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"Bel Panto: Part I" is the fifth episode of Season 7 and the eightieth episode overall. It originally aired on April 28, 2016.

Plot[]

Synopsis[]

Party crashers turn a fundraiser into no laughing matter.

Summary[]

Cast[]

Cultural References[]

  • Encyclopedia Brown: Archer compares himself to the literary boy detective when he figures out the use of the trashcans in the restroom cloth towel fiasco, to which Cheryl responds "Bugs Meany is wiping his ass on our towels?!". Bugs Meany is a frequent nemesis of Encyclopedia Brown, the head of a gang of boys called “The Tigers” to whom Krieger refers. Cheryl quotes Encyclopedia’s daily rate, “25¢ a day plus expenses,” and twice alludes to his hometown, Idaville.
  • Hollywood Squares (1966 - 2004): Alan Shapiro declares to Cyril that "the square gets the square", referencing both Cyril being a square and the long-running game show.
  • American Tinnitus Association: The Figgis Agency attends an annual fundraiser for the ATA.
  • Mc 10:35: Archer refers to the combining of three fancy hors d'oeuvres together into a single concoction as "the world's most expensive Mc 10:35".
  • Otto von Bismarck: Pam calls Krieger "Otto von Jizzmark" due to his attire being reminiscent to that of Germany's first Chancellor.
  • Franz Ferdinand: Ray was going to call Krieger "Franz Turdinand" also due to his attire.
  • Scarface (1983): Cheryl calls Alan Shapiro "pocket Tony Montana" and "tiny Montana" presumably due to his white suit which resembles one worn by the fictional drug lord.
  • Matthew C. Perry: Archer sarcastically mistakes a party attendee for that of the historical Commodore of the U.S. Navy.
  • USS Maine: Archer, continuing his taunt of the party attendee says "remember the Maine!", the American cry following the sinking of the USS Maine which lead to the Spanish–American War in 1898.
  • Casper the Friendly Ghost (1939): Cheryl says Alan Shapiro was sneaking around scaring people like Casper the Ghost. Ray also wonders how Casper and Spooky died.
  • Shocking Blue: Ellis Crane asks Lana if Shocking Blue had been a band very long before recording "Venus".  The Dutch rock band was formed in 1967, two years prior to the release of their hit single.
  • Oingo Boingo: One of the hostage-taking clowns is named "Mr. Oingo" and another is named "Mr. Boingo". Together they form the name of the new wave band best known for their hit "Dead Man's Party" in 1986.
  • Star Wars (1977): Archer plans on incapacitating one of the clowns and taking his place à la Luke Skywalker & Han Solo donning Stormtrooper armor to infiltrate the Death Star.
  • Patty Hearst: Cheryl decides she has Stockholm syndrome leading to her wanting to be called Tania, which is the name Patty Hearst took after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
  • Punky Brewster (1984): The pink clown goes by the name of Pinky Brewster.
  • Kate Warne: The first female detective in American history.
  • From Paris With Love (2010): We see Cheryl at the party holding a Chinese vase, much like the one seen in said movie, to further reference this, she drops it. Unlike the movie, however, it does not contain cocaine.

Running Gags[]

  • Just a Moment: Archer holds up one finger while eating his supposed “Mc10:35.”
  • Food Rapist: Pam once more uses a gyro in a simulated sex act.
  • Laaannnaaa!: Archer and Lana call out for each other when danger erupts forsaking all others around them.
  • Phrasing: Archer uses phrasing multiple times to Veronica Deane in telling her not to scream.
  • The Sound of Wood: Archer gets an audible erection at the thought of killing evil clowns.
  • Identity Crisis: Cheryl appears to now want to be called "Tania," to which Pam reluctantly accedes.
  • Sploosh!: As Shapiro displays pictures of Ellis Crane, Pam or Lana can be heard saying sploosh.
  • Item 6: The episode opens with Malory discussing an item on a list of talking points during a staff meeting.
  • Mad Scientist: Krieger's apparent knowledge of swine's makeup preferences may be one of his experiments with the infamous Pigleys.
  • One Hitter Quitter: As Shapiro wakes up and realizes he's been out for hours, it is once again stated how bad that is for you.

Trivia[]

  • Title Explained: Bel Panto is a reference to the novel Bel Canto (2001), in which a group of terrorists show up at a party and take everyone hostage, only to let most of them go after determining that they have too many hostages and keeping only the hostages that they think will bring the most ransom.
  • Cyril reminds Cheryl that they had sex on a blimp. ("Skytanic")
  • Veronica Deane's ex-husband, Ellis Crane, is throwing a benefit at his home. ("The Figgis Agency")
  • Although not specifically named, the party attendee that Archer sarcastically calls Commodore Perry appears to be Lord Feltchley. ("Training Day")
  • The criminal clowns use the following aliases : Mr. Rompers (red; leader), Mr. Oingo (orange), Mr. Boingo (blue), Mr. Giggles (green), Mr. Yum Yum (yellow), Pinky Brewster (pink), Mr. Nurple (purple). The names are all either color puns (purple nurple, red rompers) or start with the same letter as their respective color.
  • Cheryl tells Shapiro he should "hire clowns" so the party would be more fun, inadvertently foreshadowing the episode's final twist.
  • Ellis Crane's noir film, Deadly Velvet, is the name of the two-part season finale.
  • This episode introduces a new commercial bumper depicting silhouettes of Lana, Ray and Archer each brandishing a gun.

First Appearances[]

Characters (in order of appearance)[]

Locations[]

Quotes[]

Starlet: "You're kidding?"
Archer: "No, so if you ever have anything that needs private investigating..."
Starlet: "I thought you were a producer!"
Archer: "I... produce results."

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Pam: "I will stop but I will not apologize."

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Lana: "Is that really necessary?"
Archer: "Lana, this is Hollywood, none of this is even remotely necessary."

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Ray: "Every wonder how Casper died?"
Alan: "When you're finished here, un-clump."
Ray: "Because, my theory is Casper and Spooky were kidnapped, raped and murdered...by Stevie."

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Mr. Rompers: "Children of all ages, welcome to this robbery! I am your host, Mr. Rompers!"

Episode Teaser[]

Gallery of Images[]

There are 11 screenshots and images from "Bel Panto: Part I" on this Wiki, visit the category page for a complete gallery.

External links[]

Reference List[]

  1. Archer Season 7 Ratings on tvseriesfinale.com

Navigation[]

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