Home > Arrested Development

The Fallout

[upbeat music playing]

[Ron] The courtroom at Buster Bluth's murder trial...

-Because that child is mine. -[Ron] ...had been electrified

after seeing a dramatic spin

-off of the Bluths' family history. -[Lottie] Buster Bluth has killed before in the exact same manner he killed Lucille Austero!

Mistrial! Mistrial!

Yes, yes, I missed your trial!

[Ron] But while emotions were high...

-She can be your mother! -...Michael noticed a subtle exchange.

I need you to find some videotapes. They're back... [whispers] ...in a box...

[continues indistinctly]

You do that, and we'll see

-about you calling me Mother. -Right.

[Ron] And so, he decided to dig a little deeper.

[Michael] So, you thought

Mimi was talking about you.

That-- That you were her child, and that she was gonna take you away.

Well, had I known that she was talking about Lindsay,

I would have been, like, "Goodbye, Felicia."

I didn't even really get close to her until we made soup that one time.

Is it true? Did you push Mimi down the stairs?

I did, but nothing's gonna happen to me 'cause I'm just a boy.

How come you never said anything?

-How come Mom never told-- -You leave Mother out of this.

-She knows nothing. -Why are you protecting her?

What are you not telling me?

I did it, but nothing's gonna happen to me because I'm just a boy.

I heard that already, pal. Do not protect Mother.

This looks very, very bad. You know, Lottie is gonna make it look like you're one of those guys that pushes old ladies down stairs.

Lottie. She's so mean. I wish I could shove her down the st--

Hey! Shh! No more talking about shoving, pushing--

-[guard] No touching! -Or touching.

-Yeah, feel it. It's a rental. -Let's focus on your defense.

Oh, I feel good about that.

-You do? -What I saw today in court... blew me away.

What you saw in court today is gonna put you away.

Especially after that body-dumping footage.

I mean, what the hell was that?

[Ron] Buster had been caught on tape,

dumping a person-shaped thing into the sea that only moments before he'd received...

[Gob] I need your help with a, uh...

-[Ron] ...from Gob. -...body-shaped thing.

It's from a magician.

Part of his final farewell disappearing act.

[Ron] Gob had last seen his friend Tony Wonder

-during a sex-pref-swap illusion... -[crowd cheering]

[Ron] ...that he'd hoped would cement their relationship.

-Which, in an unexpected way, it did... -[crowd gasps]

...leaving Gob with the necessity of pretending he was a gay man.

-[man] He's gonna have to stay gay. -[Ron] Gob assumed he'd been ghosted.

But after he was threatened by a group

that somewhat tongue-in-cheek called itself the Gay Mafia...

We know you're as straight as an Oklahoma highway.

[Ron] ...his assumptions were cruelly confirmed.

And we're the ones doing the hurting.

[Ron] In fact, it was a brutal organization that was led

by Lucille 2's brother, Argyle...

So... I have to stay gay?

Just for seven years. Then we'll let you age out.

It's a lot more generous than what I did to that last guy who faked being gay,

-your pal Tony Wonder. -[Ron] ...who threatened

that, since he's so good at magic, maybe he should make something disappear.

-[thuds] -[Gob] Is that what I think it is?

[Ron] Gob kept this part from Buster, but told him it was a mannequin

and swore him to secrecy nonetheless.

[Buster] Um, it was given to me, but I can't tell you by whom.

But Dusty thinks we're better off just ignoring it.

[Michael] Yeah, I think that's a bad idea. And I'm a little concerned about Dusty.

His inexperience could hurt you. And, I'm sorry,

I cannot let that happen. Not on my watch.

[Buster] Mm-hmm. Yeah, I saw A Few Good Men, too.

But Dusty's the real deal. Sorry, Michael. Game recognizes game.

Mom is hiding something.

She even asked Dusty to find some secret videotapes.

You wouldn't have any idea where something like that would be,

-would you? -You don't have to save everyone, Michael.

[Ron] Michael knew there was only one way to get Buster to turn on his mother.

[Michael] Okay. Don't tell me. Dusty sure won't.

Not after Mom told him he could call her "Mother."

Oh, they went to the cottage. I'd check the cottage.

{\an8}[Ron] Now, the story of a wealthy family

{\an8}who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice

but to keep them all together.

[theme music playing]

{\an8}It's Arrested Development.

{\an8}[Ron] Michael arrived at the family's beach cottage

{\an8}to discover that his brother's hunch was correct.

{\an8}[Michael] What are you doing? Research on the case?

{\an8}Hey, Mi-- Michael. Maybe you can help me. I, uh...

I don't know what I'm lookin' for.

Believe it or not, I don't have that much trial experience.

{\an8}Yeah, sure. What are you trying to find?

{\an8}Your mom told me to get rid of a bunch of these family tapes,

{\an8}but I can't imagine she'd want to throw out all these memories.

{\an8}She asked you to get rid of family memories?

{\an8}-Why? Is that weird? -[Michael] It's just that, typically, 

{\an8}the drinking does that.

{\an8}Oh, that's good, because she called it "evidence."

{\an8}But I don't think you're supposed to admit to destroying evidence in court.

{\an8}-Sure. -[Dusty] Again, I...

{\an8}don't have that much trial experience.

{\an8}-Yeah. Hey, why don't we see... -Yeah.

{\an8}-...what's in this box? -Oh, well, my mom...

{\an8}your mom said that I'm supposed to be the only one who looks in there,

{\an8}-but, um... -I'm sure she wasn't talking about me.

{\an8}Uh, well, actually, she said exactly you.

She even said the rules were posted to be specific.

{\an8}I'm pretty sure that towel thing is a shot at me, but...

{\an8}Well, we don't need to do everything my mother asks us to do, right?

{\an8}Well, that's true. You're right. Mother said don't open the box,

{\an8}but I don't see her around here anywhere.

{\an8}Mother, I'm going to open the box!

{\an8}Mom's not here, so it turns out

{\an8}she's not as all-powerful as I think she is.

[Ron] Getting to call Lucille "Mother" had changed Dusty.

So, which ones do you wanna watch?

"George Bluth, Affair: Caught in Act" or "George Bluth, Another Affair: Caught in Act, Hi-Res"?

I know which one I would watch with a gun to my head. [chuckles]

Not the hi-res.

[chuckles] Oh.

"Buster, Age Eight, Under Hypnosis: 1982."

This-- This is the year that they tried to get him to wean.

Hang on, that was-- that was '83.

Uh, 1982 was, uh... was...

[dramatic piano music plays]

Awesome. '82 was awesome. Good year.

-You haven't watched any of these? -These are three-quarter-inch, Michael.

This is not a TV station in the '70s.

[Ron] But, fortunately, Michael knew someone

at a news station in his 70s.

Tell you what, uh, let me take care of this, Dusty.

Yeah, I don't want to be too sentimental here, but these are my precious family evidence, so I should be the one that gets to destroy them.

-[door closes] -[sighs]

[Ron] After talking to Michael, Buster had grown even more nervous

about keeping Gob's secret.

[Gob] ...the body you dumped was Tony Wonder's magic dummy, because no one wants to get put away for murder. I get it.

[Buster] It is their main evidence against me, and it does look like I'm disposing Lucille 2's body.

[Gob] Not, no... Very different body types,

I can assure you, just... Even in the dark, you wouldn't make that, uh, mistake.

Anyway, I'm concerned that, uh... you, uh...

Could you really enjoy your freedom, knowing that you hurt my career?

And don't forget, Buster, when you were a boy,

-magic saved your life. -Uh...

Uh, look, we don't have to say that it was a Tony Wonder dummy.

We could tell them it's a random dummy.

And violate magician-assistant privilege? Not an option!

If you help me with this illusion, then you can be my assistant for the rest of my magic career.

-Every show, every city... -Oh.

...pending availability and parole conditions,

-of course. -Yeah.

-[indistinct radio chatter] -But what if I'm convicted, Gob?

I don't know. I'll use Adhir.

-Hmm. -[Gob] But if you are acquitted, we can start as soon as next week, 'cause I got a big illusion planned.

-You know that wall we're building? -No. I'm kind of out of the loop.

-Who's Adhir? -Doesn't matter.

{\an8}[Ron] But the Gay Mafia wasn't out of the loop.

{\an8}Which is what had led to two of Argyle's cronies

recently showing up in Gob's office.

[man] Argyle heard about the wall project.

And he's a little insulted you didn't ask him for a sit-down first.

Because had you done the right thing and talked to Argyle, you would have remembered we're Newport Beach's premier cement provider.

Something you already knew from the trick you did at the parade.

The one you did with your friend. Tony Wonder. Well... [laughs]

-...he certainly knows about it. -[chuckles weakly]

It-- It's just a prototype wall. You know, I thought it was too small to bother Argyle with.

[man 2] Really? Even though you got Congresswoman Sally Sitwell to call for it?

Because, I tell you what, you get a federal contract, that's a lot of cement.

So why don't you let Argyle decide whether or not he's bothered.

Because if Argyle isn't happy, the wall isn't gonna be the only thing covered in cement.

[Ron] They were two tough guys

right out of Guys and Dolls, a play they were in the middle

of a very successful four-week run of at a local community theater.

Reminds me of how Hanks walked around

-like Jim Lovell for a year. -Argyle will be watching.

And if he's happy, he just might be okay with letting you go back to being straight.

[Ron] And while their affect may have been over the top,

their threats were very real.

-Nice guys. -[Ron] Of course, it would take Gob

another hour to realize that.

So here's the illusion: I'm gonna go into the wall

-a gay man, which I am. -[Buster] Wow.

If anyone from the Gay Mafia asks.

And then, when I come out the other side,

I will be magically straightened out.

Well, cis male, high butch.

[Ron] Gob had learned a lot in the short time he'd been magically gay.

Buster, you do this for me... one day...

I'll come to you for a favor.

[groaning]

[continues groaning]

[Ron] And so, the next day,

Michael sought out a highly respected journalist...

Lean Cuisine? I think I got a Lean Pocket around here somewhere.

[Ron] ...who was going through a bitter divorce.

...nothing, thank you.

You know, you look familiar to me. Have-- Have we met before?

Well, John, you used our house for To Entrap a Local Predator.

-That's it. -Yeah.

-[John] You were one of our super creeps. -Yeah, yeah. Uh, no.

-Oh, man, you were so out of it. -[Michael] Yeah.

-[John] I have it here. -[Ron] And that's when Michael saw footage

from a night

-of which he had no recollection. -[Michael] That's me!

What am I doing in a Banana Stand shirt?

Can you go back before all this?

[Ron] A night in which Michael arrived somewhat battered and bruised

to the model home, and ran into a brother...

I'm just not into Cuatro this year.

[Ron] ...with whom he shared some very cryptic information.

I did something that I wish I could forget.

You've got no idea how I feel.

[Ron] Before being surprised by a guest of his brother's.

What is he doing there?

[Ron] And Michael watched Gob give him a pill

that he used to preserve the secret of the trick.

-What-- What was that? -[Gob and Michael grunting on tape]

-[Michael coughing on tape] -Whatever it was, it knocked you out

-for two days. -[Gob] ...forgetful...

[Ron] At that very moment, the man who gave it to him

-was being questioned by Dusty. -You and I are friends, don't you think?

Objection. Is this going somewhere?

Yeah, that's what I wanted to find out.

So do you think we'll hang out together after this?

-I'll allow it. -Ah...

Hang out, like go to the beach or something?

[Stanley] How does that pertain?

I just want to know if he'll let me see his fort, because...

-I'll allow it. -Oh. [chuckles]

-I won't allow that. -That's... Sustained. That's...

That's fine. That's fair. That's... Yeah.

Mr. Bluth, you are a magician by trade. Is that correct?

-Illusionist. -[Dusty] Oh.

-I'm sorry. -[Gob] Oh, please.

Sustained. I'll allow it.

And you've worked with the defendant before.

This assistant-- This was your assistant, is that correct?

Yes, he was my assistant.

[Ron] Gob realized that Buster had gotten him under oath,

not just as a character witness...

Didn't you say he is the best assistant you ever had?

[Ron] ...but to compel him to take moral responsibility

for the dumping of the body.

-Yes, I did. -[Dusty] And what exactly was it that made him the best?

[Ron] So Gob put the moral responsibility...

He would never reveal a secret.

[Ron] ...back on Buster.

He would just act all dumb, like,

-"I don't know what's happening, either." -Mm.

You know, he just-- he was just so good at acting like, "Where'd she go?

What happened to her? She just... She vanished."

And he could take any object, no matter its size, and make it disappear.

Gone forever, like it never existed.

-You'd never find a trace of it. -Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

And he had nerves of steel, I tell you that much.

Even if he was cutting a woman in half... with that steel.

And then he'd make the steel disappear as well.

-So cool. -He was just a very... dumb-acting but... secretly sneaky guy.

[Ron] And a rift had opened up between the brothers.

But Michael had discovered that Gob was pretty sneaky himself.

So... Gob forget-me-nowed me because of Tony.

And that would be news on any other day, but I've gotta save my brother.

Can you play this tape for me?

Yeah, sure. Did anyone tell you about the...?

Yes. Yep. Twenty-dollar tape deck rental.

All right, let's plop her in

-and see how she plays. -Thank you.

[Tobias on TV] Doctor-to-be, Tobias Fünke.

Subject [bleep, bleep], who is now in a deep hypnotic state,

and this is my doctoral research material on memory suppression.

-[laughs] -[young Buster] Memory suppression?

[Tobias] No. Not that, no. Give him some juice, please.

-Juice, please. -[audio distorts]

[Tobias] ...where we left off yesterday. What happened to Mimi?

[young Buster] I pushed her down the stairs.

[Tobias] No. You didn't do anything. You're a good boy.

Juice, please! What really happened is your mother pushed Mimi

down the stairs. But what do we tell the police?

[young Buster] Mother pushed Mimi down the stairs.

[Tobias] No, no, no, no. Please remove the juice, please!

We tell the police that you pushed Mimi down the stairs.

[young Buster] I pushed Mimi down the--

[Tobias] No! No, your mother did!

Watch me drink the juice, please. Juice, please!

[Lucille] You're confusing him. Honey, even though we all know

that I pushed Mimi down the stairs, if you tell anyone that, I'll go to jail.

[young Buster] I don't want you to.

-What a bitch. -[Lucille] That's right,

so you have to save me by saying you did it.

But nothing is going to happen to you, because you're just a boy.

[young Buster] I did it, but nothing's gonna happen to me

-'cause I'm just a boy. -[Lucille] Can you say it again?

[young Buster, distorted] ...but nothing's gonna happen to me 'cause I'm a boy.

[Tobias] I wish I hadn't finished that juice.

-That's where it ends. -Can you transfer that onto something less obsolete? I got to save my brother.

I think it's time to find out if Mother can handle the truth.

A Few Good Men. Great movie.

-But first, I got to wash the pile... -Sure. Take your time.

[woman on phone] Orange County Courthouse.

-Is the Bluth case still in session? -[Ron] It was.

As, after Gob had outsmarted a dumb lawyer,

the question was, could he out-dumb a smart lawyer?

These objects that Buster could hide... were they as big as a human body?

Oh, God, yeah, yeah.

Just, I mean, the... often, the exact same dimension of a human body, of an average human male or female body.

Often a female body.

-Any female body, really. -[Lottie] This list of skills you mentioned, were they helpful for, say, covering up a crime?

[sighs] I see what you're doing. [chuckles softly]

Yes, it would.

[Lottie] No more questions. [chuckles]

Interesting, huh? Hers were a lot easier than his.

-[indistinct chatter] -[door opens]

Permission to interrupt the case.

-Could you identify yourself? -[Gob] You missed it.

-I killed up there. -I am Michael Bluth.

I am the brother of the defendant and-- and cocounsel to Dusty.

Permission to join the defense?

Oh, that'll be great timing, because I've been drinking this free court water.

Does the prosecution have any objections?

-[Dusty] I need a break. -Oh, let him go.

-Oh, he worked through recess. -[indistinct chatter]

All right. Mr. Bluth, call your next witness.

I would like to call Lucille Bluth, the accused mother.

I think you mean "the accused's mother."

Oh, what did I say?

Mrs. Bluth, would you please state your relationship

-to the defendant? -[Lucille] Look at you, milking this for every moment.

Isn't this classic Michael?

We make fun of him all the time. Right, Gob?

[Ron] The rift between the brothers had been repaired.

-Please just answer the question. -I'm his mother.

The district attorney has provided some very provocative information about the defendant. She has claimed that he was responsible, at a very young age, for pushing our grandmother, Mimi, down the stairs. Thus, that he killed before.

What are you doing, Michael?

Trying to prove the prosecution's theories?

Stop showing off and get to the point.

What if Buster did not push Mimi down the stairs?

-What are you talking about? -[Michael] The question is, do you recall the night in 1982 when Mimi died?

Where are you going with this, Michael?

-I just want the truth. -Oh, God, are you going for one of your Few Good Men moments?

You remember the night your mother died.

-Of course I do. Terrible, what happened. -[Michael] Tell me, what did happen?

Because the prosecution would have us believe that Buster Bluth, your son, my brother, was responsible

-for that death. -Well, he did confess to it.

So it seems that even Buster believes the story that happened in 1982.

It was an accident. He was very young. He didn't understand the consequences.

So you are stating, as a fact, that Buster pushed your mother down the stairs?

Buster says Buster pushed my mother.

And I think you pushed your mother.

I think that Mimi might not have been the only person that took a fall that night.

I think you let Buster take a fall for you.

[Lucille] Oh, I see.

So if I pushed my mother down the stairs, maybe I did this, too?

-[Michael] Maybe you did. -I-- I thought this was about my mother.

-It's about family, all of it. -Stay on topic, Michael.

[Michael] Okay, let's do that.

Where were you the night that Lucille Austero disappeared?

I don't know where I was. I don't know who was where!

Where were you?

So it seems that I came home from somewhere.

The point is that we're talking about you, not me.

[Lucille] Well, maybe we should talk about you.

You were there. You owed her money!

-[Lucille 2] I need that money. -[Michael] Sure.

[Lucille] You borrowed it, didn't you, Michael?

Yes, I did, because I care about the family, which I thought...

Oh, stay on topic. You bounce like a beach ball.

[Michael] I'm answering the question.

I'm saying, when you care about a family or a business, you do things people might not understand.

-[Lucille] Michael! -...what I might do.

Are you threatening... [screams]

And... sometimes you do bad things that you don't remember...

-or I don't want to remember. -[man] Objection.

-[Lucille] Michael's out of control. -[Michael] So maybe I was out of control that night, but at least

-I can admit it. -[Lucille] Admit what?

You're talking like you killed Lucille Austero!

-You're goddamn right I did! -[gallery gasps, murmuring]

[Ron] And that's how Michael A Few Good Men-ed himself.

I think.

I, uh...

I-- I, uh... I was there. I was there, and, uh...

Hey, Michael, I need that money I lent you.

I think that I went there to see Lucille 2. I was mad at her.

I-- I had borrowed money...

Does bad news count?

-[Michael] I'm ashamed. -What are you doing?

I offered to sleep with her so that she would forget my $700,000 debt.

Nice humblebrag.

-Then we fought... -I cannot be held responsible...

...and I must have done something to her

-and gotten my shirt bloody. -[Lucille 2 screams]

Why else would I change it in the Banana Stand...

Stop. You don't know what you're talking about.

But I definitely drove the stair car home, and that's why it was next to the house.

And, uh, the pill. Gob gave me that pill.

That's what I saw on that video at-- at John Beard's, which is why I had forgotten that I was at Cinco.

Okay, Michael, that's enough.

[Michael] Even I was starting to believe that Buster... but, uh...

-I think that I'm the killer. -[Ron] And perhaps, it was at that moment

-that Lottie realized... -I object.

[Ron] ...she had no chance of winning.

The opposing counsel... is confessing.

[indistinct chatter]

No further confessions, Your Honor.

[Ron] It was a stunningly dramatic twist,

a real Making of a Monster-type moment.

-Michael, honest to God... -Yeah?

What the hell was that? You had me on the stand.

-You were making me look like a murderer! -[Michael] I'm sorry. I found the tapes where you were making Buster think he pushed Mimi down the stairs.

[Lucille] Exactly. Those are the tapes I wanted you to find.

I couldn't have laid it out any more clearly for you.

All you had to do was get me on the stand and make me look like a liar.

How do you screw that up?

Screw that up?

What, you wanted me to accuse you of pushing Mimi down the stairs?

We couldn't have the jury thinking Buster did it, because they'd be totally convinced he did the same thing to Lucille 2, and I couldn't exactly accuse myself of killing Mimi.

I would just look like a loving mother lying to protect her son.

But I didn't push Mimi down the stairs. Buster did.

Mom, you're on tape admitting that you did it and telling Buster to confess to being a murderer.

He thought he was saying that to save his mother.

We were implanting a memory.

We didn't want him growing up thinking he was a killer.

Instead, he thinks he's a hero.

Meanwhile, I grow up thinking I'm a hero, and I turn out to be a killer.

-You didn't kill anyone. -[Michael] No, no.

I think I did. They're probably on their way to come lock me up right now.

Lottie's not going to reopen the case.

Mom, I just confessed in there.

That you were drugged and don't fully remember.

[Michael] Why did I change shirts?

-Why did I say I lost control? -Michael, they've got nothing. No body. It's a mistrial.

It's over. Dusty told me.

Two brothers can't be charged for the same crime.

[Michael] Well, I hate to say it, but you may have been getting better advice from Barry.

But I should talk. I mean, I thought... I was better than this family, but I've made a mess of everything.

I-- I couldn't keep Lindsay around.

My son will likely be ruined at the wall unveiling for not having the software. That's my fault. [sighs]

Turns out, I'm the worst. I'm the worst Bluth.

Never say that!

Gob is the worst.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

{\an8}[protesters chanting]

[Ron] On the day of both the wall and the Fakeblock software unveiling,

the Bluth family was growing anxious.

-You think Michael's gonna show? -And miss a chance to save the day?

We need this part to go well.

Sally Sitwell can't shut this down before the presentation.

I'm actually more worried about the Chinese.

I don't think they're happy with the protesters.

If this doesn't work, they'll never stop coming after us for the debt. Oh, God, I just got an amiable nod.

-Are you sure it was amiable? -Yeah, it was pretty amiable.

Okay, look away. I wouldn't want our congresswoman

-to think we're colluding. -[Sally] Hello, Lucille.

-[chuckling] Oh, Sally. -Colluding with who?

Oh, the protesters.

I don't know who let these libtards in here.

-I beg your pardon? -People with liberal-tardation.

Well, they're not making it easier for me to sign off on this prototype.

-I can't believe you'd let them in. -We didn't let them in.

I-- I don't know how they got past the guard gate.

You know, maybe we should think about hiring a guard.

God, I see the problem.

-Frosty the Snowflake over there. -[Tobias] What do we want?

-[protesters chanting] No wall! -[Tobias] When do we want it?

-[protester] We don't? -[Tobias] That doesn't--

-[Lucille] Tobias! -Go limp! Go limp!

Go... No, no, no, no. You...

You look like you're at a Walking Dead convention.

-No, limp, like, uh, flaccid. Unerect. -Um, George?

[George Sr.] Hmm?

[Lucille] You should welcome some of your friends over there.

[chuckles] I can't believe my dry cleaners came.

[scoffs, clears throat] What are you doing?

-Are you not a member of this family? -Uh, he wants to be, but this is going to guarantee it'll never happen.

I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for ethical reasons.

-I need the money. -[Sally] Money?

-These are paid protesters? -Who's paying you?

[Maeby] I am.

And, Dad, I made you a chant follower, not a chant leader.

-Chant follower? -I'm not paying you for that.

Anyway, yes, we're protesting.

This family can make George Michael into a fully-blown Bluth, but they're not gonna do the same to me.

No, it's turning you into your mother.

Well, maybe this will bring her back to this family.

Lucille, I am sorry, I cannot authorize this wall in front of these protesters, especially when it is your family that's doing the protesting.

I'll look ridiculous. I... Channel 52 is here.

-What is she paying you? -Three dollars an hour and a copy of the news footage for my reel.

How'd you like to be a Bluth?

-Fully-blown? -No.

And not your creepy girlfriend or your imbecilic son.

[chuckles] Funny story, that.

They left me.

-Oh. -[Tobias inhales]

I wear the horns of a cuckold. That's why you don't put your girlfriend in the same sleeping bag with your son.

But I'm not gonna let him share mine. I like to spread my legs.

-Apparently, so does DeBrie. -[Tobias] Okay, don't worry about it.

These people will follow me anywhere. Hmm? Okay, folks, change of plans!

Now, you guys got through, but let's keep the rest of your family members away.

I say we do put up the wall, huh? Yes? What's happening?

What? What? Oh, no! Go limp! Go limp!

-[protesters clamoring] -[Sally] Okay. That might buy us time.

[Ron] Which is what George was doing with the Chinese investors.

[George Sr.] Good. I think you're gonna be very, very impressed by the wall. It's gonna, you know, keep everything out.

We are much more concerned with the software portion of the demonstration.

We are very eager to see how it interfere with the broadcast.

We need something like this in China.

'Cause your game shows are the worst. [laughs]

And, of course, this will be very helpful in avoiding the spread of democracy.

[Ron] And soon, Buster caught up with his mother.

Hello, Mother.

-Didn't expect to see you here. -Why the hell wouldn't I be here?

No, you would be. I wouldn't. You didn't invite me.

But, fortunately, Gob invited me.

Hey, Gob. I bet you think you're seeing me here.

-Yeah, you're part of the illusion. -Okay, I'll meet you backstage.

Yeah, I expect to see you there.

-Why are you...? -[Buster stammers]

I bet you didn't expect him to expect to see me back there.

Wh-- What did he mean? He's not using you in his show, is he?

Yes, because I'm a good assistant, and unlike you, I know how to keep a secret.

I can't believe you told Warden Gentles about our family secrets.

[sighs] Look, you wanted to get out for the parade,

-but I drank too much, okay? -[Buster whines]

This is why you don't go to rehab. I lost all my tolerance.

But I tried to fix it.

That's why I wanted Michael to expose that I was to blame.

How was I to know he'd point the finger at himself?

-But it worked. -Mother, I know the truth now.

I always thought you pushed Mimi down the stairs, and you made me take the blame. I got it backwards.

I pushed Mimi down the stairs.

And you made me take the blame. That's the same.

But I want to thank you for that. You were just trying to protect me.

Can you imagine how weird I would have turned out if I thought I did it? [laughs]

I really can't.

[Ron] And soon, it was time for the presentation to begin.

[Gob over speaker] ...the president of Fakeblock,

Mr. Gob Bluth!

"Gob"? Who said Gob?

-[panting] Gob, Gob! Who did? -[crowd applauds]

Thank you. Oh, and my...

As many of you know, for thousands of years, the U.S.-Mexico border has been woefully unfenced.

-[crowd murmurs] -But today, that changes.

Not literally today. Today, we're just here for approval on a small piece of--

Why am I being so serious? We're gonna be rich.

With this wall...

[quietly] Buster, would you get out of the...

Today, in these plywood forms,

10,000 pounds of wet, gay, QuickHard cement will be poured, because if we build it, they won't come!

Oh, that's clever. All right, get ready to storm the wall.

[Gob] But before I demonstrate to you the software that will...

I don't know, I guess just stop tweeting from shithole countries,

I'd like to make a special demonstration of my own. As many of you know,

I performed a trick a couple months ago where I turned from straight, uh-huh, to gay.

Uh...

[woman] Now?

[Maeby] No, let's see how this pans out first.

While my friend Tony Wonder was encased in cement and never heard from again...

♪ The first time ever ♪

♪ I saw ♪

-♪ Your... ♪ -Face.

Well, now it's my turn to transform back, which I will do by starting on the other side of the wall a gay man and turning straight as I walk

-through it. -[crowd grunts and chatters]

[Tobias] Hey, no, no, take five from the beating.

You can get back to it. I want to see this trick.

[Gob] And to help me do that, my assistant, direct from his mistrial, please welcome to the stage Byron Buster Bluth.

[applause]

-♪ I'm free ♪ -♪ Free ♪

♪ Free at last ♪

♪ Free at last... ♪

[Buster] Mm.

How does it feel to be accused of murder?

[laughs] It was a lot of work, but I didn't do it!

They found me not guilty.

Well, it was a mistrial, so they found you not not guilty.

There was no body. They will never find the body.

Maybe I shouldn't have smoked during his pregnancy.

Well, to be fair, you-- you hate to drink without a cigarette.

Speaking of magic, you ought to get on with yours.

-[man] Murderer! -[Buster] Not proven!

-[Gob] It didn't stick, asshole! -[crowd murmuring]

-["The Final Countdown" playing] -♪ It's the final countdown... ♪

[Gob] Now for the easy part.

Back off. Get the...

Climbing over the wall so I can begin the illusion. Get away!

On the other side.

[George Sr.] Well, it is a bit of a flaw that anybody can get over our wall by using a rope ladder.

[Ron] And while Gob was shredding what little dignity he had left,

George Michael was showing respect to the family's Chinese benefactors.

How long until the clown's done with the clown show?

Uh, well, he's... technically, he's not a clown. He's, um...

[mouthing]

Five minutes. Maybe six, if he has a hard time getting his shirt off, but, you know, I have to let him do this. He's my uncle.

We have a word for this in Chinese.

It means a combination of embarrassment and obligation.

-We need a word like that. -[Ron] And after descending

to the other side of the wall, Gob was ready for his transformation.

I am now behind the wall, still fully gay.

[on speakers] But in a moment, I'll be on the other side.

So, ladies, prepare to be objectified.

-Ooh, mommy! -[Buster laughs]

Seal me in.

Not you. Get out!

Okay, now, I still need to somehow get through this plywood form,

but I'm still gay...

[chuckles] ...so I'm not very good with tools.

-So I have to use magic. -[gasps] He's inside the wall!

[Gob] I'm making it! I'm through the plywood!

Oh, I'm craving a beer.

My references are becoming more basic.

I think Billy Eichner is mean.

Buster, prepare the other side for my emergence.

[Ron] And Michael showed up just in time...

[Gob] Gay masons, begin the pour.

[Ron] ...for the cement to be dropped on his brother...

[Gob] ♪ Ah... ♪

[Ron] ...while his son was ramping up business

about a software product his father had been told did not work.

And you are confident the software is effective?

Because we could make you very wealthy.

Oh, we can't sell you Fakeblock for the wall.

We're doing the software on a licensing basis, as we're on the verge of selling the company to a major commercial actress. I'm sorry, a commercial enterprise.

I have the contract for them to sign here, for after the presentation, to sell Fakeblock.

Hey, hey, hey, hey. What's that? Are you...

You're selling Fakeblock? To who?

-No, Dad, it doesn't matter. Please-- -Hey.

Hold on. Is it-- Is it Rebel?

Are you selling the software to the Howards?

-Do not get in the middle of this. -You said you would not sell to her because it didn't work, but it does work, doesn't it?

You don't want me to know. Is that why you're trying to sell it before the demonstration?

-Uh, this is not the time. -You cannot do this.

You cannot do this because you're not the president.

You're just the founder. Gob is the president.

-Can't sign without his signature. -[George Michael] No?

-No. -Read the contract.

As long as the president is incapacitated, it's mine to sell.

Incapacitated? What are you talking about? Where's Gob?

Oh, well, let's just say he's, uh, in between things at the moment, okay? He's plastered, all right?

He's doing that Tony Wonder trick where they pour cement on him.

Last I heard, he didn't know how to do it.

You might want to check on that.

I don't get it. I-- I don't get why you would do this.

What happened to family first?

I am putting my family first.

-My new family. -[hard hat clatters]

-Howard you like me now, Dad? -[investors chattering]

-Howard you like me now? -[Michael] Of course you're choosing them, because you never forgave me for Rebel, did you?

After everything that I've done for you, you're still trying to teach me a lesson? Well, I got news for you, you can't sell because I am still part owner in stock,

-and I'm not incapacitated. -No, not yet.

Know what you have in common with my new dad?

[Ron] And that's when, in my opinion, George Michael went too far.

You could both use a hit.

-I'm sorry. -[Ron] As did Michael.

And an animosity that had been building was finally acted out.

[both grunting]

[Ron] And while the father and son fought next to the quickly hard-drying wall...

Gob could be heard trying to fight his way through it.

[Gob] ...more cement than I anticipated.

He's supposed to say, "Remove the plywood now."

-I don't know why he's not saying it. Gob? -[crowd muttering]

You want me to remove the plywood now?

This is quick-drying cement, so the sooner you can answer...

[groaning]

[panting] Okay, I'm so, so sorry about that.

We really wanna be in business with you guys.

We don't act like this all the time.

And I can assure you that I am in complete authority of both the Bluth Company and Fakeblock, and we'd love to do this deal with you.

-They told me you were fired. -[Michael] No,

I'm on the board. Third in succession if the other two are incapacitated.

[Ron] Only feet away, one of those incapacitations

was on display.

As with no response from his brother...

[Buster] But I would rather have a brother who's alive and maybe bisexual than dead and straight!

-I declare a mistrick! Remove the forms! -[Ron] ...Buster appeared to panic.

That's how Gob, years before anyone else,

ended up with an immovable position supporting a wall.

-[Gob muttering] -[crowd gasps]

-[Gob continues muttering] -[Buster] Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

-He's mad. -[Ron] As were the Chinese.

[investor] We can't be in business with a family like this.

We look forward to your repayment of our generosity.

[stammering] I can't-- I can't do that.

We-- We have nothing that-- that we can give you.

We need to build the wall so we can end our debt to you.

Well, we might be happy with just the software component.

You want to...

You want to buy Fakeblock? Well, we should... let's... we should wait until after the demonstration.

I-- I don't want you to take on too much risk.

And I wouldn't know what to charge you, sir.

You will just sign it over, and your debt will be forgiven.

But this has to happen quickly, before the young clown comes to, or they pull the dead clown out of the wall.

-We will agree to take this risk. -[man] Go, go, go!

And I guess we should do this quickly.

[Ron] And while these no longer amiable businessmen

signed their okay to taking over a company

from a family that had fallen apart,

a father and son signed their okay...

knowing they hadn't.

I hope this allows you to save face for your family.

-Well, thank you. -[investor] Let's go. Well done.

[Ron] But onstage, it was Gob's face that was at risk.

-[Buster] Don't use the sledgehammer. -[man 2] Get him out of there.

-Did somebody say... Wonder? -[crowd cheers]

I wonder if Gob is... still alive!

[Ron] He was, and as straight as he'd ever been.

[Buster] And I missed my cue. And I missed my cue.

[Ron] And Gob and Tony finally reconnected.

-Sorry about jumping my line. -[Gob] I don't think anyone noticed.

They were probably just so surprised to see me still alive.

Like you were blown away to see me alive?

You disappeared during that closet bit. I thought that you were ghosting me.

-To make me feel like a fool. -[Tony] No, look.

I had to switch out with a mannequin in the closet and pretend I was in the cement.

Oh, no. Yeah, no, I figured that out to do the...

But when the Gay Mafia dumped that body on me, you know, I-- I just, uh... I don't know,

-I thought maybe it wasn't a trick. -[Tony] Oh, so they wanted to scare you.

My God, they're such a bunch of drama thugs.

Well, I might not have been dead, but my career was.

I was doing three shows a day in Branson in the, uh,

-Yakov Smirnoff Theater. -What's he like?

Disappointing. Disa-- Uh, disappointing.

Yeah, he treats you like an audience member. 

But you freed me from that. I still don't know how you got those Mafia guys to cancel my contract.

Well, I offered them a better contract.

♪ Hot cops We'll clean up the town ♪

♪ We'll turn that old frown Upside down ♪

So I guess we're just a couple of straight guys, huh?

-What a relief, huh? -Same. Big-time, same.

I guess I can go back to Joni Beard now.

And I might make it official with Sally Sitwell.

-So... -[Sally] Tony!

-Tony! -Hey. Yes, I see you.

Cool out. One second. She's, um...

Since her dad went missing, she needs somebody to run Sitwell Construction, so...

-I guess that would make us competitors. -[Tony sighs]

I guess, uh, friendship is out of the question, then.

But, I mean, we could do other stuff.

Yeah. Like with our hands.

Just hands.

I'd like that.

Me, too.

[both] Just hands!

♪ I get up, I get down... ♪

[Ron] And with the Chinese delegation gone,

Michael and his son celebrated.

Yeah!

Great idea to have me lose that tooth when I hit the ground. It worked great.

[Michael] And we printed that in less than two hours.

It was really good. Hey, hey, hey, perfect timing.

Chinese impressed? Or not? They didn't see the big finish.

-Maybe they... -Well, no.

They got a sense of you. Very accurate.

Yes, well, we have Buster to thank for that.

I gave him the mask and asked him to throw down a mannequin to put in the wall.

God knows where he dug that up.

[Buster] A good assistant never tells. [chuckles]

[Gob] And I see you ruined another shirt.

I thought you'd chicken out and crack at the finish.

If that's...

[Ron] And perhaps it was those words

that helped Michael remember what it was that happened

on the night of Cinco...

-You're too chicken for that. -You're the chicken, and not a spring one.

-[Ron] ...after talking to Lucille 2... -How dare you say that to me!

...that he was so ashamed of.

Chick-chick. [clucks]

Chick-chick-chick. [clucks]

-[Lucille 2 and Michael scream] -[Michael grunts]

[Ron] It was an impression that not only cost him

-his last shirt... -Are you all right?

[Ron] ...but that he chose to keep to himself.

Well, I didn't chicken out. I mean, people even say I stole the show.

You know, I'm thinking about doing, like, a solo show.

Maybe do some close-up magic.

-A little sleight of... -Foot.

-Oh. Is it that obvious? -Yeah.

-Did you get that from my office? -[Buster] Yeah, I Ali-Baba-ed a hand,

-but at least they sent me a lefty. -[Lucille] Just talked to Sally.

She's never going to approve the wall. Called it a debacle.

And the Chinese got stuck with the software.

-[both] Yep. -[Gob] Wait. But isn't it really valuable?

Uh, didn't Murphybrown fix it?

-[Ron] Briefly. -You made Fakeblock.

You wanna see Ben Affleck's peen?

[Ron] Because after installing his homemade software

into George Michael's computer...

[Tobias] Yep. What? Where is it? It's all scrambled now.

-It's gone. -[Murphybrown] Yep, and forever.

I fixed it so there's no way to actually see the movie now.

-So, um, um... -So, basically, you came up with a way to destroy content?

-[Murphybrown] Yep. -[Tobias] Damn it.

All right. Well, we're back to poor.

Looks like you two will be sharing a sleeping bag tonight.

[Gob] It's just sad because we also don't have the wall.

It would have been so nice to be super rich again, you know?

Oh, nobody's gonna build a wall.

According to the succeeding New York Times,

Donald Trump doesn't even have a-- a chance of winning that election.

Oh, I don't know, don't count out his likability.

Oh, I suppose someone should let toe-quotes "Rebel" know

-that the deal is off, right? -Yeah... gotta-- gotta say thanks to her.

[Ron] But, of course, Rebel wasn't in on the con.

Maeby was.

-Hey, Michael. -[George Sr.] Uh, how about that?

-I guess they really did save the day. -Shh. They'll hear you.

Then they'll want something for being heroes.

Well, too late. I already did hear you.

They're here for their paychecks.

But I'll settle for a bedroom with half bath.

Nice try, but it wasn't exactly your idea to protest.

It was your daughter's.

Where is that rebel?

[Ron] She was celebrating with her cousin.

Wow. Someone thinks his cousin is his mom.

Uh, ex-- excuse me, it wasn't her idea to have paid protesters.

It was mine.

I was hoping it would bring out Lucille Austero.

But the trial is done! [chuckling] I mean, why do we care?

You don't really think I had anything to do with her missing, do you?

Do you?

-Oh, no, Buster! -Personally, I have nothing...

-No. -Of course not.

-Oh, honestly! -Remember who's in your corner.

-Why is everybody so scared? -Oh, hi, Uncle Buster.

We were just speculating as to where Lucille 2 ended up.

Uh, we assumed she'd be here to protest.

Well, maybe there's a surprise under one of these burqas.

[Lucille] You have got to be kidding.

Well, it's about time you showed your face, after what you've done to our family, you--

Hi.

[Tobias] Wait, so, at the-- Protester...

That was you kicking me...

-[Tobias and Lindsay] In the balls. -[laughs]

Yeah, your mother was kicking me in the balls.

I thought you left to find your real mother.

She's dead. Buster pushed her down some stairs.

Oh, my God. Lucille 2 is your mother?

Mimi. Not Lucille 2.

Oh, right. That is who I pushed down the stairs.

-Hey, hey, hey. -Well, I just-- I just put my... [grunts]

How often do you get to do that when you're holding one of these?

I showed her the rest of the Ron Howard series.

I knew this day was too good to be true.

Let me have it. I'm a liar and a terrible mother

-for keeping it from you. -[Lindsay] Yeah.

That's kind of true.

Your anger spread to me, made me a horrible partner to Tobias.

And I will say you weren't the most loving mommy yourself.

But to be fair, you barely knew Murphybrown, so...

Oh, what the [bleep]?

Oh, yes. And you were a horrible mother to Maeby, too.

[Lindsay] Okay, but on the other hand, you hid this ugly secret from me so I wouldn't know my mother deserted me.

So, you were a critical, difficult mother, but I gotta be honest, Lucy, you're an amazing sister!

[chuckles] Half-sister.

[Tobias] I'm wondering if this means that you will, uh, perhaps be willing to... take me back.

-We're a family. -[chuckles]

[Ron] Maeby really wanted to roll her eyes,

but not as much as she wanted the hug.

-[George Sr.] Wow. Family of the year. -The mother[bleep] year!

Huh? Nothing breaks us apart.

What happened to Michael and George Michael?

It's like they never showed up.

[George Sr.] Where the hell are they going?

[Lucille] Probably pulling the car around.

Actually, I think they might be ready to move on.

[chuckles] Right. Michael always comes back.

Yeah. He thinks he has to "bring us together."

[chuckles] Oh, Michael is such a zero.

-Oh, he'll be back. [chuckles] -Michael always comes back.

[Gob] Oh, he'll be back.

Especially after something goes horribly wrong, based on something stupid we did.

I mean, this... [chuckles] He'll be... God, Michael.

No, no. I don't think anything's gonna go horribly wrong for a long, long ti--

{\an8}[Ron] On the next Arrested Development...

We're taking down the wall. What do you want us to do about this part?

[Ron] The family deals with some fallout from the wall.

Oh, no, that's nothing. Just take it down.

No, I don't think we should do that. It'll give away the trick.

-We don't wanna reveal the trick. -[Gob] What are you talking--

It doesn't matter. Everybody knows that's not me.

You put in a mannequin. That's the trick.

[Lucille] Yeah. It's creepy. It looks like a person.

-Get it out of here. -Plus, I wanna get my mask back.

[grunts softly]

[all gasp]

Hey, gang, does Buster's mannequin look like...

Judy Garland.

[Lucille] Is it Lucille 2?

Why is she smiling?

[indistinct radio chatter]

This isn't a mannequin.

This is... the happiest corpse I've ever seen.

[clicks tongue] Okay, I did it. So...

But doesn't she remind you of Mom?

[brass version of "Cabaret" playing]

[upbeat music playing]