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Archer’s idiocy and narcissism are on perfect display in these moments. His genius is also evident, as he always knows the right time to interject. As the Tinnitus gets worse, the jokes get better. These recurring jokes will take viewers back to the Danger Zone where Brett gets shot and Woodhouse is always to blame.
10 Phrasing
Phrasing may be the first recurring joke in the entire series. If someone says something that is ill phrased and can be interpreted as innuendo, Archer utters “Phrasing”. When Archer awakes from his coma in Season 11, the phrase returns in the form of “I guess we’re not doing phrasing anymore”. Below are some of the best examples:
9 Lanaaaaa!!
Whenever Archer needs to get Lana’s attention he screams her name as loud as possible until she responds “What!?”. The scream is almost always followed by an inconsequential quip. For example, when Archer gets Lana’s attention to say that Baboo remembers him.
Archer: “Uhh…Phrasing”
Malory (to Utne): “You wanna play me hard?”
Archer: “Phrasing”
Malory (to Utne): “You better nut up because i’ve swallowed just about as much as I can take from you”
Archer: “Phrasing!!”
Malory (to Katya): “Don’t you want to freshen up after your long ride?”
Archer: “Phrasing, sorry Katya”
Sheryl/Carol: “Who the hell broke my box?”
Archer: “So phrasing isn’t a thing anymore?”
There are way too many examples of this happening throughout the ten plus seasons to count. The dynamic between Lana and Archer is one of the reasons why the show has been so successful. Archer irritates Lana until she reaches a breaking point in almost every episode.
8 Woodhouse
Archer is not exactly appreciative of Woodhouse. He abuses the butler both verbally and physically for absolutely no reason. One of the most notable moments is when Archer asks Woodhouse to remove all of the dog hair from the apartment after Archer insists that Woodhouse let the dog in. He says the following:
7 Danger Zone
Archer has fond memories of the Kenny Loggins hit “Highway To The Danger Zone”. The song was one of the “Awesome” moments from Top Gun when the pilots were going through flight training. Whenever Archer is planning to do something that will endanger the lives of others, he utters “Danger Zone!” in a high-pitched voice.
Woodhouse: “Very good sir”.
Archer: “I also need you to buy sand. I don’t know if they grade it . . . but . . . coarse”.
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Below are some of the most unforgettable examples:
After Archer gets double-crossed and stabbed by Conway Stern While driving the airboat in Pipeline Fever During the escape from Skorpio episode after having a three-way with the arms dealer and Lana “Lanaaaaaa!” “Danger Zone”
6 Cheryl/Carol
In the first few seasons, Archer has a problem remembering Cheryl’s name, commonly calling her Carol. This happens so often that Cheryl starts to identify herself as Carol. The running gag continues throughout the series with Cheryl labeling her name tag as better Cheryl in Season 11.
Cheryl has a number of different aliases, including Cristina. It honestly gets to the point where the ISIS employees refer to her as Carol more than Sheryl.
5 Burt Reynolds
Archer is completely obsessed with Burt Reynolds. Basically, every movie he has ever starred in is referenced in the series:
Gator White Lightning Heat Deliverance Smokey and the Bandit
Each of these unrealistic movies gives Archer the inspiration to be as destructive and obnoxious as possible. Burt Reynolds is the most referenced celebrity in the series because Archer tries desperately to emulate the actor’s characters.
4 Brett’s Workplace Abuses
Brett’s workplace abuse begins in the first season when Archer tries to shoot his way into the mainframe and a bullet ricochets into Brett. Before Brett’s eventual death, which is caused by Archer, fans were able to enjoy all of the great moments listed below.
Archer shot Brett for calling his package small Brett gets shot in the arm by Rona Thorne as he walks by the gun range Brett makes fun of Archer for having breast cancer and Archer beats him to a pulp Cyril accidentally shoots Brett while playing with Lana’s gun Lana Shoots Archer’s car and the bullets deflect right into Brett Archer fires bullets into another locked door and the bullet bounces off of ten different things before it hits Brett.
Malory’s only concern is that Brett is always bleeding on the carpet. In the words of Archer, “He died doing what he loved, getting shot”.
3 Do You Want Ants? Because That’s How You Get Ants
The joke began when Lana knocked a box of doughnuts out of Archer’s hands in Season 1. Pretty much every time someone drops food on the floor, this phrase is uttered by one of the characters.
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Malory also makes the comment, “Are we starting an ant farm in here?”. Considering everything that has happened to ISIS over the years, the characters seem to have unjust concerns about an ant infestation.
2 Tinnitus
Being a spy has its risks, and one of them is ongoing, crippling tinnitus. Archer seems to find himself near explosions quite often and refuses to wear earbuds. To make the rest of the office understand his pain, Archer fires his pistol in a crowded elevator.
As the series goes on, the tinnitus progresses. Archer’s treatment? Just say “Mop, mop, mop” until the ringing goes away. “Damn you tinnitus, you’re a cruel mistress!”.
1 Idioms
Every time Archer has trouble expressing himself, he relies on the use of idioms, many of which aren’t actually idioms. Colloquial metaphors do not have interchangeable words. The recurring joke features in Archer: Heart of Archness Part II. During the season, Archer’s translator is unable to use idioms to communicate with the pirates. The following examples are just from one episode.
Lend me your ears Your mouth has been writing checks your butt can’t cash Tough titties Every dog gets its day
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