Synopsis
Michael takes George Michael to start a new life in Phoenix. When he finds out that the full impact of his departure might have been lost on his family, he returns to inform them that he is leaving. G.O.B. and Lindsay speculate that Michael needs them more than they need him. Michael is frustrated that no one is taking his "I'm out of here" seriously, because he is out of there seriously. George Michael says they are leaving for Phoenix, but Michael tells him not to let them know.
On the road once again, and confident that the family knows that they're gone, Michael decides to let George Michael sit on his lap and steer. They get pulled over by the police, who inform them that George Sr. has been arrested. Knowing that if he went back he'd only say something hurtful, Michael decides to return a second time.
Once at the police station they find out from Barry Zuckerkorn that the police actually have George Sr.'s twin brother, Oscar. Michael informs Barry that they are leaving for Phoenix, but Barry tells Michael that he can't leave the state unless he comes up with bail. He really wishes that he hadn't had said that.
Michael, in search of the company checkbook, goes to the company, where he is surprised to find that G.O.B. seems to have things under control. Michael learns that his mother has the checkbook, so he leaves for her apartment, hoping that Buster has already killed her. With Michael gone, G.O.B. is making holes in the walls of the company when he discovers a briefcase containing a contract between George Bluth and Saddam Hussein.
Lindsay and Tobias discuss opening up their marriage to new partners, and Lindsay makes what she thinks is a date. Tobias, depressed about his wife's success in their newly open relationship, spots a flyer for what he thinks is a support group. Lindsay shows up for what she thinks will be a sexual adventure with a realtor, but it is actually an open house. Tobias goes to what he this is a support group and instead finds a team of bald men painted blue.
Lucille sees a news piece about the developer of some of Saddam Hussein's palaces. She informs G.O.B., who had been contemplating his new found documents for a full seven minutes, that she is on her way to the company. On the way she is assailed by a documentary filmmaker, who inquires about the family's Iraq link and pointedly asks if she'd ever enlist her son or daughter in the Army. She immediately signs Buster up for duty.
Michael realizes that he's out of options, and, knowing that his father has a penchant for hiding valuable things in walls, considered one last desperate gambit: breaking open the walls of the model house. He discovers Tobias, painted blue for his audition with the Blue Man Group. Michael realizes that he's been too proud and tells Tobias that he was bothered by the fact that his family did so well without him and that he has to ask them for help.
Hoping to be seen, Tobias leaves for the theatre. Unfortunately, it's dusk and Tobias couldn't be seen, leading to him getting hit by a car. At the hospital for the second time in two days, the family pours out their troubles and begs Michael for help. Dr. Fishman (aka Dr. "Wordsmith") informs that it looks like Tobias is dead because he's got blue paint on him or something. Oscar excuses himself from the family and is attacked by the police, before Michael tells them that Oscar isn't the one they're looking for. Oscar leaves as Michael explains to the family that the police want him for George Sr.'s crimes. G.O.B. reveals that he has evidence of their father's activities with Saddam Hussein, but can't seem to find it. George Michael says that Oscar has the briefcase just as Oscar shows up - wearing different clothes. At this point Annyong tells the family that somebody took his wig.
The family realizes that George Sr. must have taken the wig and disguised himself as Oscar to get the evidence and leave the country. G.O.B. puts his hand on Michael's shoulder and comforts him, saying, "You've made a huge mistake."
Notes
- Although this episode begins on the same day that Let 'Em Eat Cake left off, it was in fact filmed several months later, which is why some of the characters (notably Lindsay and the kids) look different.
- This episode marks the start of several new storylines, including Tobias and Lindsay's open marriage, Tobias joining the Blue Man Group, G.O.B. being in charge of the Bluth Company, and Oscar moving in with Buster and Lucille.
- Michael makes a hole in the wall with a sledgehammer. This hole remains for the rest of the season, although half of it is covered by a cabinet.
References
- Blue Man Group - Tobias first sees the Blue Man Group in this episode and although he paints himself blue, he mentions that he has not yet even auditioned to be an understudy.
- Chemical Ali - FOX 6's report on the Bluth-built American homes in Iraq claims that one of the houses shown is the "former home of Chemical and Mrs. Ali".
- Friends - The title is a play on Friends-style episode titles, which usually start with the phrase "The One Where".
- Kegel exercise - Lindsay's exercise video is actually for Kegel exercises, a set of exercises designed to strengthen and give voluntary control over the pubococcygeus muscle; the exercises are used to increase sexual gratification.
- George W. Bush - G.O.B. sat with the Saddam documents for seven minutes; George W. Bush sat reading a children's story for seven minutes after being told of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- Michael Moore - The documentary filmmaker is a spoof of Michael Moore, whose documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, included a segment in which he asked senators to enlist their sons or daughters in the army.
- University of California, Irvine - The Blue Man Group flyer says they are scheduled to perform at the university, specifically the UC Irvine Bren Center.
Callbacks/running jokes
- Abbreviated cursing - Buster abbreviates the word "rape" to "R". He previously abbreviated the word "screwing" to "essing" in Pier Pressure, and later abbreviates "bitch" to "B" in Ready, Aim, Marry Me.
- Blender - Lucille interrupts Michael's speech with a blender.
- Blue paint - For the first half of Season 2, blue paint (usually in the form of a randomly-placed blue handprint) can be seen in the background on the walls of the Bluth model home.
- Bluth Company Board/workers are incompetent - The board approves G.O.B. as the president of the company after he performs a magic trick for them.
- Buster's real father - Several hints are made that Oscar is Buster's real father, each accompanied by the same dramatic music and knowing glances between Oscar and Lucille:
- When Buster says that they told him his father was at the police station, Oscar suggestively says, "Did they?"
- Oscar suggestively agrees that Buster needs "a father figure".
- When Oscar suggests that Buster should grow his hair long, Buster notes, "Then I'd look like you." Oscar responds, "More than you'll ever know."
- Documentary - The show continues its documentary style, showing George Sr's escape using an ATM camera (captioned "ATM footage courtesy of Orange Coast Bank") and a traffic light photo (captioned "Traffic light photo courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department").
- Hiding in the walls - The narrator mentions that George Sr. has a tendency to hide things inside walls. This was previously shown in Top Banana, in which he lined the walls of the Banana Stand with $250,000.
- A huge mistake - When Michael announces to the family that he's leaving, he tells G.O.B. to bail himself out next time, rather than coming to him and saying, "I've made a huge mistake." G.O.B. denies ever saying that he made a mistake, asking what he would have made a mistake about. Later, when Michael realizes that George Sr. has gotten away with the evidence, G.O.B. tells him, "You've made a huge mistake."
- Lindsay's nose - Michael reveals that Lindsay's nose is fake, and that she used to have a larger nose when she was younger. This is referenced numerous times in later episodes.
- Never nude - Tobias is wearing his cutoffs when he informs Michael that he has a gig as an understudy of a performance art group.
- Pilot callbacks
- Lindsay is wearing a "H.O.O.P" t-shirt during the Monkey Freedom Rally set-back. H.O.O.P. is her anti-circumcision movement, mentioned several times in Pilot.
- Michael and George Michael are once again leaving for Phoenix, Arizona, like they almost did in the Pilot.
- Lucille twice gives the same wink that she did in the Pilot.
- This episode's ending is identical to the ending of the Pilot.
- Phone - This is the first episode in which G.O.B.'s inability to operate the company phones is displayed.
- George Michael tips his hand when making a phony phone call to Lucille's pretending to be Dr. Bluman's office, conceding they'll just get a hold of Michael in Phoenix (he would have no knowledge of this and his father's departure moments before). He had previously done this at a younger age, referring to his father as "Dad" while impersonating the Jerky Boys during a business meeting in Burning Love.
- Police brutality - Whenever Oscar is arrested by the police, he is beaten over the head with a baton by Officer Taylor, who always says "Yeah" after doing so. This happens four times in the episode.
- Rape horn - Lucille mentions she has a rape horn, a possible callback to Buster's "rape whistle" in Charity Drive.
- Tobias is gay - Numerous jokes are made regarding Tobias' sexuality.
- Tobias "accidentally" sets off Lucille's rape horn just before Michael mentions that Lindsay thinks he's a homosexual.
- Tobias says it's "nice to be back in a queen", referring to sharing a queen bed with his wife.
- Tobias says, "No, I'm afraid I just 'blue' myself."
- When Lindsay walks in on Tobias in the bedroom, he is seen practicing her "EZ-Keglin" Kegel exercise tape.
- Wig - George Sr.'s technique of using a wig to disguise himself while escaping is shown several times throughout the course of the series.
- "Wonderful things" - Michael says "He said some wonderful things" in regards to Tobias' "I just blue myself" line. Michael said the same thing about George Sr.'s "Daddy horny" line in Visiting Ours.
- George Sr. doesn't like Oscar - When George Sr. is disguised as Oscar, he says, "Well I'm going to go, you don't need a piece of **** uncle hanging around."
- "Who wants to go to the hospital?" - This begins a running gag in which Tobias ends his storyline for each episode by going to the hospital. It is repeated several times in Season 2.
- "I am having the time of my life" - Said by the Barry Zucherman in the "On the next" part of the show. Referring back to when George Sr. is first visited in prison by Michael where he says the same thing, as well as the same gestures and greetings toward another inmate.
Hidden/background jokes
- Hair - Several scenes after Buster brushes Lucille's hair, it is noticeably more of a mess than usual.
- Never nude - Tobias can be seen wearing his cut-offs as he walks around the model home in blue paint.
- Sign - At her "Monkey Freedom Rally", Lindsay holds a sign that reads "Free this orangutan". The fact that orangutans are apes, and not monkeys, serves to reinforce Lindsay's ignorance.
- Staring - When Michael and George Michael return to the penthouse, George Michael can't help but stare at Lindsay's nose, now knowing that it's fake. Lindsay covers her nose with her hand and nervously walks away.
Foreshadowing/future references
- Blue Man Group - Michael pretends to be a doctor named "Dr. Bluman" on the phone to Lucille, hinting at the upcoming storyline with Tobias joining the Blue Man Group.
- Seal Attack - While Buster is combing Oscar's hair, John Beard reports, "And a seal attack. Meet one surprised bather, coming up!" The camera then pans to Buster. This foreshadows Buster's attack by a seal in Out on a Limb.
- Adopted - When George Michael and Michael are driving to Phoenix, George Michael asks if Lindsay is not his real aunt, possibly hinting that Lindsay was adopted.
- Oscar - During the final scene at the hospital, Buster is clearly uncomfortable with the way Oscar is massaging his shoulders, a hint that it is George Sr. disguised as Oscar.
Cameos
- Ian Roberts makes his second appearance as Dr. Fishman, also known as "the literal doctor" and Dr. "Wordsmith".
- Jay Johnston returns as Officer Taylor, the police officer who hits Oscar over the head. He later plays a large role in the episode Hand to God.
Goofs
- When the family sees Lindsay in the shower and goes downstairs to leave, someone (possibly a crew member) can be seen in the mirror sitting down in the background.
- When Oscar is at the police station, he can be seen wearing George Sr.'s wedding ring.
- The document which G.O.B. finds inside the briefcase does not actually have Arabic writing. The non-English text is Persian.
External links
| SEASON TWO EPISODES | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1. "The One Where Michael Leaves" |
7. "Switch Hitter" |
13. "Motherboy XXX" |
| Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five | ||