Public Relations (Arrested Development episode)
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "Public Relations" | |
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| Episode No | 1AJD10 |
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| Airdate | January 25, 2004 |
| Writer(s) | Courtney Lilly |
| Director | Lee Shallat Chemel |
| On the next: | “G.O.B. holds a press conference of his own, and Buster moves to the kitchen.” |
| Guest star(s) | Jill Ritchie as Jessie BW Gonzalez as Lupe Carl Weathers as Himself John Beard as Himself |
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Arrested Development Season 1 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
"Public Relations" was the eleventh episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Michael takes his son to an interview at the prestigious Milford Academy, an institution famous for its credo that children should be neither seen nor heard. But the dean isn't sure the school should be associated with the tarnished Bluth name. Michael assures him that he isn't like his father, but the dean produces a newspaper headline about Lucille's recent brawl at a Klimpy's diner. It turns out that after she and Lindsay were denied a table at a swank restaurant, they went to a greasy spoon, where a few glasses of wine turned into a screaming match and a visit by the cops.
Fearing the family's bad press could affect George Michael's future, Michael decides to hire a publicist, Jessie, to improve the family's image. She's a woman Michael met at the gym and Lindsay wonders if Michael will ask her out.
And so the family gathers at the model home, eager to hear the publicist's new plan. Basically, she wants them to avoid the spotlight at all costs, and Michael is now going to be trumpeted as the head of the family. Gob will start doing charity work, Lindsay will get a job promoting a fancy vodka in bars and Tobias needs to get his medical license back. He has a hearing the next day in Boston, a trip that Michael pays for. The publicist wants Buster to stay out of the public eye from now on, and since he once excelled at Milford because he was so good at being neither seen nor heard, he's likely to succeed at his task.
Each with their new charge, the Bluths set about redefining their image. Tobias starts off with a ride-share van to the airport for this trip to Boston. During the ride, he meets Carl Weathers, who now spends his days getting bumped from flights and pocketing the $300. Tobias, ever eager for a break, petitions Carl to teach him acting. Carl, ever eager for cash, accepts. Gob conducts his first charity magic show at the old folks home, and Michael takes Jessie out for dinner, where she indicates her romantic intentions.
At home, later that evening, Michael talks to George Michael about Jessie. But earlier that evening, George Michael spoke with Maeby, who reminded him that if he's accepted to Milford, they won't be in the same school anymore. Concerned by George Michael's doubts about Jessie, Michael suggests they take a step back and Jessie quits as the Bluth's publicist. Michael feels bad, but he feels worse when he gets a call from Gob saying he needs Jessie to spin a story for him: murder.
Michael is summoned to help his brother. It seems that he put an old man in the Aztec Tomb and the man disappeared. Gob informs him that the old man was Earl Milford, founder of the school. The next day, Gob unloads his equipment and makes a surprising discovery: Earl Milford, hiding in one of his trunks in order to escape from the rest home.
At the same time, Jessie drops by the banana stand and blames George Michael for blowing his father's shot at happiness. And now the papers are going to portray the Bluths as the worst family in town. Meanwhile, Tobias and new acting buddy Carl Weathers drop by the restaurant to visit Lindsay — the same restaurant where Michael is meeting Jessie to patch things up. Lindsay and Lucille want to fight Jessie because they saw the planted story in that day's paper, but Michael tries to prevent the melee. But when he learns that Jessie spoke to George Michael that day, Michael steps back and a free-for-all breaks out in the restaurant. In the end, George Michael chooses not to attend the Milford School and decides that Jessie is a psycho.
[edit] Episode notes
- The title refers to both the fact that the Bluths get a new publicist (also known as a P.R., which stands for "Public Relations") and the fact that Michael has a relationship with her.
- This episode was #31 on thefutoncritic.com's list of 2004's 50 Best Episodes on TV.
[edit] References
- The Andy Griffith Show - Jessie calls George Michael “Opie.” Ron Howard (the Narrator) played Opie on the Andy Griffith Show, which is why the Narrator quips "Jessie had gone too far and had best watch her mouth."
- Arrested Development - On the newspaper with the headline “Bluth Matron In Brawl At Klimpy’s Family Style Restaurant,” lower down in the paper, there is an article titled “Musician sues restaurant over use of name.” This is a reference to the band Arrested Development suing over the name Arrested Development.
- Ike and Tina Turner - At Klimpy's Lucille orders a dish called the "Ike and Tina Tuna"
[edit] Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Aztec Tomb - G.O.B.'s illusion, first seen in the Pilot, is showcased for the seniors.
- Carl Weathers is Cheap - Our introduction to Carl Weathers shows him to be a serious skinflint.
- He first meets Tobias taking a shuttle to the airport rather than a taxi or his own car.
- He tells Tobias he is planning to scam the airline by exploiting a loophole that gives you $300 if you are bumped from a flight.
- When he finds out Tobias's wife is working in a restaurant, he takes Tobias to try and use it to get a discounted meal.
- He says that he buys all his automobiles at police auctions.
- He tries to get a drink on Lindsay's tab.
- As the brawl breaks out, he shares a bottle of wine with Lucille off of some random table.
- When interviewed after the fight at the restaurant, he is holding a doggy bag and indicates that he will be suing for $50,000 in medical damage.
- Cloud Mir - Lindsay's new job is to order Cloud Mir in popular bars. This episode marks the first appearance of the fictional brand of vodka.
- Fight - This was the first of many occasions where the Bluths would find themselves in a public brawl.
- Four women - This is the first time we hear the number of women Michael has slept with, for which he would later be chided by his family for in Beef Consommé and Shock and Aww.
- Judaism - Jessie decides to play up George Sr's religion in the media, to which Lucille replies "Yeah. Who doesn’t love the Jews?"
- Lucille Calls Lindsay Fat - Lucille implies that Lindsay is overweight several times throughout the episode, including her remark about Lindsay's thyroid problem.
- Peanuts - Lucille says "Good grief" during her fight with Lindsay.
- Tobias is Gay
- Jessie says there are few “intelligent, attractive, and straight men” in town, and Tobias says that leaves him out. When everyone turns and stares at him, he tries to cover up by claiming that he heard her say "single".
- During his session with Carl Weathers, Tobias says, "I don't know if I'm cut to be a De Niro, or a Regis, or a Pinkett-Smith, or what have you." The last actor mentioned is Jada Pinkett-Smith, an actress and wife of Will Smith.
[edit] Hidden/Background Jokes
- Ice - As Lucille recounts her story of the Klimpy's brawl to Michael, she is searching for ice. Lindsay is using a bag of ice to soothe her aching head, and Lucille grabs some ice cubes out of it for her drink.
- Mimicking pictures - Before Earl Milford enters the Aztec Tomb, he puts his finger to his mouth, mimicking the portrait of him at the Milford Academy.
- Neither seen nor heard - After vowing to be neither seen nor heard, Buster dons a shirt that matches his mother’s wallpaper.
- Newspaper - On the newspaper with the headline “Cold Hard Bluths,” lower down in the paper, there is an article titled “Bum Gets Balloon.” Earlier, George Michael had told Jessie that he managed to get rid of a bum at the frozen banana stand without hurting his feelings.
- A patron at the restaurant yells "Bluth fight!" in the same style that kids yell "Food fight!".
- Tobias, driven by his desire to become a famous actor, appears sheepishly in the background of Carl Weather's news interview.
[edit] Character Cameos
- This is the first of three episodes featuring Carl Weathers as himself, characterized as a money-saving swindler.
- Stacey Grenrock-Woods returns as reporter Trisha Thoon.
[edit] Foreshadowing/Future References
- Lindsay says "Blah, Blah, Blah" when talking to Michael, the name of their future lawyer, Bob Loblaw.
[edit] Goofs
- When Michael and his son are waiting to be interviewed at the school and Michael says "....and that's the most important thing to me, okay?", you can see that his mouth movements do not match what he's saying.
