"Archer Dreamland: Jane Doe" is the third episode of Season 8, and the eighty-eighth episode overall.
Plot[]
Synopsis[]
Archer tries to escape from jail with the help of a crazed heiress and a dysfunctional jazz quartet.[2]
Summary[]
The episode picks up where it left off last week, Pam and Cyril on Archer's trail. Archer is taken to jail by Pam and Charlotte Vandertunt (the dream persona of Cheryl Tunt) is taken to an asylum by Cyril. Archer tries to escape from jail with the help Lana Kane’s band, who have been put in jail by the cops for smoking marijuana cigarettes.
Cast[]
- Starring:
- H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer / Archer P.I. (Dream Persona )
- Judy Greer as Cheryl Tunt / Charlotte Vandertunt (Dream Persona )
- Amber Nash as Pam Poovey / Detective Sergeant Poovey (Dream Persona )
- Chris Parnell as Cyril Figgis / Detective Lieutenant Figgis (Dream Persona )
- Aisha Tyler as Lana Kane / Lana Kane (Dreamland) (Dream Persona )
- Lucky Yates as Dr. Krieger / Krieger (Dream Persona )
- Jessica Walter as Malory Archer / Mother (Dream Persona )
- Guest Starring:
- Jeffrey Tambor as Len Trexler (Dream Persona)
- Keegan-Michael Key as Floyd (Dream Character)
- Wyatt Cenac as Cliff (Dream Character)
- Wendell Pierce as Verl (Dream Character)
- Co-Starring:
- Adam Reed as Ray Gillette / Ray (Dreamland) (Dream Persona)
- Dave Willis as Barry Dylan / 'Dutch' Dylan (Dream Persona)
- April Hong as English Speaking Chinese Woman
- Larry Murphy as Voice of Cop
- Eric Sims as Voice of Cop
- Chinese Prostitutes
- Zerk
Cultural References[]
- Robert William Stewart: As Floyd states, Robert W. Stewart along with Roy Green were the first African-American officers to be hired by the LAPD in 1886. [3]
- Taft–Hartley Act: During her attempt at standup Lana mentions this 1947 Act of Congress that restricts the activities and power of labor unions which remains in effect to this day.
- 4-F: While discussing military service, Ray states that he failed induction into the military, to exactly zero surprise from the rest of the group. Floyd then says "You put the 'F' in '4-F.'" This refers to the U.S. Selective Service's disqualification code 4-F, which means "not qualified for military service" due to physical, mental, or moral deficiency. Until fairly recently (and certainly long after the time period this season is based on,) homosexuality was considered by the U.S, military as a moral deficiency, and was an automatic disqualifier for military service if known. The joke is also that Floyd is obliquely referring to one of the many slurs for gay men that start with the letter "F."
- Rodeo clown: Verl thinks Archer looks like one of these in the heavy cop's uniform. A rodeo clown is a bullfighter who's primary job is to protect a fallen rider from the bull by distracting the bull and providing an alternative target for the bull to attack.
- Al Capone: As Lana jokes about in her stand-up act, the famous American gangster of Chicago did die on January 25, 1947, of a cardiac arrest likely as a direct result of him having late-stage syphilis.
- Reefer: A slang term for a cannabis cigarette.
- 761st Tank Battalion: Verl tells Archer he was a member of this independent tank battalion of the U. S. Army which was made up primarily of African-American soldiers. They were known as the "Black Panthers" after their unit's distinctive insignia. The battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during WWII.
Running Gags[]
- Jumping Right In: Poovey starts the episode with:
- "So, uh, what are we doing? Are we just jumping right into this?"
- [This is a callback to Archer's opening line in Berenice (s8e2). For analysis, see Jumping Into Dreamland].
- Duh! Charlotte exclaims when Mother states the obvious.
- What's a nice heiress like you...?: Mother asks Charlotte "what's a nice heiress like you doing in a joint like this?" in another take on this trope.[4]
Continuity[]
- Reality ( Non-Dream ) :
- None
- Dream / Reality Crossover :
- (Dream) The cliff where Charlotte & Archer were planning on staging a fake car accident closely resembles.../ (Reality) the cliff where Ivy Stratton went over to his death in Deadly Prep (s7e3).
- Floyd the band member is Detective "Rimshot" Diedrich from season 7.
- Ray has used the alias Phil McCracken before, in Archer Vice: On the Carpet (s5e9)
- In Archer Vice: A Debt of Honor, Ron Cadillac mentions smoking reefer cigarettes with some Negros and they seemed nice “Jazz Cats” and mentioned it happened in 1940 (s5e3).
- Dream ( Non-Reality ) :
- This episode takes up immediately where the last episode, Berenice left off.
- Archer and Charlotte were caught trying to use the body of Berenice in an effort to stage Charlotte's death as they planned in Berenice.
- Det. Figgis taunts Archer by saying "Now we will see how you like getting your tits screwed off for a change" which is a reference to what Poovey said Archer did to Figgis' wife in No Good Deed.
- Cliff was last seen in No Good Deed playing the drums in Dreamland, however, he was not given a name until this episode.
- Zerk was last seen in No Good Deed.
- The Chinese women that Detective Poovey and Archer rescued from Len Trexler in No Good Deed are shown to still be living in Poovey's apartment and that both Trexler & Detective Figgis are still looking for them.
- Krieger wheels Dutch out of the hospital to help him with his amputated legs, in response to his phone call from him in Berenice.
Trivia[]
- Title Explained: 'Jane Doe' is used as a placeholder name for a party whose true identity is unknown. In this case, Detective Figgis wants to book Charlotte Vandertunt under this name to hide her true identity from the rest of the police force so he can turn her over to Len Trexler later.
- The alias Ray gave the police was Phil McCracken. He thinks it is a funny name because it can be sounded out phonetically to get: fill (phil) - my crack (McCrack) - in (en).
- In response to Archer saying he had military experience Floyd said he served in the Transportation Corps in the U.S. Army during the war, while Cliff said he served as a Steward in the U.S. Navy. Ray simply states he was IV-F. Verl would later state that he was a tanker in the 761st Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army.
- Archer refers to the 761st Tank Battalion as "Patton's Panthers", however, their official nickname was the "Black Panthers".
Locations[]
- Los Angeles, California (Dream)
- Dreamland
- Mother's Office
- Bar / Main floor
- Back alley
- L.A. Police Station
- Holding cells
- Basement
- Records room
- Parking lot
- Len Trexler's mansion
- Study
- Detective Poovey's Apartment ( Flash forward )
- Saint ???? Hospital
- Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)
- Dreamland
First Appearances[]
Characters (in order of appearance)[]
Quotes[]
- Cyril: "So is this the part where you tell me it's not what it looks like?"
- Archer: "I don't know, what does it look like?"
- Cyril: "You tell me."
- Archer: "It's....not what it looks like."
- Cyril: "Which is..."
- Archer: "Murder Figgis, you insufferable little prick, it looks like murder."
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- Cyril: "Now let's see how you like getting your tits screwed off for a change."
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- Mother: "What is it with you people and reefer?"
- Lana: "Do you mean musicians, or Negroes?"
- Mother: "Pick one."
─────────────────────────
- Lana ( on stage): "Oh hey, how about that Taft–Hartley Act..."
- Unseen audience member: "Show us your tits!"
Gallery of Images[]
There are 67 screenshots and images from "Jane Doe" on this Wiki, visit the category page for a complete gallery.
Archer, P.I.[]
- The following level of the mobile game Archer, P.I. is meant to be played along with this episode :
- Level 3: "Zerk Chicken"
External links[]
"Archer Dreamland: Jane Doe" on IMDB
Post Episode Discussion: S08E03 - "Jane Doe" on Reddit- Archer P.I. Week 3: Jane Doe on Reddit
References[]
- ↑ Archer Season 8 Ratings on tvseriesfinale.com
- ↑ Archer Season 8 Premiere, New Trailers, Episodes and More.
- ↑ The LAPD: 1850-1900 - lapdonline.org
- ↑ What's an X like you doing in a Y like this? (tvtropes.org)