Characters in Arrested Development
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of the main and recurring fictional characters from the Fox television comedy series, Arrested Development.
[edit] Main characters
This is a list of the show's main characters, played by the show's main cast. Each character in this list appears in most of the show's episodes; they are listed in the order that they appear in the opening credits.
[edit] Bluth family tree
- - - - : Adoption
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George Bluth Sr. |
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Lucille Bluth |
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Oscar Bluth |
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George Oscar Bluth |
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Tracey Bluth |
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Michael Bluth |
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Lindsay Bluth |
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Tobias Fünke |
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"Buster" Bluth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Steve Holt |
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Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth |
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George Michael Bluth |
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Maeby Fünke Bluth |
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[edit] Michael Bluth
Michael Bluth (Born 12/14/1967) is the second oldest Bluth son, and the father of George Michael. He is portrayed by Jason Bateman.
Michael has an older brother G.O.B., a younger brother Buster, and a putative twin sister Lindsay, but she is later revealed to be adopted. He also has another adopted brother named Annyong.
When their father George Sr. goes to jail in the pilot, Michael becomes head of the family and president of the Bluth Company, but his authority is constantly undermined. He remained president for all of season 1, but in season 2, he was replaced by Gob. Michael became vice president instead, while being scrutinized by the SEC for his father's crimes, but he still has to do all the work of the president. In season 3, Michael was firmly in charge again, though the sibling rivalry and family interference did not totally recede.
Michael is probably the most normally-functional Bluth and is a source of stability for his family (much to his chagrin). He is responsible, smart, hard working, and mostly self-sacrificing. However, Michael sometimes behaves unethically, has a false sense of superiority, a problem letting go of control, and tends not to listen to his son's feelings when making decisions for him. He is especially critical of George Michael's girlfriend, Ann, often forgetting her name, and frequently referring to her in veiled-disappointment as "Her?". His faults become more evident as the show goes on, and he often threatens to leave the family out of frustration.
Michael's wife Tracey died (presumably of ovarian cancer) two years prior to the first season, and she was in a coma for some months before she passed. In the show, Michael is often reluctant to date, thinking that his son would disapprove, and most of his relationships have featured misunderstandings or outright deception. His wife's death is usually the subject of tasteless, but seemingly honest jokes made by his family members, most notably his father.
In season 3, it is revealed that there is a typo on his birth certificate and that his legal name is Nichael Bluth. Also, Michael discovers the truth about his father's crimes and his sister's identity. In the last episode, Michael and his son, George Michael, try once more to abandon the Bluth family, but they're accompanied by a stowaway, George Sr.
[edit] Lindsay Bluth Fünke
Lindsay Bluth Fünke (Born in 1965) is the adopted daughter of George Sr. and Lucille, but is allegedly Michael's twin sister. She is portrayed by Australian actress Portia de Rossi.
Lindsay is married to Tobias Fünke. They have a teenage daughter, Maeby, possibly obtained through artificial means. Lindsay believes herself to be a dedicated activist. In actuality, she is quite shallow and superficial, only supporting current trendy causes for the social status of holding extravagant charity drives from the Bluth company money. She has helped bring attention to such "worthy" causes as "HOOP" (Hands Off Our Penises), an anti-circumcision organization; "Stop the Hunger"; "Neuterfest"; "TBA"; and "Save the Wetlands" (which, unlike she presumed, does not mean drying them). She has worked to remove the Ten Commandments from City Hall and has also spoken out on advocacy of more meat and fish in the schools, as well as speaking out against the consumption of both meat and fish. Her shortcomings aside, Lindsay occasionally has a healthy relationship with her brother Michael, often offering an understanding and sympathetic ear to his problems, despite their mother's best efforts to divide them.
Lindsay has had many fledgling and unsuccessful attempts at being an entrepreneur. She opened up a "Dip-A-Pet" business because she felt animals needed hair-coloring options, with disastrous results; she started "Mommy, What Will I Look Like" photo shop to provide parents with some idea of their child's forecast appearance, but she had to quit because too many parents were perturbed by what the computer's predictions made their children look like. (Nevertheless, the show's producers have made use of the services on a few occasions.)
Despite her best efforts, Lindsay has not obtained perfect self-esteem (owing perhaps to her mother's constant insinuations of obesity). She has tried yoga, activism, and hair-care products, but nothing has worked. Her marriage is hardly helping, considering that her husband seems acutely uninterested, and may in fact be gay.
Lindsay's daughter, Maeby, is a rebellious teenager who desperately wants her mother's attention. Maeby is unfortunately ignored by Lindsay very often despite her efforts.
In the last episode of Season 3, it was revealed that Lindsay was not actually Michael's twin sister, or even a Bluth at all. She was actually adopted at age 3 to spite Bluth rival Stan Sitwell, who was already in the process of adopting her at the time. Immediately after divulging this fact to Michael, Lindsay revealed her wish to divorce Tobias and marry Michael, after misinterpreting Michael's brotherly compliments over the years as a sexual interest.
[edit] George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth
G.O.B. (usually written as "Gob") is the eldest Bluth son. He is portrayed by Will Arnett.
His name — derived from his initials — is pronounced like the biblical character, Job. By trade he is a part-time magician, and was formerly a stripper, working as one of the "Hot Cops". Gob is arrogant and self-centered, but much of the time this appears to hide his own insecurities which include how unintelligent he really is. Not without a sense of theatrics, he speaks in an intense, melodramatic tone, even in ordinary conversation. A womanizer, he is often involved in multiple relationships at a time. Despite being extremely self-assured, he often makes the realization too late that he has "made a huge mistake". He is also known for his loud and sarcastic exclamation of his catch phrase, "Come on!" George Sr. paid little attention to Gob as a child and has no respect for him as an adult, leaving Gob starved for affection (a fact George Sr. manipulates to get Gob to do what he wants). His mother openly hates him. He cares deeply for Michael, craving his younger brother's respect almost as much as his father's, but has an adversarial relationship with him because Michael gets all the attention and responsibility, especially in business. On several occasions, Gob and Michael have realized that their rivalry has been nurtured by their father's manipulations and vow to be better brothers to one another, but Gob's own self-centeredness often undermines his good intentions in this area (and most others).
He is a founding member of the "Magicians' Alliance", a group that was formed to preserve magicians' secrets, but he was later blackballed by them for revealing how one of his tricks was performed (on a local news broadcast). He once made the family's $700,000 yacht disappear (by blowing it up) as part of a magic act during a spring break show. He is also the original creator and inspiration for the Mr. Bananagrabber character (Gob has a running gag involving him getting his tooth chipped, causing him to speak with a whistle—a characteristic of the character). Although he retains most of the rights to the character, he gave away the animated rights to Michael. It was later made into an animated TV series. He also briefly had a ventriloquist act with an African-American doll named Franklin; they recorded a CD called Franklin Comes Alive (with racist undertones which Gob was completely unaware of).
He is known for incorporating over-the-top theatrics into his magic shows, including pyrotechnics, dance routines, and wind machines. He plays Europe's "The Final Countdown" before almost all of his major illusions (such as making the family yacht disappear or escaping from a coffin). It is also his ring tone. He is frequently seen throughout the series getting around on a Segway which has a pouch that says "G.O.B." on it.
In the second season he became president of the Bluth Company; however, it has been suggested that he wields no real power and that his brother Michael is still in charge. Gob is known to be the womanizer of the Bluth family and is frequently sought by George Michael when he needs something his father will not give him, such as marijuana for Lucille Austero. He also enjoys making love to women while having music sung by himself in the background.
Eventually, Gob discovers that he is the father of the teenager Steve Holt. Though at first he was afraid of this discovery and not willing to confront his son, Gob soon comes to terms with his son and becomes prepared to take on the role of a father.
[edit] George Michael Bluth
George Michael Bluth (Born 11/02/1990) is the young teenage son of Michael Bluth. He is portrayed by Michael Cera, and in flashback sequences, by Christian Lavery. His name is a combination of his grandfather's and father's names; he is not named after the famous singer-songwriter.
George Michael has demonstrated a willingness to work and to help his father in whatever capacity is necessary. In the past, this has included pretending to be a girl so Michael could take him to "Bring your daughter to work day." He is manager (but not "Mr. Manager") of the Bluth Family's Original Frozen Banana Stand [1] and has answered phones down at company headquarters.
When he was reunited with his cousin Maeby, he instantly developed a hard crush on her, and his resulting emotional conflicts featured heavily into their subplot. George Michael was deeply traumatized when, as a child, he began to watch what he assumed was the popular family musical, The Wizard of Oz. Instead, it was the HBO violent prison drama, Oz. Consequently, George Michael is terrified of prisons. George Michael is continually exposed to awkward social situations throughout the show's run and seems to take each incident in stride. He witnessed a live birth close up, acted as a woman for GOB's magic act, was in the center of a hospital morgue, sat near two gay men kissing and had an inmate use the Bluth company stair car as an escape out of prison while he sat waiting for his father.
In the second season, George Michael started dating a girl named Ann whom his father barely knows and doesn't like. His father continues to call Ann "Egg" by mistake as she was introduced to him while she was eating an egg. George Michael eventually breaks up with Ann after rediscovering his long-held crush for his cousin, Maeby. Season two ends with George Michael kissing Maeby much to his delight. After the incident, the two try to avoid each other for most of the third season. When they decide to put on fake weddings for Alzheimer's patients, they are mistakenly legally wed by a priest who was not aware that the weddings were fake. Drunk on fake wine one night, George Michael tells her (correctly, despite later "proof" to the contrary) that he thinks they might not actually be related. He reaches second base with her as a result. Although he rarely stands up for himself throughout the seasons, either as a result of Maeby's incapacity to see his affection for her, or his search for his fathers constant approval, he finally 'becomes a man' in the final episode, after discovering his Uncle GOB and ex-girlfriend Ann are together (but have done 'Practically nothing'), punches GOB out. During the series finale, George Michael finally manages to tell his father about their relationship. Michael advises him to end it, as despite the fact that they are not blood relatives, they are still family.
[edit] Maeby Fünke
Mae "Maeby" Fünke (Born 9/22/1990) is the teenage daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. She does not demonstrate much of a scholarly acumen and has a penchant for acting out. She is played by Alia Shawkat.
Maeby was purchased by her parents for US$150,000. The Fünkes were unable to conceive due to Tobias' prolonged difficulties regarding heterosexual congress with Lindsay; whether this implies that she is a test-tube baby was one of the unanswered questions of the series, although her grandmother Lucille informed George Michael that Maeby was "made in a cup, like soup." In the final episodes of season 3, it is revealed that Lindsay delivered Maeby, though she is not blood-related to the Bluths because Lindsay was actually adopted. Maeby was sent to a progressive school called the Sunshine Academy by her parents. She wasn't graded, but rather received crocodiles and Elvis instead, though she did receive one C-. Once she entered the public school system, she was not able to compete. So, she lost interest in grades and started creating new opportunities to get into trouble, where she "always gets caught."
Maeby has created a pseudo-twin, Surely, who is suffering from the rare, debilitating illness, B.S. She conspires to draw attention to her condition and has fabricated a fake charity that preys on the sympathy of others. She is discovered on stage by George Michael, at a charity fund raiser held in Surely's honor.
As Surely, Maeby draws attention to the fact that there are no ramps going up to the bleachers at school. She fabricates a tremendous amount of support and respect by pretending to be terminally ill. She has made quite a lot of money from her false charities without punishment for her deception. In season three, Maeby gives Surely a last name, Wolfbeak, and enters her alter ego in a beauty pageant in an attempt to sabotage it. She is foiled when the organizers gladly accommodate Surely's disability.
By accident, Maeby acquired a job as a movie executive, although she was often forced to deflect questions about her youthful appearance (she is the third youngest movie executive in Hollywood) with the phrase "marry me." She has frequently used the studio's readers to do her homework, assigning them classic novels to read and write up. More recently, she was involved in the American remake of the French movie "Les Cousins Dangereux," which she was forced to cut down to 52 minutes. Thanks in part to George Michael, who was half-heartedly protesting the movie with his girlfriend Ann, it became a hit since the protest drew people's attention. Another project she was involved with was the critical flop Love, Indubitably. Eventually, her age is discovered when her cousin George Michael sends 16th birthday cards to all the other studio executives in her address book, but this apparently actually helps her career. She drives a Mercedes-Benz company car, although she presumably does not have a driver's license.
Maeby also has a crush on her cousin George Michael. However she started dating Steve Holt, who is discovered near the end of Season Two of the show to be the son of Gob. While increasingly desperate to end the relationship, she continues to date him, at one point slipping him a roofie to avoid having sex with him. Maeby is told by George Michael at the beginning of Season Three that Steve Holt is also her cousin.
Near the end of Season 3, George Michael and Maeby participate in a mock wedding as bride and groom, hosted by a hospital to entertain Alzheimer's patients. Unfortunately, a switch in the "fake" priest produced a real one, thus lawfully wedding the two cousins. Also, after drinking fake wine and thinking they were drunk, Maeby took George Michael "head first" into second base. There is no indication that the two ever divorced and are presumed to be married even after the end of the third season.
[edit] Byron "Buster" Bluth
Byron "Buster" Bluth is the youngest of the biological Bluth children, and he is usually referred to as Buster. It was hinted at near the end of Season 2 and confirmed in Season 3 that Buster's father is Oscar, George Bluth Sr.'s twin brother. He is portrayed by Tony Hale.
Buster is a career student but cannot return to school because the money is no longer available to him. Thus far, he has taken $80,000 worth of lessons from the Stanford Institute of Cartography, but in the pilot episode mistakes the blue part of the map for land. He has studied Native American Tribal ceremonies, participated in multiple sleep deprivation studies (at the University of Chicago and in France), worked on an archaeological dig as part of a Smithsonian fellowship, and endured a study that investigated the relationship between medical marijuana and nausea because it took place at a carnival. He is a graduate of Milford Academy, which he attended for two semesters beyond his graduation date due to his excelling in being neither seen nor heard.
Buster is very much a man-boy. He has an unhealthy attachment to his mother Lucille, which she feeds, making him feel guilty whenever he puts anyone else before her. He has frequent panic attacks, hates both closed and open spaces, is terrified of sheep and seals, and is very wrathful towards his Korean-born adopted brother, Annyong. For a short period of time, he was appointed by his mother to run the company, until it was revealed he has panic attacks in board room meetings. He has an uncharacteristic habit of greeting people with back rubs, (a trait which he seems to have in common with Oscar), and commonly addresses both Michael and Gob as "brother" (and likewise, Tobias as "brother-in-law"). He has an unusually-shaped penis (once described to a US Army doctor as a "lobster tail but without its shell"). He has been romantically linked on-and-off to his mother's best friend, also named Lucille (played by Liza Minnelli). She changed his diapers when Buster was an infant and therefore is familiar with his odd-looking genitals. Buster has also been romantically linked to Lucille's former housekeeper Lupe, the robot that replaced Lupe, and Michael's former secretary Starla.
In the second season premiere, Lucille signs Buster up for the Army (which he refers to simply as "Army"), although his training is less than successful. In the episode "Out on a Limb," Buster's left hand was bitten off by a loose seal ("Lucille"). In the same episode, it was revealed that his real father is George Sr.'s brother, Oscar.
[edit] Tobias Fünke
Dr. Tobias Fünke is married to Lindsay Bluth and they have a daughter, Maeby. He is portrayed by David Cross.
Tobias is a former Chief of Psychiatry from Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital who lost his license for giving CPR to a Rhode Island man who wasn't actually having a heart attack. At the beginning of the series, Tobias decides that his destiny is to become an actor, a career which he pursues throughout the series with a notable lack of success. He initially came to the decision after boarding a boat which he believed to be a pirate-themed cruise, but which actually turned out to be populated by gay protesters, most of whom were actors.
Tobias has an extremely cheerful and unmindful disposition. He often greets his family with hugs and regularly speaks in an extremely florid prose, accentuating the most mundane comments with a heightened sense of false grandiosity. He is downright terrible at diagnosing his family's feelings and problems (especially Lindsay's), and seems to be gleefully oblivious to the blatantly obvious. He believes himself to have "cat-like agility", though in actuality he is clutzy and extremely accident prone. He has experienced sexual difficulties with his wife. This led to their joint decision to attempt an "open" marriage. Tobias has a rare condition called "never-nude" syndrome (which, as the narrator states, is "exactly what it sounds like") and must wear denim cut-off shorts all the time, even in the shower and under his pants (based on the real condition of severe gymnophobia, although the portrayal is largely fake). This condition threatens his acceptance of a coveted role as "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama that called for a nude shower scene. He had studied for the role by researching the "nature of fear" at the Orange County prison. Lindsay helps him deal with his condition and with the help of his acting coach, Carl Weathers, he gets the part. Carl would eventually help Tobias land a part on the TV series Scandalmakers, where Weathers plays Ice The Bounty Hunter, Tobias plays George Sr., and Dave Attell plays Tobias.
Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her mother, is convinced that her husband is gay. Much of the humor that is based around Tobias exploits this fact. A book he wrote while still a therapist (a self-styled analyst-therapist, or, as he calls it, "analrapist"), The Man Inside Me belatedly has become a runaway bestseller, but only in the gay community. At a reading, attended exclusively by gay men, it is revealed that he changed all the pronouns in the book to "he" for the ease of reading, though his audience assumed it was for different reasons. He also achieved accidental success for a brief time with his self-help video titled Families with Low Self-Esteem, only due to its title being mistaken for Girls with Low Self-Esteem (a video series similar to Girls Gone Wild). Similarly, Tobias also has the intriguing habit of unintentionally making sexual double-entendres, usually implying his own homosexuality; examples include him (pretending to be a British nanny, à la Mrs. Doubtfire) offering Michael a "banger in the mouth" while holding out a plate of sausage or screaming "I just blue myself!" after donning the trademark blue paint of the Blue Man Group. These are just a few of several instances of Tobias's trademark oblivious nature, a personality trait that is frequently exploited in plotlines regarding his relationship with his wife and daughter. Michael finally tells him to record what he is saying on tape and play it back to see what it sounds like, but when Tobias mistakes his innuendo for blustering, he remarks to himself "Tobias...you blowhard!"
In season 2, Tobias is desperate to be an understudy for the silent entertainers Blue Man Group, and would paint himself completely blue for hours, thus getting blue body paint on things in the Bluth model home (blue handprints can be seen in the background in many season 2 episodes). Also in season 2, Lindsay kicks Tobias out of the house for the lack of attention that he pays towards her. Tobias misses seeing his family so much that he begins disguising himself as "Mrs. Featherbottom", an English housekeeper for the Bluth family. This plotline is admittedly quite similar to the plotline of the film Mrs. Doubtfire, with more of a Tootsie reasoning behind it (he wants to prove he was a good actor). Despite Tobias's disguise, everyone realizes that he is Mrs. Featherbottom but says nothing because the house would not get cleaned otherwise.
In the mid 1990s, Tobias and his family performed as the folk group, Dr. Fünke’s 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution. Every song was about new medicines and their potential harmful effects on consumers. Each performance was underwritten by the Natural Life Food Company, a division of Chem-Grow, an Allen Crayne acquisition, which was part of the Squimm Group. Their motto was simple: "We keep you alive".
In season 3, Tobias gets hair plug implants. A side effect of getting the hairplants are a loss of feeling and mobility, relegating him to a wheelchair (which he calls a "dolly"), skin and tissue damage, as well as other symptoms. These symptoms are caused by a chronic form of graft-versus-host disease (a disease that usually affects bone marrow transplant patients) which can be cured simply by removing the plugs. Instead of simply removing the plugs, Lindsay chooses to exploit the disease for a Bluth family fund raiser. This had put Tobias' health at great risk.
[edit] George Bluth Sr.
George Bluth, Sr. is the patriarch of the Bluth family, imprisoned on a number of charges. He is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
George Sr. was the Chief Executive of the Bluth company, which he founded. However, after years of creative accounting practices, he became the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He was eventually arrested and charged with defrauding his investors, petty theft, grand theft, etc. He was represented by the Bluth family attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, who was fired by Michael Bluth for assisting in George Sr.'s escape from prison. Currently, Bob Loblaw serves as Bluth family counsel. George Sr. continues to try to exert control over the company, often using Gob to undermine Michael's authority.
The charges against George Sr. are quite serious (including light treason) and he has decided his only recourse is to flee them. He managed to escape to Mexico with a briefcase filled with hard evidence of his dealings with Saddam Hussein; signatures and receipts that offered clear, unmistakable proof that he willingly built model homes for the enemy. In season two, George Sr. fakes his death in Mexico and returns to America to hide in the attic of the Bluth model home. By the end of the second season, he secretly joined the Blue Man Group so his identity can remain hidden.
Early in the third season, after being discovered among the Blue Man Group in Reno, Nevada, he was placed under house arrest due to a plea bargain made by Michael, effectively making his wife Lucille Bluth his warden. He told Michael that he had been set up to build homes in Iraq by a group of British contractors operating out of "Wee Britain," claiming he thought Saddam Hussein was the guy who played the Soup Nazi. While under house arrest he used a surrogate, Larry Mittleman (portrayed by Bob "Super Dave Osborne" Einstein), equipped with a camera in his hat to spend time with his family outside of the house.
George Sr. is also the inventor of The Cornballer, a faulty product which has been banned in numerous countries, although it is sold illegally in Mexico, where it is quite popular. As shown in the infomercial promoting the product, with guest Richard Simmons, the Cornballer can cause severe burns which have the potential to burn away fingerprints.
George Sr. has also had a religious awakening twice on the show, once becoming Jewish after a period of isolation and selling a video series "Caged Wisdom," and once becoming devoutly Christian after reading a pamphlet in a garbage bag while hiding in the attic.
George Sr. is a serial poisoner, dubbed by the media as "The Muffin Man". He used poisoned muffins to intimidate the teachers of his children in the 1970s, and later his grandchildren in the 2000s. While police credit "The Muffin Man" with over twenty-five incidents of poisoning, George Sr. only admits to two of these, and insists the rest are "copycats."
[edit] Lucille Bluth
Lucille Bluth is the mother of Gob, "twins" Michael and Lindsay, Buster, and the adopted Annyong, as well as wife to George Sr. She is portrayed by Jessica Walter.
Lucille is not a highly sympathetic mother, and few of her children claim to love her. She repeatedly belittles Lindsay about her weight and her unsuccessful marriage to Tobias, treats Gob like nothing (she admitted to Buster she "doesn't care much" for him and laughed at the thought of his legs being broken) and coddles Buster to the point of emotionally crippling him. Her relationship with Michael is adversarial, as the two regularly exchange insults and Lucille demands money from him while withholding company information.
As the family matriarch, Lucille is highly protective of her position. She lied to both Michael and Lindsay when the two started getting along so they would fight and keeps Buster on a tight leash so she can feel like a caregiver. She is also selfishly concerned with her public image, spending thousands of dollars in company money on furs and jewelry and country club memberships.
Despite this attitude she is highly protective of her family, lashing out angrily at anyone who gets in the way. She tried to keep George Sr. in prison when she thought he was having an affair, attacked the publicist Jessie for an unflattering article and forced Oscar to return money he had swindled from Michael.
Due to her life of luxury, Lucille is highly arrogant and acts superior to everyone working for her. She repeatedly belittles her housekeeper Lupe and searches her belongings every day, yells at waiters at the golf club and wants to buy restaurants to burn them down. She is bigoted, claiming of her Mexican-American housekeeper "they didn't sneak into this country to be our friends." She also had to completely strip Annyong to find out what sex he is. She is, as Lindsay describes her, the "world's worst driver"—literally, as she was featured on the (fictional) FOX hidden camera show, World's Worst Driver. She is also an alcoholic.
Although largely faithful to her husband George Sr., Lucille has her share of infidelities. In the first season she dated the attorney Wayne Jarvis while George Sr. was in jail and slept with George Sr.'s twin brother Oscar in the second season (Buster was later revealed to be Oscar's child from an earlier affair of Lucille's).
[edit] Recurring Characters
This is a list of the show's recurring characters (characters that have appeared in multiple episodes, but are not part of the central cast). At the end of each character's description is listed the episodes on the show in which they appeared, in descending order of episode count.
[edit] Oscar Bluth
Oscar Bluth is George Sr.'s identical twin. He is also portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
Oscar can be distinguished from George by his flowing hair, due to lack of stress in his life. He is a frequent user of marijuana and other recreational drugs. He served as a "croc spotter" on a swift boat in the Vietnam War (yelling out "Croc!" whenever he saw a crocodile), and once wrote a song for David Cassidy, "All You Need Are Smiles", that made Joan Baez call him "the shallowest man in the world." It was often hinted that he is probably the biological father of Buster in season 2. Eventually, it is revealed that he is Buster's father.
Oscar resides most often in a trailer outside Camp Pendleton. He owns a couple hundred acres of lemon groves and sells lemonade to the troops when their maneuvers pass by. He sold the land to Michael, who was unaware that the government had an easement on it so they could drive their tanks through it. Lucille took advantage of Oscar's feelings for her and convinced him to buy the land back.
According to Michael, Oscar has lived on handouts all his life. According to his brother, he has never had to work for a living, leading to his full head of shoulder-length hair that Lucille finds irresistible. Oscar's persistence with Lucille - whom he met when she was working a USO tour - led to a rekindling of their once torrid romance. This has disturbed Lucille's youngest biological son, Buster, who discovered the adulterous pair in flagrante delicto multiple times.
After George Sr. escaped confinement, Oscar was arrested because police assumed he was George. The police also impounded Oscar's trailer and left him even more indigent than usual. Lucille, who at the point was resisting the fire Oscar possessed for her, allowed him to come and live with her and Buster. Buster had decided that his mother was right. He did need a male role model. Oscar's presence allowed Buster to develop the many talents he'd discovered with Lucille. He lovingly brushed Oscar's hair, a ritual once preserved for Lucille alone. In return, Buster was treated to several uncomfortable silences upon witnessing Oscar's penchant for living loose and literally, "letting it all hang out."
Oscar's shameless exhibitionism was a product of the proximity he shared with his dream woman. Once confined to a single residence, the illicit pair revived the past, leaving Buster with no role model and no safety net.
In the second season finale, to clear up his legal difficulties and punish his brother for cuckolding him, George Sr. shaves Oscar's head and turns him in. The stress of being imprisoned and mistaken for George Sr. has caused Oscar's hair to not grow back. This, paired with the fact that his fingerprints were burned off (by the family Cornballer), prevents him from establishing his true identity.
To try to convince the world of his true identity, Oscar set up www.imoscar.com, a blog of sorts that details his life in prison while continually asserting that he is, in fact, Oscar. A real-life version of the site was maintained by Fox Broadcasting.
In the third season, Oscar manages to get out of prison when George Sr. is placed under house arrest and leaves town. He returns occasionally, but these visits are usually ended when George Sr. knocks him out and switches places so he can escape again.
Appears In: Whistler's Mother, Not Without My Daughter, The One Where Michael Leaves, The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Good Grief, Sad Sack, Afternoon Delight, Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Out on a Limb, Hand to God, Sword of Destiny, Meat the Veals, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show, Prison Break-In, Harboring Resentment
[edit] Barry Zuckerkorn
Barry Zuckerkorn is the phlegmatic attorney for the Bluth family. He is played by Henry Winkler.
Zuckerkorn represents George Sr., the family patriarch, who has been arrested and charged with defrauding investors. Zuckerkorn often appears languid and distracted in his handling of the case. He does not seem particularly apt in the courtroom and multiple references have been made to him being a bad lawyer.
He is inevitably ill-prepared, which he usually blames on long meetings the night before. In fact, most of his nights are spent hanging out at rest stops, a behavior that is frequently mentioned and accompanied by a fast cut to an establishing shot of a dark, shady rest-stop facility.
His sexual leanings are ambiguous although it appears that he may prefer the company of male transvestite hookers and may be homosexual or a tranny chaser. Like Tobias Fünke, Barry makes many colorful references that seem to allude to his exclusive attraction to men. They aren't explicit enough, however, to be conclusive. He however often makes mildly negative references and comments about "the homosexuals" even though he admits them to be wrong. He has been with the Bluths for a long time and was kept only because Lucille considers him to be "part of the family." He is also, according to many, supposed to be "very good" (a descriptor he uses himself). His reputation is stronger with the elder Bluths than with the children.
Despite his parents' dependence on Barry, Michael Bluth fired him on the first episode of the 2005-6 season, which ended his law career, as the Bluths were his only clients. Since then, he has been acting as a transvestite prostitute, and Lindsay seeing her husband Tobias retaining Barry's "services" has prompted her to seek a divorce. Zuckerkorn was replaced as the Bluth's attorney by Bob Loblaw.
Appears In: In God We Trust, Beef Consommé, Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, Good Grief, Sad Sack, Queen for a Day, Out on a Limb, Hand to God, Motherboy XXX, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show
[edit] John Beard
John Beard is the Fox 6 news anchor that often covers the Bluth family's problems on the news. John Beard is a real life news anchor (for Fox 11 in Los Angeles), who plays himself on the show. He also plays himself on Fox's 24.
Appears In: Pilot, Extended Pilot, Top Banana, Key Decisions, Public Relations, Missing Kitty, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, The One Where They Build a House, Sad Sack, Burning Love, Sword of Destiny, The Cabin Show, For British Eyes Only, Mr. F, S.O.B.s
[edit] Ann Veal
Ann Veal (full name Ann Paul Veal, as shown on her yearbook page in the episode "Sad Sack") is the on-again, off-again girlfriend of George Michael Bluth. Her first appearance was in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Cake," where she was played by Alessandra Toreson. In every subsequent appearance, she has been portrayed by Mae Whitman.
She comes from an extremely religious family, and her father is a pastor. The Bluth family confuses Ann's mother with her sister. Ann's mother kisses Michael Bluth, which she confuses with making love. The kiss leads to a brawl between Michael and her husband at the end of the episode.
None of the Bluths besides George Michael can remember Ann’s name. Michael refers to her variously as “Egg,” "Annabel," "Yam," "Plant," "Plain," "Ann-hog," and "Her?", and strands her in Mexico accidentally. Maeby Fünke takes pleasure out of referring to Ann as “Bland” when talking to George Michael. George Michael tells his family that Ann is really funny when he is forced to defend his love interest.
Ann is attracted to George Michael’s Star Wars kid-like lightsaber demonstration, which led to reconciliation after a breakup midway through the second season. George Michael wanted to get pre-engaged to Ann at the end of the second season, lost his resolve at the last moment, and was then asked by Ann to teach her his secular ways.
Ann's strict conservatism is a foil for Maeby's commitment to rebellion. Ann leads the protest at Maeby's premiere of the English remake of "Dangerous Cousins," originally a French movie about a sexual relationship between two cousins.
Ann moved on from George Michael after coming in third place in an "Inner Beauty" pageant. Gob, who admitted a penchant for third place pageant winners, later revealed that he was dating a Christian girl, which, in the third season finale, turned out to be Ann.
Appears In:
- Alessandra Toreson - Let 'Em Eat Cake
- Mae Whitman - The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Good Grief, Afternoon Delight, Switch Hitter, Burning Love, Out on a Limb, The Immaculate Election, Meat the Veals, The Righteous Brothers, Notapusy, Development Arrested
[edit] Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth
Hel-loh Bluth is the accidentally adopted Korean son of Lucille and George Sr. He is portrayed by Justin Lee.
Hel-loh is the Korean word for "One day," a name given to him by his grandfather, whose frozen banana cart was stolen by George Sr. and used as inspiration for the banana stand that launched the Bluth empire; his grandfather vowed to one day get even for his stolen banana stand and ensuing deportation. Lucile adopted him midway through the first season. Apparently knowing no English, the youth always greeted his adoptive family by saying "annyong," the Korean word for "hello." When they repeated the word, so did he. This caused Lucille to assume that her new son's name was "Annyong." As the show progressed, Annyong became an articulate member of the household who often found himself in disagreement with his new brother, Buster. He also developed a crush on Maeby in the Season One finale after she kissed him to make George Michael jealous. He was apparently sent to the Milford Academy by Lucille, who was attempting to teach him a lesson (but later forgot what about). Annyong later was found out to be hiding in the walls of Lucille's penthouse apartment. In the third season finale it was revealed that Hel-loh (who finally reveals his name after his usual greeting of "Annyong", prompting ironic confusion among the Bluths) orchestrated the second SEC raid on the family as revenge for him and his grandfather.
Appears In: Shock And Aww, Staff Infection, Justice Is Blind, Missing Kitty, Best Man for the GOB, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, ¡Amigos!, Mr. F, Development Arrested
[edit] Steve Holt
Steve Holt is a senior and football star at the high school George Michael and Maeby attend, who often shouts his name while pumping his fists in the air. He is portrayed by Justin Grant Wade.
Described as a "moron jock" by George Michael and "basically a young [Gob]" by Michael, Steve Holt has portrayed Beatrice in the school's play production of Much Ado About Nothing, gone on dates with Lindsay (because he believed she was a transsexual), and was student body president for four years (he declined a fifth term in order to concentrate on finding his real father). His campaign posters often read "Volt for Steve Holt". He has also repeated the twelfth grade at least three times.
In the Season 2 episode "The Immaculate Election," it was revealed that Steve Holt is the illegitimate son of Gob and Eve Holt, the product of one of G.O.B.'s many one-night stands in high school. Before realizing that she was supposedly a blood-relation, Steve had a brief relationship with his cousin, Maeby, which resulted in his being given a roofie to avoid any kind of intimacy. Since learning of his parentage, he has bonded with both his father, and "Uncle Mike". He has worked as a gift-basket delivery-boy, a Bluth Banana Stand employee, and cameraman for his father's magic act.
Appears In: Bringing Up Buster, Shock And Aww, Sad Sack, Burning Love, The Immaculate Election, The Cabin Show, For British Eyes Only, Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Making a Stand
[edit] Kitty Sanchez
Kitty Sanchez is George Bluth Sr.'s fiercely loyal and independent assistant. Kitty is portrayed by Judy Greer.
Kitty maintained a long term affair with George Sr. and a fevered yet brief liaison with Gob, despite the fact that she disgusted him. After George Sr. was imprisoned, Kitty stayed on to work for Michael.
Kitty gained possession of incriminating files during her disappearance. In actuality, she did not disappear, but was working with the police in an effort to gain control of the Bluth company. After arranging a meeting with Michael, she inadvertently admitted that she had proof that George Sr. had built homes overseas without paying taxes.
Despite her intense loyalty to the company, she did not demonstrate the same toward Michael. He tried to fire her, but Kitty and Michael's father both insisted he didn't have that power. Michael attempted to rehire Kitty, but her obstinacy forced him to immediately fire her again. Kitty subsequently disappeared with potentially damaging information, considering her sexual history with her boss. She returned later, claiming she had reformed, gotten into AA, and even has a famous sponsor. She won't say who it is, but she drops some pretty obvious hints of it being an ex-Night Court star; ("It's not Bull. It's not Harry Anderson. And he's white."), a reference to actor John Larroquette for whose show creator Mitchell Hurwitz was once a writer. When last seen, she and Tobias, the state of his marriage still up in the air, had jetted off to Reno, Nevada to pursue a plum spot in the Blue Man Group.
The one constant in every meeting between Michael and Kitty is that she reveals her breasts to him, usually with the comment, "Take a good look, 'cuz it's the last time" or "say goodbye to these, Michael," followed by her insistence that he should look at her eyes rather than her breasts.
Appears In: Charity Drive, Visiting Ours, Missing Kitty, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show
[edit] Lupe
Lupe is Lucille Bluth's Hispanic housekeeper, played by BW Gonzalez. Lucille is frequently abusive towards her. Lupe, and at one time the rest of her family, have been tricked into working for other members of the Bluth family (specifically Lindsay) on a number of occasions. In the second season, Lucille fires Lupe when she catches her in bed with Buster, comforting him about the loss of his hand. Lupe is replaced by a robotic vacuum cleaner (specifically a Roomba), which is also caught in bed with Buster.
Lupe returns as the family housekeeper without explanation in Season Three, and appears very briefly as one of the women posing as Lucille and Lindsay in rehab.
Lupe is the sister of Luz (played by Lillian Hurst), Lucille's original maid who was fired for supposedly taking a day off to take her daughter to the hospital.
Appears In: Charity Drive, In God We Trust, Public Relations, Marta Complex, Staff Infection, Missing Kitty, Best Man for the GOB, ¡Amigos!, The Immaculate Election, For British Eyes Only, Exit Strategy
[edit] Lucille Austero
Lucille Austero is the friend, neighbor, and social rival of Lucille Bluth. She is portrayed by Liza Minnelli.
Lucille Austero lives across the hall from Lucille and Buster Bluth in the Balboa Towers. In Season 1, she and Buster ended up dating after an incident at a country club auction when Buster bid on the wrong Lucille. Their relationship was looked down upon by the other Bluths. Her chronic case of vertigo often caused some difficulty for the klutzy Buster.
In Season 2, she became the majority share holder of the Bluth company after the family members sold their shares. To ensure the company's safety, Michael hooked Gob and Lucille up. Buster at the time was dating Starla, the Bluth Company spokesmodel. After learning his older brother was dating his ex-girlfriend, Buster left Starla to pursue Lucille. Eventually, Lucille was disgusted with them and left both of them for Stan Sitwell, who runs Sitwell Housing, a rival company of the Bluth Company.
Lucille Austero is often referred to as 'Lucille Two' to differentiate her from Lucille Bluth.
Appears In: Key Decisions, Charity Drive, My Mother, The Car, In God We Trust, Storming the Castle, Pier Pressure, Marta Complex, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Ready, Aim, Marry Me
[edit] Marta Estrella
Marta Estrella is the Colombian soap opera star that Gob dates in season one. In her first two appearances, Marta was played by Leonor Varela; and she was played by Patricia Velasquez for all following episodes. She has two sons: Amable (played by Oliver Patrick Sandino) and Cortesio (played by Casey Sandino). Marta is attractive, moral, and holds family to be very important. Although Marta was dating Gob, she and Michael Bluth soon develop feelings for each other. Marta eventually chooses Michael over Gob, but she ends up leaving both of them after she catches them fighting.
Appears In:
- Leonor Varela - Bringing Up Buster, Key Decisions
- Patricia Velasquez - In God We Trust, My Mother, The Car, Storming the Castle, Marta Complex, Beef Consommé
[edit] Starla
Starla is the Bluth company secretary that Gob hires as his "business model" in season two after seeing her at a boat show. She is played by Mo Collins. Starla often proves to be quite incompetent as a secretary, and she claims to have once had an affair with musician Quincy Jones. On trying to gain entrance to his grounds, however, she is supposedly attacked by guard dogs, and is subsequently treated for rabies. Near the end of season 2, Buster and Starla have a brief relationship.
Appears In: The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Ready, Aim, Marry Me, Sword of Destiny
[edit] Mort Meyers
Mort Meyers is a studio executive that works with Maeby. He is played by Jeff Garlin. Although he does have a wife, Mort often hits on Maeby, believing that she is actually older than she really is.
Appears In: Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Sword of Destiny, The Righteous Brothers, Mr. F, Making a Stand, Development Arrested
[edit] Wayne Jarvis
Wayne Jarvis is a lawyer who can describe himself in one word: "professional". Jarvis is played by John Michael Higgins. Michael tries to hire Wayne to replace Barry Zuckerkorn but Wayne refuses once Michael and Lindsay try to use him to get back at their mother. Later Wayne becomes the prosecutor of the Bluth Company, when confronted with an accusation of a conflict of interest he replies "P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, read it".
Appears In: In God We Trust, Sad Sack, The Righteous Brothers, Fakin' It, Exit Strategy
[edit] Wife of G.O.B.
The Wife of G.O.B. is a certified seal salesperson who married Gob as part of an evening of escalating dares(meant to be a one night stand). She is portrayed by Will Arnett's (the actor who plays Gob) real-life wife, Amy Poehler. She traffics in trained seals (selling sick ones to Third World countries) and convinces Gob to wear bright, colorful sweaters. Possibly the only fan of Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution, she saw their show in the late '90s and was comforted by the fact that they sang about every side effect she was going through. When she realizes she is in love with Tobias, she ends her marriage to Gob and leaves to join the United States Army. She frequently takes photos while smoking and pointing at crotches, a clear parody of Lynndie England, a central figure in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. She is last seen in season one in the third last episode and isn't seen again until the 13th episode of season two in her last appearance. She comes back to break up with G.O.B. and to reclaim the seals that she 'gave' to G.O.B. but is told that he doesn't have them because he set them free. One of the freed seals bites off Buster's hand.
Appears In: Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Best Man for the GOB, Whistler's Mother, Motherboy XXX
[edit] Rita Leeds
Rita Leeds is a British woman who Michael Bluth is attracted to. She is played by Charlize Theron.
Rita first appeared in the second episode of Season 3, "For British Eyes Only."
There are a number of somewhat subtle indications that she may be a "stupid person" throughout episodes 2 and 3 of season 3; however, Michael does not seem to have noticed. Some of these indications might be the fact she goes to pre-school and also carries around a duck backpack.
Rita wears a bracelet that says "MR F", and indicates to Michael that Mr. F is her uncle (played by Dave Thomas), whom Michael believes is stalking him. Meanwhile, the Bluth Company also notifies him of a suspected mole, apparently going by the name of "Mr. F." After some confusion, Michael eventually accuses Tobias Fünke of being Mr. F. Later on, it is revealed that MR F is an abbreviation for "mentally retarded female," and that Tobias actually was a mole — though he himself thought it was an audition.
In Episode 5 of season 3, Rita was confirmed to be mentally retarded. She also was given a proposal of marriage by Michael Bluth.
In Episode 6, Michael, upon discovering Leeds' mental retardation, ends his relationship with her.
It is later revealed that Rita finds a job at a competing movie-studio from Maeby's, producing a project called "The Ocean Walker", although the film's development status is arrested.
Appears In: For British Eyes Only, Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, The Ocean Walker
[edit] Larry Mittleman
Larry Mittleman, played by Bob Einstein (Super Dave Osborne), is a professional surrogate, hired by George Sr. to act as his eyes and ears so that he can continue influencing the family's dealings while under house arrest. "The Surrogate", as Larry is called, is always on the job, wearing a suit and tie at all times, with a baseball cap displaying the word "Surrogate". The cap carries a small camera and microphone, which transmit audio and video feeds in real-time to George Sr's computer and/or television. George Sr. has a voice feed back to the surrogate, so that he can tell Larry what to do, what to say on his behalf, where to go, etc.
Larry is a consummate professional, never allowing his own persona to come through except on rare occasion. Larry does occasionally misinterpret George Sr.'s instructions, usually with amusing consequences.
Larry appeared at the beginning of season three, and stayed on for several episodes before being fired remotely in front of a mirror by George Sr. after a very poor judgement call regarding what was meant to have been a sotto voce comment, or perhaps unspoken altogether. He reappeared in "SOB's" as a surrogate for a business associate of George Sr.
Appears In: Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, The Ocean Walker, S.O.B.s
[edit] Trisha Thoon
Trisha Thoon is the field reporter for Fox 6 news throughout season one. She is played by Stacey Grenrock-Woods and often covers stories pertaining to the Bluth family.
Appears In: Pilot, Key Decisions, Public Relations, Let 'Em Eat Cake, Extended Pilot
[edit] White Power Bill
White Power Bill was a massive, bald, racist inmate with George Bluth Sr. at the Orange County Prison. White Power Bill was portrayed by David Reynolds.
White Power Bill was incensed when confronted with George's jailhouse conversion to Judaism. He was particularly upset at George's gesture of giving Little Justice, an inmate of the prison, a kippah for protection and giving him the new name, David Ben-Avram. He responds by hitting Little Justice with a pipe, knocking off his kippa. George, diplomatically, stated that "...both of our religions have a lot to offer. There’s the Jewish notion of heaven, and that it can be obtained here on earth, and there is your belief in the cleansing power of the pipe."
When Gob incarcerated himself in Orange County Prison (to break out as his greatest trick) he performed an "illusion" on Bill and pulled a quarter out of Bill's ear, thus giving him his new nickname: "Dirty Ears" Bill. Bill became furious and later "shivved" GOB (right after he was finally able to have a game of catch with his father...in a prison yard) and yelled "White Power," which got the necessary response of, "...I'm white..." from Gob.
Upon meeting Tobias, Bill referred to him as a "little kike." Tobias, oblivious, was at the prison researching the role of "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama. He led Bill in a counseling session that culminated in Bill's suicide after Tobias suggested that Bill's inner rage stemmed from a hatred of himself; Bill jumped from the cell-block landing and died. His last words were "I hate White Power Bill..."
Appears In: Key Decisions, Staff Infection, Missing Kitty, Switch Hitter
[edit] Maggie Lizer
Maggie Lizer is a prosecuting attorney who is considered to be the most feared in all of Orange County. She is portrayed by Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Michael Bluth first meets Maggie in a bar where most of the lawyers hang out after work. After she mistakes him for an attorney, he says his name is Chareth Cutestory and that he practices maritime law. Maggie and Michael end back at her place after drinking at the bar. He spends the night and wakes up rather perplexed as how to proceed. Once he realizes she is blind, he guiltily decides to continue seeing her.
Maggie turns out to be prosecuting the government's case against the Bluth family. She was feared for her ability to win sympathy from everyone in the courtroom. It is later revealed that she is not in fact blind, and that she knew who Michael was but could not reveal this to him. So, she gave him what she described as "a summary of everything the government has against the Bluths so far." In actuality, it was a mere wish list, and she was, in her own words, "manipulating [him]."
As it turned out, Maggie was taken off the case. Her role over two episodes was mainly to provide a love interest for Michael, who had never had a one night-stand and had been off the shelf ever since his wife's passing.
Maggie returned for two episodes in season 2, eight months pregnant--eight months after her relationship with Michael. As it later turned out, she was faking the pregnancy. Ironically she actually became pregnant by Michael after one last "never again" fling before they parted for good.
Appears In: Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Out on a Limb, Hand to God
[edit] Stan Sitwell
Stan Sitwell is a real estate tycoon who runs the company Sitwell Housing, which competes with the Bluth company. He is played by Ed Begley Jr..
He has a disease that prevents him from growing hair on his body, Alopecia universalis. His daughter, Sally Sitwell (played by Christine Taylor) was once a love interest of Michael's. Stan Sitwell begins dating Lucille Austero. His outlandish wigs and fake facial hair is a bit of an inside joke, since in real life Ed Begley Jr. is known for his mane of thick blonde hair.
Appears In: Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Ready, Aim, Marry Me, Development Arrested
[edit] Franklin Delano Bluth
Franklin Delano Bluth is G.O.B.'s African-American puppet.
The character is first introduced in the season 2 episode Meat the Veals, in a flashback to a Bluth family gathering years before. In an effort to hip-up his act, Gob briefly introduced the puppet in a poorly executed ventriloquist act (Gob's mouth moves every time Franklin speaks). Franklin is a fiery-tempered, adulterous, obscenity laden, street-wise puppet.
Gob discarded Franklin up in the attic, most likely due to the severe beating Gob received in a night club in Torrance after performing a show with Franklin. During Meat the Veals, Gob digs up his old friend and uses Franklin in a kidnapping plot with George Sr. Gob soaks Franklin's lips with ether, so that a kiss will incapacitate his mother, and any witnesses. Franklin is again soaked in ether two episodes later in The Righteous Brothers in order to incapacitate George Sr.
Then Gob records a music CD with Franklin called "Franklin Comes Alive," a spoof of Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton. Gob hoped that the CD would "break down racial barriers and maybe be a crossover hit." The song tracks include "It Ain't Easy Bein' White, It Ain't Easy Bein' Brown," and Gob's cover of Bryan Adams' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" which Gob performed especially for Michael. Unfortunately Franklin's musical career is cut short during The Righteous Brothers when a laundry accident results in Franklin getting bleached. Franklin says, in what is now a stiff, slightly British accent, "You've ruined the act, Gob," and as Gob later tells Michael, Franklin has become "all puckered and white."
Franklin returns in some season 3 episodes, most prominently in Fakin' It, after he is re-dyed and rested; as a publicity stunt, Gob manages to get Franklin on the witness list for George Sr.'s trial. Gob also finds a way to give Franklin a voice without moving his lips by using voice promos from a magazine advertising for "Mock Trial with J. Reinhold". At the end of the episode, Franklin's dramatic testimonial on the witness stand effectively ends the prosecution's case against the Bluths. Franklin also appears in the next episode Family Ties as "Frank", a pimp whom Nellie works for.
Franklin is a highly stereotypical version of how the media portrays African American youths to speak and behave. He is intended to portray how upper class elites might think African Americans act, and to show the ignorance racial stereotyping creates.[citation needed] Franklin demonstrates intolerance as well. As part of the political satire, Franklin also wears a "George Bush doesn't care about black puppets" t-shirt in Fakin' It, a reference to Kanye West's "George Bush doesn't care about black people" remark.
Franklin looks very much like a Muppet Jim Henson might have created. Obviously the name Franklin Delano Bluth comes from the 32nd President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but the reason for this is because in the 1970s Sesame Street introduced an insultingly stereotypical African-American puppet named Roosevelt Franklin. The character was eventually dropped from the show's line-up. Franklin could also be another tribute to the Peanuts cartoons, as this show also featured an African American character named Franklin. It is also possible Franklin is inspired at least in some way by Chuck's dummy Bob on the television show Soap shown on ABC from 1977 to 1981.
It is unclear whether Franklin has his own persona or if his puppet handler (whether GOB, Buster, or George Sr.) simply provide Franklin with his foul-mouth personality. No matter who is controlling him, Franklin often curses and uses racial slurs to describe others in the Bluth Family.
Appears In: Meat the Veals, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, Forget-Me-Now, Prison Break-In, Fakin' It, Family Ties
[edit] Bob Loblaw
Bob Loblaw is the new family attorney, replacing Barry Zuckerkorn. He is portrayed by Scott Baio.
Bob Loblaw first appeared in the third episode of Season 3, claiming this wasn't the first time he's been brought in to replace Barry, alluding to Baio's experience replacing Henry Winkler (Zuckerkorn) on 70s sitcom Happy Days. He is a no-nonsense attorney who is always in the company of his stenographer secretary who records all of his meetings.
When pronounced, his name "Bob Loblaw" sounds comically like "Bah blah blah." He also runs the "Bob Loblaw Law Blog," further adding to the joke. Additionally, the third season episode S.O.B.s includes a newspaper headline that reads "Bob Loblaw Lobs Law Bomb." Moreover, unlike most attorneys that advertise on TV in California, Bob Loblaw no habla español.
Appears In: Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, Making a Stand
[edit] Carl Weathers
Actor Carl Weathers portrays himself as a thrifty, mooching Hollywood movie star whom Tobias hires to teach him his craft.
Tobias meets Carl Weathers on an air porter destined for LAX. Tobias once traveled to San Francisco to attend Carl Weathers' stage-fighting workshop. The actor failed to show because, as he informed Tobias, he was bumped from the flight. However, he discovered that they pay $300 to people that are inconvenienced in this manner. Carl Weathers called this "a crazy loophole in the system that the wrong guy discovered." Ever since then, Carl Weathers has been getting himself deliberately bumped from flights and subsequently cashing in.
Carl Weathers does not enjoy paying very much for anything. He is obsessed with thrift and "getting a stew going" out of leftover pieces of food. In addition, he acquires all of his cars from police auctions. He takes Tobias on as a client and is thereby introduced to the Bluth experience. Lucille Bluth uses Carl Weathers to get back at her youngest son, Buster, who has become involved romantically with her chief rival, Lucille Austero. She simply introduces Carl Weathers to Lucille A. and suggests that they should have dinner together with Buster. Buster, however, reminds his mother that he has class that day. Lucille suggests that Carl Weathers and Lucille II would just have to dine alone, in that case. When Buster finally decides to move in with Lucille II, he discovers her and Carl Weathers "getting a stew on" and is greatly disturbed.
Appears In: Public Relations, Marta Complex, Motherboy XXX
[edit] Tony Wonder
Tony Wonder is a professional magician who commonly works at Gothic Castle and is known for baking himself into a loaf of bread and emerging. He is played by Ben Stiller.
Gob idolizes Wonder, and wishes to imitate the illusionist's most famous stunt by boiling himself into a bisque. Tony Wonder has a "W" for a goatee, and seems to specialize in illusions featuring food. He is also producing a DVD, which he dubbed "Use Your Allusion" after discovering his preferred title, Use Your Illusion, was unavailable due to copyright issues.
He also becomes quite taken by Buster's act during the "Sword of Destiny" illusion where Buster acted as the magician with Gob as the assistant (on account of Gob's banishment from the Magician's Alliance). Tony only has one testicle after an accident involving a hungry dove in his pants.
Appears In: Good Grief, Sword of Destiny, S.O.B.s
[edit] J. Walter Weatherman
J. Walter Weatherman is a one armed man used by George Bluth to frighten his children into good behavior. J. Walter Weatherman is portrayed by Steve Ryan.
Weatherman, a former employee of George Sr.'s who lost his arm in a Bluth Company construction accident, is recruited by George Sr. to fake accidents and appear to have lost his arm as a result of the Bluth children's misbehavior. The lesson ends with J. Walter turning to the children and saying "and that's why you don't..." do whatever action George Sr. is trying to stop. He is later recruited by Michael to pull a similar trick on George Michael. Buster later uses the same trick on both Michael and George Sr. as well as Gob, using his fake hand.
Appears In: Pier Pressure, Motherboy XXX, Making a Stand
