Tragical History
Archer
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 6
Written by	Adam Reed
Production code	XAR02005
Original air date	March 3, 2011
Episode guide
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"Tragical History" is the sixth episode of the second season of Archer.^[1]

Plot Edit

Tired of his colleagues constantly calling him a failure, Cyril agrees to help George Spelvin, a mysterious computer security expert, inject a pirate virus into the ISIS mainframe so Cyril can defeat the virus and be seen as a hero. Not surprisingly, the plan goes awry: Cyril didn't count on sexy, bikini-clad ninjas.

Trivia Edit

• The official website for Archer was briefly "taken over" by the pirate ninja virus a week before this episodes airs.
• Agent Kane hit a device used to store and project an image of Dr. Krieger's virtual girlfriend, thus destroying the device and his virtual girlfriend. Dr Krieger reacts to this by screaming, "No, you maniac! You blew her up! Damn you! Goddamn you all to hell!" This is an obvious reference to the 1968 film of Planet of the Apes.
• George Spelvin is a widely used pseudonym.
• When Cyril misses the darts shots, Archer says "Way to go, 'Chokely Carmichael'", a reference to Stokely Carmichael, a major civil rights activist.
• The ransom "money" trick archer uses on Spelvin is called a MacGuffin, and inside the briefcase that was supposed to contain the $50 million and knockout gas was a muffin. This is a play on the MacGuffin plot technique, as it is a MacGuffin Muffin.
• The cupcake in the suitcase is a gag carried on from Frisky Dingo.
• Archer mentions the mainframe's vault door being made of adamantium, the material used on Wolverine of the X-Men's bones, and sarcastically calls Cyril computer scientist Alan Turing (though mistaking him as an X-Men character as well).
• After Cheryl has dropped a cart of computers on top of the elevator, Pam asks "Hows the elevator supposed to work with a jillion pounds of computers on it!?" And Cheryl replies, "Who am I Elisha Otis?" Who was an American industrial inventor that created safety measures for the elevator.
• The title of this episode may be a reference to "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus", a 17th-century play by Christopher Marlowe. The story of Dr. Faustus, or Dr. Faust in some tellings, is a well-known European tale in which a man, bored with day-to-day life, makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for wealth, power, and the love of a woman. 
• The Japanese characters hanging on the wall in George Spelvin's apartment (愛痛) mean Love and Pain.

Main Cast Edit

• H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer
• Judy Greer as Cheryl Tunt
• Amber Nash as Pam Poovey
• Chris Parnell as Cyril Figgis
• Adam Reed as Ray Gillette
• Aisha Tyler as Lana Kane
• Jessica Walter as Malory Archer
• Lucky Yates as Dr. Krieger

Guest StarEdit

• Peter Serafinowicz as George Spelvin

Gallery of ImagesEdit

There are 15 screenshots and images from "Tragical History" on this Wiki, visit the category page for a complete gallery.

References Edit

1. ↑ "Archer: Showatch Related Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 5, 2011.

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