For ISIS Eyes Only: Southbound and Down
The gang gets to do their annual Burt Reynolds homage this episode as they have 24 hours to get Cherlene to Travis County, Texas to appear on Travis County Limits, which is “equivalent to Austin City Limits!” according to Mallory. Because of the time frame and location they’re heading, Archer gets to live out his Smokey and the Bandit dreams.
Buying a garish tour bus and a Trans Am, Archer and Pam drive the blocker car while Cyril, Lana, Mallory and Cherlene ride in the tour bus. Unbeknowst to the bus crew, Archer has hidden 100 pounds of cocaine on it, in hopes of finding someone to buy it in Texas. Unfortunately, at pretty much every truck stop they visit, Pam spills the beans (and also lost Archer’s gun in a craps game) and a group of bikers attacks the bus. Lana manages to fight them off but the bus blows a tire. Archer fixes it but then cops show up. Living up to the title of blocker car, Archer and Pam distract the cops while the bus gets to the show and Cherlene sings a cover of “Eastbound and Down” from Smokey and the Bandit. Archer learns that Pam swapped the cocaine from the bus to the Trans Am and Archer tells her to ditch it to lose the cops, which works. At the show, Cherlene plays one song, declares there will be no encore and walks off stage, saying she’s part of “outlaw country” and goes to drink(?) glue and whiskey on the tour bus but she somehow made an impression on a Texas record producer.
Oh, and Dr. Kreiger rebooted Ray’s legs but then proceeded to make him march around like a Nazi while the gang was off in Texas.
- Obscure Pop Culture Reference of the Week: Lana believes that Archer’s obsession with Burt Reynolds resulted from Mallory not buying him a CW McCall toy truck for his 30th birthday.
- Pam’s trucker handle is Snowball and Archer’s is Lickbag
- Mallory really, really hates PBS
- “Cherlene…don’t…fly”
- “Thank you Dr. Kreiger for giving me the precious gift of legs”