For a gag pilot contained in the season one DVD boxset, Sterling Archer is played by hissing velociraptor with the explanation the pilot was never used because the actor was considered too old for the part.
During the scene where Archer is in the simulator, Malory holds up a picture of her with her dog Duchess. It is a parody of the famous photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken hours before Lennon was murdered.
The dog's name is Abelard. In the Middle Ages, St. Abelard was a French monk who was known for his writings on Greek philosophy.
Various running jokes are introduced here, including the ants situation: "Do you want to get ants? This is how you get ants." Another one is the interrogative, "Can't? Or won't?" used in numerous subsequent episodes.