The Righteous Brothers (Arrested Development episode)
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "The Righteous Brothers" | |
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| Episode No | 2AJD18 |
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| Airdate | April 16, 2005 |
| Writer(s) | Mitchell Hurwitz and Jim Vallely |
| Director | Chuck Martin |
| On the next: | “Oscar, robbed of his fingerprints, has difficulty proving his identity, Tobias and Kitty go to Vegas, only to find that his dream job has been filled, and George, Sr. turns out to be right about the effects of stress.” |
| Guest star(s) | Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn Mae Whitman as Ann Veal Judy Greer as Kitty Sanchez Jeff Garlin as Mort Meyers John Michael Higgins as Wayne Jarvis |
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Arrested Development Season 2 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
"The Righteous Brothers" was the fortieth episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.
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[edit] Synopsis
Michael was working at home when he noticed something unusual. His pen rolled off the coffee table as if rolling downhill. A contractor examined the house and told Michael there was nothing underneath and since the drain pipes weren’t hooked up, they just emptied under the house. Which is why the living room was sinking. The city was probably going to have to red tag the house, so an inspector would be out to examine everything.
Michael told his father he’d have to leave the attic before the inspector arrived. Michael suggested his father hide at Lucille’s penthouse, but George Sr. didn’t want to go there because the freeloading Oscar was living there. Michael tells his father with him being tried in absentia, Michael shouldn’t even know where he is anyway. He doesn’t have to go back to prison, but he can’t stay there.
George-Michael, meanwhile, was finding it difficult to ignore his re-emerging feelings for his cousin. Maeby asked if he wanted to attend a screening of the American remake of Les cousins dangereux, a film he and Maeby saw last year. Maeby was currently overseeing the remake for Tantamount Studio, where she conned her way into a job, and it was not going well. George Michael agreed to go, so Maeby gave him 50 passes and instructed him to invite everyone he knew.
And later at the office, Michael had another surprise. Tobias was resigning as his assistant in order to audition for the Blue Man Group in Las Vegas. He also told Michael that Kitty called wanting to see him, so Tobias scheduled her for a 4pm meeting. G.O.B. came in and Michael told him that not only did he have to testify that he didn’t know where George Sr. was, the old man was refusing to leave the attic, so Michael was going to be caught for hiding him. But G.O.B. was upset that Michael hadn’t thanked him for all the dirty work he’d done for the family recently, or commented on the thank you gift he made for Michael last week. The gift being a CD of G.O.B. singing with Franklin. Michael assured G.O.B. that he loved the music.
Later, G.O.B. took Franklin to see George Sr. in an attempt to get him to leave the attic. But really, G.O.B. had soaked the puppet with ether to knock out his father, just like he knocked out his mother previously. And downstairs, Tobias shared his good news with Lindsay. But she didn’t want to move to Las Vegas and took it as a sign that they should split up. Or stay split up, whatever their status might be. Tobias then decided to pass on his audition to stay home and work on his relationship with Lindsay to decide once and for all whether they should stay together or not.
Soon, G.O.B. was on his way to dump his father on the police station steps. And that’s when he found the CD and thank you card he made for Michael, still unopened. Meanwhile, Michael was meeting with Kitty and things weren’t going as badly as he thought they might. She told him that she had been through rehab and was at now peace with the Bluths, as long as they didn’t anger her again. Tobias entered and told Michael he wasn’t actually leaving for Las Vegas. Michael realized he needed to occupy Kitty with a man, at least until his meeting about his father was over.
Michael prepared to sign the affidavit that he had no idea where his father had been. As soon as he did, attorney Wayne Jarvis summoned the police in, telling Michael he had photographic evidence discrediting the affidavit Michael just signed. The evidence being a traffic camera photo. But actually, G.O.B. was driving and holding the card he had made for Michael – complete with Michael’s photo on it – in front of his face.
Michael was now in police custody. Wayne told Michael he could turn in his father if he wanted to go free. G.O.B. arrived at the station and angrily asked Michael why he hadn’t listened to the CD yet. Michael just wanted to know where George Sr. was so he could be released from custody.
And George-Michael tried to break up with Ann. But when he found out Ann was fired up about protesting the screening of Les Cousins, he couldn’t. He knew from past experience that Ann became inflamed at rallies and would probably kiss him in a fit of Ann passion again. This was too enticing to turn down. Oscar, meanwhile, checked in on Buster. And an innocuous comment about Pop Secret popcorn made Buster finally realize that Oscar was his real father.
Lucille, meanwhile, was on the phone with Michael. Michael wanted Lucille to tell George-Michael his father was out of town on business, and during the conversation, Lucille learned that Tobias was out on a date with Kitty. Knowing this news would devastate Lindsey, Lucille immediately told her. Michael also warned Lucille that he was going to tell the police it was actually Gob in the traffic photo. Buster barged in and accused Oscar of lying to him about the identity of his real father.
It was at that moment that the police played the CD that they had confiscated from G.O.B. It was Franklin singing Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do (I Do For You) ”. Inspired, Michael realized that he couldn’t actually turn in his brother. Singing the song at the same time, Gob had the same realization and called Barry Zuckerkorn to instruct Michael not to testify.
And Lucille confronted Oscar. At the theater, George-Michael and Ann were protesting, which surprised Maeby. But people still wanted to see the movie, thus ending George Michael’s chances of a passionately bland kiss. He slumped home, where Buster was waiting for Michael. Buster ran upstairs to shower and wash the smell of Lucille away. A distraught Lindsay then told George-Michael – who was still trying to process the news that his father was in jail – that he had to seize love whenever he had the chance. She then ran upstairs to take a bath, ignoring George-Michael's advice not to.
Maeby then came in and kissed George Michael in thanks for helping her movie become a success. The living room then suddenly collapsed a few feet, knocking Maeby on top of George Michael on the couch, where they kissed again, but this time more intimately. And that’s when G.O.B. came home to retrieve George Sr. from where he stashed him, under the house that just collapsed.
But then G.O.B. remembered that this meant Michael would have to go to prison while George-Michael and Maeby awkwardly went their separate ways. Barry was leading Michael into his trial. G.O.B. sped up on his Segway and told his brother that their father wasn’t actually crushed to death even though G.O.B. handcuffed him to pipes under the house, but they weren’t connected to anything. So George Sr. ran away. Angry that he would end up going to jail for this, Michael began a fight with G.O.B. Tobias came up, happily announcing that he was going to Vegas with Kitty, but Lindsay wasn’t about to lose her man without a fight. She rushed Kitty, who dropped her with one punch.
George Sr. rushed into the fray, separating Michael and G.O.B., telling them they were a family and shouldn’t be fighting. George Sr. then went into the courthouse, but not before telling Lucille she deserved Oscar. George Sr. found Oscar, who had just been kicked out by Lucille. He then drugged Oscar, took him into the courthouse bathroom, shaved his head and left him in a stall before jumping out of the window. The police, who followed George Sr. into the courthouse, then found Oscar in the stall and put him into custody, while George Sr. got away.
[edit] Episode notes
- The episode's title is also known without the "The" at the beginning, although there really isn't an official way to know which is right. It is listed as "The Righteous Brothers" on the Season 2 DVD, although all press releases for the show titled it "Righteous Brothers" when it first aired.
- This episode is the finale for Season 2.
- This episode is a fan favorite, and is generally ranked up with Good Grief as one of the best episodes of the second season, and indeed the series itself.
- This episode got Writers Mitchell Hurwitz and Jim Vallely An Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Series.
[edit] References
- Blue Man Group - Tobias finally has an audition in this episode (after being fired from them in Burning Love), only to show up and find that the role has been filled by George Sr.
- Bryan Adams - The song G.O.B. sings, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", was Bryan Adams' biggest hit.
- Cruel Intentions - The American version of Dangerous Cousins ("Almost Cousins") features incestuous, non-biological cousins. This version of Dangerous Liasons featured incestuous, non-biological siblings.
- Franklin Resources - Michael says he thought G.O.B. wanted $5,000 for a Franklin mutual fund—and not Franklin—referring to the fourth-largest U.S. mutual fund company.
- Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts - Tobias says that the concept of someone's current assistant dating their former assistant is a "great idea for a Hugh Grant/ Julia Roberts-type movie." Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are known for doing similar sorts of romantic comedies.
- Night Court - Kitty mentions that she's being sponsored by someone from Night Court. Although she can't say who it is, she then proceeds to name several characters and actors from the show, before later blurting out that she heard John Larroquette was "looking for a meaty character piece." Mitch Hurwitz was a writer for The John Larroquette Show.
- Peter Frampton - The title and cover of G.O.B.’s "Franklin Comes Alive" CD are a parody of Peter Frampton's album, "Frampton Comes Alive."
- Pop Secret - Oscar wants to share his "Pop Secret" with Buster, a well-known brand of popcorn.
[edit] Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Balls - Barry Zuckerkorn asks if the prosecution's new "photographic evidence" are balls again, referring to the episode Sad Sack, when close-up photos of Tobias' balls were mistaken for the hills of Iraq.
- Barry is Gay - Not only does Barry wink at Jarvis's asian assistant, but upon discovering that these photos are in fact legitimate, Barry then says, "I wish they were balls."
- Baton - Oscar is once again hit over the head by the police with a baton. This first happened several times in The One Where Michael Leaves.
- Boyfights - Michael and G.O.B. once again break into a fight in front of the courthouse, a callback to Beef Consommé.
- Buster's Real Father - Buster finally learns that Oscar is his real father (he had found this out before in Out on a Limb, but suffered memory loss and so forgot it). Ironically, after all of Oscar's hints to Buster, Buster figures this out from a line that wasn't even intended as a hint.
- When Buster confronts Lucille about Oscar being his real father, the scene mirrors the confrontation scene in Out on a Limb, including the music.
- When Lucille confronts Oscar about him telling Buster he was his real father, the scene mirrors the scene in Out on a Limb when Lucille tells Oscar not to reveal his secret to Buster. Both scenes had the characters screaming "You're high" and "You're drunk" at each other in the kitchen, while Oscar is raiding the pantry.
- Censorship - When Lucille goes to flash Oscar, it cuts to a test screen. When the show comes back on, it is in the middle of a line, making it seem as if it was the network who cut that scene.
- Both Kitty and Tobias's chests are censored out when they lift their tops up.
- The Cornballer - The Cornballer is shown again, after first appearing in Bringing Up Buster. The device was known for severely burning people when they touched it, and the cornballer burns off Oscar's fingerprints when he picks it up.
- "Couple of girls" - G.O.B. describes Michael and him as “crying like a couple of girls.” He later uses this phrase again in Mr. F.
- "Dad's gonna be crushed" - This is the third time the viewers are mis-lead into believing George Sr. has died, the first two being in Let 'em Eat Cake and ¡Amigos!.
- Ether - G.O.B. soaks Franklin's mouth in Ether to knock someone out. He first did this in Meat the Veals.
- Fake Hand - Buster is wearing the fake hand he first received in Sword of Destiny.
- Forced Kiss - G.O.B. gets an unconscious George Sr. to kiss him by moving his head as close to his own head as possible, then kissing him. He later does the same thing to Michael at the end of the episode.
- Home Run - G.O.B. calls his card with Michael’s face on it a “home run.” He later uses this phrase again in Forget-Me-Now.
- "I like the way they think" - George Michael first made this comment about the French in My Mother, the Car, as he remembered the kissing cousins in Les Cousins Dangereux.
- It Ain't Easy - This is the first time G.O.B. and Franklin's song "It Ain't Easy" is played. It is later heard again in Forget-Me-Now, Making a Stand and Fakin' It.
- Peanuts - George Michael reprises the sad “Christmas Time Is Here” song and walk from Good Grief.
- Soapdish - The Friday night movie is Soapdish, which George, Sr. had said in Queen for a Day led to a knife fight.
- Switch - This is the second time George Sr. switches places with Oscar, something which happened in The One Where Michael Leaves, and happens again in Prison Break-In and Development Arrested.
- Tobias is Gay - Tobias says he was "too busy on his knees in front of a toilet" to be working.
- Tobias later says he found a "wonderful circle of men" to get him through an embarrassing incident.
- When Tobias believes he's been replaced, he says to Michael "I see you wasted no time in filling my seat-hole."
[edit] Hidden/Background Jokes
- Herpes - G.O.B. implies that he got herpes from Kitty, whom he slept with in Visiting Ours.
- "I thought we were split up" - The fact that Tobias and Lindsay don't know whether or not they're together refers to the fact that they're always rekindling their love or falling out again.
- Les Cousins Dangereux - According to the poster, Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle calls Les cousins dangereux “a ‘relative’ masterpiece of complex eroticism.”
- Maeby is forced to cut the American remake from 71 to 63 to 52 minutes. These numbers are a callback to the rising value of G.O.B.'s suit in Afternoon Delight.
- The Narrator mocks the producers of the American remake for reassuring viewers that the characters are not actual cousins, but then later on quickly reminds the audience that George Michael and Maeby may not actually be related after they start kissing.
- The Man Inside Me - The depressed men’s group has a sign for “former psychiatrist Tobias Fünke” and a shot of his book, The Man Inside Me. This book was first seen in Let 'Em Eat Cake.
- Wasting Water - The Bluths can be seen wasting water throughout this episode. Lindsay is running a tap continuously after just taking a bath, and Buster takes a long shower to get out the smell of Lucille when he arrives at the model home.
[edit] Character Cameos
- Writer Cameo - Courtney Lilly, who played Engineer, is a writer for the show.
- Marc Cherry, creator of the hit show Desperate Housewives makes a cameo as his show is being protested by Ann's church group. Cherry is also friends with Mitchell Hurwitz.
- Wayne Jarvis makes his second appearance this season, his previous one in Sad Sack.
[edit] Foreshadowing/Future References
- Model Home Collapsing - Whenever anyone sits down in the living room, a creak is heard in the background, followed by dramatic music.
- Traffic Light Camera - When G.O.B. is in the stair car with George Sr., holding up the photo of Michael, a camera flash is seen. We later learn in this episode that it was a traffic light camera, taking a photo of the stair car.
- Dangerous Cousins - In the American remake, the cousins in the film are not biological cousins. Later, we find out that George Michael and Maeby are not biological cousins.
[edit] Goofs
- Switched Fingers - G.O.B.'s index and middle fingers remain switched from Sword of Destiny in this episode, despite the fact that they were fine in Meat the Veals and Spring Breakout, both of which aired before this episode but after Sword of Destiny. Although, the final scenes of an episode are hardly ever canon
