Out on a Limb (Arrested Development episode)
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "Out on a Limb" | |
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| Episode No | 2AJD11 |
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| Airdate | March 6, 2005 |
| Writer(s) | Jim Vallely and Chuck Martin |
| Director | Danny Leiner |
| On the next: | "Barry gets a big break on his case. And for the first time, Lucille prays. And Buster is on his way when he decides to pursue a long-delayed rite of passage. And then a seal bites off his hand.". |
| Guest star(s) | Mae Whitman as Ann Veal Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn Christine Taylor as Sally Sitwell |
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Arrested Development Season 2 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
"Out on a Limb" was the 33rd episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Michael and Sally Sitwell are out at Skip Church's Bistro for Sunday brunch when he spots George Michael and Maeby at the same restaurant. Michael introduces Sally to George Michael and Maeby. Once Michael leaves, Ann comes to find George Michael whom she thought was skipping church to work, sitting at the restaurant. She accuses him of not finding church and studying fun and leaves to go back to church. Maeby pokes fun at her cousin and when she learns that he doesn't want to break up with Ann, assuming she'd break up with him, Maeby mentions that they may have to speed up the process.
Back at the home Michael is discussing his relationship with Sally with his sister when G.O.B. interrupts them to announce that he's being sued for divorce. G.O.B. mentions that when his wife went off to war she left him in charge of the seals that were in her care. G.O.B. tried to include them in his act but it didn't work and taking care of the animals was a hassle so he "released them from whence they came". Michael mentions that their parents prepaid Barry for Lindsey and Tobias's divorce so they can use him. Lindsey, Michael and G.O.B. blame their failing relationships on their mother when she turns around in a chair outside. She wants to know why Buster has invited her to the beach the following day saying that if it's because he wants to go in the ocean the answer is no.
The next day Buster, Lucille and Oscar are on the beach and Buster is taking going away photos with his mother. Buster tells Lucille he's taking these photos because he wants her to have a recent picture of him since he's being shipped out with Army the next day. Lucille assumes Buster is trying to punish her and really wants to go swimming in the ocean.
Later Michael and G.O.B. track down Barry at the courthouse where they learn that he's representing Skip Church's Bistro in a case where a waitress is claiming that eating the Skips Scramble, an egg dish with everything on the menu in it, several times a week is making her fat. They inform Barry that they need him to get G.O.B. out of his marriage, Barry replies "Well I got Michael out of his marriage didn't I?" and Michael is forced to inform him that his wife died. Barry mentions that the attorney for the other side in his case is Maggie Lizer. Michael goes to catch up with Maggie and learns she's 8.5 months pregnant (they stopped seeing each other 8.5 months ago). Maggie tells Michael that the child is not his but he's not convinced.
That night on his date with Sally, Michael tells her that he thinks Maggie's child might be his since she's a liar and she told him it wasn't his.
At the house we learn that Sally broke up with Michael because she thinks Michael is always looking for things to get between them. Lindsey, Michael and G.O.B. discuss Michael's dilemma and G.O.B. mentions that he would make her pee in a cup right in front of him to make sure that Maggie isn't lying about being pregnant. Lindsey and Tobias decide that they will break into Maggie's house and collect the specimen mentioning they've been looking for some excitement in their relationship. Lucille comes to the house because Buster is pushing her buttons by "pretending" he's going to war. During the exchange between Michael and Lucille, George Sr. summons Michael to the attic with his wolf howl to try to get Michael to get Buster out of going to war and mentions that he should go see him. George Michael and Maeby who were watching Lucille come up with a way to get rid of Ann, they'll bring her to Lucille's and she'll criticize Ann until she drives her away.
Michael goes to Maggie's to get her out of her house, she opens the door pretending to be blind so she can rip off the pizza guy by giving him a five and telling him to keep the change. The woman she's representing is at the house and Maggie is making sure the witness stand creeks when she sits on it. Meanwhile Lindsey and Tobias sneak into Maggie's house and hide in the bathroom to collect the pee sample. Michael brings Maggie to the bar while Lindsey and Tobias search the house. At the bar Maggie tells Michael that the baby is his but at the home Lindsey and Tobias discover a box with a pregnant suit in it and leave a message on Michaels phone to tell him.
Back at Lucille's apartment George Sr. goes to see Buster dressed as Oscar to try to get Buster to hide to avoid the war. Buster tells him he's a good uncle and George replies "I'm not your uncle I'm your father". This causes Buster to find out the truth about his father when he confronts Lucille about this. Buster angrily storms off saying he's going to war, later Lucille snaps out of her denial and realizes that Buster is going to war.
Later Maeby and George Michael set their plan into motion by bringing Ann to Lucille's apartment but Lucille is too distracted by the thought of losing Buster to criticize anyone instead Ann introduces Lucille to the power of prayer.
Michael brings Maggie to the house and on his way in he hears the message from Lindsey and he confronts Maggie and dumps her, as Maggie is leaving she shows him her pregnant belly. Just as Maggie leaves Lindsey and Tobias enter telling him that the pregnancy test they used the specimen on is positive saying "You're going to be a daddy!"
Later Barry comes to see Michael at his office mentioning a big break in his fat case, the girl wasn't really fat, the attorney (Maggie) bought her a fat suit. He also announces that he has another case: Maggie is suing Michael for paternity.
Lucille prays begging God to take anything from the family to keep Buster from going to war, as Buster is on his way to the army he decides to go swimming in the ocean when a loose seal bites off his hand.
[edit] Episode Notes
- This is the episode in which Buster loses his hand. It happens in the "On the next..." segment.
- In this episode Buster discovers the truth about his father, a fact he later forgets due to the trauma of his accident.
[edit] References
- Abu Ghraib prison - G.O.B.'s wife's penchant for daring found a natural outlet in the armed service in Iraq, we see a set of photos much like those that surfaced when the Abu Ghraib prison scandal broke.
- Michael Moore - Lucille mentions she was confronted by Michael Moore and that's why she signed Buster up for the war.
- Jimmy Kimmel Live - Lucille wasn't confronted by Michael Moore but a look-a-like for a bit on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
- Ford Mustang - George Sr. had left the house to go see the new Ford Mustang saying "You could hump that hood".
[edit] Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Her?
- When George Michael mentions that he and Michael could go on double dates he says "You and Sally, me and Ann" Michael replies "Who?"
- In the same scene when Michael leaves he passes Ann and doesn't recognize her saying "Excuse me, ma'am"
- From whence you came - When G.O.B. is talking about having to take care of the seals being a major hassle he says "So I released them from whence they came"
- Balboa Bay Window - We see another cover of the magazine that Lucille and Buster appear on wearing matching clothes. This time Buster is much older (30, he's 32 now). The other Balboa Bay Window magazines appear in Switch Hitter and Exit Strategy
- The series of pictures of G.O.B.'s wife in the military mirror those of their wedding night.
- Buster's real father
- During an argument about Buster going to war between Oscar and Lucille, Oscar says "He is my boy!" and Lucille later responds "I don't want you telling him you're his father!" both of them accuse the other of being intoxicated after their slip up.
- George Sr. visits Buster dressed as Oscar and says to Buster "I'm not your uncle, I'm your father".
- Buster discovers the truth about his father when he confronts Lucille about what George Sr. dressed as Oscar said.
- Come on
- Maggie's client says "come on" when, while she is waiting for a pizza to be delivered to Maggie's house, Michael knocks on Maggie's door for the 2nd time in 30 seconds to be sure that he isn't the father.
- Wolf Howl - George Sr. summons Michael to the attic with his wolf howl to try to get Michael to stop Buster from going to war.
- Tom Jane - When G.O.B. and Michael meet with Barry Zuckerkorn to discuss G.O.B.'s divorce, G.O.B. says, "I just want my wife back." Barry replies, "Save it for the stand, okay, Tom Jane?" This relates back to the episode The One Where They Build a House in which Tom Jane says, "I just want my kids back."
- Tobias is Gay - When agreeing to break into Maggie's house, he says that he and Lindsey will be like (Spencer) Tracey and (Kathrine) Hepburn, and then proceeds to imitate Hepburn
- Buster is once more blocked from becoming a free man by a loose seal/Lucille
- God costume - George Senior appears to Michael and Buster wearing the God costume.
- Maebe? - Tobias somewhat directly alludes to the origins of Maeby.
[edit] Hidden/Background Jokes
- The Skip Church’s Bistro menu has the disclaimer: “Skip Church’s Bistro is happy to serve its valued customers, however, it is not responsible for medical bills or deformities resulting from the digestion of its menu items.”
- The photo of what Michael and Sally's child would have looked like is provided by "Mommy What Will I Look Like?" Photo Simulation Services.
- When G.O.B. is talking about making a pun on his wife's name, he says, "If her name is Amy, I'll call her Blamy." Will Arnett is married to Amy Poehler, the actress who plays the Wife of G.O.B.
- Hand - Several times during the episode remarks are made about Buster's hand, followed by a foreboding sound.
- Buster says "I never thought I'd miss a hand so much."
- George Sr. says "What if I never get to reach out and touch that hand of his again."
- When Buster is waiting for the bus, there's an army advertisement on the bench and the way Buster is sitting covering the letters it says "Arm Off."
- G.O.B. tells the seal "You're not going to be hand fed anymore!"
- During the scene where Buster and Lucille are having their picture taken on the beach, twice what looks like a seal tail breaches in the ocean behind them. This is accompanied by a "Dun-Dun" Jaws-like musical cue.
- Maggie, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, makes a reference to Seinfeld in the Bluth house when she says, in Jerry's signature manner, "What's the deal on Zuckerkorn? Because you know my fat case, it's really pretty thin."
- Michael's repeated insistence that it seems like a year since he had last seen Maggie refers to the airdate of this episode which is 11 days short of a complete year since the airdate of Altar Egos
- The Balboa Window magazine cover reads “Lucille and Buster Bluth Keepin' it Fresh! Also: How to Dress For Success / Yacht Club presses forward with plans to downsize to rowboats / Two Bay Windows! / Leprechaun Impersonators Visit Balboa Towers / Once a desert wasteland now an oasis. How the Bluth Company helped millions of Iraqi families. For a second!”
[edit] Character Cameos
[edit] Foreshadowing/Future References
Fat case - Maggie tells Michael that her "fat case is really pretty thin." The following episode reveals that her client isn't really overweight, just pregnant.
