Arrested to Arrested Development: 111 - Public Relations

"There are very few intelligent, attractive and straight men in this town." 
"Well, that certainly leaves me out! ...She--she said single. You did say single, correct?"



What the writers do with this episode is essentially take time to show their insight on the characters. They prove to us that they're well aware of all the Bluth family's cliches and not only address them, but shake them up to really help the family grow and allow the audience to grow with them as we all inevitably realize, these cliches are what make these characters who they are.

  By successfully nipping these stereotypes in the bud, the writers throw in a temporary love interest for Michael; let's call her a family therapist who addresses the audience the obvious notaries for each family member, by gathering a family meeting to pin point what she views as the problem with each person and how she can create a solution, proving that the Bluth's are once and for all a "functional, relatable family."

  It's comical really, that the writers are showing us they're completely in on the joke of what makes these characters tick, or how most people would see them tick, allowing room for "improvements":


  • Michael becoming the face of the family, being the only likable one of the bunch.
  • Gob using his magic on charity work.
  • Lindsay getting a job.
  • Tobias pursuing his medical career and stop living the absurd fantasy of an actor.
  • Buster staying indoors.
  • Lucille not being so-cold.


...so on and so forth.

It's funny how it's addressed that papa Bluth's new-found religious calling from prison will be treated as "very sympathetic" though even GM Sr. is at faults in his new path.

"Okay, there’s no need for violence! Hanukkah can be spelled so many ways."

 Eventually, the family finds that their new changes don't suit them, the highlight being Tobias getting dooped into phony acting training by a very deceptive Carl Weathers and Gob failing at impressing the people in the nursing home with his magic tricks.

  A few truths are revealed not just from the family but from people looking to deceive the family as well, ultimately resulting in an eruption of Lucille's finest and most honest moment in this show yet:

"Let me tell you something, sweetie. We may pick on each other, get into little scrapes, call each other names and occasionally steal from each other, but that’s because we are family. You have no right. You don’t get to do that."

And so we end with a more tender family matter and we're reminded why we love the Bluth's just the way they are.


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