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"Legs" is the third episode of the fourth season of Archer[1] and the 39th episode of the series.

Plot[]

Synopsis[]

Archer's fear of cyborgs hits home when Dr. Krieger offers to make robotic legs for Ray.

Summary[]

Ray Gillette awakens to another frustrating morning as a paraplegic. After arriving at work, he finds his handicapped parking place stolen by Sterling Archer, "The other shit-bag in [his] life" (the first being his colostomy bag). An elevator malfunction forces him to use a manual, arm cranked lift. When he finally gets to ISIS, sweating and late, he finds out he's being passed over for a mission to Rome that he planned. Algernop Krieger, witnessing Ray's peaking frustration, pitches a plan to Ray to give him bionic legs. Ray initially objects to the plan out of concern for his safety and for moral reasons, but ultimately relents when Krieger reveals he can cure his paraplegic impotency by proxy.

Archer finds out about this plan while gearing up in the armory from Cheryl Tunt, and his deep-seated fear of robots flares up. He relentlessly pursues to stop the operation, at first attempting to shoot down the bullet-proof door to Krieger's operation room, in which Krieger and a less-than-sober Pam Poovey haphazardly drill away at Ray's body while drinking Red Beer.

Archer then tricks Malory Archer into authorizing the withdrawal of an RPG for the upcoming Rome mission. After Rodney hands the RPG to Archer, he receives word on the phone from Lana Kane that Archer was embezzeling the RPG and he engages the blast-proof door. Archer makes an unsuccessful attempt to blast his way through it, again rupturing his, as well as Cheryl's eardrums in the process and leaving the armory a wreck, much to the alarm of everyone else in the office at the sound of the explosion.

After regaining his bearings, Archer exits the armory via the vents with the assistance of a grapple gun, determined to "save the human race". Lana, Cheryl and Cyril decide to smoke Archer out by turning the thermostat to its maximum. Archer, now crawling nude through the vents, passes out from the heat and is left unattended and unfound for the following weekend.

The following Monday during a team meeting, the operation appears a complete success, seeing Ray literally back on his feet, much to Malory's disregard. Just as Malory complains about the now-overloaded thermostat, Archer drops through the roof in a nude, sweaty heap, and manages a cyborg joke at Cyril's expense before passing out again, looking just like the eventual outcome of the ill-fated "Fourth of Ju-Luau" holiday the office had had earlier, "if you slid pig under him."

Cast[]

Cultural References[]

  • The Four Seasons by VivaldiThe music that plays during the fast forward scene change while Archer is in the air ducts is Movement 3: Allegro from "Winter" (Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "L'inverno"). At the 7:30 mark, Vivaldi's "Spring" from the same concerto is playing in the background as Krieger begins his surgery on Ray's back.
  • Warren Commission: When investigating the bullet that struck Brett for the sixth time, Archer calls it a "magic bullet" in reference to this commission which investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
  • Terminator series (1984 onwards): After Archer uses the rocket launcher in the armory, Cheryl is heard referencing Skynet from the franchise.
  • Admiral Graf Spee: Dr. Krieger mentions that the bullet-proof door to his lab was salvaged from the German pocket battleship named after this Admiral.
  • When discussing the intelligence of cyborgs, Cheryl exclaims that they "gotta be pretty smart to fool the old Voight-Kampff machine". This is a reference to a device that detects genetically engineered organic robots called replicants, from the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and the movie based on this book, Blade Runner.
  • Grover Cleveland: When Cyril complains about Archer shooting his pocket watch, Archer replies that this president "called, he wants his watch back. He left two non-consecutive messages." This is a reference to the fact that he is the only President in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. This joke is stolen from the Simpsons episode "Two Bad Neighbors".
  • In the final scene, Archer says: "Your clothes, give them to me" in another reference to the Terminator movie franchise. Archer also mimics Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice.

Frisky Dingo[]

  • The elevator repairman who tells Ray it's broken is Mr. Ford from Frisky Dingo, continuing his running gag of doing every job.

Running Gags / Callbacks[]

  • In the opening scene, Ray is seen admiring his trophies from winning the bronze medal in the giant slalom seen in "Swiss Miss".
  • Pam Graffiti - Pam's tag can be seen in the wall of the garage near the park spot and in the service elevator as Ray operates it. 
  • During the opening of the episode, when Ray finds out that the team are going on a mission to Rome without him, he says: "Not for the Morelli thing, I planned that entire operation." Cardinal Morelli appears the the episode "The Papal Chase" making this a reference to the upcoming mission later in the season.
  • Krieger is shown in a pretty terrible flashback to him dragging away Katya's body ("so pretty"). This is an add-on to the events of "Double Trouble".
  • When explaining to Ray about the leg replacement, Krieger tells Ray, "If, God forbid, the worst happens, there's lots of dumpsters." Referring to (one of) Krieger's method of disposing of bodies into several dumpsters.
  • Me too! - Krieger tells Ray that he also pisses and shits in a plastic bag.
  • Also, yes - God apparently gives Krieger an erection.
  • Rodney, the gun librarian, says, "you'd need a bulldozer made of acid to get in here", to which, Archer adds, "Ooo or Spacebot." The very next thing he says is, "Remember Spacebot?" from "Space Race: Part II".
  • Krieger had previously made a cyborg arm for Conway Stern, to replace the one lost in "Diversity Hire".
S04E03-Horizon in paper

Space Station Horizon in "The Paper."

  • The front page of "The Paper", that Ron is reading, has a story titled "Tragedy Feared On Space Station" and a picture of the Horizon from "Space Race: Part II". The article could be in reference to all the people stranded there and/or the fact that Barry Dylan is murdering them all over time.
  • Cyril calls Rodney "Magnum P.U." which she also suggested as a title for Archer's movie "Terms of Enrampagement" in "Placebo Effect".
  • When Lana and Cyril wonder about why Archer hates robots, a flashback is shown of Archer as a child after the incident with a vacuum cleaner that was shown in "Skin Game".
  • Tinnitus - Archer "mawps" after he fires a rocket launcher in a blast-proof room.
  • Cyril jokes about Lana not getting any dates and she gets defensive - foreshadowing "Viscous Coupling" where Lana confesses to Archer that she's back with Cyril because she hasn't been laid in months.
  • Cheryl is turned on by Archer slapping her and discloses that it's not just physical violence that arouses her but also emotional violence.

Trivia[]

  • The opening scene, where Ray repeats "good morning...", is an allusion to Margaret Wise Brown's children's story Goodnight Moon.
  • Archer says when he gets to Rome he is going to buy ten pairs of shoes, following up with "Ciao, bella, ho scarpe nuove" which in Italian means "Hey beautiful, I have new shoes". However, in The Papal Chase, Archer is called out twice for his poor and complete lack of Italian speaking skills.
  • Vanadium, the metal Krieger said he planned to use for Ray's endoskeleton, is toxic to humans.
  • The front page of The Paper features a story titled "Motorcycle Gangs Causing Trouble in Upstate New York", foreshadowing the gang Archer and Ron encounter in the following episode, "Midnight Ron".
  • In the commercial for the Season 4 DVD set, the scene where Krieger begins the surgery on Ray was censored due to Ray being naked. Instead, Ray is wearing a pair of dark gray briefs.
  • While in the air duct, Archer notices that the heating unit is cranked up, and mistakenly believes that it has become sentient. He then realizes in horror that this is exactly how Maximum Overdrive started. The reference is to the cult horror movie, written and directed by Stephen King, in which an alien force causes machines to come to life and start killing people.

Locations[]

Quotes[]

Ray: "The elevator's broken?"
Mr. Ford: "Huh?"
Ray: "The elevator's broken?"
Mr. Ford: "Huh?"
Ray: "The elevator?"
Mr. Ford: "......Huh?"
Ray: "THE ELEVATOR!"
Mr. Ford: "Out o' order."
Ray: "I can see that!"
Mr. Ford: "Then why the Hell'd you ask?"

─────────────────────────

Rodney: "One RPG-7 launcher and two grenade as per the note from your mother."
Archer: "Thank you...I'm sorry, what was your name again?
Rodney: "Rodney."
Archer: "Thank you, asshole."

─────────────────────────

Archer: "What do you think you're doing?!"
Rodney: "What do you think you're doing? Obtaining company matériel under false pretenses is a fireable offense."
Archer: "I basically just lurch from one fireable offense to the next."
Cheryl: "Yeah, like the infamous luau incident."
Archer: "Jesus Christ, how many times do I have to apologize for that?"
Cheryl: "Once would be nice!"

─────────────────────────

Krieger: "We're almost done here, if someone can find their last beer!"
Pam: "I can promise it ain't my last."

─────────────────────────

Archer: "The thermostat has become sentient! Oh God, that's how Maximum Overdrive started!"

Gallery of Images[]

There are 25 screenshots and images from "Legs" on this Wiki, visit the category page for a complete gallery.


References[]

Navigation[]

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