Arrested Development Secrets Revealed

This was a post by TVSquad.com about all the different Arrested Development Secrets you might have not noticed. Posted Jun 13th 2008 5:38PM by Isabelle Carreau

Arrested Development: The Easter eggs

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

If you are a devoted Arrested Development fan like me, you probably watched all episodes at least five times each if not more. But have you noticed all the Easter eggs featured on the show? They take the shape of props in the background, allusions to other TV series or movies, expressions, etc. If not, you may be interested in the post below where I list some of the Easter eggs featured on the show and where to find them.

If you recently got addicted to this gem of a show, you may want to print this article out and spot the eggs the second time you watch the series. Because, let’s face it, you’ll want to watch it again! And again! Oh, and again!

Bananagrabber - G.O.B. created a cartoon character named Bananagrabber for which he gave up the animation rights along with any family members that might be created later on. This obscure character appears in three episodes of the series. In “Whistler’s Mother,” Oscar watches the cartoon on TV. G.O.B. uses an image of Bananagrabber in his negative campaign in “The Immaculate Election.” The cartoon character appears in the introduction of the Scandalmakers episode about the Bluth family in “Spring Breakout.”

Catlike agility - One of my favorite characters is Tobias and I can’t stop laughing when he displays his catlike agility. You can see him at work in “Bringing Up Buster,” “Justice Is Blind,” “The One Where Michael Leaves,” and “Ready, Aim, Marry Me.”

Chicken - Ah the famous chicken dance! Most of the Bluth family members displayed their lack of dance abilities throughout the series by imitating a chicken. You can first witness the dance craze in “Staff Infection” when G.O.B. tries to imitate a chicken while screaming “coka-coka-coka-coh.” He gets in trouble because of the dance when in Mexico in “Amigos” because this imitation is considered an inflammatory gesture. You can see more of the dance, and see the other Bluths’ version, in “Switch Hitter,” “Burning Love,” “Ready, Aim, Marry Me,” “The Immaculate Election,” “Spring Breakout,” and “For British Eyes Only.”

Cornballer - One of the most famous props in the series. It not only brought back a lot of literally painful memories to the Bluths but allowed us to see George, Sr., work his magic during infomercials. The infamous device is first introduced in “Bringing Up Buster” and appears in one form or another in “Altar Egos,” “The One Where They Build a House,” “Amigos” and “Good Grief.” Can you spot them all?

Family first - This expression is first said by Michael in the pilot when he asks his son what comes first. George-Michael answers “breakfast but Michael says it’s family. The expression comes back in “Key Decision,” “Visiting Ours,” “Pier Pressure,” “The One Where Michael Leaves,” “Afternoon Delight,” “Moterboy XXX” and “Development Arrested.” In the latter, George-Michael and Michael reverse roles when compared to the pilot as the father says breakfast is the most important thing while the son says it’s family.

Never nude - A terrible affliction affecting dozens of people worldwide! Tobias and Phillip Litt (played by Zach Braff) as well as members from the German parliament suffer from it. You can learn more about this affliction in episodes “In God We Trust,” “Martha Complex,” “Beef Consommé” and “Spring Breakout.” While the series was still on the air, www.never-nude.com was the place to go for information about “never nudeness.” It was a series official website created for the show.

Peanuts - There are a lot of nods to the Charles Schultz’s Peanuts characters in Arrested Development. Here are a few:

* In “The One Where They Build A House,” Buster claims that the Army touched his Charlie Browns. In “Amigos,” Lucille wants to videotape Buster and point to his Charlie Browns.
* When the banana stand is closed in “Good Grief,” the sign announcing it is like Lucy’s psychiatry stand in Peanuts. In the same episode, the sad walk is based on Charlie Brown. There is a doghouse similar to that of Snoopy’s. There are also a few nods to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
* Buster asks Michael if a seal bit off his Linus in “Hand to God.”
* The sad walk à la Charlie Brown is reprised in “Righteous Brothers.”

Saddam Hussein - The former dictator of Iraq was part of a running gag on the show. In “Shock and Aww,” Michael mentions that the model home resembles Saddam’s palaces. In “Let ‘Em Eat Cake,” it is discovered that the Bluth Company build the palaces. The chest containing confidential files in “Missing Kitty” is labeled “H. Maddas.” Allusions to Hussein are also made in “The One Where Michael Leaves,” “Good Grief,” and “For British Eyes Only.”

It would take a lot of posts like these to list all the easter eggs, allusions and nods hidden within the Arrested Development episodes. Luckily, The-OP.com has a comprehensive Bluthcyclopedia where they are listed with episodes and, sometimes, pictures. Have fun rewatching the episodes and catch all the Easter eggs!

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