The One Where Michael Leaves
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "The One Where Michael Leaves" | |
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| Episode No | 2AJD01 |
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| Airdate | November 7, 2004 |
| Writer(s) | Mitchell Hurwitz and Richard Rosenstock |
| Director | Lee Shallat-Chemel |
| On the next: | “Lindsay almost stumbles upon a dating opportunity, but instead is admitted to the hospital with a fever of 104; Michael finally gets the corporate checkbook, only to find that the family has gotten to it first; and Barry lands in jail.” |
| Guest star(s) | Annyong Bluth - Justin Lee Dr. Fishman - Ian Roberts Barry Zuckerkorn - Henry Winkler John Beard as Himself Officer Taylor - Jay Johnston |
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Arrested Development Season 2 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
"The One Where Michael Leaves" is the twenty-third episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development, and the premiere episode of the second season.
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[edit] Synopsis
After his father escaped from prison, Michael is taking George Michael to start a new life in Phoenix. However, wanting to make sure that his family notices his dramatic gesture, he decides to head back. Michael announces that he’s leaving for good, but G.O.B. points out that he’s made this threat many times before and Lindsay wonders if maybe Michael needs them more than they need him. Michael scoffs at this notion, and once again, he and George Michael set off for a new life in Phoenix.
But on the drive, the police pulled Michael over. They noticed that the car was registered to a fugitive, George Sr. But when they reveal that George Sr. had been caught, Michael decides to go back again to tell his father that he's leaving. Soon, the Bluths and Barry Zuckerkorn arrive at the police station, where they find that the police had actually arrested George Sr's twin brother, Oscar. Barry informs Michael that he can’t leave the state because the authorities want to hold Michael while his father is on the loose. Unless Michael comes up with bail, he has to stay put. Michael scrambles to get the company checkbook without the family finding out that he needs them for once.
Michael heads to the office to ask Gob, who’s now running the company, about the checkbook, and is surprised to find G.O.B. has things under control. G.O.B. trumpets the fact that he already had a realtor looking at the model home. A realtor who, earlier that day, ran into Lindsay after she and Tobias discussed opening up their marriage to new partners. Thinking that the realtor was flirting when he said he “has an open thing, too”, Lindsay excitedly announced to Tobias and Maeby that she had a date already. Then G.O.B. informed Michael that Lucille is holding the company checkbook for now.
Visiting his mother’s apartment, Michael learns that Oscar is now living with Buster and Lucille. He also sees Annyong sporting an Uncle Sam costume. Tobias, aimlessly wandering around in a funk over his wife's success in their newly open relationship, spots a flyer for what he thinks is a support group for depressed men, but is actually an ad for the performance trio, the Blue Man Group. At the same time, G.O.B., knocking down office walls to make space for a pool table, makes an unpleasant discovery. Hidden in a briefcase behind one wall is a contract between George Bluth and Saddam Hussein.
Lindsay, meanwhile, drops by the realtor’s house for what she assumes will be a sexual adventure, but was, in fact, a normal open house. Lucille, overhearing a new report on a possible link between the Bluth Company and Iraq, heads for the office. On the way, she assails by a documentarian resembling Michael Moore who inquires about the family’s Iraq link, then pointedly asks if she’d ever enlist her son or daughter in the Army. She immediately signs Buster up for duty.
Michael was out of options. He’d have to ask his family for help. At the model home, he runs into Tobias, who’s now painted blue to audition for the Blue Man Group. On his way to the audition, Tobias, nearly invisible in the dusk, is hit by a car. For the second time in two days, the family gathered at the hospital. Michael is about to confess that he needs them for once, but before he can, the family pours out their troubles to him and begs for help. Annyong also needs help finding his missing Uncle Sam wig. Oscar comforts G.O.B., then exits to leave the family alone.
But the police nab Oscar, once again thinking he’s George Sr. Michael tells the police that he’s the uncle, not the father, and that Michael is the one they’re looking for. Michael confesses that he’s going to be arrested, and G.O.B. informs him that the briefcase contains a contract between George Sr. and Hussein. Lucille tells Michael to use that information, but then Oscar arrives on the scene. The family wonders if he changed his clothes or something. In fact, George Sr., wearing Annyong’s Uncle Sam wig, comforted G.O.B., then made off with the incriminating briefcase.
[edit] Episode notes
- This is the premiere of Season 2.
- Although this episode takes place the day after Let 'Em Eat Cake, it was in fact filmed several months later, hence why some of the characters (notably Lindsay) look different, and the kids have matured slightly since the last episode.
- This episode marks the start of numerous new storylines, such as Tobias and Lindsay's open marriage, Tobias joining the Blue Man Group, Gob in charge of the Bluth Company, and Oscar moving in with Buster and Lucille.
- Michael makes a hole in the wall with a sledgehammer. This hole remains there for the rest of the season, with half of it being covered by a cabinet.
[edit] References
- Blue Man Group - Tobias joins the Blue Man Group in this episode.
- Chemical Ali - FOX 6's report on the Bluth-built American homes in Iraq claims that one of the houses shown is the “former home of Chemical and Mrs. Ali.”
- Friends - The title is a play on Friends-style titles, which usually start with the words "The One Where."
- Kegel exercise - Lindsay's exercise video is actually for Kegel exercises, a set of exercises designed to strengthen and give voluntary control over the pubococcygeus muscle that are often used to increase sexual gratification.
- George W. Bush - G.O.B. sat with the Saddam documents for seven minutes; George W. Bush sat reading a children’s story for seven minutes after the 9/11 attack.
- Michael Moore - The fat documentary filmmaker is a spoof of Michael Moore, whose documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, included a segment where he asked senators to enroll their sons or daughters in the army.
[edit] Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Abbreviated cursing - Buster abbreviates the word "rape" to "R." He has also abbreviated the word "screwing" to "essing" in Pier Pressure, and would later abbreviate the word "bitch" to "B" in Ready, Aim, Marry Me.
- Blender -Lucille interrupts Michael's speech with a blender.
- Blue paint - Tobias gets blue paint on Michael's shirt when he accidentally touches his shoulder while painted blue. This could also be considered a reference to the episode 'Missing Kitty', when Gob got red paint on Michael's shirt after he jumped into Michael while he had red paint on his chest.
- For the first half of Season 2, blue paint (usually in the form of a randomly-placed blue handprint) can be seen in the background on the walls of the Bluth model home.
- Bluth Company Board/Coworkers are Incompetent - The board approves GOB as the president of the company simply because he performed a magic trick for them
- Buster's real father - Several hints are made at Oscar being Buster's real father, each accompanied by the same overly dramatic music and knowing glances between Oscar and Lucille:
- When Buster says they told him his father was at the police station, Oscar suggestively says, “Did they?”
- Oscar suggestively agrees that Buster needs “a father figure.”
- When Oscar suggests that Buster should grow his hair long, Buster notes "then I'd look like you."
- Documentary - The show continues with its documentary style, showing George Sr's escape using an ATM camera (captioned "ATM footage courtesy of Orange Coast Bank") and a traffic light photo (captioned "Traffic light photo courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department).
- H.O.O.P.- Lindsay is wearing a "H.O.O.P" t-shirt during the Monkey Freedom Rally set-back. H.O.O.P. is her anti-circumcision movement, mentioned several times in the Pilot.
- Hiding in the walls - The narrator mentions George Sr. had a tendency to hide things inside walls, which was previously shown in Top Banana, when he lined $250,000 inside the walls of the Banana Stand.
- A Huge Mistake - When Michael is announcing to the family that he's leaving, he tells Gob to bail himself out next time, rather than coming to him, saying "I've made a huge mistake." Gob denies ever saying he made a mistake, asking what he would have made a mistake about. Later, when Michael realises that George Sr. has gotten away with the evidence, Gob tells him "You've made a huge mistake."
- Lindsay's nose - In this episode, Michael reveals that Lindsay's nose is fake, and she used to have a huge nose when she was a kid. This is referenced again numerous times in later episodes.
- Phoenix - Michael and George Michael are once again leaving for Phoenix, Arizona, like they almost did in the Pilot.
- Phone - This is the first episode where G.O.B.'s inability to use the company phone is displayed.
- Police brutality - Whenever Oscar is arrested by the police, he is beaten over the head with a baton by Officer Taylor, who always says "Yeah" after doing so. This happens four times in the episode.
- Rape horn - Lucille mentions she has a rape horn - a possible callback to Buster's "rape whistle" in Charity Drive.
- Tobias is gay - Numerous jokes are made at Tobias' questionable sexuality.
- Tobias "accidentally" sets off Lucille's rape horn just before Michael mentions that Lindsay thinks he's a homosexual.
- Tobias says it's "nice to be back in a queen," referring to sharing a queen bed with his wife.
- Tobias walks past a gay couple on the boardwalk before coming across the Blue Man Group notice.
- When Lindsay walks in on Tobias in the bedroom, he is seen practicing her EZ-Kegel exercise tape.
- Wig - George Sr.'s tendency to escape using a wig is paralleled several times throughout the course of the series.
- Wink - Lucille does the same wink she did in the Pilot.
- "Wonderful things" - Michael says "He said some wonderful things" in regards to Tobias' "I just blue myself" line. Michael said the same thing about George Sr's "Daddy horny" line in Visiting Ours.
- "Who wants to go to the hospital?" - This begins a running gag where Tobias ends his storyline for each episode by going to the hospital. It is repeated several times in Season 2.
[edit] Hidden/Background Jokes
- Hair - After Buster stops brushing Lucille's hair, a few scenes later on Lucille's hair is noticably more of a mess than usual.
- Never nude - Tobias can be seen wearing his cut-offs as he walks around the model home in blue paint.
- Sign - At her "Monkey Freedom Rally", Lindsay holds a sign which reads “Free this orangutan.” The fact that orangutans are apes, and not monkeys, serves to reinforce Lindsay’s ignorance.
- Staring - When Michael and George Michael return to the penthouse, George Michael can't help but stare at Lindsay's nose, now knowing that it's fake. Lindsay covers her nose with her hand and nervously walks away.
[edit] Foreshadowing/Future References
- Blue Man Group - Michael pretends to be a doctor named "Dr. Blueman" on the phone to Lucille, hinting at the upcoming storyline with Tobias joining the Blue Man Group.
- Seal Attack - While Buster is combing Oscar's hair, John Beard reports "And a seal attack, meet one surprised bather, coming up!" The camera then pans to Buster. This is foreshadowing the fact that Buster will later be attacked by a seal in Out on a Limb.
- Adopted - When George Michael and Michael are driving to Phoenix at the start, George Michael asks if Lindsay is not his real aunt possibly hinting that Lindsay was adopted.
- Missing Hand - Buster sees his old hand-shaped chair at his maid's apartment and says "I never thought I'd miss a hand so much."
- Oscar -During the final scene at the hospital, Buster is clearly uncomfortable with the way Oscar is massaging his shoulders, a hint at the fact that it is George Sr. disguised as Oscar.
- Busters father - Buster has an awkward experience with Oscar and Lucielle at the police station. During this time Oscar reacts interestingly to Busters exclamation that he thought his father was there (also note the music in the background.)
[edit] Character Cameos
- Ian Roberts makes his second appearance as Dr. Fishman, also known as "the literal doctor."
- Jay Johnston returns as Officer Taylor, the police officer who kept hitting Oscar over the head. Officer Taylor would later play a large role in the episode Hand to God.
[edit] Goofs
- When Oscar is at the coffee stand, a man behind him has sunglasses on. In the next shot, when the police come arrest Oscar, the man's sunglasses are on his forehead. In the next shot they are over his eyes again.
- Tobias can be seen wearing his cut-offs, despite the fact he overcame his never-nude phobia in Beef Consommé (although it might just be part of the blue man costume, as his cut-offs are blue).
- When the family see Lindsay in the shower and go downstairs to leave, someone can be seen sitting down in the background in the mirror, possibly a crew member.
- When Oscar is at the police station, he can be seen wearing George Sr.'s wedding ring.
- The document which G.O.B. finds inside the briefcase does not actually have Arabic writing. The non-English text is Farsi.
