Here's how Archer season 8 episode 2 paid homage to cult classic Weekend At Bernie's. Archer debuted on FX back in 2009 and follows the adventures of the titular character, a handsome, egotistic spy with a serious drinking problem. The show was a parody of the spy movies of the 1960s, with the Roger Moore-era James Bond films being a big influence. The show mines much of its comedy from the interpersonal issues between Archer and the people he works with, including his mother Mallory, voiced by Jessica Walter (Arrested Development).
Archer's dark humor and great voice cast, including H. Jon Benjamin (Bob's Burgers), Aisha Tyler, and Judy Greer made it a hit. When the format of the show was getting a little stale, creator Adam Reed mixed things up with season 5, which was dubbed Archer Vice. This season found Archer's spy agency disbanded and drew inspiration from classic cop series Miami Vice. While the show reverted to a familiar format for the following series, season 8 found the showrunner taking a big swing. Season 7 ended with Archer shot and floating in a swimming pool and the next season - dubbed Archer Dreamland - takes place inside of Archer's coma fantasy of himself as a 1940's private eye.
After the first episode established this premise, Archer season 8 episode 2 "Berenice" was free to get crazy. This episode finds a rich heiress named Charlotte Vandertunt coming to Archer with a request to help her fake her own death. In order to achieve this, she plans to use the body of a dead maid with "perfect teeth" to make it look like she died in a fiery car wreck. This also means they have to carry the body - who they dub Berenice - around, which is a nod to 1989's Weekend At Bernie's.
Weekend At Bernie's is a black comedy that featured two financial employees having to pretend their dead boss is still alive. The movie was directed by Ted Kotcheff (First Blood) and while its definitely not very sophisticated entertainment, its become a cult film. Archer season 8 episode 2 not only pays tribute with its title "Berenice" but in the general farce of Archer and Charlotte having to pretend the poor dead maid is alive.
The episode milks some dark humor from this, including covering Berenice in terribly unconvincing make-up to maintain the illusion. While Dreamland might be invoking the stylish neo-noirs of Hollywood's past, Archer season 8 episode 2 proved the show wasn't above a very bad taste premise to score a few laughs either.