TVSquad

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(S02E13) Originally aired March 13th, 2005 -- There are way too many great episodes of Arrested Development. I can't think of any other sitcom that has as much replay value as this show does. Maybe Seinfeld, but c'mon - Jerry, Kramer, George, and Elaine had a lot of stinkers. I don't think the Bluths ever disappointed. When we nominated Arrested Development to get the "Retro Squad" treatment, "Motherboy XXX" immediately popped into my head. It's one of my favorites because it blends so many different stories together and it includes what I think is quite possibly the funniest, and most important, inside joke ever featured on the show.

The episode begins with Michael waking up extra early in an effort to avoid his family - pretty much the gist of every episode, no? Anyway, Lucille has beaten him to the punch. Today is Motherboy XXX (I feel like that should always be followed by a deep voice yelling "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!") and she can't sleep. Buster had always been his mother's date to Motherboy, a dinner dance meant to foster mother/son relationships. But his recent run-in with G.O.B.'s wife's seal has left him short one hand and therefore, far less desirable to Lucille. Meanwhile, Tobias has a new acting prospect, George Michael is prepared to go church camp with Ann, Maeby is set on finding ways to skip school, and G.O.B. is prepping for his divorce.

Why do I love this episode so much? Let's break it down:

• Carl Weathers - Tobias' former acting coach returns with a new job. He's directing a tell-all episode of Scandal Makers featuring the Bluths and he needs Tobias to sign off the family rights. He agrees to do so, but only if he can plan George Sr. in the episode. Carl is happy to oblige. That's not the best part though. Burger King paid for placement in this episode. Rather than bury the product deep in the show, it became part of the story in the funniest way possible. Tobias and Carl eat at Burger King. They praise it. They shove french fries in their mouths. Ads for the then new Tendercrisp Sandwich are seen in virtually every shot. At the end, George Michael and his father toast with large BK cups. There's more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. It just went on and on. Plus, the entire ordeal gets a mirror held up to it when Carl tells Tobias that he's agreed to take money from BK with the agreement that Scandal Makers will shoot a scene there! The level and sophistication of the self-reflexive humor on this show was at its peak right here.
• Henry Winkler - Best known for his role as Fonzie on Happy Days, Winkler's nod as the Bluth's family lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn was superb. He appeared in a ton of episodes (at least a dozen) but none of them stood out like "Motherboy XXX." In a joke so simple, yet so expertly crafted, you couldn't even laugh. I distinctly remember the first time I saw it, all I could do was say "wow." After tracking down the seal that ate Buster's hand, it turned out to be just a shark who had eaten the seal's fin. Upon the discovery, Barry says he's going to Burger King (again with the BK!) and jumps over the shark as he leaves the pier. F'ing brilliant! A reference to Winkler's previous shark jumping antic as Fonzie? Of course. A suggestion that maybe, just maybe, this is the high point and that it's all down-hill from here? We all know that wasn't the case. But it makes you wonder what the writers and producers were thinking at the time. Ratings weren't exactly top-notch for AD, so maybe this was their way of saying "We get it. This might be it."
• Amy Poehler - In her final appearance as G.O.B.'s nameless wife, Poehler managed to get more laughs out of one picture than most sitcoms can hope for over an entire season. After their drunken dare of a marriage, G.O.B. and his wife never did the nasty. Now she's divorcing him and he can make it all go way if he admits they never consummated it. Planning to lie about it (since he won't admit his virginity to anyone), his devious side turns on the nameless wonder and they get down to it in the judge's quarters at the court. She snaps a photo to prove they had sex and it looks an awful lot like those horrible pictures that surfaced after the torture at the Abu Ghraib prison. Hilarious, right? Well... yeah. Poehler's army outfit finally made sense and it definitely tied right in with the Iraq theme that ran through so many other episodes, especially George Sr.'s dealings with Saddam Hussein. Thumbs up anyone?

There are so many other things that made this episode great. There's just too many to list them all. Dave Attell as Tobias, G.O.B.'s concern for Buster's lost Swatch, Maeby's campfire story at church camp, Tobias' "Dr. House" license plate, the return of the Lance Ito-wannabe Judge Ping, Operation Hot Mother... I could keep going. Watch it again for yourself though. You be the judge. And make sure you check back here on Friday as we wrap up our first Retro Squad week with a review and analysis of the Arrested Development series finale, "Development Arrested."

Classic Quotes
"I mean, look how he zips now!" - Lucille, on the limitations (and back scratches) caused by Buster's hook hand
"You know, I wine 'em and dine 'em, but I don't let them tell me what to do." - George Sr. on women (and dolls)
"Do you guys know where I can get one of those gold necklaces with a "T" on it?" - Maeby, confusing her religious symbols with letters of the alphabet
"It's a wonderful restaurant!" - Tobias, during a shameless plug for Burger King
"My army training tells me that this is going to be a hot mission." - Buster, scoping out Lucille and George Michael at the Motherboy XXX dance