Maeby Fünke

Maeby Fünke is the wily granddaughter of the Bluth family
Actor: Alia Shawkat — First Appearance: "Pilot" — Last Appearance: "Blockheads"

Mae "Maeby" Fünke is the biological daughter of Lindsay and Tobias Fünke. Despite her parents lack of skill and talent, Maeby is an accomplished con artist. She has an alter ego named Surely Fünke, a wheelchair bound girl suffering from a disease called BS, which she uses to get money through donations. She also cons her way into being a movie executive at Tantamount Studios for a couple of years.

Maeby is the on-and-off object of her cousin George Michael's affection and the two briefly experiment with incestuous behaviors. Maeby is also strongly attracted to Steve Holt, who, unfortunately, is also her cousin.

Maeby is portrayed by Alia Shawkat and appeared in 61 episodes of Arrested Development. Chronologically, she is last seen getting arrested for sleeping with the minor Perfecto Telles in "Señoritis". She is last seen in "Blockheads" being kicked out of the Untitled Michael B. Project by Michael by not telling him that both he and George Michael were seeing Rebel.

About

Maeby and her parents in Dr. Fünke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution in "Best Man for the Gob"

Parental absence

Although Lindsay and Tobias struggled to conceive Maeby and the Bluth family spent $130,000 into fertility tests and lab equipment, Maeby was born a natural birth to Lindsay. ("Beef Consommé") ("Exit Strategy") Her mother, being incredibly vain, took an extremely hands-off approach to raising her so therefore Maeby began rebelling in any way possible. Her father was busy with his career that he didn't have time for her until he lost his job. By then, she wanted nothing to do with him. After moving from Boston to Newport Beach in 2003, Maeby became fully self-sufficient in her daily life. She was often forgotten by her parents but she found a smile and a lie could get her anything she wanted. 

Her parental absence led her to fail out of high school just to get their attention. They never noticed and even moved away (thinking she was living with the other or in boarding school) so she became a career high school student. ("Señoritis")

George Michael and Maeby kiss in "Exit Strategy"

Romantic interests

To teach her mother a lesson, Maeby kissed George Michael at George Bluth's retirement party. ("Pilot") George Michael then became enamored with his cousin and struggled to hide his slightly incestuous attraction. ("Top Banana") After a year of trying to suppress his love and find out if she is really his biological cousin, the two made out in the model home. ("Righteous Brothers") Things became even more awkward between them so they tried to finish the kiss, to see if it would help. ("The Cabin Show") They finally go to second base before they found out Maeby was absolutely the daughter of Tobias and Lindsay. ("Development Arrested")

Maeby and Steve, in "Forget-Me-Now"

Meanwhile, Maeby became attracted to Steve Holt at high school, but was repelled by his scent (her mother's perfume) during Much Ado About Nothing. ("Bringing Up Buster") She continued to be attracted to him and nearly slept with him, but drugged him before going through with it. ("Forget-Me-Now") Good thing, too, as Steve Holt was her cousin as well.

Annyong also became enamored by Maeby when she kissed him to make George Michael jealous. ("Let 'Em Eat Cake") He still thought about her years later. ("Development Arrested")

Maeby began dating high school student Perfecto Telles, and seduced him. She was arrested for sleeping with him at age 23 when he was just 17. ("Señoritis")

Maeby at work at Tantamount Studios in "Spring Breakout"

Careers

After a brief stint working at the Banana Stand, Maeby realized she could make easier money by lying to people. She constructed a fake sister Surely Fünke and raised money for her BS disease. ("Altar Egos") While tagging along with her father to Tantamount Studios, she cons her way into a job as a studio executive. ("Switch Hitter") She then oversees the production of several films including The Young Man and the Beach, Almost Cousins, and Love, Indubitably. She loses her job when George Michael sends invitations to her 16th birthday party. ("Exit Strategy") She gets a job at Imagine Entertainment, but she is fired when Kitty discovers she does not have her high school diploma. She becomes a career high school student and at the same time works as a pimp for her unwitting mother. She also makes money by leasing out the model home to the crew of John Beard's To Entrap a Local Predator: Orange County Edition: Super Creep. ("Señoritis")

Character history

Maeby in Season One

Season one

Maeby attended her grandfather's retirement party where she kissed George Michael as an attempt to teach her mother a lesson that she should see her family more often. ("Pilot") Michael asks Maeby to help work at the Banana Stand and she begins taking money from the register in exchange for throwing bananas away. When George Michael realizes the bad math, he attempts to burn the stand down. ("Top Banana")

Maeby auditions for Much Ado About Nothing in order to get closer to Steve Holt but she quits once her father takes over the director's role. She takes it back up and kisses Steve, but she doesn't enjoy it. ("Bringing Up Buster") Maeby attempts to save a tree that her mother wants destroyed, then wants to destroy the same tree when her mother changes her position. ("Key Decisions") Maeby and George Michael break into a permit office for G.O.B. and George Michael gets arrested while she escapes. ("Charity Drive")

Maeby in Season One

Maeby follows her parents to counseling and grows worried that her parents are getting a divorce which would mean she would have to spend more time with them. ("Visiting Ours") Maeby leads George Michael on by complementing his muscle suit, even though she knew it was fake. ("In God We Trust") Maeby and George Michael get kicked out of an R-rated movie so George Michael gets fake IDs so they can see Les Cousins Dangereux. ("My Mother, the Car")

Maeby dressing in all leather to annoy her "anti-leather" mother, but Lindsay takes no notice. Maeby then takes no notice of her father, who is trying to reach out to her. ("Storming the Castle") Maeby is punished for her poor grades and must spend time with Lucille. At first they bond over being family outcasts but Maeby realizes that Lindsay had a rough childhood if Lucille was always that critical. ("Pier Pressure") Maeby watches as her family goes through PR training. ("Public Relations")

Maeby and her cousin in "Beef Consommé"

Maeby switches rooms to stay with her mother at the model home. ("Marta Complex") George Michael learns that the Bluth family spent $130,000 on Maeby's conception but doesn't tell her that she might not be related when she realizes the frazzled Bluth family is better than no family at all. ("Beef Consommé") Maeby and Annyong go to the Diversity Dance, where she dances with Steve Holt. ("Shock and Aww") Maeby works at the banana stand and mocks George Michael, whose father is too busy for him. ("Staff Infection")

Maeby as Surely Fünke in "Justice Is Blind"

Maeby dresses as Surely Fünke to accept a $500 check for her BS disease. ("Altar Egos") George Michael calls BS on Surely and her BS but gets caught up in the frenzy when she calls him a "hero" for getting ramps installed at the courthouse. ("Justice Is Blind") Lindsay and Maeby attempt to track down Nana and end up spending an afternoon with the wrong elderly woman. ("Missing Kitty") Tobias reunites Dr. Fünke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution in order to get back in touch with his family, to Maeby's chagrin. ("Best Man for the Gob")

Maeby and George Michael visit George in prison to attempt to prove they aren't afraid of prison. ("Whistler's Mother") Michael attempts to be a good role model to Maeby and makes her a $50 bet that he can go longer without lying than she can. She ends up lying to the police on Bring Your Daughter To Work Day and helps Michael escape charges. ("Not Without My Daughter") Maeby becomes jealous when George Michael starts seeing Ann so she kisses Annyong to make him jealous, to no avail. ("Let 'Em Eat Cake")

Season two

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Maeby in Season Two

Maeby witnesses the start of her parents experiment of starting to see other people. ("The One Where Michael Leaves") She then challengers her parents if they have the guts to go through with it. ("The One Where They Build a House") Maeby rides down to Mexico to rescue George. She then rides back up north in the stair car with Michael, bashing her mother while Michael based Ann. ("¡Amigos!") Tired of both her parents' selfish attitudes about dating, Maeby asked Barry if he could emancipate her from their care. To prove she was in an unloving home she attempted to get Lindsay to flirt with Ice. ("Good Grief")

Lindsay takes notice of Steve Holt so Maeby tells him that she is a transvestite to stem his attraction towards her. ("Sad Sack") Because George Michael is off with Ann, Michael takes Maeby to the Bluth Company Christmas party and they sing "Afternoon Delight" then avoid each other when they realize the vulgarity of the lyrics. ("Afternoon Delight")

Maeby joins her father as he tours Tantamount Studios, spreading good words about the name Fünke by the water cooler. Maeby sits in an office and a reader thinks she is an executive so he writes a report on The Old Man and the Sea for her. Mort Meyers then notices that she's the Fünke everyone's been talking about. ("Switch Hitter") Maeby starts using "Marry Me!" when people comment that she looks so young to be a movie exec. She tries to take notes on some scripts in the attic but gets bored. George finds them and notes them, but Maeby thinks George Michael annotated them, and his lust for her is reignited. ("Queen for a Day")

Maeby in "Ready, Aim, Marry Me"

Ann tries to throw a music burning party to destroy non religious music, but Maeby tells people it is a CD burning party and people attend just to share free music. ("Burning Love") Maeby teases George Michael about his fear of Uncle Jack, and has no interest in knowing why her father was dressed all westerny. ("Ready, Aim, Marry Me") Maeby helps George Michael break up with Ann by inviting her to meet Lucille, who they assume will be critical. Instead, Lucille is in shock about Buster's departure for Army and Ann converts Lucille to a Christian. ("Out on a Limb") Maeby runs into G.O.B. as she is filming The Young Man and the Beach, but he takes no notice of her career. ("Hand to God")

Maeby in her company car, in "Sword of Destiny"

When Maeby hears that George Michael gets to miss school because of a Christian camping trip, she pretends to be a Christian so she can reap the same benefit. ("Motherboy XXX") Maeby helps Steve Holt run for class president, over George Michael. She then meets Mrs. Featherbottom but sees right through her father's cheap act. ("The Immaculate Election") Maeby received a company car from Tantamount, even though she was 15 years old. ("Sword of Destiny") Maeby's job started to have consequences on her normal life, as she would curse and demand things from her family members. She was still getting her homework done for free though. ("Meat the Veals")

Mort demands that Maeby head down to Spring Break and learn how teenagers really talk for The Young Man and the Beach rewrites. She is frustrated by the airheads and George Michael pours his heart out to her, but she misses the sentiment and only cares about the words. ("Spring Breakout") Maeby attempts to salvage the trainwreck of a movie Almost Cousins and Ann's protest stirs up enough controversy for people to attend. Maeby and George Michael are then thrust into each other's arms when the model home begins to sink, and they kiss. ("Righteous Brothers")

Season three

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Maeby in Season Three

After kissing, Maeby and her cousin tried to avoid each other, but decided they should finish the kiss to make their situation less awkward. Her mother drives them to Reno to find Tobias and Maeby makes out with Steve Holt when George Michael disappears with his father. ("The Cabin Show") In an attempt to avoid George Michael, Maeby begins to date Steve Holt but fears things are going too fast so she gives him a forget-me-now pill to fool him into thinking they went all the way. ("Forget-Me-Now")

At the Church and State Fair Maeby dons her Surely Fünke disguise to prove that even the Miss Inner Beauty pageant is an outward beauty pageant. She wins, much to her surprise. ("Notapusy") Maeby and Mort scramble to recoup losses from the horrible Love, Indubitably film by turning it into a ride at the Tantamount Studios tour. ("Mr. F") Maeby, struggling to finish a film, turns to Rita for advice. When she discovers that Rita is an MRF she rushes to halt production. ("The Ocean Walker")

While asking Warden Stefan Gentles for permission to film inside Orange County Prison, he asks her to read his New Warden script, which she pawns off on George Michael. ("Prison Break-In") Maeby's job is on the line if she can't fix a floundering horror movie. Maeby takes inspiration from her grandmother's chemical peel and releases the successful film Gangee. ("Making a Stand") When Lindsay and Tobias discover that Maeby has not been attending the private school Openings Tobias attempts to give her parental guidance by having her assemble gift bags to send to casting directors. ("S.O.B.s")

George Michael and Maeby (accidentally) get married in "Fakin' It"

George Michael asks Maeby to participate in a fake wedding ceremony for elderly patients at Buster's hospital. Maeby runs from the altar the first time, but goes through with it the second time. Little did they know the priest was real and the wedding was official. ("Fakin' It") She gets upset when she finds this out, and that George Michael is taking it so seriously. ("Family Ties")

George Michael throws a surprise party for Maeby's 16th birthday and sends invitations to everyone in her address book, ruining her career at Tantamount. They drink fake wine and get fake drunk and really make out. They then find out that Maeby is 100% the daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. ("Exit Strategy") Maeby attempts to get the film rights of the Bluth family story from her family at George exoneration party about the RMS Queen Mary. She then meets with Ron Howard who tells her that he sees the story as a movie. ("Development Arrested")

Season four

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Maeby in Season Four

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Maeby tries to get her parents' attention by failing high school. When they go out of town, she takes a film crew to India to shoot Gangie on the Ganges and while there  she spots here mother at the Four Seasons Mumbai, so she poses as a shaman to convince her mother to return and pay attention to her.

Maeby, after being fired from her new job at Imagine Entertainment for not having a diploma decides to go back to high school. She keeps flunking out and eventually decides to make a career of it still remaining a High school senior at various schools. In her fifth senior year she adopts the last name Featherbottom the surname of her fathers British Nanny alter ego. She eventually needs tutoring an agrees to be tutored by a college student. That Student ends up being her cousin George Michael who himself suspected the Maeby grade F on the student list was his cousin.

At that time it's revealed that there is an undercover cop at her school. As Maeby is 23 many suspect it's her but after spotting a Student name Perfecto Telles lashing a badge in a bar Maybe suspects it's him. After being told by Barry Zuckerkorn that she risks being expelled for being over 21 she decides to seduce Pefecto so she won't be busted.

Meanwhile she helps George Michael with FakeBlock until she overhypes it too mucha and he fires her. She also acts as a pimp for the unwitting Lindsay who is sleeping with Herbert Love.

Maeby tells her suspicions to Perfecto about him being an undercover cop. He confirms this they end up having sex but she is seen by his foster mom Lucille Austero. At Cinco de Cuatro Maeby finds out later Perfecto was lying and was just part of the school's anti-bullying force and is 17. Maeby is arrested and is last seen cringing at the prospect of having to be forced to move to Sudden Valley due to California's strict sex offender laws.

Maeby's focal episode in Season Four is "Señoritis". She also appears in the episodes "Flight of the Phoenix", "Indian Takers", "The B. Team", "A New Start", "Red Hairing", "It Gets Better", "Off the Hook", "Blockheads".

Trivia

• Maeby does not appear in the episode "For British Eyes Only" except for archival footage.
• In Season Four, Maeby only appears in archive footage in "Borderline Personalities" and "Colony Collapse". She does not appear in the episodes "Double Crossers", "Smashed", "Queen B.", and "A New Attitude".

Images

→ See 413 pictures of Maeby Fünke at Images of Maeby Fünke.