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Oscar Bluth

Oscar Bluth is George Bluth's identical twin brother
Actor: Jeffrey Tambor — First Appearance: "Whistler's Mother" — Last Appearance: "Unexpected Company"

Oscar is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor and appeared in 28 episodes of Arrested Development.

About[]

Oscar George Bluth is George Bluth's identical twin brother. The key distinguishing feature between the two brothers was Oscar's long hair, which he retained, as George claims, because "he had never worked a day in his life." Oscar is a burnout who lived in a trailer on a lemon grove until he and his former lover, Lucille Bluth, rekindled their romance when George was on the lam in Mexico. He moved into Balboa Towers to be with her and his unwitting biological son Buster Bluth.

He then moved to the border of Mexico to live with Dr. Norman and China Garden until his twin brother took over and founded Father B.'s Colony. Prolonged consumption of maca began making Oscar more confident, assertive, and sexually aggressive.

While unconfirmed as to whether it was George or him, Oscar likely traveled to Mexico, where he ran into Lindsay, who he bought lunch. Oscar was also believed to have kidnapped Lucille 2. Chronologically, he is last seen in Premature Independence, escaping from the parade with Buster.

That hair...[]

1x21 Not Without My Daughter (62)

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as seen in "Not Without My Daughter"

Oscar could be distinguished from George by his flowing hair, due to lack of stress in his life. ("Whistler's Mother") Despite the hair, the police never failed to mistake Oscar for George. ("The One Where Michael Leaves") George shaved his brothers' head twice to further fool the police. ("Righteous Brothers") ("Prison Break-In") George paid for Oscar's haircut and tricked him into appearing at his exoneration party aboard the RMS Queen Mary. ("Development Arrested") The hair never grew back, causing the brothers to look more identical than ever before. He could be distinguished by his glasses, however. ("Borderline Personalities")

Quirks[]

According to Michael, Oscar has lived off handouts his entire life. Oscar is a frequent smoker and consumer of marijuana and every year he attempts to make a 420 mile trip up to UC Berkeley (but never makes it past UC Irvine.) ("Afternoon Delight") He once wrote a song for David Cassidy, "All You Need Is Smiles", that made Joan Baez call him "the shallowest man in the world." ("Whistler's Mother") He then moved to the Mexican desert where he lived with his new friends Dr. Norman, Heartfire, and China Garden, consuming maca and sitting in a sweat lodge. ("Borderline Personalities")

Work[]

2x07 Switch Hitter (31)

Oscar in the Vietnam war, in "Switch Hitter"

In his youth Oscar served as a "croc spotter" on a swift boat in the Vietnam War (yelling out "Croc!" whenever he saw a crocodile). ("Switch Hitter") He then worked at the Bluth Company under George but was fired by George, even after pleading to keep his job. ("Missing Kitty") He owned a lemon grove under an easement by the US government and attempted to make a living by selling lemonade to passing Army troops. ("Whistler's Mother") Oscar attempted to work on a Bluth Company construction site, but was hapless. ("The One Where They Build a House") He worked with his brother at Father B.'s Colony as the double in the sweat lodge. George made tens of thousands of dollars from each group but he only paid Oscar $50. ("Borderline Personalities")

Love life[]

2x03 Lucille (3)

Lucille and Oscar in "¡Amigos!"

Oscar met a young Lucille in the USO in Vietnam, stealing her from General Anderson. Lucille eventually left Oscar for his more successful older brother. ("Switch Hitter") After George escaped from prison, Lucille and Oscar rekindled their relationship. ("The One Where They Build a House") For nearly a year, Oscar dropped hints that he was in fact Buster's biological father. Buster, who discovered the adulterous pair in flagrante delicto multiple times, finally realized this when Oscar invited Buster to enjoy some "Pop Secret" popcorn. ("Righteous Brothers")

Newfound confidence[]

In 2012 after prolonged consumption of maca and his frustration with his twin brother came to a head, Oscar grew more confident and sexually assertive. He slept with Dr. Norman's partner China Garden and, posing as his twin brother George slept with Lucille Bluth and Lucille Austero. ("Borderline Personalities") ("Double Crossers")

Character history[]

1x20 Whistler's Mother (37)

Oscar in "Whistler's Mother"

Season one[]

Oscar resides most often in a trailer outside Camp Pendleton. He owns a couple hundred acres of lemon groves and sells lemonade to the troops when their maneuvers pass by. He sold the land to Michael for $10,000, who was unaware that the government had an easement on it so they could drive their tanks through it. Lucille took advantage of Oscar's feelings for her and convinced him to buy the land back. ("Whistler's Mother")

Oscar attends Annyong Bluth's soccer game with Lucille and a reluctant Buster. When Buster approaches him to stay away from his mother, he realizes Oscar was the father figure he never had. ("Not Without My Daughter")

Season two[]

2x02 The One Where They Build a House (113)

Oscar and Lucille's rekindle relationship, as seen in "The One Where They Build a House"

After George escaped from prison, Oscar was arrested, being an identical doppelganger for George. While incarcerated, the police impounded his trailer so he moved in with Lucille to Balboa Towers. He began to hint to Buster that he was more than just a father figure and the two began to bond. ("The One Where Michael Leaves")

Oscar and Lucille rekindle their relationship and begin to get physical. Buster interrupts them many times, so Lucille tries to get Oscar to shape up by getting a job at the Bluth Company construction site. At the opening of the Second model home, Lucille and Oscar make out inside the shell of a house. ("The One Where They Build a House")

2x04 Good Grief (10)

Oscar in "Good Grief"

Buster, now a member of Army, decides to go to training as an act of protest against his mother's relationship with Oscar. This saves Oscar from having to move out of the house. ("¡Amigos!") Oscar, growing more comfortable at Balboa Towers, walking around in only a robe, learns of his twin brother's supposed death and attends the wake at the Model Home and is present when it is revealed George is still alive and on the lam. ("Good Grief")

George, now living in the model home's attic, promises Michael that if Lucille loves Oscar more than she loves him, he'll flee the country for good. Michael finds out that Oscar makes Lucille happy, but Oscar feels trapped. George doesn't flee. ("Sad Sack") As Lucille acts extra tense, George comments that she must not be "getting any" from Oscar. To get her to calm down, Michael asks Oscar to give her some "Afternoon Delight" (based on the Starland Vocal Band song) but Oscar thinks he means Afternoon Deelite — a strain of Marijuana. They eat pot brownies together. ("Afternoon Delight")

2x06 Afternoon Delight (56)

Oscar in "Afternoon Delight"

When Buster is ordered to Army, Oscar suggests that Lucille visit General Anderson. ("Switch Hitter") Oscar sits in Lucille's newly renovated bathroom, which she stole from Lucille Austero. ("Queen for a Day") Oscar only owns two pair of pants, so Lucille refused to let him bid on her at the bachelorette auction. ("Burning Love")

Oscar attends the beach photoshoot with Buster and Lucille before Buster heads off to army. George snuck in with a wig to encourage Buster to hide from Army, but Buster thought that it was Oscar admitting to be his father. Buster grew upset at Lucille and decided to go to war after all. Lucille and Oscar argued, drunk and high, because Lucille did not want Oscar to tell Buster the truth. ("Out on a Limb") Oscar sat at the hospital with Buster after he got his hand bitten off by a seal. Buster forgot about his claw multiple times and punctured Oscar's bicep and tendon, causing Buster to panic and Oscar to scream in pain. ("Hand to God")

2x16 Meat the Veals (68)

Oscar fights George in "Meat the Veals"

Oscar visits Michael in the hospital, and licks his own open sore. ("Sword of Destiny") When George decides to renew his vows with Lucille, Oscar attempts to interrupt the ceremony by fighting with George. Being identical twins, they fought exactly the same way, so no one won. Oscar also tried to fight Michael, forgetting exactly who he was fighting. George had to flee from the police, but Lucille came to Oscar's aid. ("Meat the Veals")

Oscar's last pair of pants fell apart so Lucille refused to take him to a resort package she won. The resort was actually a ploy by her kids to get her to rehab and when they needed her out, G.O.B. used Oscar as a distraction to get her out. ("Spring Breakout")

2x18 Righteous Brothers (42)

Oscar, sharing his Pop Secret with Buster in "Righteous Brothers"

Oscar, forgetting that Buster had a fake hand, lifted the Cornballer to save him from burning, but accidentally burned all his fingertips off. He later tried to share some popcorn with Buster, who burned his forehead with his fake hand that he was using as a rack for an iron. Oscar shouted "I just wanted to share my Pop Secret!" and Buster inferred, again, that Oscar was his biological father. Buster got upset that Lucille lied to him but eventually told Lucille that she should be with Oscar because he makes her happy. Oscar, meanwhile, was approached by George who offered to let him turn him in for a reward. Instead, George shaved Oscar's head and turned him in as George Bluth. Having burnt off his fingerprints, Oscar was unable to prove his real identity. ("Righteous Brothers")

Season three[]

3x01 The Cabin Show (24)

Oscar's IMOSCAR.COM, as seen in "The Cabin Show"

Oscar, feeling the true effects of stress, was unable to grow his hair back. No one had visited "George" in prison so Oscar was unable to explain who he really was. When Michael finally visited months later, he refused to listen to what "George" had to say but when "George" said that family is the most important thing, Michael knew it was Oscar. Oscar had set up IMOSCAR.COM to get the word out, but no one read it. ("The Cabin Show")

Oscar snuck back into Lucille's apartment to get some marijuana he left there and reluctantly got caught in a conversation with Buster. Attempting to hide from George (who was under house arrest) Oscar hid inside G.O.B.'s Free Chicken Illusion box and was knocked unconscious. George found him, shaved his head again, and used him as a dummy to escape. ("Prison Break-In")

Oscar, still bald from when George shaved his head, attended George's exoneration party in a tuxedo, so everyone assumed it was George. He realized he was conned into pretending to be George by being offered free food. ("Development Arrested")

Season four[]

4x02 Borderline Personalities (92)

Oscar in "Borderline Personalities"

George ran into Oscar, now bald like George, at the Balboa Club. Oscar lived on the border between the United States and Mexico with his new friends Heartfire, Dr. Norman, and China Garden. George asked to join them as he was interested in building the US/Mexico wall. After years of living on the land with his twin brother and consuming maca with his friends, Oscar agreed to help George form Father B.'s Colony. Oscar sweat in the sweat lodge while George 'squeezed' the CEOs of tens of thousands of dollars and only paid Oscar $50. Months went by and the two men were visited by Divine Spirit while on a maca trip, who prophesized that "the weak will become the strong". (4x2 — "Borderline Personalities") (4x8 — "Red Hairing") A year passed and Oscar became more confident and sexually aggressive. He slept with China Garden, who was previously exclusive with Dr. Norman. (4x2 — "Borderline Personalities")

George asked Oscar to keep Lucille occupied while he bribed Herbert Love to build the wall. Oscar learned from Barry that the colony was just a ruse before the wall was built. Oscar visited Lucille at Orange County Correctional Facility L.I.T.E. to confirm Barry's accusations about the wall and ended up making love to her while posing as George. (4x2 — "Borderline Personalities") Post-coital, Lucille expressed concern about the status of the wall project so she asked Oscar (thinking he was George) to get G.O.B. involved. (4x6 — "Double Crossers")

S4 5

Oscar, on Lucille 2's balcony in "The B. Team"

The next day at the Colony, G.O.B. arrived with his bees and destroyed the colony. At the same time, Oscar aggressively stood up to George and told him he 'rejected' him as a brother for taking advantage of him over his entire life. (4x6 — "Double Crossers") That evening Oscar went to Lucille's apartment looking for her but ended up at Lucille Austero's apartment instead. Michael saw him kissing her on the balcony. (4x1 — "Flight of the Phoenix") Michael then approached Oscar, thinking he was George, about signing his rights away for the Untitled Michael B. Project. Michael said he'd make George look 'nice' and Oscar told him to go to hell. (4x4 — "The B. Team")

A week later, Oscar called Austerity looking for Lucille 2 but was connected to Lucille Bluth's room. Lucille, still believing him to be George, wanted to "Take to the sea!" on the night of Cinco de Cuatro. She told him to arrange a boat. On the night of Cinco after prepping the boat Oscar made out with Lucille Austero while she put a "vote for Austero" sticker on him. Lucille found out George was using Oscar as his body double and asked for a divorce. She then asked Oscar to flee with her, but found out he was sleeping with Lucille 2, so she left to threaten Lucille 2. (4x10 — "Queen B.")

Trivia[]

  • Oscar appears in 28 episodes over all 5 seasons.
  • Oscar is first mentioned in "Missing Kitty" when George tells Michael that he enjoyed firing his own twin brother.
  • Oscar is usually accidentally arrested due to being mistaken for his brother. Whenever he is arrested, he is seized by three police officers; two of whom tackle him to the ground while the other hits him with a truncheon.
  • His full name is a reverse of his brother's.

Images[]

→ See 141 pictures of Oscar Bluth at Images of Oscar Bluth.

Appearances[]

Season One
"Whistler's Mother"
"Not Without My Daughter"
Season Two
"The One Where Michael Leaves"
"The One Where They Build a House"
"¡Amigos!"
"Good Grief"
"Sad Sack"
"Afternoon Delight"
"Switch Hitter"
"Queen for a Day"
"Burning Love"
"Out on a Limb"
"Hand to God"
"Sword of Destiny"
"Meat the Veals"
"Spring Breakout"
"Righteous Brothers"
Season Three
"The Cabin Show"
"Prison Break-In"
"Development Arrested"
Season Four
"Flight of the Phoenix"
"Borderline Personalities"
"The B. Team"
"Double Crossers"
"Red Hairing"
"Queen B."
Season Four Remix
Season Five
"Self-Deportation"
"Everyone Gets Atrophy"
"Premature Independence"
"Unexpected Company"
"Taste Makers"
"Chain Migration"
"Check Mates"
"The Untethered Sole"
Main Arrested Development Characters
BusterG.O.B.George MichaelGeorgeLindsayLucilleMaebyMichaelTobias
AnnAnnyongBarry ZuckerkornJohn BeardKittyLucille 2LupeMort MeyersOscarRebelSteve HoltOfficer Taylor
All characters
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