: For once, Lana gets this as the gang points out how completely out-of-line this entire "test" of Archer was, even if he lied at the time about not drinking while caring for AJ..
