In God We Trust (Arrested Development episode)
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "In God We Trust" | |
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| Episode No | 1AJD06 |
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| Airdate | December 14, 2003 |
| Writer(s) | Abraham Higgenbotham |
| Director | Joe Russo |
| Guest star(s) | Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn Liza Minnelli as Lucille Austero BW Gonzales as Lupe John Michael Higgins as Wayne Jarvis Patricia Velasquez as Marta Estrella Sam Pancake as James Alan Spangler |
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Arrested Development Season 1 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
"In God We Trust" was the seventh episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.
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[edit] Synopsis
Michael Bluth has called a meeting with his family's longtime attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn to discuss his father's incarceration. But he is finding it difficult to find any answers. He is, however, getting along with his sister, Lindsay, which is unwelcome news to their mother Lucille.
The over-billing attorney does arrange for the court to allow their father out of jail for an entire afternoon so he could participate in the Living Classics pageant, which consists of live representations of classic works of art. The Bluths have always been a part of Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam", although Buster is reluctant to play the part of Adam this year, since he already has plans with Lucille Austero. Tobias, who is still looking to further his acting career, offers to take the part, but Lucille wants Buster to do it.
Unimpressed by the results, Michael is determined to drop Barry Zuckerkorn as family attorney for the very businesslike Wayne Jarvis. After the meeting breaks up, Lucille makes her play on Lindsay, mentioning in passing that Michael called her a "stay in bed mom" in her attempt to dissolve their burgeoning friendship. And her daughter, Maeby, feeling ignored by her parents, decides to make her parents think she is planning to run away to teach them a lesson.
G.O.B., meanwhile, has missed the meeting after being delayed by his girlfriend Marta. And while G.O.B. takes his girlfriend for granted, Michael is learning Spanish to grow closer to her. Unfortunately, the one tape he could find, "Spanish for Businessmen," is of little use to him.
And Buster is trying to get George Michael to take over his role as Adam this year, which George Michael is uninterested in doing until he receives a compliment from his secret crush, Maeby, about the muscular shape the Adam suit makes under his clothes. Simultaneously, Lindsay confronts Michael about what Lucille told her, which wakes them both up to the fact that their mother is playing them against each other. Michael and Lindsay proceed to drink a bottle of vodka and air their problems to each other. Lindsay tells Michael that her marital difficulties are partly because Tobias is a never-nude, and Michael confesses to Lindsay that he is in love with G.O.B.'s girlfriend Marta.
George Michael is still trying to show off his fake muscles for Maeby, who is still unable to make her parents notice her hints about running away. Just then, Tobias comes into their bedroom, and asks to speak to George Michael alone, much to Maeby's frustration. Tobias asks George Michael if he can play Adam in the pageant, and George Michael agrees, but said he will have to give him the suit later since he is wearing it, which Tobias interprets to mean that George Michael is also a never-nude.
Michael finally arranges a meeting with attorney Wayne Jarvis, a professional who doesn't like small talk. When Lucille enters the office for the meeting, she first tells Michael that Lindsay planned to get him drunk to get the money she needed for her credit card.
At home, G.O.B. racks his brain to find out what Michael is up to with learning Spanish and hiring a new attorney. Lucille advises getting him drunk to find out. And Lindsay, noticing a bouquet of flowers with a note "Can't wait for the pageant! Your Hopeful Lawyer", chides Lucille about getting close to Barry and tells her mother that the plan to drive a wedge between Lindsay and Michael isn't working. To which Lucille replies by telling Lindsay that Michael told her about Tobias's "Never nude" condition, which Lindsay had secretly confided to Michael. Lindsay storms down to Michael's office to berate him, and they once again realize they have been played by their mother. Only this time, they decide they have to teach her a lesson. When Michael finds out Barry Zuckerkorn is taking Lucille to the Living Classics pageant on a date, they realize how embarrassed she would be if George Bluth Sr. finds out.
Maeby, meanwhile, is trying a last-ditch effort to get her parents' attention by printing out a fake airline ticket to Portugal. And while neither Lindsay nor Tobias se the ticket, G.O.B. does, which confirms his suspicions that Michael is planning to flee the country. And George Michael begins to grow nervous about the pageant after realizing that playing Adam means having to wear the "frontispiece", tiny foam genitalia.
George Sr. gets his 24 hours of freedom as the pageant finally begins. Michael and Lindsay arrive, and are surprised to find Lucille accompanied by Wayne Jarvis, not Barry Zuckerkorn. Lucille, meanwhile, is surprised to see Buster with her rival, Lucille Austero. George Michael causes a scandal by wearing a pair of cut-off jeans over his costume. But the biggest scandal comes when George Sr., dressed as God, tries to escape from the pageant. Michael chases after his father, and G.O.B. chases after Michael, confronting him with his suspicions, and all three knock each other onto the ground. When George Sr. finds out Lucille is on a date, he tries to run back, only to be tasered into submission by a prison guard.
And so the Bluths spend Christmas Eve together at the prison, where Michael is forced to once again rely on Barry. Lucille and Maeby decide that they should spend more time together, and Michael and Lindsay realize that perhaps keeping their friendship isn't as important as they thought.
[edit] Episode notes
- Although this episode comes before My Mother, The Car in both Broadcast and Production order, it appears after it on the Season One DVD. Technically, My Mother, the Car SHOULD come first, as Buster and Lucille Austero start their relationship in that episode, and go on their first date in this one.
- This episode is considered to be the Christmas episode of the first season. While very little mention is made of Christmas in the episode, Christmas decorations are shown throughout, and the episode's soundtrack opens with a version of "Joy to the World".
- This episode does not feature an "On the next episode of Arrested Development..." segment.
[edit] References
- The Creation of Adam - The Creation of Adam is a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, and part of his series of paintings depicting Biblical stories from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In it, a bearded and robed God reaches out to a fully nude Adam, symbolizing God's creation of the first man in his own image.
- Pageant of the Masters - The Orange County "Living Classics" pageant depicted in this episode parodies this real-life annual living statue show where local volunteers reproduce several dozen famous artworks in an evening (with the help of elaborate costumes and makeup). The Pageant (actually located in Laguna Beach, California) is the only show of its type and scale in western North America.
- Bruce Vilanch - An American comedy writer who became famous starring on a revival of the television show Hollywood Squares. He often provides jokes for other performers such as Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, and is a frequent joke writer for the Academy Awards and other American award shows.
- Pilates - A physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. During the early 21st century, it experienced a revival and became a popular fitness fad in America, particularly among celebrities and the wealthy.
- Tahitian Women (On the Beach) - The other painting shown reenacted for the Living Classics pageant is a rendition of this work by French Post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin.
[edit] Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Barry is Gay - We are given the first hints that attorney Barry Zuckerkorn is secretly a practicing homosexual.
- His numerous defamatory remarks about homosexuals indicate that Barry is homophobic, which Sigmund Freud claimed was a sign of repressed homosexuality.
- When asking George Sr. about homosexual prisoners, Barry makes the Freudian slip, "it's never the ones you hope".
- Corn dog - This is the first time Tobias is seen eating a corn dog (another hint at his questionable sexuality), which he later does again in Let 'Em Eat Cake.
- "He's very good" - Throughout this episode, Lucille keeps saying "He's very good" about Barry, something that we later learn is a phrase that Barry came up with to advertise himself. This phrase is occasionally used in several later episodes, including ¡Amigos! and The Righteous Brothers.
- We see an advertisement for Barry on a park bench in this episode that reads, "He’s very good." This was paralleled in Burning Love when we see a Spanish language park bench advertisement for Barry reading “Es el mejor.”
- Lesson - Maeby attempts many times during the first season to teach a lesson to her oblivious parents, seen previously in Pilot and Key Decisions.
- Never Nude - This is the first episode we learn about Tobias's affliction, and several references are made.
- We see Tobias demonstrating his affliction in several places, such as a doctor's office and wearing cut-off jeans underneath a Speedo.
- Tobias thinks George Michael is a never-nude because he is wearing the muscle suit underneath his clothes.
- Tobias shouts out that there are "dozens of us" while defending George Michael for wearing cut-off jeans over his costume at the pageant.
- Party - Here we see another of Lucille's many parties for the family, this one celebrating Christmas.
- Portugal - This is the first time G.O.B. displays his lack of knowledge about Portugal, saying that it is in South America. Additionally, since the primary language of Portugal is Portuguese, his logic regarding Michael learning Spanish to move there is somewhat flawed.
- South America - G.O.B. assumes Michael is running away to South America, an idea he would decide to try himself in the next episode, My Mother, The Car.
- Wig - This is the first instance of George Sr.'s tendency to escape wearing a wig, which he'd try again in The One Where Michael Leaves.
[edit] Hidden/Background Jokes
- Food - After G.O.B. says, “If I have to smell another meal of fish, rice and mango, I’m going to kill somebody,” Lupe, who is eating a meal in the background, stops and replaces the cover on her Tupperware container.
- Lupe's sweatshirt - During the Christmas party, Lupe is wearing a Halloween-themed “BOO!” sweatshirt, the first instance of Lupe wearing an out-of-date sweatshirt, seen next in Marta Complex.
[edit] Character Cameos
- This episode marks the first appearance of several recurring characters.
- John Michael Higgins as attorney Wayne Jarvis, though he would return as the prosecutor leading the case against the Bluths in Sad Sack.
- Henry Winkler would return many times throughout the first and second season as closeted and incompetent attorney Barry Zuckerkorn.
- Sam Pancake reappeared as Barry's homosexual paralegal in Let 'Em Eat Cake and Sad Sack.
- Patricia Velasquez appears for the first time as Spanish-language soap opera star Marta Estrella. Taking the role over from Leonor Varela, many fans refer to her portrayal of the character as "Marta 2.0". In interviews, some cast members have indicated that she was the favorite of the two actresses.
- This is the second appearance of BW Gonzales as Lucille's housekeeper Lupe, though she would not have a speaking part until Marta Complex.
[edit] Foreshadowing/Future References
- George Sr. Escape Attempt - This is the first instance we see of George Sr. attempting to escape, a feat he would try again several times during the course of the show, and later succeed in Let 'Em Eat Cake.
- Gangee as a Monster - Lucille Bluth claims that her children turned her into a monster, and then accused her of being one, to which Maeby responded "I don't think you're a monster." This foreshadows Maeby's future depiction of Gangee as a monster later in Making a Stand.
[edit] Goofs
- Continuity - In this episode, Buster and Lucille 2 go on their first date together. However, in the next episode, My Mother, The Car, Buster confronts Lucille 2 about their recent misunderstandings, where they then kiss and begin a relationship. Technically, for Buster and Lucille 2's relationship to make sense, My Mother, the Car must be seen BEFORE In God We Trust (this episode order problem was later corrected on the Season One DVD).
- Continuity - At 4:22, there is a cut. In the first shot, there's a man leaning on a lightpost in the background. In the second shot, that man is gone.
