| Arrested Development Season 2: Good Grief
“Good Grief,” which aired on 12/5/04, opens with Michael adjusting to his new position as Bluth Company vice president, which really means doing the work of the president, G.O.B. G.O.B is busy with the new issue of “Poof,” the magazine for magicians, which includes a story about a magician named Tony Wonder (who, coincidentally, may or may not be Ben Stiller—look at the picture here.) who baked himself into a loaf of bread in order to pop out of a giant sandwich and feed the troops. G.O.B had a very similar idea ten months ago—his plan was to boil himself live into a chowder and be ladled into a giant cauldron to entertain and feed the firemen—so clearly he should be in this “Poof.” Meanwhile, Ice, the family bounty hunter, has found George, Sr. and set up a meeting with the Bluths that evening. Michael goes down to the banana stand to tell his son the good news—George Michael, however, is taking a break with his girlfriend, Ann, who’s having difficulty with the fact that Michael is constantly interrupting them. She’s not able to finish her thought, unfortunately, because Michael interrupts them. Deciding not to tell George Michael the good news while Egg is “still going,” he calls George Michael roughly 27 seconds after leaving the banana stand, which is the last straw for Ann, who breaks up with George Michael immediately. At Lucille’s apartment, Ice, who it is revealed bounty hunts in order to support his love of party planning, is catering the meeting he has called. Lindsay still really wants a date with him, and Tobias is surprised she’s going after someone so similar to his own type. Maeby has had it with her parents, and Barry Zuckerkorn informs her that if her parents succeed in their respective affairs, he can have Maeby out of that house and on the street in a month, which is music to Maeby’s ears. When everybody is settled, Ice informs the family that George, Sr. was killed in Mexico by a guard; he has the dental records, death certificate, and a political cartoon from a leading Mexican publication to prove it. Lindsay instantly recognizes George, Sr’s perfect teeth in the dental records, which were perfected through his continued use of “Glisten” toothpaste. Lucille can’t believe this is really happening and wants to know if it’s too soon to get the will, maybe Barry could check the car, she doesn’t know what she’s saying—Barry’s not even quite sure how he got to the apartment, and Maeby thinks that maybe Ice could cater the wake (so that she can hook him up with her mother), but she doesn’t know what she’s saying either. G.O.B., sadly, does know what he’s saying, and, in his quest for the “Poof” cover spot, announces that he will be his father’s body, and be buried in his place, because he loved magic so very much. Buster doesn’t deal very well with death—when he believed his old housekeeper, Rosa was responsible for the death of his beloved parakeet, he trashed the kitchen, believing it was her home, and threw a dustbuster, which he thought was her favorite toy, at the city bus, which he thought was her car--- so when he walks in on the meeting, the family tells him they’re planning a birthday party for George, Sr. Meanwhile, George Michael is devastated about Ann, enough so for his very own grieving Charlie Brown-style sound track, and he walks back to the model home for his father’s support. It is there that he learns about his grandfather’s death, and, not wanting to burden his father, George Michael tells Michael that he initiated the breakup with Ann. When G.O.B enlists Buster’s help in setting up the coffin illusion, Buster is confused as to why there will be a coffin trick on his father’s birthday; G.O.B, not knowing what to say, chalks the trick up to black humor. Buster also reveals that he is not actually in the army, but needs a uniform for the party, at which point G.O.B promises to get him one, since he used to be a stripper. George Michael goes off into the adjoining lot to grieve both of his losses, and finds his grandfather alive in a fox-hole. Back in the attic of the model home, George, Sr. explains that he found a loop-hole in the Mexican judicial system (money), who agreed to fake his funeral, and was halfway down to Panama when he saw Lucille kissing Oscar in the newspaper. George Michael agrees to keep his grandfather’s presence a secret, which leads Michael, upon seeing George Michael trying to smuggle hard-boiled eggs upstairs, to think that his son is hiding Ann in the attic. Believing that his son fears his disapproval, Michael invites Ann to the wake and tries to get them back together—it’s as Ann as the nose on plain’s face that she cares for George Michael. Buster arrives at the wake, which he thinks is a birthday party, in an army uniform/spandex leotard, and is whisked away to help G.O.B get the coffin ready to be buried. George Michael, Lindsay, and Michael all say a few words about George, Sr. while he watches from the attic; George Michael uses the opportunity to let his pop-pop know that he’ll be bringing him salmon rolls in a few minutes, and Michael uses the speech to try to persuade George Michael to be honest. George Michael suspects that his father knows the truth about what he’s hiding in the attic, and he tells Michael that he has pop-pop in the attic—Michael takes “pop-pop” to be George Michael’s euphemism for “making love,” which is proof enough that his son is not ready for sex. G.O.B brings everybody outside for the coffin illusion, which Buster, his assistant, ruins; G.O.B tells the mourners that he will become his dead father’s body, at which point Buster, realizing that his father his dead, slams the top of the coffin shut causing G.O.B to fall out the very visible trap door and be buried underneath the coffin, which lands on top of him, and a ton of dirt. Michael finds some of his father’s “Glisten” in the dirt and finally realizes what his son was trying to tell him. He goes up to the attic to reprimand his father, who tries to persuade Michael not to turn him in. Michael informs the rest of the family that George, Sr. is indeed alive and in the attic, but by the time the family gets up there, he’s nowhere in sight. In order to avoid having George Michael as an accomplice to his escape, George Sr. hides in the Aztec tomb so that everyone will think he’s on the run again, revealing himself only to Michael. George Michael informs Michael that he and Ann have gotten back together, and although Michael is dismayed, the two go off to dig G.O.B. out of George, Sr.’s grave…. Bits that make “Arrested Development” the best show on television: This episode is called “Good Grief” with good reason…amazing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” references….George Michael, Tobias, George, Sr. and G.O.B all do the Charlie Brown pity walk with “Christmas time is Here” playing in the background, plus, when George Michael is walking home there’s a big red doghouse with a beagle laying on top of it….this may be my favorite running gag ever, I have never laughed so hard! Tune in Sunday at 8:30 on Fox for Season Two of Arrested Development. |
Quotes from "Good Grief" G.O.B: So, did you see the new “Poof”? Michael: Oh, dad goes back to jail, I could be cleared, I could be president again! Maeby: Both my parents are trying to have affairs. Of course, they haven’t succeeded yet.. Buster: But, why are you doing a coffin trick on dad’s birthday? Michael: I think George Michael’s hiding Ann in the attic. Lindsay: You know, it’s funny, all those years when I pretended to cry I used to use dad’s death to get me going. I tried it with mom’s but I’d just end up smiling and ruining it.. Tobias: Here he comes…here comes John Wayne: I’m not gonna cry about my pa. I’m gonna build an airport, put my name on it. Why, Michael? So you can fly away from your feelings? You can keep them bottled up, but they will come out, Michael, sometimes in the most unexpected—Hey, where the [bleep] are my hard-boiled eggs?! Maeby: All pop-pop ever wanted was to see you with another man besides daddy. George, Sr: Is Oscar wearing my suit? Hey, you tell my brother you don’t wear dead man’s pants…shame on him-and you say that to him, you say “Shame on you”.. George Michael: That’s the girl who ripped my heart out…the girl whose face will always be etched in my mind.. Michael: Hey, Ann, you’re here..that’s great, I wasn’t sure whether you got my message. George Michael: I have pop-pop in the attic. Michael: No, pop-pop does not get a treat, I just brought you a [bleep]ing pizza.
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