Motherboy XXX
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| Arrested Development episode | |
| "Motherboy XXX" | |
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| Episode No | 2AJD13 |
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| Airdate | March 13, 2005 |
| Writer(s) | Mitchell Hurwitz and James Vallely |
| Director | Joe Russo |
| On the next: | "Lindsay finds herself strangely compelled to be with Tobias, but not the one she's married to; having finally had sex, G.O.B. can admit that he never consummated their marriage, but then G.O.B. caught a lucky break, but it didn't last long; and Maeby impresses the kids at the Promise Land with her one scary campfire story." |
| Guest star(s) | Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn Carl Weathers as himself Amy Poehler as Wife of G.O.B. Dave Attell as himself |
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Arrested Development Season 2 |
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| All Arrested Development episodes | |
Motherboy XXX is the thirty-fifth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
"Michael Bluth got up early in the hopes of avoiding his family. His mother, however, was already dressed, made up and waiting for him. Which put her wake-up time in the 3:00, 3:30 area." Lucille always has trouble sleeping this time of year because she gets excited before Motherboy, a dinner dance aimed at promoting mother/son bonding. Lucille has gone with Buster over 25 times, and on several occasions they have won "Cutest Couple". But for Motherboy XXX, Lucille wants to take Michael, because Buster has become moody after losing his hand. Michael chides his mother for not being there for Buster the one time that he finally needed her. Lindsay is also up early, upset that Tobias has re-connected with acting coach Carl Weathers. Tobias is excited about a possible role in Carl Weathers' latest television project, but Lindsay complains that Tobias always blows these chances and that he's not a take-charge husband. Up in the attic, George Sr. has to hide when Maeby and George Michael come up looking for camping gear for George Michael's upcoming Christian camping trip with Ann. Michael later catches news of the trip from George Sr., who overhears everything while hiding.
Michael tries to talk his son out of going, but when Maeby hears that George Michael would be missing school for this trip, she decides to join him. Michael tells George Michael that he thinks he should spend time with Uncle Buster instead. At the office, Michael runs into G.O.B., who wants to know if Barry has mentioned his divorce case. He also mentions that his soon-to-be ex-wife is claiming that the seal G.O.B. released into the ocean (which later bit off Buster's hand) was worth $250,000. Michael tells G.O.B. that if he admits he never consummated the marriage, he can have it annulled. But G.O.B. can't admit that, not even to Michael. Barry arrives and announces that the seal has been tracked and caught. If Buster's hand is still intact, a transplant may be possible. Tobias meets with Carl Weathers at Burger King. Carl announces that he's directing an episode of Scandalmakers. It will be about the Bluths, and Carl will appear as Ice. He doesn't want Tobias for a role, only to sign a release, but he is willing to give him the role of George Sr. in exchange for that signature. George Michael spends an afternoon with Buster, and Lucille sees an opportunity to take a new to Motherboy.
Michael and G.O.B. set out to find the seal. Buster finds out and joins them. At home, Tobias begins to do some research on George Sr. in the attic. Angry that Tobias can't master his voice, George Sr. appears and threatens Tobias, which makes Tobias see the power in the man. Tobias asks George Sr. to teach him this power. Down at the docks, the search continues for Buster's hand, but they find only the seal's left flipper, which was probably bitten off by a shark. Michael argues that, like Buster, the seal couldn't survive in the real world. They set off to save George Michael from Lucille instead. Lindsay sees Tobias with the raw power of George Sr., which she is immediately attracted to. Buster and Michael arrive at the hotel in which Motherboy is being held. Seeing another matching sailor outfit, Buster knows that Lucille is in her room changing outfits. He also knows that she will make George Michael wait on a balcony. Barry prepares G.O.B. to meet with his wife.
Michael and Buster survey the hotel looking for a bored-looking young man on a balcony. Spotting a Sonny Bono, Buster decides to zip line over to balcony. But he immediately falls, crashing through a skylight. His hook continues on the line and crashes into Lucille's room. She decides that they need to change rooms and costumes. Tobias begins work on the set of Scandalmakers. At the courthouse, G.O.B. finally meets with his wife. He threatens to lie about not consummating the marriage, which greatly attracts her, and they finally consummate it. Back at Motherboy XXX, Lucille is finding her new partner an asset. Michael and Buster are staking out the ballroom after having retrieved Buster's hook. Buster goes to unplug the lights to create a diversion, but catches his hook on a sandbag. He slides down to the stage just as Lucille and George Michael come out to dance. Michael tries to drag his son offstage, but Lucille won't allow it. Buster, finally hearing the truth about Lucille's desired Motherboy XXX date, offers to dance with her so that Michael can save his son from a life of being sheltered.
[edit] Cultural references
- Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse - When G.O.B.'s wife presents the picture of the two of them in the office, it resembles one of the images from Abu Ghraib, with a bag over G.O.B.'s head and his wife posed as Lynndie England.
- Arrested Development - While referring to the Motherboy dance, the narrator says that he is legally required to make the distinction between the dance and the fictional band named Motherboy. This parodies the lawsuit brought against the show by the hip hop group Arrested Development.
- Burger King - The fast food chain underwrites the Scandalmakers show in exchange for a scene being set there. This mirrors the real-life deal between Arrested Development and Burger King. The episode makes many unsubtle references to this:
- Carl Weathers says "Burger King" often during his initial conversation with Tobias.
- Tobias declares Burger King to be "a wonderful restaurant", which is then seconded by the narrator; the scene transition includes a shot of a poster advertising Burger King's new breakfast menu before cutting to Michael and Barry.
- Barry says that he skipped breakfast and leaves a meeting to eat at Burger King.
- At the end of the episode, Michael and George Michael are drinking from Burger King cups in the staircar.
- Captain Hook - Lucille and Buster pretend that Buster's hook is part of a costume, referencing the villain from Peter Pan.
- House - One of Tobias's vanity license plates says "DRHOUSE", referring to the role played by Hugh Laurie. David Cross nearly won the role, losing out as a finalist to Laurie.[citation needed]
- Jumping the shark - Barry jumps over a shark on his way to Burger King, a reference to both his character Fonzie doing so on Happy Days and the phrase "jumping the shark", which means that a television show has run out of ideas and cannot regain its prior form.
- Lucille and George Michael dress as the famous husband and wife entertainment duo, Sonny and Cher.
[edit] Cameos
- Judge Ping appears briefly in this episode. He presided over the Bluth's trial in Season 1 and Barry's fat case in "Out on a Limb" and "Hand to God".
- Dave Attell appears as himself playing Tobias.
[edit] Foreshadowing
- Michael and Buster's "Operation Hot Mother" mission is turned into a movie script in "Meat the Veals". The two brothers also undertake "Operation Hot Brother" when rescuing G.O.B. from an Iraqi prison in the Season 3 episode "Exit Strategy".
- George Sr. apologizes to Tobias and the dolls whose names he mixed up (Polly and Nellie). The family refers to Tobias as "Nellie", and it is revealed to be Lindsay's real name in "Family Ties".
[edit] Notes
- The fast food restaurant chain Burger King paid Fox for product placement in this episode, which the writers decided to exploit as much as possible. The original title of the episode was "Tendercrisp Chicken Comedy Half-Hour", referring to the "Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich" that Burger King was heavily promoting at the time.[citation needed]
