"Pilot" is the first episode of Arrested Development's first season.
Michael decides to take a job in Arizona after being passed over by George Sr. for head of the Bluth Company. George Sr. is jailed, and the family realizes they need Michael.
Synopsis
For the past ten years, Michael Bluth had been waiting for his father, George Sr., to make him a partner in their family company. On the morning of his father's retirement boat party, Michael discusses the announcement of his promotion with his son, George Michael. The two of them are living in one of the Bluths' model homes, to show their support for the business. After dropping his son off at the frozen banana stand his father started, Michael goes to see his oldest brother (an amateur magician) G.O.B, to ask for his check to cover party expenses. G.O.B. asks why the party cannot just be written off to the company. After all, their sister Lindsay had been staying at the Four Seas for a month and the company is probably paying for that. Upset by both Lindsay's avoidance of him (being that he had not spoken to her for over a year) and her abuse of the company's largesse, Michael goes to tell his mother, Lucille, to spread the news that the company checkbook is closing. Tobias, Lindsay's husband, then enters. Tobias recently lost his medical license.
At the Banana Stand, George Michael's cousin Maeby plays a prank on him, taking advantage of the fact that he doesn't recognize her at first. The kids discuss how they never see each other, and Maeby suggests they kiss at the boat party to teach their parents a lesson that they need to see each other more often. Back at the hotel, Tobias, believing that the boat party is pirate-themed because of a joke from Michael, begins trying on Lindsay's blouses. Then mistakes a group of garishly dressed men for pirates, and boards a van full of homosexual protesters. Finally, the Bluth patriarch, George Sr., gives his retirement speech, and appoints the new CEO, which is his wife Lucille, much to Michael's dismay. Michael decides it's time to move on. The family is about to pose for a photo - at which point Maeby takes the opportunity to teach the family a lesson by kissing George Michael - when the SEC raids the ship. George Sr. calls his secretary with instructions on what to do. Lindsay takes command of the boat and Lucille tells Buster, her youngest son, to find a channel to the ocean on the maps. Buster, despite his cartography lessons, can only offer certainty that the blue part of the map is land before a panic attack sets in. The SEC hauls George Bluth away, leaving the family in turmoil.
At the police station, Tobias joins up with the family and discovers that the men on the other boat with him were not pirates, but in fact actors from the local theater. Believing that a path has been shown to him, Tobias informs the family that he has decided to become an actor. Michael then informs the family that their dad is being kept in jail, and the SEC is putting a halt on the company's expense account, which terrifies everyone. Facing adversity, Lucille decides to put Buster in charge. This is too much for Michael, who accepts a job in Arizona with a rival development company. When Buster discovers his academic pursuits didn't prepare him for running a big company, the family turns to Michael, begging for his help. Michael rejects their imposition, but Lindsay says he should visit their father before leaving. Michael does indeed visit his father in jail, asking why he wasn't put in charge. George informs him that he put Lucille in charge because they can't arrest a husband and wife for the same crime, which isn't true, and George curses the advice of his attorneys. At the model home, Lindsay is seeing what she can grab and sell when she comes across George Michael. He opens up his heart, saying he wishes the family could see each other more often, and when Michael sees this, he makes a decision. They decide to stay in California, give the family a shot and try to save the family business.
Appearances
- John Beard as Himself
- Stacey Grenrock Woods as Trisha Thoon
- J. Hunter Ackerman as Protestor
- Hira Ambrosino as Executive
- Chad Einbinder as Birthday Party Man
- Paul Mendoza as Enrique
- Andy Morrow as Teen Magician
- Johnathan Schmock as Captain
Recurring Themes
...on the next Arrested Development
George Michael sits uncomfortably on the bed, while Maeby showers with the door closed over, while singing Britney Spears' "Oops, I Did It Again". Meanwhile, G.O.B. interviews for a job at the Sitwell Housing Inc., only to be told that it is Michael they were interested in, and that he is not a candidate because he did not come prepared with references, to which G.O.B. uses one of his illusions to make a dove appear. Michael visits George Sr. in prison with news that he is going to try and free him, only to learn that he is enjoying himself.
References
- Cell Phone - When Buster is shown taking part in the Native American tribal ceremony, a Native American seen in the background is using a cell phone. Later, while on the boat talking to Delores, George Sr. says "can you hear me now?", the popular tagline featured in the Verizon Wireless advertisements.
- Exploreres - Michael references the explorers Cortés and Magellan when questioning Buster's choice of cartography.
- Annie Get Your Gun - Tobias performs “I’m a Bad, Bad Man” from the musical, Annie Get Your Gun, at his audition for the Community Theater of Orange.
- Segway - G.O.B. rides a Segway, a two-wheeled transportation device that would become a recurring character trait.
- UNO - George Michael and Maeby are seen playing UNO.
Callbacks/Running Jokes
- Protester - The gay protestor makes several reappearances throughout the series.
- Buster's education - Buster has taken 18th century Agrarian Business classes among the many things that he has done.
- Lost appendage - Lucille reveals to Michael that someone cut the foot off of the fox fur that she owns, and it is later found by Maeby when she orders a frozen banana from George Michael.
- Winking - Lucille winks at Michael, and he asks her to never to do it again.
- Tobias is gay - Tobias crossdresses and befriends gay actors, causing him to decide to become an actor. When Lindsay guesses "you're gay?" his repsonse is "No, Lindsay, how many times..."
Hidden/Background Jokes
- Grafitti - The police station was vandalized with the words "FUNKE YOU", which is the last name of Tobias, Lindsay and Maeby.
Foreshadowing/Future References
- Criminal mastermind - Lucille claims that the SEC is wrong in calling George Sr. a criminal mastermind. In "Development Arrested", it is revealed that she was the true mastermind. George Sr.'s rationale for naming Lucille CEO instead of Michael is "they cannot arrest a husband and a wife for the same crime," hinting that Lucille is somehow also complicit in the Bluth company scandal. When Michael informs him that he is incorrect, George Sr. says that he has "the worst [bleep]'ing attorneys" hinting at Barry Zuckerkorn's ineptitude.
- Sitwell - Michael and G.O.B. have job interviews at Sitwell Enterprises Inc., a company which would play a larger role as rival to the Bluth Company throughout Season 2.
- Numerous scenes from this episode are heavily mirrored in "Let 'Em Eat Cake" and "Development Arrested". On the DVD commentary track for this episode, Mitchell Hurwitz suggests that there could be a 5th Bluth sibling (and, after Hel-loh enters the family, a 6th sibling), an idea which was the plot of the Season Three episode "Family Ties".
- When Maeby and George Michael are playing cards during Michael's "intervention," she's wearing an undersized t-shirt that reads "Lotta Love's." This foreshadows Lucille's coverall statement "...and a whole lot of love."
Quotes
- → See more quotes from "Pilot" at Transcript of Pilot.
Notes
- Because this was the Pilot episode for the series, no permanent sets had been built. The model home, the prison, and Lucille's apartment were all shot at different locations than seen in the rest of the series.
- The Season One DVD contained an "Extended Pilot" with several differences from the original aired version.
Goofs
- When the camera moves to Buster banging the drum in Lucille's apartment, the audio is going much faster than he is banging.
| SEASON ONE EPISODES | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1. "Pilot" |
9. "Storming the Castle" |
17. "Justice Is Blind" |
| Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five | ||