G.O.B.

G.O.B. is the eldest Bluth child and a professional magician
Actor: Will Arnett — First Appearance: "Pilot" — Last Appearance: "Blockheads"

George Oscar Bluth Jr., better known as G.O.B., is the arrogant older brother to Michael Bluth and is a main character of Arrested Development. He is portrayed by Will Arnett and appears in 66 episodes of the series.

A social peacock, G.O.B. exudes a certain type of showmanship at all times, perhaps best illustrated by his favorite mode of transportation: his trusty Segway. Once a highly respected magician and founder of The Alliance of Magicians, G.O.B. fell from grace when the TV news revealed the secret to his illusion.

G.O.B. is last seen in "Blockheads" days after sleeping with Tony Wonder, too late to take a roofie to forget his night of lovemaking with the rival magician.

About

G.O.B. on his Segway

Oddities and Quirks

Pronounced "Jobe," his name is often mispronounced as "gawb." G.O.B. makes up for lack of attention in his childhood by being boisterous and larger than life. He rides a Segway and lives on a series of yachts. He always seeks for the approval of others in his work and dating lives, and often asks for high-fives which go unanswered. Despite his deep need for acceptance, he has no real friends, other than Michael. ("Best Man for the Gob")

His emotions range immensely. When he's even the smallest bit sad he can cry and becomes upset when those around him don't cry. When contemplating how empty his life is, he hears the song "The Sound of Silence" play in his head. ("Colony Collapse") When faced with difficult decisions, he may act rashly, such as nearly hanging himself with his belt. ("Sad Sack") He tends to overblow bad choices by saying "I've made a huge mistake" or "Come on!" when upset. To mock people, G.O.B. puts his whole body into an over-the-top Chicken Dance.

Dating life

A natural womanizer (which he may have inherited from his father), G.O.B. struggles to stay in committed relationships. In high school G.O.B. slept around and unwittingly impregnated Eve Holt with Steve Holt. ("The Immaculate Election") G.O.B. dates Marta Estrella for several months in 2003 until she leaves him for his younger brother Michael. ("Beef Consommé") G.O.B. sleeps with Kitty several times to stay on her good side. ("Visiting Ours") He does the same with Lucille Austero, his mother's social rival. ("Burning Love") G.O.B. married a woman on a dare and for a short period of time lived a settled life until she left to join Army. He never did learn her name. ("Whistler's Mother")

G.O.B. later gets into a relationship with Ann. ("Development Arrested") He proposes to her as an idiom and she accepts. To get out of the wedding he performs Jesus' crucifixion illusion but the trick goes awry. ("Colony Collapse") He then attempts to seduce Tony Wonder as a way of sabotaging his gay magic career. Although they both claim to be straight, the two are tricked by Ann into making love. ("A New Attitude")

G.O.B. performing "magic" in "Storming the Castle"

Magic career

Although it is currently unknown how G.O.B. began his magic career, by the early 2000s he was a respected and "talented" magician. Demanding that society take him and his magic career seriously, he founded The Alliance of Magicians. In 2003 Trisha Thoon revealed how his Aztec Tomb illusion worked on TV and he was kicked out of his own Alliance. ("Pilot") He attempted to get back into the Alliance with a Prison escape illusion, ("Visiting Ours") a Saw the lady in half illusion, ("Storming the Castle") a Disappearing yacht illusion, ("Missing Kitty") a magic coffin illusion, ("Good Grief") The Sword of Destiny illusion, ("Sword of Destiny") a Free Chicken Illusion, ("For British Eyes Only") and Jesus' crucifixion illusion. ("Colony Collapse")

G.O.B. is always prepared to perform an illusion, be it pulling a live dove out of his pants, shooting pennies into a crowd, or shooting a fireball (more often lighter fluid.)

Other work

G.O.B. in his president's office in "¡Amigos!"

Because a life of magic won't always pay the bills, G.O.B. has had other sources of income, usually based on whatever strikes his fancy. His most steady source of income is monthly envelopes of cash from the Bluth Company. ("Staff Infection") G.O.B. has also worked as a member of the Hot Cops male stripper troupe. ("Pier Pressure") He is also the creator of the Mr. Bananagrabber character ("Charity Drive") and used to use an African American puppet named Franklin Delano Bluth in his magic act. ("Meat the Veals")

To appease the shareholders of the Bluth Company, G.O.B. was made president in 2004. Although he caused a lot of damage in his office (namely bringing in a pool table) Michael was the real brains behind the operation. ("The One Where Michael Leaves") G.O.B. then worked at Sitwell Enterprises as a mole for a softball game, but stuck around because he enjoyed Stan Sitwell's fatherly attention. ("Switch Hitter")

G.O.B. becomes the limo driver for singer Mark Cherry but fools himself into thinking he's a member of their entourage. At the same time G.O.B. tries to run his bee business but they are sick and not even Johnny Bark can bring them back to full health. ("Colony Collapse") G.O.B. is tasked by Michael to fill all the homes in Sudden Valley and fills them with sex offenders on the suggestion of Tobias. ("A New Attitude") He is also hired by his mother to hire a crew to build the US/Mexico wall. ("Queen B.")

Character history

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G.O.B. in Season One

Season one

G.O.B. attempted to perform the Aztec Tomb illusions at George's retirement party, but George Bluth ended up hiding inside. When the police dogs discovered him, FOX 6 picked up the story and ruined the illusion. G.O.B. was promptly kicked out of The Alliance of Magicians. ("Pilot") G.O.B., out of work but not inspired to actually do any work asks Michael if he can have something to do. Michael gives him a letter to mail but he instead throws it into the ocean. ("Top Banana") After getting kicked out of his girlfriend's house G.O.B. struggles to find a place to live, and he refuses to take an grief from his family. ("Bringing Up Buster")

Attempting to rejuvenate his magic career, G.O.B. checks himself into Orange County Prison to perform a Prison escape illusion. He is stabbed by White Power Bill and is sent to a hospital. ("Key Decisions") G.O.B. stews after Michael refuses him to have free Bluth frozen bananas until Michael needs a favor. G.O.B. then has Michael ask his son to show him respect. ("Charity Drive") G.O.B. sleeps with Kitty to get information about where some files are located, despite being repulsed by her. He sleeps with her again to distract her so George and Lucille can have a conjugal visit. ("Visiting Ours")

G.O.B. performing a real apple, real neck illusion for Marta's children, in "Storming the Castle"

G.O.B. grows suspicious of Michael when he learns Spanish. He also sees Maeby's ticket to Portugal and attempts to stop Michael from fleeing the country by chasing him on his segway. ("In God We Trust") Michael tells G.O.B. that he is selling the family yacht Lucille which G.O.B. has been using as his home. G.O.B. thinks about fleeing to South America but decides to stay and stick up for his brother. ("My Mother, the Car") G.O.B. attempts to regain membership in The Alliance of Magicians by performing a show at the Gothic Castle. He also rekindles his relationship with Marta when she is used in his saw the lady in half illusion. ("Storming the Castle")

Buster asks George Michael for marijuana, who asks G.O.B.. Michael finds out and works with G.O.B. and the Hot Cops to teach his son a lesson. In turn, they are taught a lesson about teaching lessons by their father. ("Pier Pressure")

G.O.B. aboard his home, the Lucille, in "Pier Pressure"

To attempt to repair his image, G.O.B. performs some free magic shows for senior citizens. When a nursing home resident disappears during his show he becomes the spotlight of an investigation, but the resident eventually surfaces, and G.O.B. attempts to label himself a hero, unsuccessfully. ("Public Relations") When G.O.B.'s girlfriend Marta realizes she is in love with Michael, G.O.B., knowing only she's in love with someone else, searches for the "hermano" perpetrator. ("Marta Complex") G.O.B. eventually finds out that Michael is hermano and is initially content, but changes his mind and fights his brother at the courthouse. Marta then leaves them both. ("Beef Consommé")

Still mad about Marta, G.O.B. attempts to steal Michael's love interests but sleeps with the wrong women. ("Shock and Aww") To earn his usually-free paycheck, G.O.B. is asked by Michael to work at a Bluth Company construction site. He gets fed up and challenges Buster to a game of chicken. ("Staff Infection") G.O.B. meets a woman and gets married on a series of escalating dares. He never learns her name. ("Altar Egos")

G.O.B. marries his wife in "Altar Egos"

George suggests that G.O.B. steal files from Maggie Lizer's house, but G.O.B., now a married man, enlists the help of Tobias. ("Justice Is Blind") During Spring Break G.O.B. attempts to capture some publicity by performing a Disappearing yacht illusion. It worked, but not by magic: he sunk the yacht. ("Missing Kitty") In a ploy to get the Bluth Company accountant Ira Gilligan to not testify, G.O.B. attempts to blackmail him during a fake bachelor party. ("Best Man for the Gob")

Looking to profit from some money Michael freed up, G.O.B. and Tobias team up to form Gobias Industries, a chain of coffee shops. ("Whistler's Mother") G.O.B., jealous that Lindsay claimed to have stolen clothes from a mall, attempts to shoplift with the aid of George Michael. ("Not Without My Daughter") G.O.B. is approached by Kitty who wants him to make a power play to control the Bluth Company, but he buckles at the pressure. ("Let 'Em Eat Cake")

Season two

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G.O.B. in Season Two

G.O.B., now the president of the Bluth Company after Michael decided to leave the family, finds a briefcase in his office wall with a signed contract between his father and Saddam Hussein. The briefcase is stolen by a disguised George. ("The One Where Michael Leaves") Attempting to impress the board of directors, G.O.B. promised to build a new house in two weeks. The house, just a frame, collapses and he looks like a fool in the press. ("The One Where They Build a House") When Michael heads to Mexico to find George, G.O.B. thinks he is trying to flee the country. He follows him to Mexico is later set up with Gene Parmesan and Ice to track down George. ("¡Amigos!")

At his supposedly dead father's wake, G.O.B. performs the Magic coffin illusion which fails when Buster learns that his father is dead. He is named Poof Goof of the Year. ("Good Grief") G.O.B. assumes he knows too much but is sad when he learns the prosecution doesn't want to interrogate him. He can't muster enthusiasm to help Buster train for Army until he learns about the WMDs. ("Sad Sack") G.O.B. is alienating employees at the Bluth Company and fires them all when they laugh at him. Michael throws a second holiday party and G.O.B. dresses up as a banana to show his human side. ("Afternoon Delight")

G.O.B. is hired by Stan Sitwell of Sitwell Enterprises for his bullish business techniques but Michael thinks it is only because of an upcoming softball game. Michael asks G.O.B. to throw the game but changes his mind when he sees that Stan is the only supportive father figure G.O.B.'s ever had. ("Switch Hitter") G.O.B. is fired from Sitwell Enterprises a short time later and finds his way back in power at the Bluth Company by sleeping with Lucille Austero. ("Queen for a Day") G.O.B. continues to see Lucille 2 but is ashamed to be seen with her. He eventually comes around and bids $10,000 on her at the bachelorette auction. ("Burning Love")

G.O.B. and Buster in "Ready, Aim, Marry Me"

When Lucille 2 begins acting distant, G.O.B. enlists the help of Buster to track her down and they discover she is dating Stan Sitwell. ("Ready, Aim, Marry Me") G.O.B. is sued for divorce and for the loss of a seal that he used in a magic show. He asks Barry for help in his case. ("Out on a Limb") G.O.B. is horrified by Buster's accident and tries to cover up the fact that he was responsible for giving the seal the taste for mammal blood. In the end, he tells Buster the truth, but is injured by Buster's angry claw. ("Hand to God")

G.O.B. faces off against his wife in a divorce hearing and claims that they never consummated the wedding. She easily seduces him and he loses his claim. ("Motherboy XXX") G.O.B. attempts to help his nephew win a Student Council election by making a campaign video showing how tough George Michael is. The plan backfires and Steve Holt, G.O.B.'s biological son, dominates the election. ("The Immaculate Election")

G.O.B. with Franklin in "Meat the Veals"

G.O.B. teams up with Buster to perform The Sword of Destiny illusion for Tony Wonder to attempt, yet again, to gain access to the exclusive Alliance of Magicians. Instead, his finger tips are cut off. ("Sword of Destiny")

G.O.B. busts out his African-American puppet Franklin to hip up his act again. Franklin is used to knock Lucille out so George can renew their wedding vows. ("Meat the Veals") At Spring Break again, G.O.B. wants to take revenge on Phillip Litt for only including his flubs in his Girls with Low Self-Esteem video, but instead helps Michael rescue their father from Kitty. ("Spring Breakout") G.O.B. nearly turns in George to the police so Michael can go free. When he finds out Michael lied to him about listening to his Franklin Comes Alive CD, G.O.B. hides George. Michael and him again fight at the courthouse until George arrives and turns himself in (but not before swapping with Oscar.) ("Righteous Brothers")

Season three

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G.O.B. in Season Three

Dejected by Michael's broken promise of a camping trip, G.O.B. receives a letter from S.A.D. on behalf of Steve Holt, his biological son. He assumes it is from his father and is dejected yet again so he and Steve Holt go on a "son and son" camping trip of their own. ("The Cabin Show") G.O.B., uncomfortable with his newfound fatherhood, attempts to hide from Steve Holt. He almost comes to terms with his fate during his Free Chicken Illusion, but cowards out and flees. ("For British Eyes Only") G.O.B. and the Bluth family pick Rita up from daycare and G.O.B. slips her a Forget-Me-Now rohypnol pill after Buster attacks her. ("Forget-Me-Now")

G.O.B. continues to avoid Steve Holt so Steve asks Michael to do a father-son triathlon at the Church and State Fair. G.O.B. becomes jealous so he cuts off Michael's bike's handlebars. ("Notapusy") Buster gets ahold of George's access to Larry Middleman so he and G.O.B. build a "tiny town" to fool the Japanese investors. ("Mr. F") G.O.B. prepares an illusion for Rita and Michael's wedding, despite promising Michael to do nothing of the sort. ("The Ocean Walker")

G.O.B. films a film for Tobias' Graft Versus Host condition and later helps Michael attempt to break into the prison during the fundraiser dinner. ("Prison Break-In") G.O.B. and Steve Holt build a Banana Shack to launder Colombian pesos for the Bluth Company.

G.O.B. and Steve in "Making a Stand"

Michael realizes their father has pitted them against each other so they join forces to teach him a lesson, and actually succeed. ("Making a Stand") G.O.B. accidentally works an entire lunch as a waiter at the country club and grows to like the showmanship and tips. He serves food at the "Save Our Bluths" dinner. ("S.O.B.s")

G.O.B. is proud to get Franklin into the system and listed as a witness in George's upcoming trial. Michael records Wayne Jarvis bribing him on a tape inside of Franklin which is used to have the Mock Trial with J. Reinhold case to be called a mistrial. ("Fakin' It") G.O.B. and Franklin become pimps for Nellie. ("Family Ties") G.O.B. visits Iraq on behalf of George to burn some houses down but is arrested. He is rescued by Buster and Michael and the three discover evidence to free George Bluth permanently. ("Exit Strategy") At the exoneration party, G.O.B. attempts to hit on Lindsay after discovering she is not his biological sister. ("Development Arrested")

Season four

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G.O.B. in Season Four

After having been discovered dating Ann Veal by George Michael, G.O.B. seeks George Michael's approval of the relationship after Lucille returns to shore following the hijacking of the Queen Mary. Although George Michael doesn't approve, G.O.B. accepts a hypothetical "yes". He then realises he doesn't want a relationship with Ann, but as he visits her to break it off, he instead instead sleeps with her. The following morning, he unintentionally proposes, which Ann accepts, and G.O.B. is, much too his horror, embraced by Ann's family.

G.O.B. now plans to disappear from the wedding via an elaborate escape act, and announces that his wedding is going to take place on the show And As It Is Such, So Also As Such Is It Unto You during which he will also perform an illusion. The illusion revolves around the resurrection of Jesus, but it is quite blasphemous in nature, although G.O.B. fails to realize this, and remains puzzled about his Christian audience watching the show with a combination of overt discomfort and outright shock. Regardless, G.O.B.s plan goes smoothly, until he finds himself unable to escape the "cave" when a hatch containing the keys to his escape won't open. As a result, he is unable to uncuff himself to complete his illusion and is trapped in his "escape plan" unable to escape. After two weeks, he misses the deadline he set for his own reappearance and is believed to have run away from the wedding. G.O.B. is found several weeks later, sealed in a storage unit, having been trapped and handcuffed in there the whole time and surviving only on a supply of strawberry laces, by the reality show Locker Hawkers: Something Smells Terrible Edition. He is taken to the hospital where Ann breaks things off, and the lonely G.O.B. decides to reconnect with his son Steve Holt. At and Jeremy Piven he meets Steve (although he doesn't recognize Steve for several hours) and the two plan to work together at Steve's pest control service.

G.O.B. performing his Amazing Jesus illusion in "Colony Collapse"

G.O.B. is distracted when he becomes part of Mark Cherry's entourage with the nickname "Getaway" (although he is unaware he serves merely as the limo driver) and spend most nights partying. To forget any degrading experiences, he takes a Forget-Me-Now and soon finds himself in a roofie circle and suffering from syphilis. He also begins to alienate the entourage with his antics, which leads Cherry to write and sing the song "Getaway" as a subtle hint for G.O.B. to leave (to which he is oblivious). The relations end when G.O.B. picks up several women to be passed around the entourage in the limo, when the sick bees he keeps in the trunk are let loose in the cabin. Following this, much of the group goes to the hospital for bee-sting treatment, while Mark Cherry heads for rehab. (4x7 — "Colony Collapse")

G.O.B. then encounters a now openly-gay Tony Wonder performing and intentionally sabotages what he thinks is part of the illusion, but fails. (4x7 — "Colony Collapse") Following a phone call from his mother, he travels down to the border where his father's colony is. Upon arriving at the colony, G.O.B. unintentionally releases his bees unto the colony and destroys it's reputation. (4x6 — "Double Crossers") He then discovers that the sweat lodge is in fact the cave from his Christian illusion, and finds that the secret panel containing the keys was jammed using a necklace cross (although he thinks the "t" stands for Tony Wonder). (4x7 — "Colony Collapse")

G.O.B. and Michael strike a deal in "Double Crossers"

Michael gives G.O.B. the responsibility of filling the houses in Sudden Valley (4x6 — "Double Crossers") and G.O.B. sells the model home to Tobias (4x9 — "Smashed") and fills the rest with sex offenders. (4x11 — "A New Attitude") G.O.B. then sets out on a vengeful quest against Tony. He uses George Michael to pose as his boyfriend to attend the Gothic Castle during gay night when Tony is performing. He sneaks into Tony's prep room and locks all his tricks in order to sabotage him. This fails again and G.O.B. instead meets with Tony at the bar where (and Tony assumes G.O.B. is gay) the two flirt with one another. G.O.B. plans to have Tony fall in love with him and then break his heart by dumping him. Unbeknowest to G.O.B. Tony is in fact straight, being seen conspiring with Sally Sitwell who stole money from Lucille 2 to finance Tony's gay magic career. The two plan to humiliate G.O.B. the same way he is trying to humiliate Tony. (4x11 — "A New Attitude")

While waiting for a call from Tony, G.O.B. receives a call from him mother Lucille. She tells him to hire a crew to build the US/Mexico wall. (4x10 — "Queen B.") He attempts to hire Mexican day laborors but strikes a deal with China Garden to hire a Chinese work group. (4x11 — "A New Attitude") At UC IrvineG.O.B. tries to feed his nephew a Forget-Me-Now to make him forget about the night at the Gothic Castle. G.O.B. ends up apologizing and George Michael accepts, and buys a Sudden Valley house from him. (4x15 — "Blockheads")

Tony and G.O.B. are the "Same!" in "A New Attitude"

Tony plans a date with G.O.B. at the Little Ballroom, which G.O.B. misses after being directed to a playplace with the same name. There, G.O.B. and Michael fight when Michael assumes G.O.B. is the other man Rebel is seeing. Michael kicks him out of the Untitled Michael B. Project for filling Suddent Valley up with sex offenders. G.O.B. later reconciles with a sullen Tony, and the two realize that they have a lot in common, leading to a budding friendship between the two. However; since neither G.O.B. or Tony has ever experienced a real friendship before, they both interpret their feelings as being romantic in nature. In keeping with their ruse, they plan to have sex the night of Cinco .(4x11 — "A New Attitude")

Tony and G.O.B. prepare for intimacy in "A New Attitude"

The night of Cinco de Cuatro G.O.B. informs the Mongol horde that he'd get their money to build the US/Mexico wall. He then gives his nephew the advice of "Love Each Other" before finding out from his father there is no money to pay the horde. (4x15 — "Blockheads") After breaking the news to the Mongols, G.O.B. encounters Ann who is now the mother of a child. Ann reveals the child's father is Tony Wonder, which contradicts his claim that he is gay. Both Ann and G.O.B. agree to have revenge sex to get back at Tony that night. After arriving at the model home the two attempt to wear disguises (masks of Tony and G.O.B.) and record the act to incriminate Tony. After G.O.B. alienates Ann, she leaves but encounters Tony in the hallway where she tricks both men into having sex wearing disguises. (4x11 — "A New Attitude") Later that night, G.O.B. encounters Michael (having just come from Cinco) who admits to a huge mistake. G.O.B. then force-feeds his last Forget-Me-Now to Michael, and decides to retain the memory of that night. (4x1 — "Flight of the Phoenix") Tony however takes his own Forget-Me-Now and calls to set up a date the following day. (4x15 — "Blockheads")

G.O.B.'s two focal episodes of Season Four are "Colony Collapse" and "A New Attitude". He also appears in "Flight of the Phoenix", "Borderline Personalities", "Indian Takers", "A New Start", "Double Crossers", "Smashed", "Queen B.", "Señoritis" (no dialog), "It Gets Better", "Off the Hook" (no dialog), and "Blockheads".

Family

G.O.B. with his siblings in "Pilot"

George Bluth paid little attention to G.O.B. as a child and has no respect for him as an adult. G.O.B.'s mother Lucille openly loathes him and only calls on him to do her dirty work. On several occasions, G.O.B. and Michael realized that their rivalry has been nurtured by their father and mother's manipulations. They actually kind of like each other as brothers when they aren't at each other's throats. Michael is always afraid that G.O.B.'s antics will rub off on George Michael, whom G.O.B. has asked to do questions tasks in the past.

G.O.B. has always acted like a bully to his younger brother Buster because he didn't respect him. Buster eventually earned his respect on a construction site. ("Staff Infection") This didn't entirely stop G.O.B. from mocking him.

G.O.B. and Tobias operate on different wavelengths but they often teamed up hoping the other would help them obtain money/attention/fame because they both hold disillusioned views of the world. G.O.B. rarely talks with his younger sister Lindsay unless he is jealous of her and he wants to be better than her at something. He also rarely talks with Maeby.

Family Tree

Template:Bluth/Funke family

Trivia

• Will Arnett appears in all 53 episodes of the first three seasons of Arrested Development as G.O.B.. In Season Four, he only appears in archive footage in "Red Hairing" and does not appear at all in "The B. Team". He makes appearances as the main character in "Colony Collaspe " and "A New Attitude ". He makes appearances during several versions of the scene in Lucille's apartment during a family meeting, and in archieve footage or miscellaneous scenes.
• His is one of only two biological children of George and Lucille Bluth, the other being Michael.

Images

→ See 861 pictures of G.O.B. at Images of G.O.B..

Videos

Behind the Scenes - Will Arnett as GOB Bluth

Arrested Development - Why Gob Rules

Season 4 Clip - GOB's Bees

Bein' White

I've Made a Huge Mistake Compilation