"Jeu Monégasque" is the eleventh episode of the second season and the twenty-first episode overall of Archer. It originally aired on April 7, 2011.
Plot[]
Synopsis[]
Malory and the ISIS agents travel to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix to recover another one of her sex tapes, but Archer loses all the blackmail money gambling and must enlist Ray and Lana's help to recover it before Malory finds out.
Summary[]
When Le Chuffre summons Malory and her intrepid ISIS agents to Monaco, all bets are off! Well, actually all bets are on because Monaco is basically one giant casino and Archer is in charge of safeguarding $4 million in untraceable bearer bonds. Also, it's the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix, so you can just forget about getting a hotel room.
What is French for broken record?
Archer checks the bearer bonds in for safekeeping at the casino of the hotel they are staying at but doesn't get a receipt. As a result, the hotel comps Archer a master suite, hookers, and many amenities. Sterling doesn't plan on gambling any of the money, but is forced to by the concierge Benoit. He loses most of the $4 million, which is actually all of the money from the ISIS employee's 401(k) accounts.
It is up to Archer, Lana, and Ray to complete the mission to retrieve the data disk from Le Chuffre and get the money back from Benoit. To do so they will have to head out to the streets of Monaco in a daring chase involving confiscated Formula 1 cars, guns, rocket launchers, and a helicopter.
Meanwhile back at ISIS headquarters, Cyril, Pam, Cheryl, and Krieger find out that their 401(k) accounts are empty, and plot to sell some ISIS equipment to make up for their loss. Krieger sells some of his experiments, including a bulletproof suit-coat.
Cast[]
- Starring :
- Guest Starring :
- Co-Starring :
Cultural References[]
- M*A*S*H* (1972-83): Archer calls the casino employee who brings him chips “Radar”, because he slightly resembles the character Radar O’Reilly, and also apparently had the ability to know he needed chips without being told. The character of Radar got his nickname for being able to hear incoming helicopters before anyone else and responding.
- Thunderbirds (1965-68): When Sterling returns the disc to Malory, he asks what's on it. To which she replies, "Who are you, Nosey Parker?" This probably refers to the fictional character from the Thunderbirds, Aloysius "Nosey" Parker, who had the nickname Nosey from his long nose, or possibly the actress Posey Parker.
- Nosey Parker: The phrase Nosy (or Nosey) Parker is commonly associated with the reforming cleric Matthew Parker (1504-1575) who was Archbishop of Canterbury during Elizabeth I’s reign. Parker was obsessed with finding the roots of the Christian Church in England. He sent out many detailed enquiries to manor houses, churches and officials. His searching enquiries upset many people and his many instructions to his clergy on day-to-day matters earned him the reputation of being a bit of a busybody and the name Nosy Parker (some say partly because he had a big nose). [Most of this text was borrowed from the external link.]
- Les Fous de Soleil / Paul Piot (1968): The music in the end chase sequence is from the 1968 record "Dance and Mood Music Volume 4"
- Grand Prix (1966): When Malory says "this isn't my first Grand Prix you know", this is a reference to the film of that name which Malory's voice actor Jessica Walter featured in.
- Casino Royale (1953): The name Le Chuffre is very similar to Le Chiffre, one of the primary villains in the Ian Fleming novel.
- Charlie Chaplin/The Tramp: Archer is dressed like Charlie Chaplin's character, The Tramp in a flashback. Which Archer and Malory wonder "Why was I/He dressed like Hitler".
Continuity[]
- Lana uses Archer's MacGuffin trick from Tragical History (s2e6) on Le Chuffre.
Running Gags / Callbacks[]
- Frisky Malory - With the Duke in the hotel bar.
Trivia[]
- Title Explained: "Jeu Monégasque" is French for "Monacan Game."
- When Benoit tells Malory Archer the hotel is fully booked because of the Grand Prix, she replies "I don't care if it's a Wehrmacht reunion party!" During WWII, Monaco initially adopted a neutral stance, with strong ties to the collaborationist government of Vichy France. It was later occupied by the Axis, first by the Italians, then the Germans. After the war, exiled Nazis would have reunions in neutral countries without fear of extradition. Much like her statements regarding Ireland, this is an example of Malory holding a grudge from WWII.
- The winners of the first qualifying heat of the Grand Prix are listed at the conclusion of the heat as 1) Bell, 2) Bivens +3.420, 3) Devoe +3.691. Those are the last names of the three members of the R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, a group that branched off from New Edition. The Jackie Stewart-style announcer (voiced by Craig Ferguson) also mentions their names in his call of the heat.
- The second time the Jackie Stewart-style announcer (voiced by Craig Ferguson) calls the race, the drivers' names are Moonsie, Bennett, and Kotero, all the last names of members of Apollonia, a girl group formed by the musician Prince in the early 80s, who released one album, which was produced as a CD only in Japan and is considered a collectible.
- One of the Formulae 1 racing cars (stolen by Lana) has the same paint scheme and number as Herbie the Love Bug.
- The green and yellow car driven by Archer is a reference to Graham Hill’s Lotus 49 that first debuted in July of 1967.
- Just after Archer, Lana, and Ray speed away, the three drivers whose cars they took are shown standing behind a guardrail. The driver on the far right has a red and blue striped helmet that seems to be a reference to one of the characters from Grand Prix, Pete Aron (played by James Garner).
- Malory believes that Sterling never had a problem with gambling, this is despite the fact that he is seen blowing ISIS operational funds at a roulette table in "Mole Hunt."
- The cut scene to Halloween shows Sterling dressed as Charlie Chaplin (though he thinks he was "dressed like Hitler"), while Malory is dressed as Elvira.
- When Ray covers for Archer about his baccarat losses, he tells Malory, "Your son is drunk." She replies "Who are you, Carrie Nation?", a reference to the member of the early 1900s prohibition movement in America.
- When Cheryl/Carol asks Pam whether $2.3 Million (Malory's 401k) is a lot of money, Pam replies, "Maybe not to you, Glenda Gotrocks." "Got rocks" is a slang term for someone who has a lot of money to flaunt. It's also a reference to The Flintstones - in one episode, Fred acts as a stand-in for a very rich industrialist named J.L. Gotrocks.
- Sterling can't stop laughing at the name Benoit because it makes him think of Ben Wa Balls, a sexual toy.
- When Ray hits Le Chuffre with Malory's purse, he asks, "What does she have in here, buckles?" This is a callback to "Mole Hunt" when Archer asks the same question when his mother hits him with it.
- When the scene cuts to show where Malory has borrowed funds, we see all of the ISIS employees' 401k savings. By far the lowest amount is Cyril's, at $9,059, whereas Archer and Lana have over $400,000.
- When the 401k accounts are shown, all of the accounts are empty except for Malory's.
- The 401k plans seem to show that Dr. Krieger's first name is actually Algernop. One of the items he's seen selling is Chokebot.
- The Formula 1 car Archer ends up with is in the color scheme of a mid-1960's Lotus, presumably in homage to the Lotus team.
- The sections of the circuit shown most are the Nouvelle chicane (aka the Harbor chicane) and the straight right after it that goes to the Tabac corner.
- Archer loses most of the 401K funds playing Chemin de fer (more commonly referred to as "Baccarat"), the game in which James Bond defeats Le Chiffre in the novel Casino Royale. (In the 2006 film, Bond defeats Le Chiffre while playing Texas Hold 'em.)
- The amount in all of the 401k accounts is exactly $4,066,175.
- ISIS 401(k) investment analysis:
- Malory Archer $2,302,725
- Sterling Archer $480,810
- Lana Kane $420,675
- Hector Ruiz (who was deceased, S1, Ep3) $275,223
- Ray Gillette $205,188
- Cyril Figgis $9,059 (Very low, since he began working the same time as Archer, Gillette, Lana, and Cheryl, even with the $3700 he lent to Cheryl S2, Ep10)
- John Baxtor $105,326
- Samantha Munroe $23,598
- Pam Poovey $42,424
- Cheryl (aka Carol, ...) Gimple (aka Tunt) $50,390
- Doctor Krieger $105,526
- Heather Baker $45,231
Locations[]
Quotes[]
- Malory: "But I had a reservation!"
- Benoit: "Oui madame, mais c'est le Grand Prix." (Yes, madam, but it is the Grand Prix.)
- Malory: "I don't care if it's a Wehrmacht reunion party! This isn't my first Grand Prix you know."
- Lana: "Excusez mon amie, elle est fatiguée." (Excuse my friend, she is tired.)
- Benoit: "Et mal élevée." (And bad-mannered.)
- Lana: "Sans doute, mais vous avez une réservation pour moi, non ? Lana Kane ?" (No doubt, but you have a reservation for me, right? Lana Kane?)
- Benoit: "Non." (No.)
- Malory: "See?"
- Lana: "What? Et pourquoi "non" ?" (And why “no”?)
- Benoit: "C'est le Grand Prix." (It is the Grand Prix.)
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- Lana: "Cet imbécile, il jouait ?" (This fool, was he playing?)
- Cyril: " I thought you spoke French."
- The croupier: "Jusqu'il a perdu trois millions." (Till he lost three million.)
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- Lana: "When Le Chuffre realizes we don't have four million dollars in bearer bonds…"
- Le Chuffre: "Perfidie ! Tuez-les !" (Perfidy! Kill them!)
- Lana: "We'll take out his bodyguards."
- Le Chuffre: "Ça suffit !" (Enough!)
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- Benoit: "Taxi! Taxi! Oh, shit. C'est le Grand Prix." (It is the Grand Prix.)
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- Lana: "Why would somebody tie up the guards?"
- Archer: "Duh! So they could rob the… Oh, shit."
- Lana: "Dis-moi maintenant. Qui a volé le coffre-fort ?" (Tell me now. Who robbed the vault?)
- The guard: "Benoit."
- Archer: "Balls."
- Lana: "Quand ?" (When?)
- The guard: "Dix minutes. Il a pris des papiers!" (Ten minutes ago. He took some papers!)
- Lana: "Où va-t-il ?" (Where is he going?)
- Archer: "How the hell would he know?"
- Lana: "Oh, right. Désolée." (Sorry.)
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- Archer: "They could have both! Lana! Zoo? Ici ?" (Zoo? Here?)
Gallery of Images[]
There are 15 screenshots and images from "Jeu Monégasque" on this Wiki, visit the category page for a complete gallery.
External Links[]
"Jeu Monégasque" on IMDB
Reference List[]
- ↑ Archer Season 2 Episode 11 Ratings on tvbythenumbers.com